Relaxing Wanderings

Sunday was a very special day for Cathy and me.  Our Jeep is currently running about without its top or doors, ready for adventure.  However, the two of us were ready for a relaxing day of simply wandering about, doing a little swimming, sitting in the shade and reading, and seeing magnificent vistas.  So I consulted my topographical map to find a winding back road to Lake Isabella and Kernville from our house in Lancaster.

According to my map Jawbone Canyon Road is paved all the way to Kelso Canyon Road, and Kelso Canyon Road connects with 178 near the Kernville turnoff.  So we put ice in the cooler with water, Snapple Diet Tea, Diet Coke with Lime, and Diet Root beer, a bag of cherries, a bag of grapes, and another bag of cherries went in with the drinks.  The bag of pretzels didn't need to be cooled.

Grabbing an egg sandwich from McDonald's we set off on our trip at eight that morning.  Instead of using the 14 freeway we chose instead the less traveled and more sedate Sierra Highway to Mojave.  For my friends from the East Coast that's pronounced Moe-havae.  In Mojave we had to get onto the 14 to go as far as Jawbone Canyon.  Of course, once we got into the canyon itself the road was closed.  So we had to take the motorcycle trails to Kelso Canyon Road.

This was a beautiful journey, though a little dusty and bumpy, but did not give me a chance to use my 4-wheel drive.  Ah well!  Eventually we reached Kelso Canyon Road and arrived at Kernville just in time for lunch.  It was about 11:00 when we got there, and by the time we bought a sub sandwich and got our chairs settled in the park, used the restroom, and were ready it was 11:30.

The park at Kernville is quite lovely.  We sat in the shade, ate our sandwiches, and read.  Cathy read from her Nook and I read an actual book.  People still do read actual books!  Mine was a Charlotte MacLeod novel Rest You Merry, one of her Peter Shandy mysteries.  After an hour of rest in the shade we went looking for rocks under the bridge and eventually left the park to go to the lake to swim.

Putting up our shade tent and chairs right on the edge of the water was fun.  Once that was in place I removed my shirt and shorts (don't worry, I was wearing my bathing suit under my shorts, and waded into the water, finally finding a spot deep enough to swim.  After a swim I sat down and began to read another Charlotte MacLeod mystery, The Corpse in Oozak's Pond.  Cathy and I stayed at the lakeside for about two hours enjoying the boats, jet skis, and families around us.

It was 15:30 when we packed up and headed to Isabella where we would pick up Bodfish/Caliente Road.  This was paved all the way to Highway 58, which we had to take as far as Keene, before once again taking to the back roads.  I must say that the Bodfish/Caliente Road was beautiful, often shaded, and coming down out of the mountains offered many breathtaking views.  From Isabella to Caliente we passed three vehicles on the road.

At 18:30 we finally pulled into the driveway and Cathy went in to take a shower while I unloaded the Jeep and put things away.

Many would consider what we did as boring, hardly worth the time, but we loved it.  In an open Jeep one can see so much, and just being together for the day was a treasure for me.  I still enjoy spending quality time with my beloved Cathy, and just being in her company is thrilling.  I'm so glad that God allows us to drive His Jeep on days like today!