Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Déjà Vu – or A Night in the Orange Grove

When I was a kid I remember going through the big stores in downtown Chicago and noticing the overwhelming scent of perfume in the department where perfumes were sold. It is a similar thing here at the Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield, CA where we are spending one night.


The orange crop has already been picked, but there are enough blossoms remaining to push a heavy scent into the air. Think dime store fragrance. A little goes a long way.

We departed from Parker, AZ this morning at 7:30 and pulled in here this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. We covered about 330 miles, which is a little more than we like to do, but we wanted to give us a shorter drive tomorrow when we head northwest to Coarsegold, CA and will spend a month at the Park of the Sierras. Tomorrow’s trip is 150 miles.
On the way here we passed a small town called Boron. Those of you who took chemistry know that Boron contains sodium borate decahydrate (Na2B4O7•10H2O), better known as borax, the third most important boron compound. Borax is used in laundry products and as a mild antiseptic. Perhaps the most popular brand is 20 Mule Team so well known that a local road carries the name. See photo below.






Stay tuned

2 comments:

  1. I stayed in that same campground in late Dec. '06. Didn't have the smell of the blossums, but was able to pick a small bag of oranges to take along. :) Thanks for bringing back that memory!

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  2. Hey George, let me know if you received this comment. haven't used this google thing for sometime. Jane said to tell you she really enjoyed the picture's of the flowers. Jim & Jane

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