04–4-2019 Mojave Desert – Kelso Depot – Zzyzx

62,8 km, 40min

We woke up to a beautifil sunrise in the desert and after we had taken Harpo for a walk and his usual morning shit we went to the railroad depot in Kelso. They have

a little desert museum there and you learn about the few animals and plants that can actually stand the desert. The place is largely deserted but it has maintained it’s own morbid charm and we liked it a lot and spent quite some time there. We passed Baker with a large Thermometer – Gate of the Death Valley – and went on to Zzyzx. The guy who founded this place at a large oasis wanted a name which was sure to be the last in whatever list and came up with this extraordinary combination of letters which can hardly be called a name. The former village which was founded as a health spa and bath is now occupied by serveral institutes of the University of Southern California, LA. I think they use it to grow weed and stuff. The morbid beauty of decay is overwhelming. We stayed far too long before we went to a deserted camp ground near by, where several motorhomes had already gathered.