--- title: "Trip to Ridgecrest" date: "2026-04-11" --- At the end of March 2026, we went to Ridgecrest, to visit nearby Trona Pinnacles, Alabama Hills, and other attractions. We went with our friend, my cousin in law, and their dog Emily. ![Some kinda dried desert plant thing.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-11-44-53_DSCF7148_e61a46be941e7aec9842b5fa8f65fca3ee3945e1_4443cd6198edbb44.jpg) # 2026-03-26: Drive to Ridgecrest We ate lunch at Harris BBQ while supercharging our car. ![A cat at Harris BBQ, where we ate lunch.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-26-12-08-28_DSCF7089_c70be13f133910e9f5d39be6057ebeb968b70cd5_1b48c514cb2be265.jpg) ![Inyokern Station, a gas station, but I stopped there because there were Tesla superchargers next to it.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-26-16-47-10_DSCF7100_8195055e28743efa2a0febd454abb2153b675169_35de42c8f999c226.jpg) For dinner, we wanted to dine at the restaurant called _Mon Reve_, but it was booked out for two weeks. So we randomly picked another restaurant, Saigon Flavor. ![Emily.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-26-18-18-09_DSCF7112_3f8279d1a35e2a07cceb0318ac152e6c6692d467_169ee72cc556d193.jpg) ![Pho.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-26-19-16-29_DSCF7129_26f9e346bf3687847e77403020f65528958328bc_3b3fbcc0ae35dca3.jpg) # 2026-03-27: Trona Pinnacles We went to Trona Pinnacles! First we had breakfast at McDonalds. Then we bought takeout sandwiches at some strange online-only restaurant mysteriously embedded within Denny's. ![Tesla Model S.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-11-34-29_DSCF7133_2e1d0971cb178272fc0e87e1095c1eafdeea4f37_1f4587e6359938c5.jpg) ![Tesla Model S.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-11-35-03_DSCF7135_df38bb78ebad964240fb4cfc27531ffb5287f85c_c9ba91110c96f281.jpg) ![Tesla Model S.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-11-35-56_DSCF7139_0fc2d81c400813814cade037d3589e7a4ebfe4f8_f49b162cb89ffed8.jpg) ![A sticker-encrusted stop sign at a railroad crossing.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-11-43-00_DSCF7144_67a64e02763bb0940ce491ec0b7345b611e6aff1_a588aae42b172866.jpg) ![I like trains.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-11-45-23_DSCF7150_cdd1a476ad152f371c45562f121da4cdcc45d60c_d27463c1751b36b8.jpg) ![Car.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-12-06-08_DSCF7163_434131521ff271dfae9fd373b735537880784484_c374f03d7969d297.jpg) ![Car.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-12-06-43_DSCF7166_c456e5babbcfcdd27a958e3deae5b9583224a918_662d37907f397b36.jpg) ![The pinnacles!!!](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-12-06-54_DSCF7167_c8fb6f682900c0c7b5194ea477294f3084f6c048_a420b31b86b7429e.jpg) ![Some pointy rocks.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-12-44-46_DSCF7270_483598c28734d82a5d4f37e2d1f7c7849b310b69_b94f151f949cd536.jpg) ## Ballarat Ghost Town We went to check out a ghost town. ![Model S near a dried up lake.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-14-25-32_DSCF7410_7a66daa545182c65cdb2019564acb569bd79759d_193b55535cb944fb.jpg) ![Ballarat Trading Post.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-14-48-01_DSCF7426_678126e20904eec22349b1a4c9f953ddf75c828e_5ea4ba58b413e7d7.jpg) There was a really friendly and extremely skinny dude in the gift shop, who told us about the history of the place. He also told us about how he goes to Trona and buys bottled water as it is the only source of hydration (no potable water in the ghost town), but he would yank out the dollar bills from the vending machine to avoid having to pay money. His family are still gold miners. I guess gold mining is not super profitable today. The trading post was in fact built in the 1980s, long after the town was abandoned, by some guy who built it all by hand apparently. ![A _Vocho_ abandoned in the desert.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-14-46-13_DSCF7419_3972174d823ad92821193b9284507101b82ba1db_35f206de086118f7.jpg) ![It was very hot, exceeding 313 K.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-14-49-35_DSCF7429_8d6d62579fe30beaf701b51a6996fd8b726058ee_d12d5a7bab36e5dc.jpg) ![Abandoned honky tonk.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-27-14-50-59_DSCF7430_2215bef34544b3850b4fe1bb9ce309e241c73728_e4edd30f00eed60a.jpg) ## Dinner For dinner, we went to Tokyo House, because they are okay with dogs. It's just typical small-town American-Japanese cuisine with rolls and "hibachi". ![Tokyo House.](https://i.dllu.net/IMG_1554_c363df55842a0a6c.jpg) ## Trona Pinnacles again but at midnight We went to Trona Pinnacles again at 3 am to see the stars! ![Disco doge Emily](IMG_1582_h264_sdr.mp4) ![Trona Pinnacles](https://i.dllu.net/stackedhp_80cd23c36b388705.jpg) # 2026-03-28: Alabama Hills For breakfast we had extreme American diner food at Kristy's Family restaurant. This was probably the tastiest meal of the trip, and an extreme calorie bomb. ![Breakfast.](https://i.dllu.net/IMG_1600_3444ebca080d3632.jpg) Then we headed north to Alabama Hills! ![A painted face on some rocks.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-28-13-47-29_DSCF7536_78a8e2f45efcb02c6c44fd2ae019364c9724cccb_a853b01fce85a445.jpg) ![An arch.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-28-14-33-58_DSCF7638_442661e68c4d094850c3e94808906af75a6d9703_8aefd158c741ec0c.jpg) ![Some round rocks.](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-28-14-31-21_DSCF7621_45e6f325019de265626b6e609e4df69965edd764_bcc837533748acea.jpg) ![The same view as [Tony Stark's Jericho Missiles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBfo87raroE).](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-28-15-39-57_DSCF7803_cfc2b0973973d962106bfb185acb50f1c10e07e4_bebf9de4b5afff83.jpg) Then I went to charge the Tesla again and found a Vocho. ![Vocho](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-28-17-52-28_DSCF7815_0c9a7e11c500a43f7b6f23e1ce48795e06766832_c680814ddd4c978f.jpg) ![Tesla Superchargers](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-28-17-59-04_DSCF7824_8e01dea2fa090c7a306d13557370ee7eab13472d_98aad40a1ef4f012.jpg) ![A house in Inyokern](https://i.dllu.net/2026-03-28-18-00-58_DSCF7827_c1e555e29ab47eace823551b8a016702c5a683e0_d266f2b7af280c32.jpg) For dinner, we went to Casa Corona, a Mexican restaurant. ![Dinner](https://i.dllu.net/IMG_1613_cd20beaa01d21f13.jpg) # 2026-03-29: Drive back We had breakfast at Beanster's Espresso. All the other customers were really hardcore Marines. Then we drove back! We had In N Out for lunch. ![Sleepy babby.](https://i.dllu.net/IMG_1681_b79202f99c8beee4.jpg)