"SIDE EFFECTS CAN INCLUDE DEATH"

DAY 14: On the road; Oakhurst to Barstow

We'd never planned today to be an eventful day as it was more about putting some serious miles on the clock. We were heading south from Oakhurst though Bakersfield then East to Barstow, about a five to six hour drive. This meant we'd only be a couple hours outside Las Vegas for our drive in the morning.

We had a delightful, largely cake-based breakfast in our room consisting of waffles, a Danish pastry, two mini muffins and the rankest cup of tea that could possibly be made. Not surprised given my tools and ingredients; a filter coffee machine, one tea bag, one decaf tea bag and some half and half long life milk. In search of a proper cuppa, we found a Starbuck's drive thru over the road.

We decided that leaving late would be a good thing as we didn't know what to expect in Barstow as it was only a stop off and we didn't think there'd be much in between, so we left as late as we could. Watching the end of 'As Good As It Gets' in our room, and staying an hour after we'd checked out to watch the end, helped a lot.

Something is really starting to annoy me in the US - advertising. It's shocking. It's all the same old cliché messages in the same format. It starts with an actor who's 'not an actor', then they ask Chuck what he thinks and he confirms he's telling the truth about this useless and unnecessary product or service. And what starts you off thinking is one ad suddenly turns in to an insurance or car commercial. I think their rationale for such simplistic advertising must be that they need to cater for such a diverse audience - language barriers and IQ level I guess.

There's one particular commercial that I think is more of an 'anti-ad' for an anti-depressant drug. It launches into how this drug can make you less depressed and can really change your life then continues with the latter half of the ad explaining the potential side effects, some of which are permanent muscular pains, dementia, risk of going into a coma, suicide and death!!! That's some 'side effects'. More like a death pill than anti-depressant. I guess you can't be depressed if you're dead.

During a largely uneventful drive we saw some tumbleweed blow across the road which made us laugh. Classic. Someone must have told a bad joke somewhere.

We stopped in Bakersfield for about 40 minutes for our second Starbuck's of the day before heading into the last two hours of our drive.

Barstow is on the old Route 66 so only fitting that we stayed in a motel on the route. Headed out for some grub, but not much going on in Barstow - a bit like America's answer to Eastleigh in Hampshire, but bigger.