California musician and his wife found dead in Mojave Desert on remote road

[Demovictory9]

Please carry extra water in Mojave Desert. Stay on main roads.
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-musician-and-his-wife-found-dead-in-17400191.php

A California musician and his wife were found dead on Aug. 21 in a car on a remote road in the Mojave Desert. The Kern County Sheriff's Office did not name the deceased, but KGET reported that the bodies belonged to Larry and Betty Petree.


The sheriff's office said it had received a report of two dead bodies in East Kern, and when deputies arrived on scene, they found 88-year-old Larry at the wheel in the drivers seat and Betty leaning against the rear tire.

The sheriff's office said homicide detectives were not called to the scene, as there is no reason to suspect criminal activity.

Larry played pedal steel guitar, and he was part of a sub-genre of country music called the Bakersfield sound, a raucous, guitar-driven blend of rockabiliy, honky-tonk, blues and Western swing. This style of music sprung up in Bakersfield in the 1950s, marking a push against the more polished, orchestral music coming out of Nashville. Buck Owens and Merle Haggard were both a part of the movement.

[Zeitghost]

1. How sad.

I spend a lot of time in the Mojave overlanding and camping. It's a wonderful and beautiful place but it is deadly any time of the year and especially so in the summer. I make sure multiple people know my itinerary, I never travel without two vehicles in the group and I always have extra fuel, water, food and other supplies.

[Demovictory9]

3. "I never travel without two vehicles" smart plan

[Zeitghost]

10. Yes

Rule #1 of off-road travel is to not go alone. Always useful to have somebody pull you out when stuck of give you a ride into town for parts. You can get into a lot of trouble out in the desert and help is a long way away.

[Wingus Dingus]

2. Strange and sad. Reminds me of this song and its backstory:

[Demovictory9]

4. Thats a good song. Never heard it before

[Sympthsical]

11. One of the most overplayed songs of the late 90s

It's not a bad song at all, but it was on the radio every. five. minutes.

Between this and Bittersweet Symphony, 1998 was an aggravating year on radio.

And I say this as a Collective Soul, Vertical Horizon, Matchbox Twenty type.

[Demovictory9]

18. Not familiar to me..must not have been on pop stations

[Wingus Dingus]

14. Yep, still love it--it's a classic now.

[walkingman]

9. Wow, amazing song and it fits so well.

[MerryBlooms]

15. I'd forgotten about that song, and looked up the back

Story you mentioned. Yes, I see why you put the two together. Both tragic. My sympathy for both couples and their loved ones. I'm sure both couples had bitter sweet last conversations. 😔 May all find peace.

[USALiberal]

5. Have a satellite phone If you travel to dangerous places.

[cloudbase]

6. Carry a GPS tracker with you.

I use a SPOT tracker. There are others.
Works anywhere in the world-no cellular service needed.

[Demovictory9]

7. Larry playing his steel guitar thing

[Wingus Dingus]

17. Talented guy.

[Chautauquas]

8. Last year three of us spent a week camping in the Grand Canyon - Parashant area

we carried 2 large cans of diesel for the truck and 30 gallons of water, plus a satellite phone in case the truck broke down. Desert areas are beautiful and fun to explore but can also be deadly.

[Raine]

12. Very sad

that someone 88yrs old has such a rough ending out there in the desert.

[panader0]

13. Don't forget Dwight Yoakum when discussing the Bakersfield sound. He was Buck Owen's protege.

We used to cover this one when we played at a C&W bar:

[Meowmee]

16. I guess they were dehydrated

Odd that no cause of death is mentioned.

I once drove through the mohave desert by myself in a rented car. I was a bit nervous of what would happen if I broke down there. I don’t think I would do that again. Actually it would not even be an option now for me due to all my health issues.