Driving to Cali

Driving for hours, and I wasn’t bored for a moment.  I brought the NYTimes Crossword Puzzle pages and a bright green pen, along with a paperback and my Kindle. I never felt the need for more than the occasional clue.  It’s not the prettiest part of America, but it held my attention for seven hours.

It rained for a while.  TBG and I agreed that new windshield wipers are nearly as wonderful as new tires, and the only thing more wonderful than new tires is that new car smell.  We had it all and we were happy.

We became connoisseurs of road surfaces.  I pretended I was in an off-road vehicle as their tracks across the open space provided the road map for my fantasy.  We had a Coleman cooler filled with ice tea on the floor behind the driver’s seat and my sneakers stowed neatly beneath my own seat.

Mr. I Am Too Nervous To Be Anything But The Driver” mentioned the possibility of my getting behind the wheel, but thus far it’s only been another fantasy.  That’s fine with me. I have no responsibilities except navigation, and with my phone and the car’s user friendly nav system, I can pretty much relax in my chair.  After all, the directions begin by telling us to get on I-10 and continue to California.

We had lunch at Gramma’s Kitchen, right off the highway and the only locally created restaurant along the route.  Aptly named for most of the thoughts occupying my mind, every single bite tasted exactly the way I expected.  The perfect club sandwich, with a crisp pickle and exquisite steak fries in front of me, TBG’s burger had absolutely scrumptious onion rings… and eat local had a whole new meaning as we entered the highway behind a dual-bed-trailer-truck filled to its netted brim and back with fresh, yellow, onions.

California had pockets of congestion, but for some reason they were all headed east as we sped west.  There were no tolls, the speed limit was a mere suggestion, and now we’re relaxing in a corner room on the third floor overlooking a lovely drooping palm’s fronds whose rustling we can hear through the window which opens. California air smells good.

This is a really nice anniversary weekend trip.  Tomorrow we get to see our boy, and friends he’s had for almost half his life.  There will be a wedding and a drive home and then life will pick up a more regular pace.  For now, though, we’re enjoying this end of the summer sojourn.