This morning, shortly after 8, the RAV 4 rental vehicle was loaded with our belongings, and we headed out the door. We were thrilled we got the roomy SUV for our road trip over the next several days with a 3-night stop in California to see my sister Julie. The rental contract for which we paid $1800 continues in Minnesota until May 30, when we will book another car.
We looked at old posts to recall how long it had been since we saw her. It was in November 2019 when she visited Minnesota while we were there.
So much has transpired since then. No doubt we will have plenty of catching up to do. We’ve occasionally chatted on the phone but nothing compares to talking in person.
After a short drive, we stopped for breakfast this morning at a Denny’s. The food was fresh and tasty and quickly we were back on the road.
As of now, on I10, we have 300 more miles to go until we reach our hotel in Santa Monica, a short distance from Julie’s house. We will get settled in our hotel, freshen up, and pick her up for our 6:30 dinner reservation.
We’ve yet to cross the Arizona/California border. We haven’t been on this road since 2013, on our way to San Diego to board our first cruise on Celebrity Century through the Panama Canal. It ended in Florida when we boarded another cruise after staying a few nights with my friend Carol.
That cruise took us to Belize, where we stayed for two and a half months. It was truly in the beginning of our exciting worldwide travels. We had no idea of the adventures that lie ahead of us.
Last evening, we had a lovely dinner at JJ Madison with Colleen and Margie. Afterward, we returned to our place, packed a few more items, streamed a few shows, and headed to bed by 11.
As we travel on this long highway to California we don’t see any exciting photo ops. We are in the Sonoran and soon-to-be Mohave deserts, a barren and mostly uninhabited area of the Southwest.
I continue to scan our surroundings for photo ops and will post anything worthy of posting. We will be back with more tomorrow.
We just entered California with 234 more miles to go.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, May 1, 2014:
