FINALLY!

I have finally made it to Texas this evening. I thought the drive would never end - especially today the last and probably most boring leg of the trip. I really want to thank everybody for the calls checking in on me. Always much appreciated! And I especially want to thank Debrah, Delinda and Lea Ann for letting me stay at their homes. You all showed me so much hospitality and it was really cool getting to see your cities and homes and families and friends and dogs!
Unfortunately I didn't take as many pictures as planned to document the trip. I was just too focused on getting to point A, B, C and D. I did get a few so I'll post them here in a minute.
Day 1 -
I left as planned early in the morning - said goodbye to my ghetto apt and my favorite mountain and got on the road. Oregon and northern California were beautiful but hot and getting hotter as my little wheels ate up the road. I was really surprised at how awesome Mt. Shasta and that area was. Way different than Washington or Oregon. I made it to Davis, CA at around 6 in the evening and found my friend Debrah's house and we reunited after 12 years! I can't believe how fast time flies but we got caught up quickly. I got to meet her 10 year old son and they both took me out on the town which is the CUTEST town ever. We walked around looking at shops and ate pizza and walked on a path beside a canal and had Baskin Robbins. I loved it. The town has the greatest most easy going feel to it. We stayed up late talking and drinking a beer and of course I overslept the next morning - so thanks Deb for getting me up.
Day 2 -
The beginning of day 2 was runner up for most boring scenery because after Sacramento there is nothing but yellow grass and a few hills. Ok, some pistachio trees. I made it into L.A. in the early afternoon and went with my friend Delinda to a flea market at the Rose Bowl where she was working a booth. She lives in Pasadena and what a great city that is. We took a nap at her awesome little apt and then she and her friend took me out and gave me the world's most thorough 2 hour tour of LA. First we went to the Santa Monica pier and had dinner and a walk around. It was full of your usual oddities - people with snakes, musicians (one man bands) artists and tourist. We had dinner at the end of the pier at sunset but wouldn't you know it a few clouds rolled in and I felt like I'd never left Washington. We did a little walking on the beach then it was in the car to Beverly Hills, Sunset Strip, Hollywood Blvd....uh, did I leave anything out? Rodeo Drive! They were really sweet to give me the tour and I liked it a lot.
Day 3-
Got to sleep in a little later that morning but poor Delinda had to go to work. So I took a walk around her neighborhood. I'm surprised at how safe and clean LA was - I had this notion that it would be murderous traffic, smog so thick you couldn't breath nor see but it was none of that when I was there. I chilled out with Phoebe a little and then started the drive from Pasadena to Tempe. Across the desert. A little twilight zone - those of you that know me know that I tend to get paranoid and so I must confess I constantly had a Unknown Mysteries commentary going on in my head "witnesses say the woman was last seen buying cigarettes at this convenience store" "she went into the desert and never came out" "attacked by a gang of cacti" yes, it got more ridiculous as the temperature climbed and delerium and dehydration took their course. But obviously I made it safely to my friend Lea Ann's house. She took me to dinner at her favorite little place and we had a great time talking and laughing and reviving some old memories. We spent the rest of the night under the full moon sitting beside her fabulous pool.
Day 4 -
Overslept, AGAIN. Cursed and beat my head against the steering wheel for 10 hours where I finally made it home to my family in Texas and now I'm beat so I'll write about that all later!