Day 38: Williams, AZ to Santa Monica, CA

So sorry that I didn't post in a few days! You will find out why for reasons below. I will update about Thursday and then Friday.

So, Thursday I woke up at 5:30am, thanks to both the desert sun and the kids at the camp site next to me who were already up and playing around. I tossed around for a bit, then decided the hell with it and got up and started my day. I put my tent away (much better than the day before, and I even got it to fit into the bag it came in - success in my book) and cleaned up my camping area. Was packed up and out of there by 7am - impressive for a 26 year old male, right??

The plan today was to get to LA. I was staying in LA with my cousin Kelly, and she didn't get off of work until 7pm, so I had about 12 hours to do a 7.5 hour drive. My plan was to take the scenic route, stop whenever I needed or wanted to, and not fret about not having enough time to get there. I started first by getting some breakfast at a diner in Williams (on historic route 66 no less) and then hit the road. The pine forests and quaintess of Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon gave way quickly again to the desert and boringness.

I soon made it to California, and there I was stopped (as was every car on the road) by a state inspection person. The exchange kind of went like this:

State Inspection Lady: Where are you coming from?
Me: (looking kind of confused, since we are less than a mile into CA from the AZ border). Uh, Arizona. Isn't that where everyone is coming from?
State Inspection Lady: Yes, but where are you off to? You are from Washington, have you been visiting Arizona?
Me: Well, I've kind of been everywhere in the past month...
State Inspection Lady: Just go through. Have a nice day

I did not understand the whole point of the conversation! It was longer too than the Border Inspection stop I had to go through in New Mexico ("Are you a citizen? Go ahead..." So foolproof!) but still funny nonetheless.

Anyway, my day was going well...until my check engine light came on when going through Needles, CA. In hindsight, this was the best place theoretically that the light could have gone off, as it was in a town right before I got into the Mojave desert, and it was during working hours so I could do something about it. I found a service shop who said they would diagnose it for 60 bucks - a little steep, but how can I haggle in the middle of the desert? Two hours later, and they are forced to admit that their machines can read what is wrong with my car. Two hours of me sitting in 110 degree weather, all for naught! In those two hours though, I did the following things:

- sweat through my t-shirt (that one was a given)
- walked to an AM/PM and bought a drink (just like in the old days walking to swim practice at the San Bruno pool)
- stole wireless internet from the hotel across the street
- talked to an old cowboy trucker man who was getting his truck worked on (his job was to take all the empty Miller Lite cans manufactured in Torrance, CA, and drive them to Milwaukee so they could be filled with beer)
- almost feel asleep

Anyway, it was now 3pm, and I still had no idea what was wrong with my car. I conferred with my dad via phone, who said (and I agreed) that I should get a second opinion. So I drove around and found another repair shop. This one took ten minutes, and the guy said that I had a leaky valve on the rear differential, so I should be fine getting to LA. And he didn't even charge me. Thanks Big O Tires Guy!

So, after a long day in Needles, I started on the road again. Drove through the desert, where it got as hot as 115 degrees (or so my car said). Whatever leisurely pace I took BN (Before Needles) was shoved aside to drive a bit more frantically so that I could still get to LA on time. I have never been a speeder though, and I didn't start then!

Finally got to some civilization and drove through the scenic San Bernadino Mountains and National Forest - such a pretty sight! Until I realized that the haziness was smog. Oh well - such is life in Southern California I guess. After the mountains, the massive-ness of suburbs hits you smack in the face, and while I was happy to see more civilization, I soon had to try and survive the process known as "getting around LA on a lot of freeways". Luckily the GPS helped!

I did love having a bit of cold weather, as LA was overcast that day (real overcast, not smog). And I did hit some traffic, but not too much. And I have to say, I enjoy LA drivers, as they are experts at driving in traffic and know what they are doing - you keep moving as fast as you can and for the most part just stay in your lane.

Made it to Kelly's apt in Santa Monica at around 8pm. Kelly works at Interscope Records and has lived in LA since she graduated from LMU in 2008. Her place is so nice - off a small courtyard, all hardwood floors, newly redone kitchen, nice furniture. And two tv screens to boot! Living the LA lifestyle to the finest. Anyway, I took a quick shower since I had sweat so much the day before, and then we were off to dinner with her friend Rob. I was the first one in the family to meet Rob, and he seems like a nice guy. Since we had gone to dinner so late, we got done around 11pm, and I was whooped after a long day! It was back to Kelly's and I was quickly asleep on the couch...

More to come about yesterday!
Joey