Finally, a road trip

Thank goodness we had already decided to only go as far as Oxnard when we left the desert.  Even with all the delays of leaving we arrived at the beautiful Embassy Suites Resort at Mandalay Beach in Oxnard just around cocktail time - go figure.

We had a fabulous oceanside room with a balcony and were finally able to relax, pop the cork on the champagne, watch an amazing sunset over the Pacific and, thankfully, pass from the 13th of the month to the 14th. 

The next morning, after a walk on the beach and talking to some locals, we both decided that we could add Oxnard to our list of possible final locations.  The beaches were beautiful, the climate is mild year round and it has a lot to offer.  There is a thriving wine country within easy driving distance, lots of farms with fresh produce and a great soil for growing all Jann's favorite plants.  But we have a lot more locations to see so it was time for a leisurely drive up Route 1.  What a gorgeous drive that is and it was great that we had time to enjoy it.   We drove up to Big Sur, heading for Nepenthe where we stopped for lunch at the best table with the best view.  This is the way to live !!

 

We reluctantly left Big Sur and continued on the road to Monterey.  Had a nice hotel just steps from the pier and short walk to Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row.  Our options for accommodations were limited because of parking with the trailer.  We were lucky for the two nights we had it, but it was definitely restrictive.  Luckily we ran into very nice valets at both places who helped us out a lot.  It didn't matter how many times we tried we could not get the hang of backing up with a trailer.  Good job there was no video because the trailer would just not go in the direction we wanted to go.  Finally decided that wherever we were we could only go forward which, come to think of it, was probably a good motto for our trip.

September 15th and we arrived in Granite Bay, unloaded the van and trailer into our friend's garage.   Pam brought our dog Scrabble over for a visit - don't know who was more excited him or us !!  (We left Scrabble with Pam and Bruce because he had bonded totally with their dog Cookie and they were inseparable.) Then it was time to catch up on all the news with Joanie and Pam, sitting on the deck amidst all the oak trees,  cocktails in hand. (Are you sensing a pattern here?)

Goodbye to the desert

We decided to leave Rancho Mirage on Tuesday, September 13th.   Normally, I am not superstitious but I may have to rethink that whole "13th" premise.  Our friends, Fran and Di, recommended that we not pack the car the night before or there may be nothing left the next morning.  We took their advice, got everything ready the night before to carry to the car (about 100 yards away) and woke up to - thunderstorms and drenching rain !!!!  

This kind of rain was a rare phenomenon at that time of year in the desert. Friends described it as Palm Springs crying because we were leaving which, although touching, didn't lessen the soaking we suffered getting everything from the house to the car.  When I say everything - it quickly became apparent that we were not going to be able to fit everything in the car.  Move to Plan B.

While Jann cleaned Fran and Di's home, I drove over to U-haul to get a small trailer and attach it to the factory installed tow bar on the back of the van.  Luckily, Wesley and Richard came with me.  I say "luckily" because the "13th" phenomena was still in effect.  First the tow attachment that came with the van was no longer in the car - easily fixed with a new one from U-Haul.  Then the lighting package that came with the van did not work - calls to Toyota to find out which fuse was tied to the tow package lights proved useless.  U-Haul provided a solution - they installed a new wiring system tied to the lights at the back of the van.  None of this was cheap or quick.  Did I mention that in order for them to do this work we had to unpack everything we had put in the van so they could reach the wiring?  Thank goodness for having Wesley and Richard there.  We spent almost 4 hours at U-Haul. 

In the meantime, Richard went back and collected the rest of the stuff at Fran and Di's in his SUV and headed back to his house with Jann.  With the trailer attached, finally, I drove over to Wesley's and Richard's house and with their help we got everything packed in the van and the trailer and left the desert - four hours later than we planned. 

Turns out Tuesday the 13th is the Mexican equivalent of Friday the 13th.   Before this I have regularly courted disaster by walking under ladders, not tossing salt over my shoulder and I have been known to break a mirror.  But I will never again plan anything major on any 13th of the month regardless of the day of the week.