Anna's Trek: Back to So Cal

Alex and I made it to San Diego okay, but it was quite the adventure. We hopped on a train in Sacramento on Jan 2^nd at 6:30am and arrived in Bakersfield on time for our bus transfer to LA and from LA we were going to catch a train Oceanside. Well, we left Bakersfield at around noon and we got about 15miles away from the grapevine on I-5 and Alex and I noticed that the wind was blowing like crazy. There was a little rain and it was coming down sideways. Alex and I saw a bird trying to fly in the distance, but it was just staying in one spot in the air and being pushed backwards at times. It was actually pretty funny to watch the bird try to fly. I didn’t have internet reception on my phone to check the weather, so I texted my sister to check the weather to see how fast the wind was blowing. The traffic on I-5 was bumper to bumper and people were driving their cars on the side lanes to try to get ahead of the traffic; I hate it when cars do that. My sister texted to me that the weather said the winds were only 14mph, but it looked way faster than 14mph. Later I found out that the winds were actually 50-60mph with gusts of 90mph. So, crazy. If we had of been driving the VW van then we probably would have tipped over. The rain eventually turned into snow and it was so bad that it looked like we were in a blizzard. I didn’t even know the weather got that bad in that area, but supposedly it’s not the first time that area has experienced that type of weather. I-5 was eventually closed down and we were forced to go back the other way. The bus driver took us back to Bakersfield and then we were rerouted through the Tehachapi Mountains which is in the direction of the Mojave Desert. Traffic wasn’t any better taking the alternative route. As we were driving through the mountains it began to snow and it really came down.

Tehachapi Mountains

The roads got really icy and at one point the bus wheels began to slip. I thought we might have to turn back, but we made it through. It took a total of 8 hrs to get from Bakersfield to LA. I was so hungry and we had just enough time to grab a sandwich before getting on our train in LA to Oceanside. Our total travel time from Sacramento to Oceanside was 14hrs. I was so exhausted. Our friend Peggy Marinello picked us up from the train station and drove us to her house where our van was parked. It was so nice to see our bus again.

We stayed with Peggy for two nights and it rained the entire time we were there. I came to the conclusion that the rain was following us. It rained the entire week before we got back to Sacramento, it rained almost the entire time we were in Sacramento, and then it was still raining when we arrived back in Southern California. So, I think it really was following us. While we were at Peggy’s we visited some more friends that I met at the family camp CFO; the Odash’s. We stopped by their house and it was Dan Odash’s birthday. His whole family was there including his parents. Dan's parents have been married for 58 years and while we were there Dan turns to his dad and says, “In all the years you’ve been married, what is the worst argument you two have had?” Dan’s father says, “We were playing cards and she laid down her hand and then I laid down my hand that trumped her hand. She then said to me, ‘you horses ass.’” Everyone in the room breaks into laughter. Dan’s mom then says with a very serious look on her face, “I was really upset at him when he did that.” They were such a cute old couple. If that is the worst argument they have had all the years they been married, then they have had a good marriage.

Ocean Cave in La Jolla

Alex and I left the Marinello’s this afternoon and are in La Jolla now. The sun has finally come out and it was actually warm enough today to wear sandals. Our plan is to stay in the San Diego area for a few days and then head east into Arizona. I’m going to try to blog about every two to three days so that my blogs don’t get too long and so that I don’t try to cram a bunch of info in one blog.