Since we were a mere nine hours from our daughter we chose to drive to Los Angeles to see her. The drive was quite fun and exciting if you enjoy road racing. Down the 101 to San Francisco Bay then on to the interstate beltway or I-580. Being new to this route, my companion and I enjoyed the silhouettes of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge and yes, even poor down -trodden Oakland.
Once past the Bay Area we entered I-5. What a racetrack and also a heavily traveled truck route. Over the next five hours we passed desert irrigated with water from the Colorado River through the California Aqueduct. Orchards of pluots, apricots, plums, pecans covered the landscape adjacent to the highway. Many of the trucks carried produce to market.
The temperature was in the upper 80’s forcing the use of the air conditioning which saved us from having to breathe in the smog that meandered through the valleys.
We arrived in Burbank near the dinner hour. Since this was a surprise visit we stayed for only a day and a half. Its always wonderful to see the lovely Monique.
It never fails that my partner quickly wearies of the LA traffic and this time was no exception. I was certain that I had found her the best wheels, with a chauffeur, to complete the final leg of our western tour, but she chose to pass:
We high tailed it out of town – no rush hour — and headed east for first time in three weeks. Arizona was the target…hmmm, maybe we’ll go to the Grand Canyon?
See ya at Christmas, Monique!!!
tourdetom 
Looks like you got to The Grand Canyon just in time-before the shut down. Luck of the young at heart?
Luck for sure! We are near Mesa Verde Nat’l Park–closed. Tom
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