Last Wednesday HWD and I flew to LAX. On arrival we hustled down to the arrivals level and found the stop for the Flyaway bus to Union Station. The bus arrived shortly after, and it was about an hour ride to Union Station. Then we found the platform for the Pacific Surfliner (many platforms at Union Station! I guess because there are a lot of commuter trains that go through there). We had an hour to wait so HWD went off in search of snacks. The train arrived...I was trying to hustle HWD to get on, he didn't understand that there weren't assigned seats. So we were almost the last in line and it was a challenge finding two seats together, but eventually somebody switched so we could sit together. It was about a three hour ride with MANY stops. Finally we pulled in to Santa Barbara and were greeted by his parents' smiling faces on the platform. We went back to their place, had pizza and salad for dinner and then pled exhaustion...so they drove us to the hotel they had reserved for us in Carpenteria, about 15 miles south. HWD got to drive his new (used) car. Better him than me! I would not want my first experience in an unfamiliar car to be on a California freeway after dark!
We got settled and then treated ourselves to hotel sex. 😁 Amazingly this was the first time we had stayed in a hotel together. The next morning we slept in a bit and then headed back to the parents'. We got the grand tour of the senior complex (they just moved there recently). Very swanky, smaller residential buildings interspersed with beautifully manicured gardens and landscaping. Swimming pool (HWD's mom does water aerobics there almost every morning), hot tub, fitness center, dining room, snack bar, game room, library, small medical office. I think it's a huge relief for HWD and his brother that they're settled in to someplace where they can stay for the duration, so to speak.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner in the dining room and then headed out in the parents' new car (a Tesla!) for a little exploring. Visited Santa Barbara beach - very pretty!
HWD took off his shoes and socks and contemplated the waves for a while.
Then a field trip to drive by the house they lived in when they were in Santa Barbara many years ago. Back to their place for a casual dinner of sandwiches, we played games for a while and then we headed back to the hotel to turn in early for an early start on Friday morning. So it was a very short visit but I was happy to get to know them better! I almost feel like I have parents again (mine have been gone since 2000 and 2010).
Not a lot to say about the road trip. Three very long days in the car, no time to sightsee. At one point we were seeing signs for the Grand Canyon - I looked it up and it was about 75 minutes off of I40. We were debating - then I looked up the sunset time and it seemed touch and go whether we'd even get there before dark so that settled it.
The first day we left at 6:50 (original goal was 6:30 but it took 20 minutes to get settled in the car and get HWD's phone connected so we could listen to audiobooks and get navigation over the speakers). We stopped about two hours in to get sandwiches and bagels from a Panera, proceeded on to Barstow, then much later went by Flagstaff. I had been warned about this part of the route since it's through the mountains, but weather was excellent. We continued on and got into Gallup, NM about 7:30 pm (one hour added for time change).
We listened to Arsene Lupin, read by Phoebe from the Phoebe Reads a Mystery podcast, and finished the whole thing.
Day two we left a bit later since the hotel didn't start serving breakfast until 7 am, and then I decided I needed a cup of decent coffee and ended up waiting forever at a Starbucks. We went through Albuquerque and then since the weather was so good, decided to go north past Santa Fe rather than slightly south through Tucumcari. We listened to the audiobook of Wicked. I read it a LONG time ago, but didn't remember most of it, so that was fine.
The afternoon was lots of very long desolate stretches that reminded me of my home state, North Dakota. Pretty clouds though!
Our goal for the day was Salina, KS but we revised that and pulled into Great Bend, KS about 8:30 pm. Too tired to go find food, and we'd been snacking all day anyway. I ate a protein bar. We didn't sleep well, so there was some middle of the night sex in which HWD knocked over a glass of water whilst flailing around. Had to turn on lights, he was frantically trying to dry off the remote with one of his socks. 🤣
Day three, the rest of the way home to St. Paul. The first hour or so it was very pretty - fog and mist, bare trees, sun coming up on the right.
More Wicked listening. Starting to get really tired of gas station food. The stretch from Des Moines on in was very easy since I had done that drive a number of times, but I did get sleepy (three nights of poor sleep) and had to turn over to HWD. We made it home about 6:30 pm.
No issues with the car (it's a 2020 RAV4 with only about 25K miles) but we did pick up a rock chip in the windshield that expanded to a crack. 😭 Mainly I'm really pleased that we got through five straight days of being together 24/7 and got along the whole time. I guess we're still on good behavior, haha.
Here's our route for the map nerds. Sorry about the semi-crappy photos taken through car windows.
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