Postcard from Cali

Here I am sitting in a cheap hotel room in sunny (but not so warm) San Diego. What an adventure it was getting here. First Rachel wasn't feeling well yesterday, but I was optimistic with her today. Then before going, Jason shows me these strange raised bumps all over his body. My first reaction was: Chicken Pox. A quick detour to Urgent Care, and the "professional" opinion is: we don't believe it to be chicken pox, but not sure what it is (possibly ant bites from playing outside yesterday). I make the on-the-spot decision we are going west. We quickly pack up and head off. I have never driven to California before, and truly hadn't driven out of the Phoenix metro area in the 4 long years I've been in the desert. The Arizona part of I8 is, ummm...well boring. Lots of miles of nothingness (unless you count cacti and farmland as *something*). The kids were excited going through the pass into Yuma. It was pretty cool looking. Jason was excited to cross over the Colorado river, and enter California. No one told me what to expect on the California side of this adventure. First, sand dunes. I don't even know how to describe them, but it was such a different type of desert than I have grown use to. It was somewhat familiar with the wind whipping the sand all over the road. Then the hike in elevation (we got close to 4200 ft.). Winding, climbing narrow road....and oh so windy. It was a bit scary for me. I have to admit it. I was a little freaked out. And probably the oddest part of our road adventure....I went through three border check points, and never left the United States. Not so sure how that works. I was never so happy to see El Cajon in my life! We have had our own "California Adventure" without paying any admission prices.