We did not get the house emptied out on Thursday as planned. We did not leave for San Diego at 8:00 in the morning as planned. We were back at the house packing, loading, cursing, crying all at the same time. I won't go into the problems of getting everything out. Just that it was hell.
Our realtor came by and helped pack, load, and he cleaned the house. Love you Michael! We hit the interstate around 5:00, major rush hour traffic for about 70 miles. Stop and go, bumper to bumper, a gazillion trucks. Ugly driving. Marty in the truck, me in the car.
Marty in a truck means he had to stop at weigh stations. The first one he pulls off. I went up the road and pulled onto the emergency lane. I am texting Kirsten who wanted minute by minute reports that we were safe. :) Someone raps on the window, CHP. "Are you all right Ma'am?" I explained about Marty, thanked him for checking on me, and off he went.
The drive is about 500 miles. Long boring miles through the Valley. Nothing to really see. As it turned out it was not boring. No one got sleepy, it was hard driving at 75 to 80 miles an hours and being worried about being run over because we were so slow. Then there were trucks. They get bored and play games with each other and poor innocent cars. We were on high alert.
Marty would call me, or I him, to check how things are going. So we would be talking and some idiot would do something that ticked me off. I would start yelling and cursing and Marty would think I was talking to him. It kept us awake, strained the marriage, but kept us awake.
We then had one lane traffic for miles. This is one of the highest volumes highway in the USA. Guess what, it is busier at night than the daytime.
We finally come to the Grapevine. When you get here you feel as if you have the trip nearly whipped. Over this pass and drop into LA. Can San Diego be far ahead. Yes, it is. Anyway. You fly up the winding steep road and then fall off the mountains. CAN YOU SAY CONSTRUCTION? Marty is in the truck lane and I am behind him. And it goes away, red cones for miles and miles and miles. Really, really slow. To add to the gazillion trucks we now have tour buses. HELP. They are crazier that we are. Bumper riding crazy idiots.
The driving is wearing us out. But we are wide awake, so keep on. New surprise in LA, rain. It doesn't rain in the summer in California, well last night it did. The rain and the construction added another hour to the drive.
We finally arrived at Richard's and Luis' at 3:10 in the morning. That made it a 21 hour day. Brutal labor and nerve wracking drive. We are here, safe, and being pampered.
Very happy you made it safely. The grapevine scares me and driving a truck would really be the end. Hope you get the much deserved rest.
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