A Change In Plans

We wanted to spend the rest of the winter in southern California before returning to Colorado to establish our homestead. While planning for the next part of our adventure, I discovered that would not be possible. With the Covid numbers on the rise, California started shutting down again. Private campgrounds, while not requiring long-term campers to leave, were closed to new reservations. All state and local parks were closed for overnight stays, and we had already witnessed BLM lands closing to camping as well. Hotels were closed to all except work-related guests. It was time for us to go.

After reviewing travel advisories for the southern states, we decided to make our way east to Florida. We planned to head down the coast to San Diego and then east from there. With a reasonably early start, we anticipated being able to make it to Arizona by the end of the day.

When we first reached the highway, we mistakenly took a wrong turn, heading west instead of east. We realized our mistake when the GPS directed us to turn around at the next exit. It was a great mistake. As we turned back in the right direction, a flock of pelicans flew over the car. What a sight they were!

Los Angeles

Again, our timing was right, and we missed the heaviest Los Angeles traffic. Driving through LA was an exciting experience. I was disappointed we couldn’t explore the city, but I enjoyed the many billboards advertising movies and television shows. That is not something we see in Virginia. As we approached LAX’s area, a large plane flew over the interstate directly in front of us. It was daunting to see that large of an aircraft so close to the road.

We stopped at Sam’s Club for gas and decided it was time to eat. We had seen In-N-Out Burgers, starting in Arizona. One opened up in Colorado while we were at Chiriaco Summit. We read that people had waited in line 14 hours for opening day. I told my sister how ridiculous I thought that was, and she said the burgers are worth the wait. Maybe not 14 hours worth, but she happily waits half an hour. We wanted to see what the fuss was about before heading east again. We found one just a few minutes away. The line was long, but I must say the burger was fabulous.

After lunch, we continued our drive through Los Angeles. Several times planes flew disarmingly low over the interstate. We soon left LA as we continued south.

Pacific Coast Highway

We saw a sign for Pacific Coast Highway and took the exit, intending to follow the more scenic path south. As we drove, we quickly realized we were heading north. With some quick research, we realized that the PCH follows the interstate south of Los Angeles.  I didn’t mind the slight detour as Dana Point was a cute town, and we saw a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean while we were turning around at the harbor.

We decided to head south and find an exit that would take us to the beach. We had now traveled from the east coast to the west. We could not be this close to the west coast without a visit to the ocean. As we drove, the interstate hugged the coastline, allowing us to have beautiful views of the water. A sign indicated that there was a vista pull off coming up.

Military Maneuvers

As we approached the rest area style pull off, we saw two helicopters circling in the sky. Suddenly, one of them took a nosedive. We thought for sure we were about to see a catastrophic accident when the chopper just as suddenly pulled back up and continued to circle. We realized that they were military choppers on maneuvers. We watched them for a few minutes after we parked the truck.

A marine layer came off the ocean, which had turned the sunny day overcast. While we were at the overlook, perched on a cliff above the beach, the sun broke through the clouds. Waves crashed into cliffs to the north. Gulls and ravens flew around the area while the strong wind blew. As I took pictures and enjoyed the bird’s antics, we noticed an Osprey aircraft flying directly towards us. It was incredible, eerie, and awe-inspiring when it flew so close to us.

Through the Mountains

We continued our journey south, enjoying the glimpses of the ocean that I could see. When we reached San Diego, we turned west and headed toward the mountains again. As we rose in elevation, the temperature dropped, and low-lying clouds covered the mountain tops. I was happy we had decided to drive straight through to Arizona. It would have been a frigid night in the mountains.

After a long climb, we reached the top of the mountain and started our descent through the rocky peaks. The steep downhill grade seemed to go on forever before giving way to the desert’s flat terrain. We could still see the mountains in the distance, but we had finished climbing for now.

Felicity

The sun sank in the sky behind us, creating a beautiful pink glow over the mountains shrinking in the rear-view mirror. Darkness descended around us. I knew we were very close to the Mexican border and was disappointed that I could not see it. Before long, we arrived in Felicity, just a few miles west of Arizona. The name of the town amused me, as Felicity is also my sister’s name.

In the dark, we missed the turn to the BLM land. We realized our mistake when we saw a sign for the long-term camping area. We turned around and found the right road. We followed the road for two miles until we found the designated camping area. We could make out a few other campers in the area. We picked a spot away from everyone and settled in for the night.

Before going to sleep, I got out of the truck to answer nature’s call. The sky was big and clear, with a spectacular array of stars. While I enjoyed the view for a moment before getting back into the truck, a bright, slow-moving meteor streaked across the sky. I knew this would be an excellent spot to spend the next week.