Phoenix to So Cal

The day started hot and early. We had a lot of miles to drive and wanted to see our old friends who we haven’t seen in many years, since they moved to California from Albany New York. This is where we made our second major route change. The shortest route took us through Palm Springs and Joshua Tree park, but a traveller at the hotel advised us that traffic to the part of So Cal that we were traveling to, would add at least 1.5 hours of wait, or more. He recommended following a highway further south that takes us to San Diego. It’s 40 miles more, but less time.

We chose faster time. The highway south kept switching between 2 lanes and 4 split lanes, so it looks like politicians had a hard time committing to finishing the road, but it had speed limits from 65 to 75 mph so we got through that section quickly. We passed a HUGE prison on the way and were reminded that the US has a very large percent of it’s population behind bars. It looked like a medium security facility, but who would want to be incarcerated in such a hot place.

The south highway took us along the border of Mexico and large sand dune desert called the Imperial. While parts of this were scenic, it was a fall asleep drive. The many memorials at road side suggests that too many other travelers fell asleep and paid the price. With normal traffic flow at 80+ mph, leaving the road has a high risk of NOT a happy ending.

We stopped in Yuma for lunch and Elizabeth found a Surf clothing store that is popular with her age group, but not available in Canada. So, E and J shopped and Jon and I wandered around in the heat.

The flat desert road ended at the Chocolate mountains, which are the cause of the desert conditions that we just passed. They are not that tall, but very wide. the trip ended with a check for illegals.. As we descended the mountains into San Diego, we caught sight of the ocean, and it felt good. There is something comforting about being close to water, a feeling that is accentuated after so much time in the desert. I am comfortable in the wooded wilderness i.e. Tahoe, Ontario, BC etc, but I don’t think I’ll ever get off edge with desert wilderness. It’s just not in the comfort zone.

From wilderness to La Jolla. What a contrast. Julie and I have fond memories of La Jolla that we wanted to share with our children. They loved the cool breeze from the ocean, the lush grass in the sea side partk, the soft sandy beach and the wave carved caves by the shore. We had a fancy burger (there are no simple burgers in La Jolla) and spend some time on the beach and looking at parts of the downtown.

Since I drove all morning, Julie too over for the drive to Dana Point and I slept. I think traffic was OK because we got to Sandy and Bill’s house earlier than the expected.

Wow, was it ever great to see old friends. The family moved to Dana Point from Albany X years ago when Bill became a Divisional CFO in the corporate office. We hadn’t been able to spend time with them since. It was just as if time had stopped. Everyone looked a little older and greyer, but nothing had changed. The kids is where most of the visible change occurred. They are in high school or pre high and no longer “little”.

We went to the local beach for mexican dinner and to watch the sun go down. This area is all about beauty and the park was spectacular. Unfortunately, it was high tide so we couldn’t explore the sea caves and tidal pools. Live in Dana Point is very different than Toronto and I could see why South California is a popular place to live.

What a contrast to Phoenix. Bill explained that a lot of people from the So Cal area are moving to Phoenix because housing costs are so high. In phoenix, they are building in gulches, with few building restrictions and bylaws so someone with a So Cal home that they partially own, can sell and take the equity and buy a place in Phoenix without a mortgage. Apparently, if you have the income, in So Cal, you can buy a negative mortgage where the payments don’t cover the interest. Because housing prices are rising so quickly, the idea is to sell and take the equity to pay the difference. No wonder the sub prime mortgage bubble is bursting - that can’t be sustained in definitely. Only in California.