Day 1 - Driving to California

After driving, 150 miles on Monday, our first pit stop is Yermo, California. A real metropolis. If I were to rate the bathroom on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst. This one was a 9. It wasn't super dirty, but on first glance no toilet paper. Ahh, TP located. Awesome see through single ply TP. Thank G-d there was soap to wash my hands, but of course no paper towels to wipe my hands. Upon exiting Jay says, "took you a long time." Clearly, he still doesn't understand a girls shtick in a public bathroom.

We are driving a "fun" route on old-CA 58. Passing old fashioned steakhouse, a drivein theater with a whitewashed billboard screen and a junkyard with every car logo known to man. Should have taken a picture for my logo game. Oh and we saw a man driving a golf cart. Umm, I see lots of desert, no golf courses. I wonder if his GPS malfunctioned.

The doctor has instructed is to give Gabriel a nebulizer treatment a few times a day before surgery. Thanks to Shoshana Kinn, we have very portable nebulizer and plenty of meds. However, a treatment in the car means we all get a boost to our lungs. When one smokes, we all smoke.

I am truly baffled how people live out in the middle of no where. Every time we travel and I see a lone house, I think of a million "what ifs". Clearly not a location for me to ever aspire to live.

At 200 miles outside of Vegas, Joshua trees line the road. What an interesting tree. Each one sparse in its own right, however full of dimension and character. I can't help but want to point out to Gabriel that U2 are made up of such dimension and character. (While I am enjoying my profound observation, Jay asks what I have been smoking... Umm, nebulizer smoke. Then, he says, "wow, you really don't get out much". Obviously, I am stuck in this car.)

At 230 miles, there are windmill farms and an airplane graveyard.

Pit Stop #2 - a Starbucks in Bakersfield. Ahh a home away from home bathroom. I give it a 2, I mean of course the home bathroom is a 1.

We are not in Vegas anymore. Apparently, the folks in Bakersfield do not see Jaguars that often. A guy was drooling over Jay's car. I am so not affected like that... Dude it is just a car.

Beyond the desert, there is agriculture. Corn, almonds, strawberries and cherries. John Deere lives well here. Such a difference from the view we saw in the beginning of our trip. One side has green as far as the eye can see. The other side you can see mountains in the distance that create a barrier between us and the Pacific Ocean. Oh so close to to sight and sounds o the water.

A striking scene on the green flat land, a prison. "Gabe there is a prison." Gabe: "oh wow, really? How do you know it is a prison?" Me: " well, because prisoners live there."

At 340 miles, we are surrounded by dry flat land with lots of electrical wires and cows. How did the cows get here?

At 350 miles, grape vines and peach trees. So interesting how the scenery changes so rapidly.

At 360 miles, Jay is driving 90 miles an hour on a barren road. He is loving it. I kinda want to puke if we go over yet another rolling hill. Not to mention, my fear that we will go off the road or hit something in the road. Jay says to me, "just follow the electrical poles, you can see the direction of the road." "Really?? I had no idea." He asked me why I had no idea. In typical me fashion, because I never paid attention.

Then, out of no where two huge state prisons. Jay: I set my GPS to drive by every state prison. Me: Please G-d let today not be the day for escaping.

Hahahahaha. U would be crazy enough to go on the rides. I just endured amusement park hell. 30+ miles of windy hilly mountainous roads with Jay laughing and making fun of me for freaking out. He was making me laugh though. So glad I don't get car sick!!

Gabriel slept the whole way through the mountains. He woke up 3 seconds after we got on a normal road. Seriously?? And when not sleeping, he is switching between his new ipad mini and reading his new Rick Riordan book.

All the surrounding produce and vegetation and trucks carrying apples, lettuce, cauliflower etc is amazing.

Past the company that distributes our lettuce, blueberries and raspberries.

Spoke to anastetia we have an appointment tomorrow at 2:45pm for them to ask us a bunch of redundant questions. Love this part.

Surgery day: 12:30pm arrival. No eating after midnight. Apple juice, water and Gatorade until 11am. Then nothing.

Eight hours after we started we arrived in Carmel Calley California. Home of Uncle Shelly and Aunt Alice.

What a beautiful home surrounded by the mountains. The unbelievable smells of flowers and all the fruits and veggies Uncle Shelly and Aunt Alice grow with love. What a serene and peaceful place to be. We are sad that Aunt Alice is out of town, but Uncle Shelly is a gracious and wonderful host. We always love spending time with him.

Completion of Day 1 included Gabriel learning all about the different flowers and fruits and vegetables growing in Uncle Shelly's garden.