Day 34

And so we said goodbye to our desert home, and goodbye to Palm Desert this morning at around 8 am. It was already warm and the blue skies beckoned to stay another day. The hills were so clearly visible in the clean desert morning air and we could hardly believe we were leaving without our morning hike in those hills. 

We made good time until we hit the Morongo Valley where we were so intent on finding a gas station that took a credit card that we missed our turnoff. It was only an 8 mile detour, but the scenery was worth it. 

Then through the Yucca Valley, Lucern Valley, Apple Valley and Victorville. It was still warm and sunny and I was sorry I had not worn shorts at least for this part of the journey. Only minutes later, as we approached Mojave, did the air cool down. We lunched in a Denny's (shudder) and I hate to admit it but we both enjoyed the sandwich and fruit salad. If you have ever been to Mojave, you know that this is fine dining there.  

Refreshed, we hit the road again and by the time we were in Tahachapi there was snow beside the road and it was cool enough to assure me that jeans was a good decision after all. And then it hit. 

On the way down, it was here that we had that horrendous pea soup fog. Now it was a sludgy gray bank of something that we drove into. It looked like a smog, but it was just winter. We avoided turning on the heat as long as possible, but it was inevitable. The rest of the day it was a low gray fog that limited visibility to maybe a mile. The sun tried to poke through a few times but gave up just past Bakersfield. We immediately began to suffer from light deprivation. And then I took my sunglasses off. Hey, I wore them for four weeks and they were kind of attached. 

The road is good, no rain, much less traffic than on the way down, and now we find ourselves in Lathrop (I think it is just south of Stockton which is just south of Sacramento) at a beautiful new Holiday Inn Express. Nice. We are right across from the pool, spa, and exercise room. This is a perfect way to decompress from our desert home which we grew to love so much. 

I will not say what we did for supper. I am ashamed and embarrassed but I redeemed the meal (?!) with a Kit Kat bar from the vending machine. 

Off for that swim and soak now before we have an early crack at this big King size bed.