We all went and had a delicious dinner with Aunt Lolly in her dining hall. It was nice to sit and visit some more. After dinner we went upstairs to her apartment so Kerry and Ed could load her old TV, which had quit working, on to a trolley and roll it out. Linda and Ed then headed home and Pat, Jim, Kerry and I went to BestBuy to find Aunt Lolly a new set, while she took a little rest. When we got back, we set up her new TV, taught her the basics of her new remote, then gave hugs and kisses and headed back to Pat and Jim's. We spent a lazy afternoon reading the Sunday paper and relaxing. All turned in early. ... read more

We found our first bona fide California Welcome Center (after only 5 days in California) in Yucca Valley. We were happy to pick up a road map and some information on Joshua Tree, Mojave and Death Valley Natl Parks/Monuments. We entered Joshua Tree National Park at Joshua Tree, CA and drove through to Twenty-nine Palms. The Joshua trees for which the park is named are interesting, and certainly plentiful. But what we found most interesting were the rock formations. There were huge piles of boulders, natural formations of varying sizes, sometimes a huge pile standing all by itself. We circled back to Yucca Valley and headed north. The road to Barstow was in a wide, flat desert valley; we passed towns with names like Johnson Valley and Lucerne Valley. All the side roads were marked ... read more

We decided today was our day to visit the Pacific Ocean. We went south on Hwy 15 until it ended at the Navy Base, then headed north on Harbor Drive. We stopped to see the USS Midway and the tuna fleet nearby. I loved the statue of the sailor kissing the nurse that so epitomized the end of WWII. The Midway is pretty impressive, but I sure couldn't get a picture to do it justice. We decided to go see the lighthouse at Point Loma and what a treat we got. Cabrillo National Monument encompasses a good bit of the tip of Point Loma (except for the Coast Guard Reservation and some public lands.) The view from the Visitor Center was superb, both of San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean. We walked up to ... read more

Around Gila Bend, AZ the odometer for this trip passed 3,000 miles. Obviously we're not taking the most direct route to California. We crossed the state line into California at 12:45 pm PST. The Imperial Sand Dunes Recreational Area came into view shortly thereafter. What a surprise to me. First we saw lots of campers just pulled off into these sandy parking areas. Then we realized they all had bicycles, 4-wheelers, dune buggies or dirt bikes. Then we saw the dunes. They are amazing, look just like pictures I've seen of the Sahara Desert, or a beach with no ocean. The dunes were covered with tracks from all the off road vehicles. The desert changed as we came west, with the familiar cacti replaced by sage brush and other plants. Close to Ocotillo (obviously named ... read more

Friday: We had a wonderfully leisurely morning; did a little laundry and started reading "Pushing Up Daisies," whose author we met last night at the book signing. We met Mary for a late lunch at Einstein Brothers Bagels. We haven't had fresh bagels in years. After we got back to Skip and Mary's, we went over to visit Mary's dad, who lives a few blocks away. We hadn't seen him since Skip and Mary's wedding in 1976. Kerry was thrilled that Merle gave him one of his wonderful fruitcakes and the recipe to boot. Back at the house Mary and I looked at some old pictures and we selected some to take home and scan for my project. After a delicious supper, we sat at the table and talked until bedtime. Saturday: We had a great ... read more