On The Road Again

We finished packing this morning and loaded the car for our road trip to Irvine, CA and a visit with Gerry's niece Erin and her family.  They moved to the LA area last spring and this is the first chance we've had to visit them.  Since there aren't that many RV parks near them and they promised us free room and board, we decided to make the trip in the Saturn.  

It turned over 132,000 miles this morning and still runs like a top.  The first tankful of gas netted us 31mpg traveling at a steady 70mph.  Gas was $3.08 at the local Pilot truck stop in Tucson and climbed to $3.35 at the FlyingJ at Mile Marker 1 on I-10.  Just across the CA border the gasoline was $3.79/gal.  I wonder how many gallons of gasoline they sell a day.  All the pumps at the FlyingJ in AZ were full with people waiting to fill up.  Yes, they were mostly CA license plates.

We arrived in Palm Springs, CA just in time for a very busy weekend.  Big softball tournament, car show, art shows and many other events taking place this weekend.  Of course that made it difficult to find a motel for the night but we managed to find a Motel 6 in Rancho Mirage.  It is the smallest motel room I have ever seen, but at least it is clean.  OK for a night, but not much longer.

We drove up and down Palm Canyon Drive looking for the motel and then even more to find a place to eat.  What a mob scene it was at the restaurants and shopping centers.  We wound up at an Applebee's and were seated quickly on the patio, but waited forever for a server to show up.  A lady with a gray outfit came out and asked how we were doing.  I said I was having a hard time staying awake waiting for service.  Off she went and a server arrived moments later.  Then we got great service with three different people asking if we needed anything.  

It turns out the gray outfit lady was the manager and she went right back into the restaurant and got everyone hopping.  In fairness to the server, the table had been occupied and there were wine glasses there when we sat down.  The glasses were taken away but someone neglected to inform their co-workers that we were there.

The meal was great and the beer cold, so all worked out in the end.  Plus, we parked the car about 20ft from our table and that came in handy when the 6:00 pm chill set in.  I wimped out first and had to put my lightweight jacket on.  Gerry was tougher and just wrapped her jacket over her shoulders.

By this time it was time to head back to the motel and watch Blue Blood on the 19" TV that is about 20 years old.  It does have a good picture and sound, so that is a bonus.  Time to hit the hay, so I will close for now.

We managed to drive 420 miles today and for the most part it was easy driving.  I had downloaded some audio books and we listened to one most of the drive.  We still have about 20 minutes to go on the book and will finish it Saturday on the way to Irvine.

So, how was your day?