What a trip! Indeed, the drive into San Diego was the nightmare I expected. The drive south from Big Pine was slick and quick until we reached the outskirts of San Bernardino. Of course, we reached town during the first throes of rush hour. By the time we reached Temecula, I was done. So, we found a hotel for the night.

We left late enough the next morning that we missed the worst of the rush hour traffic. The drive into the city went smoothly enough that we toured the USS Midway museum before checking into the hotel.

When we finished the tour, we headed to the hotel. That was when we hit the second hiccup of the trip. The desk had no record of us having a reservation. Then came the scramble to find the email with the confirmation number. An hour and a half and five phone calls later, one of us found a six-month-old email with the required information. The email, of course, did not tell us which hotel of the chain we were supposed to stay at.

Unfortunately, our hotel was not the one on the bay. 🙁 So, back into the car and across downtown we drove. Parking was practically non-existent, so we ended up in the very expensive valet lot. The hotel was a nice place to stay while we visited the city. We were close to Balboa Park and the Hillcrest district.

Every morning, we’d wake to the marine layer shrouding the coast. Temperatures in the low 60s *F (mid-teens *C) started every day. By noon, the sun burned the layer off and the temps rose by 10 *F (low 20s *C). We definitely felt the heavy air going from more than a mile high to sea level. This is something I haven’t experienced in more than thirty-five years. The increase in oxygen at this elevation makes stairs easier to climb, but I feel sticky all over and my clothes feel damp.

Part of our trip to the coast included catching up with friends and family. Since I was stationed in San Diego many moons ago, I wanted to catch up with the few people I still know in the area. I got to spend a day with an old friend from the service and even had a surprise visit with an old shipmate.

When our time ended, we drove up the coast to see another family member. Along the way, we did a little beach hopping.

We stayed with First Reader’s niece our last night on the coast.

Then came the trek east. The first leg took us back through Temecula and San Bernardino. Saturday morning we woke to the usual cool, damp air, and low clouds. By the end of the day, we were in the desert, heading north and east. Temperatures had soared from the mid-60s °F (upper teens °C) into the low 100s °F (upper 30s °C) as we drove into the desert. The highest temp we saw was 110° F (43.33° C) as we drove through the Mojave valley. 🥵 The air dried out to normal levels (for us), which made it a dry heat.

Today, we continue our journey home. We’ll visit with one more friend along our path and be home by mid-week. The trip has been amazing. We got to drive another part of the Pacific Coast Highway and play along the beaches of Southern California. We’ve seen friends and family we haven’t seen in years. But, I think we’ll both be glad to land at home.