This is moments after we finally arrived in LA - 2743 miles and we are here. The site is actually at the end of a runway for LAX - so perhaps not the most peaceful site we could have found - but it is convenient in meeting with Karen's daughter Helen and boyfriend Rob who are flying in from New Zealand Saturday morning at 6:30am. Saves me having to try and negotiate this motorhome through the airport to pick them up. They are but a short taxi ride from here.
We left Tucson on Wed., drove to Phoenix and found the resort that we had booked. As we arrived, they informed us that they had had a power surge and that the electricity was out for most of the park. They were working hard to get it back up - but couldn't say when. Because I wanted to have time to see Margaret, an old friend from Michigan Girl Scout days, I decided to stay in the park anyway. So, while sitting curbside waiting for an escort to my site, who should show up at my door - but Margaret. It was absolutely great seeing her again...
While chatting with her, Uncle Hersch and LaDonna called and said that they would be over later that evening to see us. So we managed to fit in a Dinner with Margaret, her Mom Deloris, and partner Kathy prior to seeing Uncle Hersch and LaDonna in the evening. Next day it was a full out 'Howell' day. Dwayne and his wife, Gene and his wife, and Uncle Hersch and LaDonna all met us for lunch. That evening we had dinner with Carolyn and Ted - and I still managed a couple hour visit with Margaret. The only one I didn't manage to see was Aunt Betty and Mary (who had just flown in that day) as she was under the weather and we decided not to put anyone at risk - her or me. Needless to say, I think that Karen is pretty well 'Howelled' out for awhile. Got to give her credit - if your not part of this family - it can be a bit overwhelming at times...
Back at the park - they still were fighting the power issue - on our first night - they were working just outside the bedroom window - trying to install a temp generator to keep the park lit. Needless to say, they underestimated the amount of draw - and blew out 2 generators trying. Finally about 3am - they gave in. So the next day - they brought in another generator - about the size of a house - parked it again directly outside the bedroom window and began the process again. It caused quite the stir in the park - and I think everyone came to look at it. So we spent the afternoon staring out of the motorhome at the people who had come to stare at the machine. With all of this fun going on about me, I decided to see if I could get a discount on our nightly rates (seeing as sleep wasn't in the cards for us) and the park kindly decided that due to all of the problems they would give us our visit free gratis...so I guess I can't complain. Got a place to dump, fill the water tanks and by the evening of the second day - we even had power. Just a bit noisy - but that just trained us for our next site in LA - so no problem there. I do believe sometime that if it weren't for bad luck - we would have no luck at all - but it was still a great visit and the site was absolutely beautiful - if you ignore the hum and fumes of the generator next door.
The benefit of all of that was that I woke up early and decided to pull out around 5am - to get through Phoenix prior to rush hour. By 8am - we were at the California border and by 1pm - we were in LA. Along the way was some lovely scenery, and some fairly ugly bits. As we entered Cal, we had to stop at the border Agriculture Center for inspection. Karen was driving and this was the first time she had seen something like this between the states. First, she thought she didn't have to stop - even though the sign definitely said 'ALL VEHICLES MUST STOP!' - so after I convinced her that this applied to her she stopped - then while trying to figure out how to roll down the window - the agent passed her through - but she wouldn't go - as she still wanted to roll her window down - needless to say - he was getting a bit frustrated as was she and I. Finally, we managed to understand what he wanted and off we went. Small bits of panic within what turned out to be a lovely day.
So here we are, waiting for Helen and Rob and then we will be off on part II of the trip. Looking forward to that - and we will definitely keep you posted...
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