CALIFORNIA ARRIVAL FINALLY

Ventura, California greeted us at 7:50 a.m., January 6th 1979 (a Saturday).  What a sight it was to look at dedicated surfers in the Pacific Ocean at that time of morning.  

And further along the highway the Pacific is still to our left side but highway veers more inland to the right and between us and the ocean is farmland.  It looks so strange to my east coast eyes to see palm trees growing in the middle of a pasture with cows grazing.  When I think of palm trees I'm thinking lounge chair and a cocktail with an umbrella on the side.

Now 11:05 in Paso Robles we're all weary as we've been up since 5:30 a.m. and driving 4 1/2 hours.  Our trip that started out ahead of schedule had gone to  hell for one reason or another.  First it was the ice storm in Texas, then the flat tire in Texas, requiring time spent waiting to have new tires put on the Scout.  After that it was the traffic jam in LA, then closing of Route 5 to Bakersfield.  Through it all I feel we have maintained a constant level of sanity and humor.  With 4 1/2 hours left of our trip am glad the voyage is almost over and we can settle down to a fairly normal way of life.  How the hell did our forefathers manage this trip in covered wagons and fewer resources?

We filled up with gas at 2:10 p.m. in San Jose so we are in the home stretch.  Route 680 is the last road needed to get to Dublin, at the Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge.  From there it is only minutes to our new home in San Ramon.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that we left our old home in Bowie, MD the evening of 12/29/1978.  We had no idea the experiences we would encounter or tests we would be put through.  But we made it as a family, we felt like modern day pioneers and made it all happen together.  This is our own story of "How the West Was Won".

We arrived at Howard Johnsons at 3:08 p.m.  and looking forward to moving into our 'new to us' home.  These photos were taken before the previous owners moved out.  We wanted a typical 'eastern' style home not the hacienda or California trendy style.  That is an olive tree in the front yard.

Here's the backyard which backed up to a golf course.  On the other side of the house there was a lemon tree.

I know you are wondering if I would recommend to people they fly instead of drive out west?  I'd say hell no if life was like back then.  But with today's violence and illegals coming across the border I'd say don't take the chance so fly.  Take the safest and fastest way to your destination.  Can't imagine what may have happened to us when we were stranded on a desolate stretch of highway along the border towns  today.

Well, that's the story written in my journal and I'd forgotten a few things so it was fun for me to read again to refresh my memory.

Saundra

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