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Trip 78, 2005 West, Part 4
Tuesday, April 05, 2005 I awakened before the sun came up and couldn’t go back to sleep. I didn’t sleep too well last night either, I guess I miss the LER and the cold, or maybe even 17 pounds of sleeping bags. I ended up taking a chair into the bathroom to read and finished my book by the time Nan Lou woke up. Since the checkout time was 11 AM we did get up earlier than usual to shower and pack our meager belongings. I did the express checkout to bypass a long checkout line, if there was a long line, I didn’t look. We headed for the same place we had breakfast yesterday with our two bags apiece and split a bagel breakfast. Again there were several different people working our table, especially the coffee girls who were pretty efficient. The waiter left a little to be desired. We ate lightly because we were heading to Baker, California and the big Greek restaurant we discovered a couple of years ago when we left Death Valley so we could eat a healthy Mediterranean meal. It took a little time to get the LER packed and ready to go and the first thing we ran into leaving town was a mile long traffic jam because of road work. Luckily it wasn’t actually on our road and we were out of it sooner than the folks going east. The road west, route 163 rose steadily and had very nice scenery with rugged small hills covered with spotty vegetation, some being desert flowers in bloom. There were purple, white, orange, and two shades of yellow. I found a place to pull off the road to take flower photos and even snatched a few for my sweetie sitting next to me. Route 163 ended at route 95, a main road to Las Vegas, therefore busy, which we took to route 164, which was called The Joshua Tree Road. The town there was named Searchlight. I didn’t see any searchlights. The J. Tree Road was a great road with only five cars on it for the thirty some miles we were on it. And like another road we found in California, had far more Joshua Trees around it than we saw in Joshua Tree National Park. Finally we got to I-15, not a good thing, and soon were in Baker where the Mad Greek restaurant was waiting just for us, and about fifty other people. They are pretty efficient, unlike some recent places, and we were served our large Greek salads. I thought they were good, but Nan Lou didn’t care for the extra vinegar Greek dressing. Is it really worth driving 2300 miles just to get a Greek salad that isn’t as good as those at Uno’s? After eating, it was time for Nan Lou’s back rub. She carried to much heavy stuff out of the hotel and strained or broke something. Then it was back to the dreaded I-15 and the trucks, and the road repair that backed up traffic for four miles in slow stop and go driving. Back at Baker the gas prices were all at $3.00 per gallon. I was determined to find gas a little less than that. Can you believe for the first six or seven days of our trip we paid less than $2.00 per gallon? Yes we did, you can look it up, so there. I think it was around Barstow when we stopped for $2.60 gas. A little later when we stopped for the night at the Victorville WalMart, I saw some for $2.55. By the way, this stupid state, California, has many interstate exits that are not marked with the interchange numbers. I think I might like traveling in the east more than in California. Well now, I have a little surprise for my one and only, maybe it will have to wait until she feels better and can carry it without any trouble. We’ll just have to see. We saw many signs that spelled Mojave with the J and not an H. Maybe it’s a California thing, God forbid. hb Wednesday, April 06, 2005 Up and at’em at 8:30!!! Finally a good night’s sleep, back in the LER. We had spotted a sign at a strip mall that said, “Bagels.” I definitely heard it. So we headed that way and sure enough, there was a small deli that served bagels and coffee. They even made a fresh pot of decaf for us. The bagel was good with a giant helping of cream cheese, enough to clog two arteries. Nan Lou enjoyed (?) me looking at the woman who I thought had on brown leather tights. Darn, they were just heavy patterned panty hose. Just one disappointment after another! Then I was caught watching her after she had gotten a giant glob of cream cheese on each of two fingers and just left it there. Didn’t wipe or lick it off, just let it set there as she went about eating her lox and bagel. California gauche. We were on the road a few minutes later and headed for Evans’ place in Marina Del Rey. We took I-15 south from Victorville to I-10 and then east for 60 miles through all of the Los Angeles burbs. The hills that the road went through were certainly pretty with mountains looming far off in the background. Maybe not too far off, maybe just hidden by NAQ, Nasty Air Quality. The traffic wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be even though it was about noon and not during the dreaded rush hours. I was worried about the LER that suffers from funny brake syndrome and weird steering syndrome. I’m afraid that to solve all these problems we will have to get home have everything rebuilt for many thousands of dollars. If we were younger, stronger, and a little prettier, we could look for a new LER. Fat chance of finding one says I, a four year old 11,000 mile class B for one third of the price of a new one. The final leg of the journey was a little confusing as I expected the directions Evans had given me to match the super Microsoft map program. It turned out that the map program didn’t take into account changes to I-405 and Evans’ directions were right on the mark. I should just listen to my kids. We found his apartment at Marina Del Mar and talked to the rental mangers, who were very nice and helpful, then hit the local Cheesecake Factory, not my favorite, for a little lunch. Parking at the apartment was a bit of a hassle with their too-low garage ceilings and the local pay parking saying that they didn’t want squatters with their decrepit trailers and RVs there between 2 AM and 6 AM, or some such hours. Brenda, the prettier, of the two managers solved the problem by sending me to their guest parking a couple of buildings down. She warned me that that our van would be covered with poop from the protected cormorants which roost there. We see so many cormorants in our travels near water that I wonder why they are protected like the California Condors of which there only two and a half left in the whole universe. I cannot get over the size of Evans apartment. All of the rooms are bigger than ours and the view over the marina is really cool. Nan Lou, what says you? hb I say that you drove the dreaded LA freeways like a pro. Tony Stewart had better watch out! Clarification: Not going fast but handling lane changes and such with great expertise. Thank you for my surprise. The little necklace is neat and pretty, too. I really did think the surprise was that there was no surprise at all. Another one of Hammie’s witty jokes! I was wrong, as usual.! Evans needs some lamps; and, generally some more furniture. It is difficult for parents to say, “you need this, or that” because girlfriend’s are involved and they may have their own plans for every little space. This has been a long trip out here. But now that we are here, I am getting the feeling we will not be seeing too much of Evans. We’ll see. That’s all that Nan Lou has to say. Thursday, April 07, 2005 Last night we put the black bag away and got out the jungle comforter to celebrate our arrival in warm and sunny southern California. We spent the night in the guest parking lot of Evans’ apartment complex. It was OK except we were really feet down and Nan Lou’s feet were fat in the morning. It was about 10 AM when we got up and went to the apartment for morning potty. Evans had gone to work and told us he wouldn’t be back until after midnight. I guess we won’t be seeing him until Friday night or Saturday when he has the weekend off. I looked at the map and we went to check out a shopping center area for morning food. It was easy enough to find, but food wasn’t to be found around it like at Castleton. The streets curve, an expressway goes right through the parking lot, overhead of course, they have tall buildings and trees in the way, and not much in the way of signs. Nan Lou told me I can’t expect all places to be like home. I think I can. We went into the shopping center and ate tuna and chicken salad in the food court. They had a Mickey’s there but I ate healthily. Styles seemed to be different than at home and the ethnicity of the people was different also. We are used to the Midwest with its lack of diversity. We have noticed this in the east also, and of course in more rural areas of the southwest where the population is much more Latino or American Indian. Here there seemed to be a mixture of all races and recognizable nationalities with little 100% Anglos. Please be assured that this is not a racist remark, it is just an observation from a people watcher. Yes, you will now say if it isn’t racist I wouldn’t have noticed it or mentioned it. But that is hogwash. I notice the difference in architecture, vehicles, and clothing styles. Maybe this comes from being brought up in Chicago where you could see people that you could label as Irish, Polish, middle European, and short. Anyway, if you don’t like it, tough. Boy, I run off at the mouth at times. After that shopping center experience we drove around, found the Home Depot where we stood in line for many, many minutes since it was so crowded. It reminded me of the one I went to near Boston. I couldn’t live like that. Then we drove around Venice and other areas near Marina Del Rey. The small houses in Venice were jammed side by each like cigarettes in a pack, or like marshmallows in a bag, or shoppers at Home Depot. The big houses in Venice suffered the same situation except some had teeny, tiny, yards and three car garages. I will not mention parking any where around here. By then my stomach was crying out for meat. I drove aimlessly until we found a Mickey’s, which we had passed earlier on our return from Home Depot. We returned to Evans’ apartment and tried out the new keys, they worked. I took some photos while Nan Lou wrote to her friend Jean. The parking authorities called and told me were Ok’ed until April 12th in the nearby public lot as long as we pay the $3.00 daily fee. It is now after 8 PM and time to look for a place to sleep. Will it be the public lot? Will it be the apartment lot? Whatever will we do? Hb Friday, April 08, 2005 Evans directed us to a nearby bagel place called Noah’s Bagels. We went there and cruised through their small parking lot only to find no LER easy places. A trip around the block and we parked on the street right in front of the place for 50 cents. Their fare and accoutrements, whatever that is, looked familiar. At home Einstein’s also has the Noah name on some stuff and I surmised that the two were linked. Sure enough, Nan Lou found the Einstein name in the small print on a coffee cup. They even had Vanilla Nazelhut under a fancy California name. One might say that this is a small world, might’nt one. Then we drove around, Venice, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey stopping to buy some postcards and look at beads in a bead shop. We saw a mighty herd of semis and trailers in Venice by the really expensive houses with the three car garages getting set up to shoot a movie. Evans said that they sometimes shoot CSI Miami there. Nan Lou wanted to find a grocery and all we could find was a small convenience store near the marina which was OK for her needs. We went to Evans’ apartment and rested. Evans called and said he would be home fairly early and we could go out and eat Italian. He arrived about 7:30 telling us he had stopped and made reservations as he flashed their beeper/blinker/vibrator device they had given him. Soon we were off in his truck for the Italian restaurant on Washington where everybody in Marina Del Rey seemed to have gone for dinner. It was a fun place with a decibel roar that would put Bravo to shame. They passed out the lyrics to That’s Amore and soon Dean Martin was leading all of the customers in the song that every Italian restaurant plays over their PA system. The food was good and the servings were big. It was a fun time. Soon it was time to turn in and we retired to the LER over Evans’ protestations about us sleeping in the LER and nor his room. No one seems to understand the trouble it is to relocate all our stuff from the LER to another place. The weekend is here and I have a hunch that the guest parking will be pretty crowded Saturday and Sunday night. I think we will move to the city parking lot where have been granted the privilege of a seven day stay. Maybe we can find a spot that is a little more level so our heads don’t swell up with bodily fluids. hb Hammie forgot to mention all the staff (including bus boys and hostesses) went around clicking the diners’ glasses in toasts during the song. Pretty funny! Saturday, April 9, 2005 We were up and in Evans’ place waiting for him to arise before 10:30 AM, which is about the time he did get up. Then we all went to Noah’s for bagels and coffee. Since Noah’s inside seating is almost nonexistent we had to sit outside in the 68 degree windy but sunny California morning. We survived. Evans decided that the LER was too dirty with all its Moab mud and Marina bird poop. He found a car wash and we did a pretty good job cleaning it up. Then we went off to get his newly purchased Mercedes from the repair shop. It looks really good inside and out but has a few mechanical problems that one might be able to live with. It is a big fancy model with a diesel engine and electric moveable head rests, of all things. I hope it works for him without costing too much in shop work. After taking the LER back to the parking lot we went to Ikea to look at bookcases. Evans found some he liked and we decided to return tomorrow with the LER, which had more room to haul them. I didn’t like Ikea. Any three story building that has an elevator on the third floor that dose not take you down has to be bad. The escalator was the same way, all up and no down. On the way back to the apartment we stopped at PF Changs for dinner. It was very busy, but the food was pretty good. We saw a Qdoba that was still under construction so there is some hope for this area. On the way back Evans took the scenic route through Manhattan Beach and a few other seaside communities. They were all very hilly and all the houses, or apartments, were just jammed side by side with small narrow streets rising steeply and funny tilted driveways leading to garages that seemed to be too small for the larger cars and trucks parked half way in them. There was a sign on a utility pole for a one bedroom apartment that rented for $1600.00 per month. Wow! hb Sunday, April 10, 2005 We did something today, but I forget what it was. hb Monday, April 11, 2005 Among other things we went to Costco to get some Lipitor at high American prices. Breakfast was at the Einstein look alike, Noah’s. People watching was fun. Dinner was at a Thai restaurant called Siam something. It was nice and the food was good. The LER spent the night in the public parking lot, as we did last night. hb |
This and the one above were just a
few of the cacti in a residential yard. 
Above are three photos of
wild flowers in the desert. We have seldom been in the desert area to see this display. 
More Joshua trees than in
Joshua Tree National Park. 
I seem to like straight empty roads.
I can nap, read, and turn on the cruise control and climb in the back to fix a snack. 
Look out LA, here we be a comin'
'round the mountain. 
Looking out Evans' window at
the marina in Marina Del Rey. 
A few houses in Marina Del Rey.
A few more houses in Marina Del Rey.
Mother and Son at the dreaded IKEA.
A typical street in the many coastal
communities around LA. I thought we might just see Kinsey Milhome who lives around here. Lou doesn't believe me that Kinsey is related to President Richard Milhouse Nixon. |
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Four views of the canals and houses in Venice, count them, 1-2-3-4. I guess I was impressed. So were the Italians who copied the idea in their city with all the canals, I believe they tried to copy the name too, but the best they could do was Venezia.
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Tuesday, April 12, 2005
After sleeping late we went to the Japanese restaurant, and lo and behold found salmon teriyaki with miso soup and salad. The California roll was extra and the dressing was not up to Ocean World standards, but it was adequate. We were the only customers there at lunch, strange thought I. Then we drove around through Venice and found the quaint little streets with the humpy backed bridges over the canals with the cool houses facing the canal. It was all quite nice and I decided it would be OK to live there if one could get a place for $120,000. Of course parking sucked and we know the places must cost ten times that. I walked all around there while Nan Lou rested in the LER. Afterwards I had to have a Big And Tasty to replace the grease I had used up in my walk. By then Evans had come home from his last day on the job and called looking for us. I guess that was about 4 PM. hb |
The only time we see this at home is in the
flower shops, not the backyards. Oh well, we have ice storms, so there. |
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
The deal today was having lunch with Alana. It seems strange to have lunch with an old flame, but she was very perky and a pleasant luncheon companion. I thought it very nice that she brought me a heart rock from the Isle of Skye.
Then, Evans took us for a ride through Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills. It’s pleasant seeing the zillion dollar houses. I really liked the manicured lawns better than the houses. Ham had already seen the flowering foliage when he took his walk through Venice Beach.
We passed on going through the Getty. I know it is supposed to be great, but neither of us were in the mood.
We came back to the apartment and Evans took a little nap before going to his Buddah thing (meeting? Lecture? Church?---I don’t know what to call it)
We drove around just a tiny bit and decided to eat at something that looked like Qdoba.
It was pretty good, but like all places around here, it was cold after the sun started lowering.
Then it was time to come back to the public lot and read for a while before going nighty night. nl
Thursday, April 14, 2005
We got up late. Seems like we are getting up later and later every day. Evans had to go get a replacement driver’s license, so we went to Noah’s to bagel it and people watch. Then, we watched Evans stride in. We sat around and chatted for a while, then Evans had to go see about his car.
We went to Costco to get batteries for the fading LER reading lights. We also got the new Stuart Wood book. Then over to Albertson’s to get a broom, and other necessities like toilet paper.
We are back at the apartment. Ham is reading. Evans is trying out the new broom with his phone stuck to his ear.
More later, I guess. nl
Evans took us to his favorite vegan restaurant in downtown Santa Monica.. He assures us he has seen Woody Harrelson there three times. Why, I wonder? The food tasted like bad roadside diner fare. The stuff they call mystery meat. There was no mystery here. The Salisbury steak had no meat. Also, vegans must have the Italian aversion to ice. There was no ice in Ham’s iced tea; I think it was cold, however. My water was warmer than that right from the tap. In the end, the bill was overwhelming. I should have said the best part of the meal was the edamame. I ordered a slice of cheesecake to be split three ways. I thought Nan Lou’s vegan deserts were always pretty good. Too bad this place didn’t take lessons from the same chef. The cheesecake was barely edible.
Home to the LER and bed. nl
Friday, April 15, 2005
We seem to be sleeping later and later. It was definitely brunch time by the time we got
up. Evans took us to the same little Siamese restaurant that we ate at before.
After the brunch, Evans took us down the alley that bordered the Venice boardwalk. We didn’t see the funny people that were supposed to be there, but we did see throngs. I don’t know why anyone would want to get in those crowds. And, as I understand it, this wasn’t even a particularly crowded day.
Then we drove around looking at boats for a while.
Oh yeah, today was shower day for both of us. Wow! Clean Nan and Ham!
The deal today was having lunch with Alana. It seems strange to have lunch with an old flame, but she was very perky and a pleasant luncheon companion. I thought it very nice that she brought me a heart rock from the Isle of Skye.
Then, Evans took us for a ride through Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills. It’s pleasant seeing the zillion dollar houses. I really liked the manicured lawns better than the houses. Ham had already seen the flowering foliage when he took his walk through Venice Beach.
We passed on going through the Getty. I know it is supposed to be great, but neither of us were in the mood.
We came back to the apartment and Evans took a little nap before going to his Buddah thing (meeting? Lecture? Church?---I don’t know what to call it)
We drove around just a tiny bit and decided to eat at something that looked like Qdoba.
It was pretty good, but like all places around here, it was cold after the sun started lowering.
Then it was time to come back to the public lot and read for a while before going nighty night. nl
Thursday, April 14, 2005
We got up late. Seems like we are getting up later and later every day. Evans had to go get a replacement driver’s license, so we went to Noah’s to bagel it and people watch. Then, we watched Evans stride in. We sat around and chatted for a while, then Evans had to go see about his car.
We went to Costco to get batteries for the fading LER reading lights. We also got the new Stuart Wood book. Then over to Albertson’s to get a broom, and other necessities like toilet paper.
We are back at the apartment. Ham is reading. Evans is trying out the new broom with his phone stuck to his ear.
More later, I guess. nl
Evans took us to his favorite vegan restaurant in downtown Santa Monica.. He assures us he has seen Woody Harrelson there three times. Why, I wonder? The food tasted like bad roadside diner fare. The stuff they call mystery meat. There was no mystery here. The Salisbury steak had no meat. Also, vegans must have the Italian aversion to ice. There was no ice in Ham’s iced tea; I think it was cold, however. My water was warmer than that right from the tap. In the end, the bill was overwhelming. I should have said the best part of the meal was the edamame. I ordered a slice of cheesecake to be split three ways. I thought Nan Lou’s vegan deserts were always pretty good. Too bad this place didn’t take lessons from the same chef. The cheesecake was barely edible.
Home to the LER and bed. nl
Friday, April 15, 2005
We seem to be sleeping later and later. It was definitely brunch time by the time we got
up. Evans took us to the same little Siamese restaurant that we ate at before.
After the brunch, Evans took us down the alley that bordered the Venice boardwalk. We didn’t see the funny people that were supposed to be there, but we did see throngs. I don’t know why anyone would want to get in those crowds. And, as I understand it, this wasn’t even a particularly crowded day.
Then we drove around looking at boats for a while.
Oh yeah, today was shower day for both of us. Wow! Clean Nan and Ham!
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Evans had a safety meeting so he was up and out very early. The two of us went to Noah’s and drank coffee until Evans came back to join us.
We went down to the pier and ate at a miniscule Mediterranean restaurant.
Then we walked out on the pier and found out it was the Venice Beach Pier. We watched surfers for quite a while and were amazed that they were much better than the ones we see in Florida. Ham took some very nice pictures of them. One guy had just swimming trunks on, no wet suit, and we learned the water was 57 degrees. He was one tough California Dude.
We came back to the apartment and Ham and Evans FINALLY put the bookcases together. The bedroom faces north, the room was painted very dark and the black bookcases look like there is a big hole in the wall. At least they’re up!
After all that work it was time to eat again so we went to a tiny Eastern Indian place just a couple of blocks down the street. Ham didn’t even complain. He bit the bullet like a big boy. Actually my unpronounceable meal was pretty good.
Then to bed in the public lot for $3.00. A long day. Nl
Continued in Part 5
Evans had a safety meeting so he was up and out very early. The two of us went to Noah’s and drank coffee until Evans came back to join us.
We went down to the pier and ate at a miniscule Mediterranean restaurant.
Then we walked out on the pier and found out it was the Venice Beach Pier. We watched surfers for quite a while and were amazed that they were much better than the ones we see in Florida. Ham took some very nice pictures of them. One guy had just swimming trunks on, no wet suit, and we learned the water was 57 degrees. He was one tough California Dude.
We came back to the apartment and Ham and Evans FINALLY put the bookcases together. The bedroom faces north, the room was painted very dark and the black bookcases look like there is a big hole in the wall. At least they’re up!
After all that work it was time to eat again so we went to a tiny Eastern Indian place just a couple of blocks down the street. Ham didn’t even complain. He bit the bullet like a big boy. Actually my unpronounceable meal was pretty good.
Then to bed in the public lot for $3.00. A long day. Nl
Continued in Part 5
