I had stayed in Long Beach an extra week so I could see my friend’s Barbara and Lark for dinner on Sunday. They were to arrive in town after I was leaving, but I stayed an extra week so our visits would overlap. I was really looking forward to seeing them, but when I drove to the Long Beach address Lark had sent me, there was no such address. I drove around and around without success. I called both Barbara’s and Lark’s cell phones and left messages to see if I could get directions. I found out the next morning that Lark had transposed the address when she sent the e-mail to me. It got dark and I was driving in circles. I needed to find an alternative place to stay for the night. I had several spots on back streets that were recommended by iOverlander app, but when I drove by them, they felt a bit sketchy to me. I felt very exposed and I worried that someone would call the police on me if I parked my van on an empty street in industrial areas. Then the light bulb went off in my brain: The best place to hide a tree is in a forest, so I drove to the RV repair shop where I had my brakes and belts done, and pulled into their lot next to other RV’s. I was now invisible. It was on a busy highway, but I was beat, so I soon fell asleep despite the traffic noise. I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and moved (before the shop opened) to a nearby grocery store lot. I did my morning routine as the sun came up. I made my grocery list and did my shopping. After stocking up on food, I left Long Beach and drove north to Wrightwood to see Carol and Penny. They live at 6,000 feet in the San Gabriel mountains, adjacent to the Angeles National Forest.
The weather changed drastically. The day before I arrived, it had gotten down to 29 overnight. It was in the low 30’s every night I was there and got up to mid-50’s during the days. I dug out my long pants and sweatshirts and enjoyed the cool mountain air and the warm sun on my face.
Carol and Penny were delightful hosts. I met Carol nearly 40 years ago when I used to live in Long Beach. Her girlfriend at the time worked at a photo lab and I was a photographer, so one day when I took my color film in to be processed, she invited me and my boyfriend to dinner. She said her girlfriend was a vegetarian and would cook for us. That girlfriend was Carol, and she made a killer vegetarian stroganoff. Now, many years later, we sit out on the deck on the side of the mountain, looking out over the Angeles National Forest. I’m back in my element. I couldn’t stay in my van because there was no level place to park, but they have a guest room where Cosmo and I stayed, and with it getting down near freezing each night and my solar controller repaired but in the possession of Fed-Ex, it was perhaps not realistic to sleep in the van without electricity to run the heater fan.
We went to downtown Wrightwood the first day and had lunch out on the deck of a quaint little restaurant. The town was very quiet, apparently between the summer tourist season and the winter ski season. We made dinner together that night and Penny built a fire in their fireplace in the living room. We laughed and listened to music from the ‘60’s until bedtime.
The next day Carol took me on a walking tour of downtown Wrightwood, and afterwards we went to a ski resort restaurant for lunch. The lodge was empty except for us, so we sat by the window and ate our pizza and looked out over the valley. After lunch, Penny drove us all down the mountain just a short distance and we found a campground and drove through so I could get a feel for what was in the area. It was a huge campground, mostly uninhabited. They didn’t have hookups, but they had pit toilets distributed throughout, several potable water spigots and dumpsters. I would definitely stay there on a future visit.
We binge-watched a Netflix series called Watchers at night until we were all so tired we couldn’t hold our eyes open. I’m not sure if it was the hike, the mountain air, the altitude or maybe a combination of all three, but I slept long and hard. It was silent outside and the sky full of stars. I was back in my element.
We did some chores on Wednesday and then went for a ride. We stopped at a Thai restaurant for lunch and ordered soup and a vegetable curry dish. The portions were so big, we brought enough home for dinner. It was a fun and very kick-back kind of day.
I ate like a king during the entire stay. Besides the Impossible burgers at a small café in town, and the Thai food, one day and Carol made some amazing stuffed peppers. There were always leftovers for lunch the next day. Penny has a milk heater/frother, so I had a latte every morning. We often went for hikes in the forest and Cosmo loved being off leash and exploring. We both were well fed and well-exercised. It was a great segue to transition from the city to the desert next week. It was also nice to have a week of “winter” before moving back to the mid-70’s in Joshua Tree.
I left Wrightwood Saturday morning and drove to Yucaipa and pulled into Kitty’s driveway. I was so glad to see her again. She and I will spend next week together on the BLM land south of Joshua Tree National Park. We met there and it is a favorite place for both of us, and when we camp there, it feels like being home. Kitty drove me to her favorite dispensary and I picked up a “night-time vape pen.” The budtender brought out several options that he said were meant for the end of the day and would be great for winding down before bed. I picked one and then got some gummies. Since I was a first time customer at that store, they gave me a free gift! It was a bottle of a cannabis infused drink called “Quik Zzzzz’s” meant for a good night’s sleep. I’ve never had trouble falling asleep in the desert. I think all of these options could be nice for when we sit around a campfire at night (which seems to come earlier and earlier) and look up at the Milky Way.
Lessons From The Road: When I started out on this journey, I had two rules: 1. Never drive more than 4 hours a day. 2. Never set a deadline for getting somewhere. I learned early on that plotting a course that Google said would take me 4 hours never worked out. Google based the drive time on going the speed limit (usually 80 mph) and I drove at 60 mph. So my 4 hour trips took 5 or 6 hours and when I arrived at my destination, I was frazzled. I soon learned to plot a course that would take an hour or hour and a half. That was plenty of drive time. If you have no place to be, it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get there.
But the second lesson I seem to have to keep re-learning. I try not to set deadlines for arriving someplace or make specific plans to meet someone on a definite day. Every time I agree to an “appointment” weeks or months in the future, I find that it means adjusting my life, often drastically, to accommodate the meeting time and place. I sometimes have to leave a place that I am thoroughly enjoying in order to make it to the agreed upon destination on time, or I have to stay too long at a place and wait until it’s time to be at the next place when I promised. I feel quite discombobulated this month trying to mesh with other people’s schedules even though I did enjoy the time spent with old friends.
I missed the “change of seasons” my first year on the road. My itinerary kept me mainly in summer weather. Now I’m quite aware that the “change of seasons” can come with change of venue. It was blazing hot in the “Inland Empire” when I was there a couple weeks ago. It was definitely summer (to me anyway) when I was in Long Beach (even though I mocked Steve and Richard for putting on jackets in the morning when they went outside when it was below 70). In Wrightwood, up in the mountains, it was early winter with temperatures close to freezing at night and definitely cool during the day. I got out my “winter clothes” (meaning long pants, sweat shirts and socks) and I needed them when hiking in the forest and mountains. Tomorrow, I’ll once again move to summer when I get to the desert.