Tag: timo

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Holiday Road: Day 10

Sunday, December 30

We woke early the next morning with the intention of getting to Poway in time to check into a hotel before meeting my friend, John and his wife for brunch. But a tour of Curt and Annette’s surrounding land made us lose track of the time. Curt showed us where they saw white clouds of smoke rolling over a nearby hill last year prior to evacuating their lovely home for a week. Luckily, the fire turned in another direction and their home was undamaged.

The boys really liked running around outside and we were all amused when Timo solved the mystery of the blue lichen. We were all reluctant to leave but friends in Poway awaited and we were running a little late.

We drove directly to John and Lisa’s house, where we enjoyed a delicious brunch that Lisa had prepared. John’s sister joined us and we caught up on all that had happened since they had moved from Portland several years ago. John showed us how his python had grown to over four feet long and Graham got a close-up view of the big snake. Thomas did not faint while the snake slithered about as he had done years earlier when John showed us the same snake in Portland.

A couple of hours later we checked into the nearby Ramada Inn which would be our base for the next couple of days. Originally we had planned to check out the San Diego Zoo in the afternoon, but the reality of winter sundown made us decide to relax in the hotel for the rest of the day. That evening we searched in vain for a some local dining but were not in the mood for Mexican food so we settled on a trip to KFC. Graham remarked that it was the “best meal we’ve had.” I don’t know that I agree with that but it did really hit the spot that night.

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Holiday Road: Day 9

Saturday, December 29

We woke up Saturday morning anxious to start the homeward leg of our trip. Our destination was Julian, CA where my old friends, Curt and Annette, live. The drive was only supposed to take about six hours so we got a relatively late start after having a leisurely breakfast with the Powell’s.

After we crossed the California border, we headed south on Highway 78 where we saw miles and miles of cotton fields. Soon we were surprised to see favorite Fox vacation destination Glamis on the mileage signs. It was about this time that I began to notice an astounding amount of broken glass on the side of the road. The broken glass continued until we reached Glamis, which I can only describe as a small city made up entirely of RVs and sand-eating recreational vehicles. Thousands and thousands of people occupied the east side of the road as we drove by. The west side of the road was astoundingly pristine and is evidently protected from those who traverse the desert on rubber. As we drove by, we sent a text message to my niece, Trisha, who was there with my sister and the rest of her family. They begged us to stop, but we had a bit of a schedule to keep and I did not relish the thought of sand filling the inside of the Scion once we opened the doors, so we drove on.

A few hours later we missed a turn and inadvertently drove north to the southwestern shore of the Salton Sea. While we were there we found a beach composed entirely of sea shells and fish bones. We marveled at the scores of dead fish before getting back on the road.

Our detour delayed us enough that we watched the sun set over the Anza-Borrego desert as we drove west to Julian. Navigating the hills into Julian was tricky in the dark but we rolled up to Curt and Annette’s house in time for a delicious tapas dinner with them and their 6-year-old son, Timo. After dinner, our boys showed Timo the finer points of internet gaming while the adults settled into conversations about old times, new books and mutual interests in music.