WHIRLWIND CALIFORNIA TRIP

Sunday, April 19, 2009 At 6:45 this evening I arrived home from the Stars California Regional competition in Valencia, California. I drove from about 5:45 this morning Pacific Time though I did make stops along the way. Thursday at about 7:30 a.m. I left home driving to California. I refueled in Mesquite and continued on to Primm, Nevada where I stayed the night. I could have continued on but I needed to pick Judy up at the Burbank, (Bob Hope) Airport at around 9:30 Friday morning and the hotels are cheap in Nevada Sunday through Thursday nights. I had prepaid for a room online for $38.98 including tax at the Primm Valley Resort and Casino. It was not the classiest place I have stayed in but not the worst either. I went to bed fairly early after a soak in their hot tub and asked for a 5:30 a.m. wake up call to get to Burbank on time for Judy arrival. How did we ever get along without GPS navigation? I hardly had to think except for the one glitch. When I programmed in the Burbank Airport my TomTom directed me to Downtown Burbank instead. After finding my way back onto the I-5 northbound, I watched for the signs to direct me to where I needed to go and everything was OK. I was only a little late for the pickup and Judy needed to make a pit stop anyway. The competition seemed to go well. Judy mentioned one minor glitch in the computer program and quickly got it straightened out thanks to a phone call to Loretta. I worked admissions with Holly’s mom and Dad and of course helped set up and tear down. Friday noon, after a visit to Stars Headquarters in Santa Clarita, Judy and I ate barbecue at Rattlers near the studio. That night and again Saturday after it was all over, we ate at Claim Jumper. I had never eaten there but Judy, Corey (and his companion) and Niki had when Corey was on his mission. Both places had good food and generous proportions. We stayed at the Embassy Suites Friday and Saturday. It was a really nice hotel with a “living room” and a bedroom. Saturday before going to bed we hit its hot tub also. On my way home I was already getting tired by the time I reached Primm. I had to make a stop at the hotel and retrieve my pillow I oopsed and left Friday morning. I had made a phone call, they found it and had it waiting for me at Security so it was a quick in and out today. By the time I reached Mesquite I was really feeling it (grogginess). But after refueling and a chicken wrap at Popeye’s I continued on. By the time I reached St. George I knew I was in trouble and half way between there and Cedar I pulled off the road for about an hour and nodded on and off for a while and then slept for a good half hour solid. I needed it though I was still not in the best of shape. In Cedar I got a chocolate shake at Arby’s which helped slightly. In Beaver I stopped at another Arby’s (I got out of the car and went inside at that one) and got an Italian sandwich and a medium diet Pepsi and after fifteen minutes or half an hour I perked up and was good for the rest of the drive home. Quite the whirlwind trip!