In California, at last! Part 1 Our trip

Hannah and I arrived in Santa Rosa in one piece. Even the cat survived with minimal trauma. A week has passed very quickly and Hannah will be leaving tomorrow for home.

Our trip was uneventful. The seemingly never-ending drive through Florida was, at least, tolerable. It wasn't hot and humid and miserable. We zombie-drove through Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Texas met us head-on and we froze in its desert. We thawed out icicles off our eyelids trying to use the rest areas. That was fun. But hey, gas was cheapest there. In New Mexico, the border patrol raised their eyebrows at us and questioned our citizenships. Okay, they asked if we were citizens. I said yes and the big guy in uniform with the intimidating sunglasses just waved us through. (Note: I believe it was dark, like, as in early morning. So, why was the border patrol boy wearing sunglasses?)

Arizona was freezingly cold. The beautiful rock formations were difficult to appreciate when one is trying to sleep in a rest area with minimal space and its 30 degrees outside. More icicle thawing.

Finally, we get to California and we are welcomed like only California knows how. As soon as we cross the state border, we are warned not to pick up hitchhikers. They really mean it. Just down the road is the State Prison, so we got the point and continued on. Besides there was no room in the backseat anyway. The cat had that covered.

We got to Sacramento, returned the trailer, and found our hotel. The cat did some reconnaissance work of the room, made us feel safe, and we got a good night's sleep. The next day, we set out for Santa Rosa. It took us two hours, but we found the "hotel" that my new employer reserved for me.

OMG!!! Hotel??? I was expecting an Extended Stay with a microwave. You should see this place. My 'accommodations' is a two-bedroom, two-bath full condo with all the amenities of a fireplace, full fitness center, and pool. Pictures are available on webshots. To see them, click here. I'll add more pics at a later date. I still haven't taken pictures of the balcony, the pool, the hot tub, and the grounds.