Between elk crossing and fruit inspections, it is a wonder I ever got here, but I am in the Los Angeles suburbs tonight. I am sleepy, yet I have so much to write. I didn’t even get a meal until 9 p.m. when I dragged Jenna to Coco’s and had a salad I did not even finish. I meant to have a snack later, but I am not hungry. Today was long but better. The drive proved almost as boring. It gets so monotonous that I fight closing my eyes. I did enjoy Flagstaff, though. The snowcapped mountains and remnants of snow on the ground were beautiful. I also roamed through Gallup, New Mexico on Route 66. That was neat. There were trains all over, riding on the sides of mountains.

Of course the signs in the southwest are a bit disconcerting. All over the place were signs warning of “elk crossing.” These were accompanied by deer warning signs. Further, there were signs about ice on high bridges, as well as steep slopes and rough roads. Finally there were numerous signs in the mountains warning to watch for falling rock. I decided that it was a good thing that big angel Helen saw sits on my car.

Today there was little of no fear factor. I enjoyed myself more. I played tourist a bit. I stopped at an Indian shop and bought turquoise earrings and tacky postcards. I also had some wonderful moments in my car with God. None was extremely long or filled with new revelation (yet),but they were powerful. Since leaving yesterday I have had some more powerful God times I have had in many many months. That is worth it in itself.

I fell in love with the mountains, as I did in Pennsylvania. I enjoyed the east coast more, but the Flagstaff area was so pretty. I realized must have nature to live. I must be outside and see trees. I especially love the contrast of valleys and mountains.

My body did not love it. My elevation today went from 8,000 feet to 449 feet. My nose itched and ached and my allergies went ballistic. Although I took a Claritin at night, I took an Allegra in the afternoon. It helped, but boy was I reacting. My lips seemed to instantly chapped. The temperature swayed almost 50 degrees at various parts of the day—a low of 38 and a high of 84 all in the same drive. I saw more of the desert than I needed to in a lifetime. I thought about Moses a lot. Who could spend 40 days in such a setting?

Flagstaff was a nice reprieve, but then I reentered the desert land for hours upon hours. Hitting the California border was exciting. I made it. Imagine my surprise as a sign demanded all vehicles pull over. I am used to weigh stations at borders for trucks, but this time the only way into CA is through a gate with an official standing there. The man was very nice and asked if I had brought any fruits or vegetables from Texas. I admitted I had an orange and some apples, oh, and a bag of carrots. He did not care about my bag of carrots but examined my orange and apples that my friend Lisa gave me for the trip. Apparently there were no fruit fly dangers or anything so I was allowed to keep my fruit. Welcome to California: the land of fruits and nuts.

And welcome to gas prices like you have never seen! GASP! I stopped 9 miles out of CA to get gas because I figured taxes alone would make them jump when I crossed the border. Indeed, at every place I saw it was over $2 for regular. Once I got this way, I saw it at one or two places for a low of $1.99. I still have gas so I have not paid more than 1.73 yet. But I know I will today. At one regular place up here the prices were 2.29, 2.39 and 2.49. I am more thankful than ever for my car. At my last checkpoint I got 41 mpg. That helps.

I never got lunch because I did my usual road trip antics. Every time I MEAN to stop I decided to go just a wee bit farther until I have passed all exits. Then I had the only truly bad driving experience of the day. After enduring miles of CA desert, which was far worse than AZ because it is more barren (try sometimes 35 miles between any signs of life at all, not even a lone gas station), I entered Barstow and left I-40 as it ended and joined I-15 south. My printed directions told me to take that to Victorville ( I had planned to eat lunch/dinner in Gallup, then Flagstaff, then Barstow, then Victorville) then get on another road toward Palmdale. While the directions were literally accurate, they did not expreess themselves well. I did not get lost but I was unsure for a time and then the hunger and tiredness and headache from car lights was settling in. The two lane highway droned on forever and the approaching headlights and occasional highways twists made it a bit daunting. I finally escaped after going through Palmdale—which I was supposed to bypass—and ended up on the 14. I saw a food sign—a Sizzler. I am CRAVING Sizzler. I exited and drove the lot but there was no Sizzler, just the sign. I headed back on the 14 and finally saw my exit. I figured I would hunt for a Sizzler here, eat and then come to Jenna’s. Instead I found Jenna’s more easily. She told me all the Sizzlers closed and the one they did have—the one I had tried to go to—burned down a month ago. So I had a salad at Cocos.

Now my time zones are mismashed and I want to finish blogging and sleep. I know there is more to say but it is not all coming to me right now. Tomorrow I am heading toward Santa Maria down the 101 coastline. I will see the Pacific of the first time in years. I am considering staying an extra night at the beach. Two nights so I can linger. Santa Maria is where I want to be. All I want to do here is basically get my things, traipse around Hollywood and the Valley, and go to my old church Wednesday night. So many memories are so alive right now. I will decide it all later. I will book the hotel again; the rate is still available. Susan needs the ocean.

But I also noted something else today in the desert. I saw an occasional flower bloom in the brown, dry wilderness. A purple or yellow mass would peek out from the harshness of the dry land, and I realized something. A flower blooming in the desert is so much more pretty that one flower blooming in a flower garden. In the desert it is a special treat, a lovely sight. In a flower garden it is merely ordinary. I want the old desert of my life to be only a flower that brings brightness to the harsh wilderness I once wandered in.