The Night Before The Long Journey

It's a good thing we're not superstitious, or we might have taken the 571 lightning strikes in the neighboring Tahoe National Forest as an ominous sign. Just as we turned out the lights for sleep last Sunday night, I noticed a flash of light in the sky. I mentioned it to Roger, and we just dismissed it. Then, there was another flash, and then another. Without exaggeration, the sky lit up with lightning flashes ALL NIGHT LONG. It was unbelievable. Some of the lightning lit the room so brightly, we could see the flash through our closed eyes. I got out of bed and looked out through our slider and saw that the sky above us was clear and filled with stars. I couldn't believe it, but it was true. The thunderstorms were south and east of us, but still we could see the endless flashes of light. It was only in the very early morning that the clouds moved in close enough to actually rain a bit, and we could hear thunder.
Because we're not superstitious, we did hit the road Monday morning, and the sky was mostly blue with a few clouds here and there. None of them ominous at all. Of course that didn't stop whatever bit of rain was left to come down on us as we began the journey. It was a surprising start to the 450 mile trip south to see my mom in her new home.
The road south is long and boring. The speed limit is 70 mph, but everyone goes MUCH faster than that. If you're going 70, you're impeding the flow of traffic. We were behind a few of those drivers, and they're always the ones who are also afraid to pass the big trucks. It's quite a scene out there in the middle of the state, in the middle of nowhere. The aggressive drivers make it just as difficult and dangerous as the timid ones. It always occurs to me when we're out there on long trips that we're all hurtling past each other at speeds that would kill us all in a flash. We really have to rely on everyone's driving skills and attention to keep us from crashing. I'm not particularly fond of relying on other drivers to be safe and aware. And yet, they mostly are, and for that I am always grateful. When Roger is driving I like to watch the scenery. Sometimes it really is quite beautiful, if you can tune out the chaos of such speed. Those golden rolling hills of California are pretty awesome this time of the year.

We arrived at my mom's at 4:00. Seven hours on the road, 450 miles later. We drove fast, averaging 75 mph. Not bad. Jangled, exhausted, and alive! My mom loves her new home. It's in an assisted living facility in Thousand Oaks. She has wonderful new friends already, and she's happy and content. Worth the trip to see her smile!