Hey Ho - To L.A. We Go!!

As we said earlier, most of this is new territory for us.   While we've both been to Las Vegas, and years ago (pre-children), we traveled to San Francisco, but ultimately we have spent very little time this far west.  

Early this morning, we left Laughlin, Nevada.  To make things easy geographically, Laughlin is in the very bottom tip (point) of Nevada.  

Before we knew it, we were rolling into California.   Much of the day was spent in the Mojave Desert - and little did we know how desolate it would be.   After almost 75 miles without a single available stop for gas or food, we were grateful to finally see one lone convenience store.  What made this shop a bit nostalgic was that it was located on the old "Route 66."  Throughout the store, signs were hung defending their hefty prices:  "Please Don't Complain About The Prices - Delivery Charges to This Location Are Extra - You Make a Choice To Be A Customer."   Just to give you an idea of the prices, gas was $5 a gallon... and I found a great "Route 66" mug I wanted, but when I saw the $24 price tag, I realized I didn't want it that much.  We did indulge in a few cheaper trinkets.. Considering we spent hours trucking through this wilderness one might think we would have captured a picture or two... but alas, no pictures of the Mojave Desert or the pricey - yet cute - shop.  Sorry.   

Honestly, we are a tad bit road weary and bewildered today...  We realized that we have been not only quite nomadic this week but also traveling through the desert heat left us pretty much zapped.  Our road blues were quickly lifted as our beloved Mystery Machine journeyed into the oasis of Los Angeles (see our first post for Mystery Machine reference).  Although our entrance via I-10 and the 101 Freeway almost caused a coronary for Runcie and me.     

While at Baylor, Runcie traveled to L.A. with friends for a very short day trip to see a fraternity brother participate in the $25,000 Pyramid, this part of California was completely new to me.  Considering Runcie's short trip here, it's safe to say that LA is new territory for us both.

Setting our navigation to Beverly Hills, we enjoyed seeing the beautiful sites in the area.    Between the shops, homes, cars, and unique vegetation, we spent the rest of our afternoon in the van taking in all the sites.  

The famous Rodeo Drive

Wilshire Boulevard.   Swanky.

I tried to get a pic of the famous Beverly Hills Hotel, but got this instead.   Behind all this vegetation is a very famous hotel.   If those walls could talk....

Instead of driving out to Malibu for our hotel, we opted to stay in the Beverly Hills area for dinner.   Luckily, we were able to score a table at RockSugar... and a parking place.   Locating a spot tall enough for the Mystery Machine wasn't easy.   We did need to walk about a half mile to dinner.. but who could complain about that with such glorious weather?   Mid 70s with a delightful cool breeze, I was thankful for our "far away" parking spot.   Here are some pics from tonight's fantastic dinner...  

Elizabeth and Runcie protested another restaurant selfie... and Francey quickly followed their uncooperative footsteps - but Gigi was happy to photo bomb our selfie... little rascal....

After a happy walk back to our car in this indescribably glorious weather, we meandered north on the famous Highway 1 alongside of the Pacific Coast.    Here were some of the views...

Santa Montica Pier

Tomorrow will be spent exploring tourist traps and a possible tour in the area and then by early afternoon we will travel north to Sequoia.  Considering we have rented a house there for the next few days, we are quite thrilled about the prospects of staying in one location for a bit...