California

We made it to Dad's place late last night, after about fifteen hours of solid traveling. It's a good feeling to have our feet on solid ground again. The trip to Washington was a lot of fun - we had the chance to visit the Spy Museum and both the Air and Space and Natural History wings of the Smithsonian. We also spent a good bit of time with Nahem and Anna out for dinner and drinks.

The flight itself was with America West (D.C. to San Diego) and could've been a good investment deal, had our schedules been more flexible. They'd overbooked the first leg, and were offering $250 US to anyone willing to take a delay. Alas, we were on a schedule.

America West isn't a bad discount airline. They sell their meals, which I think makes good business sense, particularly when it offers more variety. I've maintained for some time that airlines get into trouble when they try and make their food too elaborate. America West served me a sandwich. And you know what? It tasted exactly like a normal sandwich.

We left our hotel room at 7:00 am Eastern and left the airport at 3:30 pm Pacific. We'd already booked a convertible, then decided to upgrade when we got to the rental place and saw the cherry red Thunderbird in the parking lot. Pictures to follow.

The drive itself was a little frustrating at the start. Convertibles are nice, but not in gridlock. But within about 40 minutes, we'd found our way to sufficiently deserted back-country roads and were on our way. It was a very enjoyable drive, and took about three and a half hours to get us from San Diego to Palm Desert.

It's hot here. Very, very hot. About 105 F, whatever that is in celsius. I think it's close to forty, and warmer in the sun. But at least it's a dry heat.

Okay, we need to go and return the rental car. More to follow later.