Holiday Travels

I spent most of Christmas day in a car, going from LA to the Bay Area. The varied weather conditions that met us on this trip made it a somewhat surreal experience. The beginning of the drive was marked by heavy rain that significantly reduced visibility. It was a bit like driving through white mist, except the pelting rain persistently reminded you of its physicality. Then we hit the higher elevations, where patches of snow decorated the mountain peaks and valleys. After we got through the Tejon Pass, the weather cleared up, and blue skies greeted us. High winds, however, made this stretch of the drive challenging in more ways than one. Not only did the wind affect steering, but it hurtled tumbleweeds across our path! I'm not exaggerating when I say that some of these tumbleweeds were as big as hay bales. And they were often not easy to dodge. I saw a car going in the opposite direction whose entire front bumper was obscured behind a fat, thorny tumbleweed. We emerged from the bombarding tumbleweed episode relatively unscathed, having only been hit by a few smaller and mid-sized ones.

As we entered another gray sky area, we saw a very pretty rainbow brightening the clouds. Unfortunately, I did not get my camera out quickly enough to take a picture. A little past the halfway point, we stopped for lunch at a Carl's Jr. I don't think I've ever seen a fast-food restaurant so crowded and chaotic before! Who knew so many people would be traveling along the I-5 on Christmas day. The rest of the road trip was relatively uneventful. It was lovely to finally arrive at our destination (my sister's new home), and enjoy the rest of the day with conversation, food, presents, TV, video games, and general merriment. Happy holidays, everyone! :)