Austin to California

I have never been west of Lubbock, Texas. I have been east of Texas, having lived in North Carolina and Connecticut, and I have been up and down the east coast. I have always wanted to go to California. I also really want to go to Washington State and Oregon. But we had an opportunity to go to California, so we took it and I was so excited to begin our trip 2 weeks ago. We drove. I love driving. I love seeing the country from the comfort of our car, and my kids are great car travelers, luckily, and knock on wood that they continue to be! Anyway... I had some pre-conceived notions of what New Mexico and Arizona would be like. I pictured flat desert sand as far as the eye can see. And while, yes, there was that - But there was also this:

The mountains, which are pretty far from Allie and Em in this picture, are enormous. They are beautiful. I really found it hard not to look at them, and there are many. and they are beautiful. Have I mentioned how beautiful?

And when we were almost in California, we came upon this. It was frightening and we were close to it, and I could not help but be scared that there would be an explosion and we would be caught up in it, but there was literally nowhere to turn. there were guardrails up to our left and a car to our right, and there was no way to turn around. The worst case scenario kept playing out in my head. A truck carrying bales of hay caught fire, from an accident that occurred moments before we arrived. It kept us stopped in our tracks for more than an hour before the police force created a path off road, that lead us back to the highway, going in the opposite direction, which ultimately lead us to a 3 hour detour. But, we were all safe. And that is all that mattered in the end.

and the beautiful mountains continued to California. This picture of this mountain was taken probably an hour or so from the coast.
It was a memorable trip before we even got there!
More to come with the next post!
I hope I don't bore anybody!
Hope you are all well and thanks for reading!