The drive to San Diego and back

It was a happy black Friday! And no we did not get up to shop the sales, rather I slept in until this guy woke me up in the pack and play next to me. 
We fed the kids some yogurt and got on the road! 
A quick note about the face of the valley changing: 
Many of the fields are going from alfalfa to solar!
Once barren desert hillsides:
Now covered in windmills! 
Some things never change: 
Like Plaster city
The signs that used to look like this:
Now have big horned sheep crossing. 
Which is weird because I have NEVER seen either of these things on any of my countless crossings of this mountain pass. So our ascent up “the grade” began. 

We passed up with rubble mountains 
I told Mirah about how her Aunt Maryn once wrote a story about how the rocks were created by huge giants fighting and throwing each other around up there. We pointed out the barrel cactus’ and the Ocotillos. She loved it. 

She especially loved the dormant volcano:
We even told her about the nudists conoly that we passed on the road! 
You can’t tell but that is the sign. 

It says clothing optional! 
(Here’s a helpful hint, don’t google “Southern CA nudist colony sign” looking for a better picture of the sign. Many many horrifying images come up that you can’t unsee.)
We had our radical day in SD then headed home around 3. 
The drive home offered other lovely sights. Like this one of the Boulevard community through our bug infested front window. That was something I had forgotten about the valley, bug covered windows. We just don’t have as many bug in Utah. 
Home again home again…
Looking different but still pretty. 
Views of the old mountain road. Now looking very ancient. 
And oh yeah: 
Yeah, runaway truck ramp. 
Complete with huge sand pile to crash into. 
Every time I have ever passed this I wonder…”does this actually happen??”
It must have, if they have it. 
“…back to where I come from.”

Lucas was going stir crazy from all of that time in the car. The only thing that would calm him down was be holding his foot.

He was so cranky and tired and slept some of the ride home. 
Mirah slept too, but then decided to play on her ipad when I insisted on some quite time. 
When we got home, we had a lady date at another valley institution, The Movies Imperial. 
We saw Moana, and the girls all loved it. 
Lucas and Karl stayed home and had a bonkers bath time. 
Karl is always great about being a good dad, and having fun no matter what. 

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