Chores and Traffic

 I was right about the view - we wake up with the sun, opened the sliding door to let in its warmth, and are greeted by the sight of mountains, even in the middle of the parking lot. Like I said,  it's all a matter of perspective. 

Descending from Joshua Tree

We're pairing up a chores day and a rather long day of travelling through Los Angeles, sticking all of the less interesting asks together to get them out of the way. First, we return briefly into Joshua Tree, specifically Black Rock Canyon Campground, to fill our water and dump our grey tank. It's one of the perks of visiting National Parks - even if you are not staying in the campground, you can still use the services - it's how they help keep the park clean. We also stop for gas once back on the main road. Road trip tip: ALWAYS top up your gas tank when you can. We learned that one the hard way, and will forever remember the harrowing drive into a Love's Gas Station in Green River, Utah, coasting the last few miles on fumes. (You can read about THAT adventure here.)

Date shake!

Last trip through this area of California, we discovered the deliciousness that is dates shakes from Hadley's Fruit Orchard, so of course we need to stop for a pick-me-up this morning. And now we can compare with the one from Dateland: this version is just as generous on the date flavour and pulp, but the vanilla ice cream of less sweet, and I am pretty sure there is some milk, because the result is much less thick in consistency, which is a good thing in this case. 

Multiple wind farms

We are cruising down the Interstate 10 now, making our way into Los Angeles. We've been dreading this section of the road trip since e started planning. Driving in LA is no fun. It's congested, there is just too much roadway(9 lanes! PER SIDE!!), and the air is this hazy shade of grey from all the smog. Why someone would want to live here and have to deal with it on a daily basis is beyond me. Today, we just have to make it through, and will make any and all detours necessary to stay on the outskirts of the city. 

We stop at a TA Travel center for the showers. You have no idea how much you miss showers until you have been bathing with baby wipes for a few days. 

Time to get off the I-10 as soon as possible - all of these lanes and traffic slowdowns do not make for a good road trip. Google and I have been making friends this trip, and so I ask about parks nearby, and Google tells me there is a Memorial Park in the middle of the city of Claremont, and so we exit the freeway and venture into the suburbs. What a cute little town, with beautiful mature trees, lovely homes, people walking their dogs. I make sandwiches and Mario picks out a table big enough for 20 people. We watch the live neighbourhood around us : Children shrieking as their parents push them in swings - Families spreading picnics out over some of the nearby giant tables - quite a few well-dressed young adults making their way into the central building in the park(our lengthy observations lead us to believe someone is celebrating their Quinceanera, or coming of age) - a father and his sons starting up a practice session on one of the tennis courts... It's a nice reprieve, this quite moment in the park, from the craziness of LA.

So much smog, so many lanes

We pass behind the Hollywood Hills, where the famous sign is perched, and if we had more hours in the day, and boundless energy, I think Mario would be dragging me out on another 12 km hike to see it, but not today. Today we are just trying to escape, and as soon as we hit the 101 to Ventura, the sky begins to brighten, and I think I can see blue again.

Finally free of the smog!

Tonight, we'll be parking in the ever so glamourous back parking lot of the Regal Edward Cinema,  in the town of Camarillo, CA. It's close enough to Ventura that we'll be able to make it to our ferry out to Channel Islands in the morning. For now, we find ourselves in the middle of a Premium Outlet Mall, and with ample time to waste, so what do we do? We shop, of course! We hit all of our favorite places, like The North Face and Old Navy, pick out a couple of things each, and walk around like typical shopping mall patrons, with all our fancy boutique paper bags hanging from our arms... With still more time to waste, Mario suggests a movie, since the Regal Edward does not seem to be the most happening place, even for a Saturday, and there are tons of tickets left. We see the new Bob Dylan biopic "The Complete Unknown", starring Timothée Chalamet. It's a great movie, with lots of good music, of course, but sung, and played, by the actors, too. 

Shopping!

We get out of the movie quite late, and are yawning our heads off by the time we return to the van and pull around the back of the cinema. And we're not alone - 2 other rigs are already parked, and shut down for the night. We put in our shades, lock our doors, and do the same - it's going to be an early start tomorrow.

Retro interior at the Regal Edward Theatre