The Cactus Trip Diaries

Time flies, especially when you’re enjoying yourself and your blog is developing a backlog of almost a week! That raises the question of how to catch up: do the oldest outstanding page or write up what is happening today.

As you will know from yesterday’s report, the longest drought in Californian history with rainfall of 3″ in 24 hours, i.e. a pleasant growing rain for a UK Spring afternoon! But how would you know? I haven’t written yesterday’s report yet!

I was woken up by Angie with a nice cup of coffee from the Palm Spring’s downtown Motel 6 reception. Today was the day of her flight home and late last night she had emailed her son, Peter, with a reminder that he was due to pick her up from London Heathrow Airport on Sunday around noon. Sadly his reply was that although he had not forgotten, he would & could not be there. On his way home on Friday night his car ran into a badger (Meles meles).  Weighing in at up to 18 kg (40 lb), these normally shy animals can make a real mess of the front of the car, especially the radiator, when you meet up with them at 70 m.p.h. He managed to limp home with a leaking radiator – he did not have too far to go, but enquiring after the badger’s health was not on his list of priorities.

Worried about his mum standing at Heathrow Airport with the maximum weight allowance of dirty washing, he had booked her a seat on the National Express coach that would take her through the village of Amesbury. If it was going to stop, it would do so in the centre of town, having passed almost past the end of our road. She had to chose – spend her last UK cash to bribe the driver to stop as close to home as the route would take them or get out at what used to be Amesbury bus station, until all local bus stations were sold off, and take a taxi for the last part of the journey.

There were a few more heavy showers as we drove toward LAX, but SatNav suggested that we’d still be early, so we spent 30 minutes stocking upon new jeans at the Desert Hills shopping outlets, always an enjoyable experience with some real bargains available. After the first shop, the heavens opened up again and we decided to ‘swim’ back to the car.

After we dropped Angie off at LAX, I tried to follow Eunice home on a number of Highways and Freeways and whatever else these rivers of steel are called, during showers where the rain came down so thick, matched by the spray of cars and trucks, that drivers were forced to slow down to almost walking pace.

At least we have great wifi here and a fast broad band, so I can attempt to start operation Blog Catch up