The first leg of the trip through the Arizona desert was rather uneventful as the scenery was pretty much the same. We were surrounded by rolling hills of brush, cactus, and dirt. The sky was overcast for much of the morning so the sun was unable to truly bring out all of the colors that the desert surroundings had to offer. Lauren took the first round of driving since I was tired and my body still trying to catch up to the time change. We cruised through Arizona fairly quickly with limited interruptions for gas and bathroom breaks. It was great to just have that time to listen to music and hear Lauren tell stories about the many trips she had taken along the roads we were traveling.
After three hours of driving we made it to the California border and were met with the mandatory agricultural inspection that every vehicle entering California is subject to. Of course the person manning our line looked briefly in the windows of the car and waved us through. I imagine that the sight of the two of us gave the person enough confidence that we weren't trying to smuggle any illegal flora and fauna into the sate which allowed us to pass through without having to rummage through the car. We switched roles, I driving and her navigating, on the other side of the border and we continued west to LA. the scenery was very much the same. Sprawling desert landscapes with little to no civilization around us. While we did not get the opportunity to view wildlife we did see what looked like a mountain lion on the side of the road that fell victim to a moving vehicle.
We cruised through the southern California desert and didn't actually make an intentional stop until we were just north of Palm Springs. For those who are unfamiliar with the area, like me, Palm Springs is an area of civilization out in the middle of nowhere a few hundred miles west of LA. It is a playground of casinos and various festivals held throughout the year. We saw a sign for a large Christian rock festival that we missed only by a few weeks, while we would not have attended such an event it attests to the many different events that occur in this oasis in the desert. But just north of Palm Springs in a little town there is a stop that Lauren insisted we had to make. As we pulled off the highway rising into the sky above the gas stations and restaurants were two gigantic dinosaurs, a T-Rex and a Brontosaurus. As a child Lauren and her family would always stop in this town to see the dinosaurs. Now grown up whenever she is driving with her young nieces they too desperately want to stop to see the larger than life animals that once walked this area of California. It was cool to have the opportunity to share that with her.
Dinosaurs in the desert???
Notice the sign under the head...I am thinking that the people who put this up may be creationists
Help! I'm T-Rex lunch!
Except for the height difference they look exactly alike.
After our brief stop and a refuel we continued our way west to the sprawling metropolis known as LA. As we got closer to the city there were more cars on the road, more staties patrolling, and my excitement grew. I have never been to LA before so this was a bit of a novelty. Given the fact that we were only there for a few hours we decided the the best place to stop and look around would be Hollywood Boulevard. There are so many things along the boulevard that define LA and all its grandeur. The Hollywood walk of fame, the Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater and dozens of people hawking maps of homes of the stars are but a few things we were able to see. Since it was the Sunday before MLK day there were tons of people out and it was utter chaos, though tenuously held together by the beat cops that walked the streets. We walked around and for the most part had a good time soaking it all in.
We were greeted with this mob of people as we exited the parking garage
The Chinese Theater
Star Wars heaven!!!!
As you can see a storm trooper was among us, so many people dress up for pictures it is almost a full time job, we saw at least five different Capt. Jack Sparrows and three Darth Vaders...I wonder what kind of benefits they get???
Everyone's favorite cartoon family has a star...score!
Fortunately the Oscars weren't happening or this would have been so much worse, though the Golden Globes were that night though at the Beverly Hills Hotel
The iconic Hollywood sign...what is more LA than the excess of Hollywood
No comments:
Post a Comment