On our way at last!

It was a hectic couple of days but we managed to execute the first leg of our trip to Monterrey successfully. The rental van was still available Monday morning so we picked it up at 9am. Robin’s mom watched Enid while we loaded the van and the Civic. Our boxes fit perfectly in the van, with just a little room to spare, so they should fit fine in my father’s minivan too. Glad to see we estimated that correctly, since we were just guessing really. We said goodbye to Robin’s parents and managed to get on the road at about a 12:45pm. The house wasn’t as clean as we would have liked to have left it, but c’est la vie.

We were fortunate enough not to encounter any serious traffic congestion anywhere along the way. We stayed together as far as Valencia, me driving the van and Robin and Enid in the Civic. At that point they stopped for dinner while I pressed on towards Ocotillo. It was a long, tiring drive. Because I was trying to arrive before midnight I kept my speed up fairly high, which increased the stress level a lot. One bright spot of the trip was listening to the nighttime music broadcast on KCRW, which had a strong signal almost all the way from LA to Ocotillo. I did manage to arrive just before midnight and without a speeding ticket or accident. My dad helped me unload the van right after arriving. As tired as I was I figured it was better to do it at night than in the blazing sun the next morning. Even at midnight the temperature was in the eighties.

Yesterday morning I was up at 7am to get the rental van returned before 9am at the Imperial airport. Then onto a Greyhound bus by 10am for the trip up to LA. Lack of sleep and bad air on the bus left me feeling rather sick by the time I had to change buses in San Diego. The second bus ride from San Diego to LA was a little better and I felt okay by the time Robin picked me up there, although very road weary. Now we are staying at Amy and Kai’s house in LA. Enid is having tons of fun playing with their two little girls Tatum and Tess. I finally got a much-needed shower and shave a few hours ago, and after a swim in Amy’s parent’s pool I am feeling quite good. No more travel until the 23rd.

While on the bus I received a brief call from José to say they’d received my application materials okay. He needed to know my second last name. In Mexico everyone uses two, paternal and maternal. I’d left it blank on the application, but I guess that wouldn’t fly. So I provided him with my mother’s maiden name. Happy again to know that they are working steadily to get my payroll paperwork finished prior to my arrival.