We're not in Kansas anymore

Today we had the divine pleasure of driving through LA on our way to Santa Monica. We were unable to spend any length of time there as dad just had a quick meeting with someone. We observed the beach and pier from atop the bluffs. It was pretty cool to see the pier that is famous in so many movies and tv shows.

After we left Santa Monica we followed TomTom's directions towards I5. En route, we needed to make a potty break. So Mike took the next exit. The majority of freeways have high walls on either side, so it is nearly impossible to know what kind of neighbourhood you are in. As soon as we pulled off the highway it was evident to me that we were not in Kansas any more. Most of the houses had barred windows and doors. Some had barbed wire around the fences. The first gas station we came upon did not have a store you could go in to. There was a small window like an ice cream truck, with all the items available for sale displayed behind glass. That's about the moment the TomTom told us to turn left onto South Central to get back to the freeway. South Central!?! Thank the Lord that it was day time. Without hesitation, we followed TomToms directions back to the freeway. Even though we were only in South Central for a few minutes, it was still scary. It was had not to stare at the people and houses like they were the main attraction. "Don't behave like a tourist" I kept telling myself.

The remainder of the afternoon was less eventful as we travelled north out of LA and the smog. The traffic was heavy and the progress was slow. We finally made it to a small city off the I5 called Los Banos. It is here that we will spend the night. If I didn't know better, I'd say that we were south of LA in Mexico. We are definitely a minority here. Apparently this is the town where a lot of  criminals from the big cities come to lay low.

The people here are nice, though. We enjoyed pancakes for dinner at Denny's, then back to the hotel for a little R and R. Thankfully this hotel has a pool and hot tub and we were able to relax after dinner before falling asleep in a king sized bed. Sweet Dreams ya'll.