Saturday, February 7, 2009

Trip to California - Part 1 - The Drive Down

Two weeks ago we came home from a week long vacation to Newport Beach, California. In December Corey found (using our timeshare exchange) that there was an opening at the Marriot Newport Beach Resort, so he booked it and then gave a ticket to Disneyland to the kids for Christmas. So we packed up Friday night at 6 and loaded the car and were ready to head in the wee hours of Saturday morning (aka 4:15 a.m). I had the first driving shift, and although I didn't go to bed as early as planned, I did fine cause I was listening to a CD of Brian Regan, our family's favorite comedian. There was some fog in Utah County that slowed me to the speed limit, and other than that I was bookin' it at 85/90 most of the time. We were pulling into St. George around 8:30.

When Corey's parent's and siblings heard we were planning a trip, they wanted to join in the fun, so they booked a week too and were driving down. They had left the night before and had plans to stay the night in Las Vegas. We called them when we were in St. George to wake them up and see if they wanted to meet up for breakfast. Wayne was awake and answered the phone, and told us they had stayed over in Cedar City instead of Vegas. "We didn't make it that far..." So we were already ahead of them and Corey told him "Yup, Tiff's a speed demon. ...she's got the ticket to prove it." Yes, as a side note, I did get pulled over in Cedar City. Doh! I was trying to get as many miles gone as possible before the kids woke up, but should have remembered to slow down when we neared a populated city. I was getting a little droggy at that time, so I had just barely called Nicole to chit chat to help me stay awake (She's on East Coast time, so it was 9:30 a.m. for her) and just as we had said hello, I said "Oohh... I think I'm getting pulled over... I'll call you back..." The cop had taken a quick turn around and put on his lights right away. I slowed down and pulled over behind another car hoping he'd pass me for someone else in front of me he was going to go after. But nope, he got behind me, I pulled over, and to my disappointment, with the car now stopped, all the kids woke up. Corey woke up when he heard me tell Nicole I was getting pulled over. The kids in the back started asking "Why is there a police man behind us?" The officer came to Corey's window. "License, registration, and insurance... I clocked you at 89 mph. Any reason why you were going that fast?" "Nope, just on cruise control..." I handed him my Virginia driver's license, he asked if we were from there or Utah. (Doh! Another thing I haven't taken care of yet eventhough we've been in Utah for a year and a half... Maybe I'm holding out in hopes we'll move back) We told him the address on the registration was correct, we are in Sandy. He went back to his car and I called Nicole back quick "Yup, it was me. So we're just sitting here." When he came back he said "You must have gotten on the road early this morning..." Yeah, we left around 4, trying to get going while the kids can sleep. "Where you headed?" California, just a little family trip. He said he only put me as 9 miles over at 84 mph, which made me should-have-been $200 ticket into a just $100. Thanks officer. He was nice. But I still hate highway patrol. They are like spiders waiting to kill unsuspecting passer-bys.

So yes, as Corey told his father, I am a speed demon and I've got the ticket to prove it. As he talked with his parent's we were gloating to each other a little on how slow they were! Only in Cedar City? and they left LAST NIGHT?! Later when we were in Vegas Corey felt bad for gloating as he said "...At least my dad takes his car in for tune-ups...." Yes, in another side note, that statement came over the phone as he was at GoodYear Tire and I was at the Las Vegas Outlets with the kids. As we were entering Las Vegas, a car pulled up to the side of us on the freeway and said our back left tire was really low. We got off at an exit and went down the strip looking for a gas station with an air pump. No luck, so we finished the cruise down the center of Sin City and then Corey dropped me off at McDonald's to get the kids some breakfast and he took the car to get the tires checked and to get an oil change. We had meant to take the car into Jiffy Lube before we left, but never did, so better late then never. Well, as I was at McD's with the kids, Corey called me and said that the car was in need of some emergency repairs. The Goodyear guy took a look at our car and asked how far we were going. "California." "You're never going to make it." He said that our oil gasket was about to explode, (I don't know what that is, but I think it would have wiped out our engine...) and lots of other things - basically we needed $500 in emergency repairs, another $900 of repairs could wait until we got back to Utah. So here's thanking the Lord for a flat tire and for sparing us the experience of having a broken down car in the middle of the desert somewhere in the California desert.

So we got back on the road after 5 hours in Vegas, got to Newport 4+ hours later at 7:30 California time. And that was our trip down to California. More exciting adventures and pictures to come.

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