Oh yes and Amen. We are safely in San Diego now. And totally grateful because Andre's friend since junior high has been giving us the gift of driving us everywhere. (According to Rick, almost every freeway is on a fault line.) But to get here, we had to climb the mountains directly into raging roaring winds, with rain, sleet and snow.

Rick had experienced a storm in San Diego and called to warn us that it was coming our way and we might want to pull over for awhile and wait it out; that according to the radar it should blow over in about an hour. We kept calling back and forth as we drove into the dark clouds.

When one of the side awnings started banging, threatening to unroll, we pulled over and Andre had to get out and secure it with plastic loop ties, and then a red dog leash. We waited for about an hour. At one point I looked out the side window and saw a huge rainbow behind us. Soon after, we started up again. That was our first stop.

The second time we stopped in a casino parking lot, nosed into the wind again so we wouldn't be broadsided by it, had a snack and a rest and watched an orange windsock blow into a straight horizontal.

When we started again, the storm seemed to be lifting. Change. Rain, sleet, snow, wind. That's what it was all about. And huge piles of rounded rocks. Canyons. Drop-offs. After all that, after slowly, finally coming down several thousand feet, we headed toward a crack of light and suddenly emerged into sunlight and traffic—the rush hour crescendo. We made it through I-5, taking the proper exits that brought us here, to Campland RV Park by the bay. And then began this lovely time with Rick, and his wife, Diana, and their friend.

Our furnaces are on. The sun has been shining! Now, a bright moon. As I sit here, I wonder about the strong storms with possible tornados that this morning were headed toward Jeanie and Bob's territory, and I think of the cold and ice our friends and family at home are experiencing. We're all in our places.

On Thursday, we have been advised to head out at 11am on I-5 toward LA to avoid the heaviest traffic there. Then, it will be another race against the elements—this time the rain, before another high elevation trek. We'll be heading toward Jay in Saint Helena. But that will come later. This is a very good now. The end of a rich day spent in good company. Bedtime.