Back to Arizona

11 Oct 2014: Anaheim Police Department

Isn't it funny how we take a ton of pictures as soon as we head out on a vacation, but by the time we are homeward bound it's almost like we forget we own a camera? Well, our California trip was no exception, so this will be a short post.

We checked out of our resort at 12:00 sharp, and then our first destination was the Anaheim Police Department. I still needed to file a police report regarding our little "accident" at Disneyland on Thursday morning. It seems the Anaheim police won't respond to incidents that occur on private property (like the Mickey and Friends parking garage), so we had to tell our story to the two officers at the station, one of whom was clearly still a wet-behind-the-ears rookie. They took copious notes, then went out to the parking lot to take pictures of the damage to my car. 

Both officers were sympathetic to our situation and felt that Disneyland Security had let the other driver off too lightly, but it appears doubtful that their report will have any affect on the outcome of the investigation, since they were not present to witness the incident or its immediate aftermath. Still, my insurance agent said I needed a police report, so there we were. 

I expect I'll be able to blog about the accident (I use that term loosely) in January. The other driver's insurance company claims to still be investigating, but my company has already told me what the outcome is likely to be, given the circumstances. So it's almost over.

My Carl's Jr. Super Star lettuce wrap, plus fried zucchini and ranch!

I don't even eat burgers on buns anymore. I love them best as lettuce wraps!

Our next stop was a gas station to fill up. That was our first clue that gas prices had started moving downward. Our last fill-up, of the rental van for our coastal cruise 4 days earlier, had still been quite pricey. When I spied a Carl's Jr. next door to the gas station--my most favorite fast food restaurant ever--we headed there for lunch. And then we were back on the road toward home.  

Crossing the Colorado River and looking toward Arizona on the other side.

The trip home always seems so much longer than the trip toward the vacation destination. By then, everyone is tired and missing their own beds, and usually you're driving back over the same route you arrived by.

Welcome to Arizona! We stopped for dinner at Wendy's in Ehrenberg, AZ,

just the other side of the Colorado River, around 6:00 p.m.

Dylan captured this cute picture of his sister Sarah.

We were still crossing the desert when it grew dark. Even now, almost 3 months later, I remember how hard it was to keep my eyes open, the way my vision kept blurring, when Jacob called me from his car to suggest we make a stop at the next convenience store in the middle of nowhere. We did, and it helped.

I think it was about 9:00 when we reached my sister Karla's house in Mesa. We had a nice visit before we crashed all over her living room. I took the couch under the front window.

My Sunday lunch at Del Taco in Phoenix.

The next morning we said good-bye to Karla and her crew as they headed off to church, and then we loaded ourselves back up for the final leg of the journey home. But we still had one stop to make.

My good friend Gwen became gravely ill back in August, so much so that she was unconscious for weeks, and they finally had to evacuate her from our mountain's medical center to a Valley hospital. By the time we arrived in Mesa, she was recovering and was now in an assisted care facility in Phoenix. So, of course, we had to make a stop to spend a couple of hours visiting her and reassuring ourselves that she was really all right! It was so good to spend time with her.

This was my first time to eat at a Del Taco. I think I'll stick with Taco Bell.

We stopped here on our way to see Gwen.

And then, at last, we were on our way home and back to our real lives. We were sad to see it end, but what a pleasant interlude it was!