the best cross-country road trips are the ones where you don't end up driving home......

Left to Right: Me, Julie Ann, Heather, Kim posing on top of "Fergie" the car.  We dubbed her Fergie after the singer because she is so "G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, Glamorous, Glamorous....."'

Last Sunday when I began this little jaunt cross-country, the point was to fly there, play at the beach for 3 days, and drive home for 3 more days.  While I had already flown home for the summer and had to fly BACK to California to participate in this adventure, Kimmy and Heather were still there.  The plan was for them to drive (with Julie Ann Burandt) from the Ranch in Northern California to San Diego in SoCal where I would meet them.  We were going to then (After 3 days of beach time) drop Julie Ann at the air port for the beginning of her trip back to Spain, and then depart straight from there to get "on the road" The road trip itself had a bit of an evolution as facts kept revealing themselves as time progressed.  Let me elaborate.

Kim and Heather were originally supposed to drive a camp vehicle home.  While this could have involved any one of several vehicles, the known factor here is that they all are in working order.  Which brings us to.....

Road Trip Evolution Point #1.......

Eric asks us to drive HIS car home instead of a Ranch vehicle.

Our answer?  Sure...E.....we don't mind driving your car home.  In theory, what did it matter whether we drove a camp car or E's personal vehicle?  AND...this way we were helping out a friend.  

(let me insert here that E's car is a car that someone gave him.  (FREE car).  It's little, it gets great gas mileage, it was free....sounded like a good deal to him.)

Road Trip Evolution Point #2.......

We find out that the car is a stick shift.

Ok....still.....not TOO scary....Kim is a proficient stick shift driver and Heather and I at least know how to drive one and felt that we could swing it with a little refresher course in a parking lot.  No big deal.

Road Trip Evolution Point #3......

We find out that the free, stick-shift car is an '87 Honda Accord.

So it's not roomy.....we've lived in community housing all summer.  We're used to lots of girls in a small space.  So it's an '87.....that just makes it a "classic car".....right? right?

Road Trip Evolution Point #4.....

We find out the car doesn't have a working air conditioner.

Um....ok.  This is where the road trip started losing it's appeal.  Kim, Julie Ann and Heather actually DROVE the thing all the way from the Ranch to San Diego...an 11 hour drive...with no air conditioning.  I have no idea how they survived. (Well, actually...I DO have an idea...but I'm not supposed to share any of that. haha.) Keith heard about this and purchased me a handheld, battery-powered fan with neck lanyard to help on the trip home.  Perhaps one of the most thoughtful gifts I've been given...but I fear that the 108 degree heat in Yuma might not have been much of a match for the little fan.  

Road Trip Evolution Point #5.....

We take the car in for an air conditioning checkup and find out that......

It needs a new compressor.  This will run about $950.  The car's value?  About $500.  Yeah.....

Road Trip Evolution Point #6.....

We take the car in for an air conditioning checkup and find out that......

The clutch is dying.  Awesome.  The mechanic shows us a picture of his 22 year old daughter and tells us that as a mechanic he wouldn't suggest driving the car to Alabama, however as a father, there is NO WAY he'd let his daughter and two friends drive it Alabama.  No way.  Heather's father had a phone conversation with the mechanic (who had an icthus on his business card) and said he didn't want us driving the thing to Alabama.  Mr. Francis cornered me when we got home and asked me to tell him "truthfully and completely" the mechanic's recommendations (he had recommended the mechanic).  I told him.  He tells us he doesn't want us driving the car to Alabama either.  This all happened on Wednesday afternoon.  We are slated to start our cross-country trek Thursday morning by taking Julie Ann to catch her 8:45 am flight home at the San Diego airport...and then continue on across the desert towards Alabama.

Road Trip Evolution Point #7.....

Mr. Francis talks to God.  And God answers.

Thursday morning Mr. Francis began his day with the Lord praying for our safety, and if he could really let three girls get in "that car" and drive across the country.  He also was praying for his son Jack, who was getting home Thursday afternoon and had nothing to do until he moves to Bolivia in September for four months.  Jack wanted to go to Birmingham, Alabama to visit some friends he'd worked with at the Ranch this summer.  And then the Lord spoke.  It was obvious....let us girls fly home and let Jack drive Fergie.  While he'd worry about three girls driving across the desert in a questionably safe car...a 21 year old boy would think it was great fun and adventure.  And it was a way to get to Birmingham to see friends, and see friends along the way.  At this point it was about 6:45 am on Thursday morning.  I was moving all my luggage out to the front steps and the other girls were on their way to pick me up in the fully loaded Fergie.  Mr. Francis presented his case to me.  I hesitated....it sounded wonderful...but it was alot to take in.  I told him he'd have to ask Kim and Heather.  The minute Fergie rolled into the driveway, he ordered them out of the car and spelled it all out.  We decide that we need some time to think.  He hands us the keys to Sarah's Volvo and tells us to take JA to the airport in the Volvo and think about it.  He'd be waiting at home.

Road Trip Evolution Point #8.....

We discuss. We think.  We ponder.  We think it's an AWESOME idea.  We accept.

This, is obviously pretty self-explanatory.  By the time we'd said a tearful goodbye to JA and rolled back into the Francis' driveway, we were already excited about more beach time.

Road Trip Evolution Point #9.....

www.southwest.com  

We opened the front door of the Francis homestead and before we'd even finished telling them that we'd take him up on his offer, we'd been ushered to the computer to type our names in for the flight he'd found to Birmingham for Sunday, August 24th.  This meant we had all day Thursday, Friday AND Saturday to play in Del Mar.  So as soon as flights were purchased and parents were called and airport pickups were organized we headed to the coffee shop to hang out and read (and squeal about how gracious the Lord and Mr. F are!) and then to the beach.  And then to get pedicures to get rid of our river rot/Chaco rot from the summer. (The bottom of our feet look awful!)

Road Trip Evolution Point #10.....

Day 2 of our "drive home" is spent at the San Diego Zoo.

Monkeys, Giraffes, Elephants, Flamingos, etc.  Much better than the 108 degree heat that Yuma Arizona was rumoured to be having.....we wandered about talking to the animals, riding the sky tram, watching Jack eat inhuman amounts of snack food...(more on that with pictures and video footage later)

Road Trip Evolution Point #11.....

Jack finds out what he's been signed up for.

So.....the only thing we'd neglected to do Thursday before we bought our tickets was consult Jack on whether he was cool with the new setup.  Apparently his Dad broke the news to him when he picked him up from the airport on Thursday afternoon and Jack was excited about it when we saw him.....BUT.....it was at the zoo on Friday as we were leaving that he found out that the car didn't have air.  We pointed to these little souvenir fan/misting bottles and suggested he grab one for his road trip.....he put two and two together and I WISH I had his facial expression on camera.   "Awwww man.....that car doesn't have air?........" WE LOVE YOU, JACK!

Road Trip Evolution Point #12.......

Day 3 of our "drive home" is spent learning how to surf at the Del Mar Beach.

Pretty much an awesome day. More pictures and video to come in a later post!

Road Trip Evolution Point #13......

The flight home.  It was glorious.  :)

As we boarded our Southwest flights home Sunday morning, we kept marveling at how great it was to be flying, to have air conditioning...to have the desert far below us as we zipped through the clouds, etc. etc.  To grab Starbucks in the airport as we shuffled along to our next flight...

As we boarded the flight to Birmingham we had to laugh about how we saw the "home crowd." We could even pick out who was going to Birmingham and who would be "continuing on" to Florida from there.  The Birmingham crowd were the folks with sorority t-shirts, pearl earrings, Vera Bradley luggage and tote bags, cute young couples with their cute little children, and best of all, middle aged women wearing jackets obviously purchased at Chico's.  (Heather mused that their Birmingham store must bring in the most business in the entire chain).  Our road trip ended in the baggage claim of the Birmingham air port where we casually collected our luggage and hopped into the cars of waiting friends and family members.  Love it.

Girls...I'll take a road trip with you anytime!