Hawaii to California

July 31

I got up early this morning so I could go forage for food. We called American Airlines a few days ago to order a kosher meal and a vegetarian meal for our flight to Los Angeles, but we were told there were no meals on this "domestic flight." Meals are only served on international flights. I asked what we were supposed to eat during the 6 hours we'd be airborne, in that case. She said drinks and sandwiches could be purchased in-flight, but there were no sandwiches for special diets. "Or," she said, "Have your wife cook your favorite foods and make a picnic." So, I set out this morning to find items for such a "picnic." (The hotel doesn't approve of taking food from the dining room, so that wasn't an option.)

The valet attendant retrieved our car and we drove to the airport. We were warned there would be delays due to construction. I guess this was why we were diverted onto a road near the airport that looked familiar because it was the road where we'd picked up our car in the first place. In the nick of time Razelle reminded me that people were returning their cars there when we were picking up ours. I did a quick u-turn and drove into the rental lot instead of wasting time finding this out at the airport. I emptied the car, turned over the keys and then saw that the shuttle had just arrived and its driver was already loading our bags for Razelle. Not a single minute had been wasted. At the airport our good fortune came to a screeching halt. Plenty of time WAS wasted. The security guy did not expedite Razelle's check-in. I had to wait in a long line like everyone else. After the bags were weighed I had to drag them to a pick up point. Going through customs, Razelle's picnic lunch was left alone by the inspectors but her apple was confiscated. Razelle went through an extensive physical search and we lost all the time advantage we'd gained earlier. We actually boarded the plane ahead of everyone else (at least that consideration was still there) with our hot beverages still in our hands – we were that rushed.

The flight was a long one. We were given free juice and coffee, which I had been led to believe wouldn't be free. The sun set and the horizon reddened as the lights of LA came into view. We seemed to hover over all that glittering terrain searching for a place to set down. The patterns of light went on and on. Eventually we found a place to alight, among all the other planes on the tarmac and then we entered the terminal.

We'd done it! Razelle and I had reached the continent of North America; only two more flights to go – and a continent to cross at our own speed and under our own steam remained – for us to complete this mission. It felt as if we'd already guaranteed this would be so. I couldn't help grinning broadly as I considered the magnitude of the moment. I had pulled a Magellan. By this I mean that my round-the-world achievement was now equal to his. Magellan sailed east on one journey to the Philippines, then west to the Philippines on another journey (where he was killed, but that aspect I hope not to emulate). This gave him the distinction of having circumnavigated the planet (albeit in two trips). So, now I have done the same.

At the airport I noted the cost of the luggage carts and assumed I'd finally have to break down and pay for one (so far I've managed to avoid doing so). I wandered out to the curbside pickup zone to see if Bev had arrived to whisk us out to Newbury Park to the motel she'd found for us near our van rental pick-up location. Bev was not there but a nice woman saw me looking at her emptied luggage cart; she pushed it toward me and said, "Merry Christmas, mister. Consider it a gift from me." Perfect record; still no carts paid for. I thanked her profusely. Razelle in her wheelchair saw me grinning as I approached with the cart. I told her and the wheelchair attendant what had transpired and Razelle just shook her head at the luck we've had in this department.

Bev showed up, along with her friend and caregiver. We loaded up the trunk and we headed out into the LA night. The freeway led out further and further from the congestion of LA to the distant reaches of Ventura County. We passed the rental agency along the way and I identified it for everyone and noted how far back we'd have to go tomorrow to get to it as the distance grew between it and our final destination of this night.

Our motel is entirely adequate. Tomorrow we will leave it and start a whole new adventure. It will be an entirely new trip, unrelated to everything that has happened until now. It will cross terrain I have crossed before. It will occur in a country I've lived in during a past life. It will be new to Razelle and I will be her guide. I hope it meets our expectations, or at least mine. I'm not sure what Razelle expects, but I hope I can exceed the expectations she has.

We bid Bev and her friend a safe journey back to their desert home, way to the east of LA, and promised to be there by next week. Then Razelle and I turned off the lights in our room. Razelle was asleep in no time. I had a lot to reflect upon and it took me much longer to doze off.