I finally got on the road at 12:30pm, just as CNN announced that Casey Anthony, the party-girl young mother from Florida, was acquitted of murder of her two-year-old daughter Caylee. She will now need to do a lot of porn movies to pay off her defense lawyer.
Traffic was fairly light as I drove on I-10 westbound, the AC on full as I sped away, once again missing the turn-off for the Phoenix bypass, AZ85, and having to endure city traffic.
The drive this time, as compared to last year's drive to California, was literally cooler as the Ford's AC worked well, keeping Sadie comfortable and I alert. Despite my late departure, I made good time across the desert, stopping only twice for quick breaks for Sadie and giving her some exercise.
The drive was familiar to me so I didn't drive with the usual perkiness for anything new. The Mohave desert this time was overcast, and I could see small rain cells along the horizon in parts of the desert. This was my first exposure this year to wet creosote, a wonderfully invogorating aroma! I also saw the sun set over the desert shortly thereafter, as I passed by the cities of Desert Center, Indio, Palm Springs (which I bypassed this time) before finally settling at the rest stop outside Banning. Winds had begun to gust dangerously high, and I hadn't been in California long enough to be accostomed to the maniacial drivers and the high winds. It was white-knuckle driving for many miles before I found comfort at the rest stop. It was 9:30pm and traffic continued to zoom passed us deep into the night. A sign posted in the parking lot reminded resters that there was an eight-hour limit to resting. No problem for me as I planned on getting up at sunrise.
That same gust of wind I learned later had brought a dangerous sand storm over Phoenix overnight, forcing the airport to shut down for the night.
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