It Never Rains in Southern California

The last year my dad and I went to California was December of 1999. I remember because everyone was freaking out about Y2K...my mom still has a stash in her basement we affectionately call that. Really it's just an open pantry, but nicknames die hard.

The year was 1999. Prince was on the radio A LOT. Banks were stressed out their computers wouldn't be able to move a decimal point or know what to do with sooo many zeroes. People were outfitting bunkers and stocking up on water, duct tape, and canned goods. While the world was in a panic, dad and I were driving through the Rocky Mountains.

Just as an aside, two of our favorite sites to see heading out West:
: driving down to Albuquerque as night (dad says the lights shimmer like jewels). You're driving in pitch blackness for miles in every direction until you crest a hill and there it is. Millions of twinkling lights dancing in the darkness.

: driving into Denver and seeing the massive Rocky Mountains as its backdrop.

The only other time I can think of being impressed by mountains jutting up above a skyline is the Alps in Liechtenstein, but more on that much later. Not my own pic, but you get the idea.

But I digress. So, dad and I were heading back to our old stomping grounds of Oceanside, CA. We finally made it to our hotel and it was pouring rain. I had it on good authority that it never rained in southern California, but it sure as shit did that year. It rained the whole time we were there; heavy, persistent rain. I had the worst cabin fever and was driving my dad and myself crazy.

Dad was fine watching his many college football bowls on TV. I love a good football game, but there was a point when they were showing the same ones over again. Dad was fine. This is the man who would ask me to make him tapes (then) and CDs (now) and want the same some repeated 3 and 4 times in a row. Repetition is not a problem for him. I, on the other hand, was literally jumping on my bed saying, "I'm bored. I'm bored. I'm bored." That repetition did get on his nerves. Oh, sure, NOW he cares. He gave me the keys to the car and I went to the movies. The Green Mile, in case you were wondering. It wasn't a bad trip, but it was a bit of a boo. Certainly not the sun and sand we were expecting and it's about a 30hr drive to get there. That's a long way to go to do the same thing we could have done at home.

That year was the last year we went to California. We still loved it, but figured that was the universe's way of telling us to move on...and move we did.