We were greeted by a police officer and cruiser yesterday morning when we tried to check out of our hotel. Evidently, one of our hotel neighbors used a fraudulent ID and credit card when they registered. This jerk then spent the night before stealing the television from his room on his way out. Our check-out was delayed significantly as the desk staff tried to address this situation. As a result, I am feeling FAR less guilty about occasionally taking the little shampoos and soaps I have not used during my hotel stays for later use.

On our way to San Diego, we drove by the area where the fire had crossed the interstate. Several lanes were closed and traffic was backed up, because of the ongoing clean-up efforts. It was unsettling to see the vast blackened areas on both sides of the highway. The area smelled of the strong chemicals that were used to suppress the flames. Harry sent me a link to some of the news coverage of the fire. It is quite disconcerting to realize how close we were to driving through the area ourselves. Thankfully, no one was injured. Here is the link:  http://www.aol.com/article/2015/07/18/terror-on-interstate-15-as-people-abandon-cars-flee-fire/21211002/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-sb-bb%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D-203462047 

Shortly after we finally were able to check out of the hotel, our phones buzzed again with another emergency warning. This time we were being cautioned about flash floods. Within minutes the skies opened and it poured. Drenching sheets of rain accompanied us for the next hour or so. The route we needed to drive placed us on a twelve lane interstate. Six lanes in each direction. It was such a sharp and unappealing contrast to the virtually empty roads we enjoyed in the Midwest with just a single lane in each direction and the occasional cow for company.

To summarize, we have been in California for a little more than twenty-four hours. During this brief period we have dealt with a raging wildfire, a dust storm, flash floods, and did I mention the lightning storm? We are safe and sound in San Diego now and hoping to avoid locusts and frogs during the balance of our time in California.