Sunday, October 12, 2025
Lake Tahoe-Los Angeles
Goodbye Lake Tahoe and Hullo Los Angeles, Califoria
Today was devoted to making the long car ride back from Lake Tahoe in the north of California to Los Angeles in the South. It promised to be an uneventful day and so we tried to make it as interesting as possible.
day began with Breakfast in our Air B and B on Anderson Street in Lake Tahoe as we attempted to finish all the eatables in our fridge as we would be clearing and moving out in an hour. After our showers, we had the last of the bagels and cream cheese and carried away the other perishables (fruit, nuts, etc.) with the idea of fishing them off as snacks in the car. Then, we took our last pictures outside our B and B and left.
The Long Drive Down to Southern California:
(for at least the first hour), we drove through thick fog which made for some really wonderful photo opportunities as we skirted Lake Tahoe and merged onto the highway (5 South) and would take us all the way to LA. Coniferous trees whose tops were shrouded in mist made for a very autumnal, almost Halloweeny, kind of landscape. Once the fog cleared, we were away from the mountainous part of Lake Tahoe and making our way down south.
From this point onwards, the scenery changed quite rapidly depending on the various miles we traveled. There was miles and miles of sandy desert with very low shrubbery which made us well aware of the fact that, at heart, California, is a drought-ridden state. It was amazing to us how much irrigation has changed the face of development. We saw any number of canals or channels as they call them that are used to water the extensive acreage of California farm, field and orchard. Interestingly, for the first time ever, I saw signs advertising Punjabi Dhaba and Indian food. Clearly, the number of Punjabi Indians who have taken to trucking in the country has increased and now there are trucking stops to cater to their taste in Indian food (similar to the dhabas of Northern India found along the Grand Trunk Road, for instance, in the Punjab). We also passed a giant reservoir that obviously provides water to the city of Los Angeles.
Lunch at Wendy’s in Bakersfield:
We stopped as Bakersfield to get some lunch and since we were insistent on finding Wendy’s (as I was keen to enjoy their chilli), we had to travel quite a long distance from the point when we decided to stop for lunch. And yes, we did get our chilli eventually (where there is a will, there is truly a way!) and we had that together with a fabulous Southwestern Salad (this used to be my occasional lunch at NYU when I did not carry a sandwich for myself to eat at my desk). It was deeply nostalgic for me as this meal took me back to good times.
Back on the Road:
According to our GPS, we were supposed to reach Los Angeles by about 4.00pm. We were happy to stay on track and, in a short while, we could see traffic building up steadily, for we were just north of Los Angeles. In fact, we passed by Magic Mountain, the huge amusement park to which I had first been taken as a Rotary Fellow in 1988. I had more nostalgia as I passed by this area. It made me realize how many experiences I have garnered in my life and how much I have seen and done through the decades, Truly, a person could not have been granted greater opportunity and grabbed them all. I felt truly blessed.
Arrival in Los Angeles:
And them, without further ado, we were skirting Glendale and arriving at our hotel, The Glenmark. As it was a Sunday, I was keen to pay a visit in a Church to thank God for our safe travels and safe return. As it turned out, the beautiful, English-style, Episcopalian Church next door to our hotel, was open and Llew and I said Goodbye to AJ and Chriselle who left (because they had to pick up their dog from the sitter before it got too dark). We then freshened up just a bit, asked the hotel to deliver our baggage to our room that we had left in storage with them, a week ago, and as we had the daunting task of re-packing (as I would be leaving for India the next evening) while Llew would be staying on in the USA for another two weeks, we decided to nip out to church before it got too late.
And that was exactly what we did. The church is simply beautiful—a true little piece of England in the middle of Los Angeles. It has all the features one looks for in an English country church: a gorgeous altar, stained glass windows all around, lovely sculptural statuary, pretty pews and embroidered kneelers. We made a prayerful visit and then left the church to wander around the adjoining cloisters (yes, this church actually has cloisters) designed in the traditional way around a perennial garden that was filled with fall flowers. Then, that visit done, we returned to our room.
We spent the next hour distributing the weight between our four suitcases (each of us is entitled to 50 pounds)—so between the four of us, we had 200 pounds (or a little less than 100 kgs). After I had filled my bags with my 50 pounds each, we found that Llew had about 12 pounds left in one of his bags to play with—and he would fill this with the last-minute shopping that he would do (mainly foodstuff) in New Jersey (just before his return to India).
And when that task was finally done, we felt exhausted and as if we needed a break. So I suggested to Llew that we go upstairs to the Rooftop of the Hotel for a last drink together as it was our last night in two weeks. We would not see each other again until he reached Bombay as he would be spending one week in San Diego and one week in Somerset, New Jersey, with friends before joining me back in Bombay.
A Last Drink Together on Our Last Evening Together:
So off we went to the top floor of the hotel. It was nostalgic for us as a little over a year ago, we had been there for the pre-wedding cocktail party for Chriselle and AJ’s wedding and as we looked at the corner that our private party had occupied, it brought back really vivid memories for us. This time, we were seated in the non-smoking section. It was lovely to take in the lights of Glendale, for darkness had fallen over the city and, in the mountains, we could see lights while closer to us, the streetlamps were on and they lent a lovely romantic light to the city. Also, as there was an autumnal nip in the air, we requested the waiter to seat us by one of the gas heaters on the terrace. He did so and we were soon nice and toasty. Llew ordered a glass of Cabernet while I had a lovely citrusy gin cocktail. We also ordered a plate of salted edamame and by munching on these, we had ourselves a nice snack. We had a lot to talk about in terms of our recent motoring trip and our plans going forward. After about a couple of hours spent just chilling and enjoying each other’s company, we made our way back to our room where we had a very eclectic dinner based on all the leftovers we were carrying.
And on that lovely note, knowing that we had everything wrapped for our early morning departure from Glendale and another drive to Dana Point, California, about two hours south, where we would meet friends, we called it a night.
Until tomorrow, see ya’…
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