Heading Out!

On Saturday morning I’ll be heading for my new life in SoCal! I’m looking forward to a clean slate although I’ll miss the friends I’m leaving behind.

I’ll be leaving the Greater Houston area and making my way west via I-10. Planned stops are in Alpine, TX and Tucson, AZ. I’ve an online friend in Tucson whom I’ve never met in person. We’ve been chatting for 11 years and I finally get to meet her and her family. When I leave AZ I’ll head for Santa Monica and then Huntington Beach. LA Dopers, looks like I’ll be there around Wednesday.

I’d appreciate any travel tips any of you are willing to share. I’ll be traveling alone the whole way, which makes me a little nervous but not too much. I bought a new air filter tonight and a can of fix-a-flat. I’ve got 2 spares, full-size and donut. I can change a tire in under 10 minutes unless the guys at the shop over tightened the lugnuts.

I’ve got road flares, a battery charger/jump starter, antifreeze, jugs of water, oil, DOT 3 fluid, windshield wiper fluid, 1 gallon of gas in one of my 2 gas cans, an emergency blanket, a flashlight, a first aid kit, I even have a marker and some posterboard to make a sign if I have to…am I forgetting anything? It’s a 1500 mile trip and something is bound to go wrong at some point. Hell, last week I didn’t even make it 70 miles during The Great Effed-Up Rita Evacuation.

Awesome! A pre-emptive welcome to SoCal, I think you’ll like it here!
chants One of us! One of us! One of us!
Good luck! And bring lots of music for the 10. I haven’t been on it past Phoenix, but I hear that east of there it’s a gnarly drive.

What brings you to CA? I made the journey from Virginia 3 months ago to be with my boyfriend - my high school sweetheart with whom I reconnected with after 12 years. We made the trip in 3 1/2 days. I do miss my friends and family but love it here in the SF Bay area. Luckily I got to keep my job, now I telecommute!

Have a safe trip - sounds like you are very well prepared. Let us know how it goes.

Here’s a part of what sends me to the Left Coast. And I can’t wait to get out of the Texas weather, although I’m not too keen on moving into a giant BBQ.