The morning started very early, but it’s not like I wasn’t accustomed to 4:00am wake-ups. I was feeling excited for the new adventure. Yet, a part of me was questioning my decision. It wasn’t that I was unhappy in San Diego at all. Though, there were some items that really needed to get better for me and frankly, my patience had run pretty thin. I’ll save more about that for another post.

There were many valuable friendships that were formed during my years in San Diego and I’m so grateful for those friendships. The variety outdoor activities that had become part of my daily life is what I would miss the most. My mind was optimistic and very open to developing new outdoor routines once I got settled in my new spot.

The sun was rising beautifully. I deflated my mattress, packed up the rest of my things and loaded up Snazzy J (my Jeep). Everything else had been packed a couple days before by THM Movers and would soon be in transit to my new residence. Did my final walk-through, took one final look and rolled out. There was a 6-7 hour drive for me on this day and I didn’t want to reach my accommodations too late in the night. Of course, me being who I am, there would be some stopping along the way. When photo opportunities present themselves, I fully oblige. LOL.

Today’s drive would be pretty straight forward, just coast along Interstate 8 East. There would be some decent views during this start of the trip and this was also the route that I took countless times when I would go to the Mt Laguna. I would have loved to have visited that area one last time, but that would’ve really taken a huge chunk out of the day. Nevertheless, at least driving past the Mt Laguna (Sunrise Highway) exit brought back another set of great memories. I continued along I-8 for a bit. Then, my attention was grabbed by the Glamis Sand Dunes. This was a great time to make a pit-stop and capture some images as well.

From this point, I had 3 1/2 more hours to go before reaching the hotel. Well, that was the plan.