Day 2.1: Los Angeles, CA to Phoenix, AZ

We did a much better job getting out this time than when we first left back in August, loading a good portion of the car the night before and even getting our trunk to close on the first try! The backseat is a bit messier, but we have an upgraded cooler bag, a neater snack box, and an optimistic attitude. Our first stop was in Claremont, CA, where Arielle had to get her favorite frozen yogurt, 21 Choices. She got the Oreo Cookie Magic, and Gladys hooked it up. Abe got the BBQ Brick Chicken from Gus’ BBQ next door, and we prepared for our travels to the Midwest and South by confirming that all vegetable sides came cooked in either bacon or ham, so we chose French fries and sweet potato fries, which were both delicious.

We weren’t paying particularly close attention to how we were doing on gas and saw our empty light come on just as we passed the last gas for 30 miles. We sweated but made it after nearly running out of gas for the first time. We made great time getting to Phoenix, passing some nice views of wind turbines and sunsets along the way.

Upon arriving in Phoenix, we went straight to the lovely home of Mike, Arielle’s friend from USY, who we saw in Los Angeles just a short time ago on his last visit. We walked together down the street to La Grande Orange, where Abe enjoyed a margherita pizza and Arielle loved the roasted corn and goat cheese pizza. Mike liked his rocket man pizza but it was way too spicy for us to try.

We walked home and spent a while relaxing and chatting before heading to bed.

Approximate number of miles covered: 396