CT To CA — We Have Arrived On The Left Coast

The Eagle has landed. Helaine and I are sitting in the lobby of the hotel we’ll call home for the next twelve days. The room’s not ready yet. Oops.

Our trip from St. George was mainly uneventful. We expected I-15 through the Virgin River Gorge to be scary. It was the last time we drove it. We’re winding road veterans now.

The cliffs are as steep as anything we saw in Colorado and Utah. They’re very close to the road and very tall. Very. Still, it was NBD!

We left early to try and beat the Sunday evening Las Vegas to Los Angeles traffic. It is legendary.

Don’t misunderstand. We still saw plenty of traffic. South of Vegas the road was jammed, but we were still doing 60 mph.

Three more states today. Here’s the full list:

  • Connecticut
  • New York
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Ohio
  • Indiana
  • Illinois
  • Iowa
  • Nebraska
  • Colorado
  • Utah
  • Arizona
  • Nevada
  • California

We pulled into our hotel at 3:23 PM PDT. We’re now settled in and VERY tired.

Here are the final stats:

Total time: 5 days 2.5 hours
Total mileage: 2,862 miles
States entered: 14
Gas used: 151.5 gallons
Miles per gallon: 18.9
Speeding tickets: 0
Fastest speed before realizing how fast I was driving: 95 mph

Doppler is settled in on the sofa in our room. She is calm and sweet as she was for the entire trip.

We close on our new California home this Friday. Thanks for tagging along

22 thoughts on “CT To CA — We Have Arrived On The Left Coast”

  1. Phew! Mission accomplished. Well, first mission accomplished. Next the closing, then moving in, then opening boxes and getting furniture delivered, then collapsing, and finally working at becoming Californians.

  2. Thank YOU Geoff for bringing us along the journey!! Love the videos, the music you choose for the background, the pictures and all the descriptions of your trip.
    So sad to see you and your family leave CT, happy you are living your dream of being in CA. Never will you suffer though another CT winter!!!

  3. Congrats on your trip and reaching your destination safely!
    Was wondering…did any hotels give you a problem about Doppler or did you know pet-friendly places to stay?

  4. We are so going to miss your Geoff, doing the weather, covering different tournaments, (golf), all the ugly snow storms (I know you like them, and the horrendous rain), but your wit, and always telling us “don’t go to bed yet”… I’ve watched you for as Long as I cal remember, and wished you stayed in CT….but, ya gotta do what ya gotta do, and whatever makes you and your wife happy, and of course Doppler..
    So enjoy your life on the west coast, but don’t forget all of us that thought you were the “cats meow”……. You’re the best, and never forget that…I do have one favorite memory of staying at the Hilton garden, across from the ocean in Carlsbad CA, and all those cute little squirrel like vermin, coming out of their homes and the side if the cliff, and running right up to my toes, wanting to play….. Me not so much, but they were cute. So enjoy all that life has to offer you guys out there…. Most of us will miss the heck out of you… Not only will I miss you for your great weather reporting & etc. my Birthday is the same day as yours, so happy early Birthday… We will definitely miss you. But spread your wings and fly, this is the time of your life…. Take care. Hugs & love to your entire, family…,I think your entire family will love it…. And oh yeah, I have friends that live in either Carlsbad or somewhere there abouts…..piña Corcle, I think… They love it….so, good luck in your new home, how exciting…..and again we WILL MISS YOU 😉

  5. Welcome to California! I moved from Maine to Los Angeles back in January. I really wanted to take the route you did, but since it was the middle of winter, we drove down to Atlanta first and then took route 40 across the southern states.

    Enjoy the constantly sunny and warm weather here. Personally, I’m really missing the thunderstorms!

  6. Looking forward to reading about your new chapters in life! Just wondering if the amount of time you traveled was 52 hours? 32 years ago it took me 53 hours from Port Hueneme, CA to Shelton CT. Blessings to you glad your journey was completed safely.

  7. Beautiful travel log Geoff. Thought I spotted your SUV on the road as I was piloting my jetliner on my normal route between JFK and LAX…..just kidding of course. Happy that the interstate highway system was built some 60 years ago…..it could not be done today given how long it now takes to build even the most modest of road projects. For example, it took over 10 years to build the approximately 400 yard bridge over Lake Saltonstal on I-95 in Branford. Having lived on both coasts myself, and being born in NY like you, when I lived out West, I always felt my “heart-strings” pulling me back East, back to my roots and the roots of the country. It’s an intangible feeling which somehow never leaves a “native” New Yorker. Good luck and god speed in the land of fruits and nuts!!
    Neil

  8. CA is getting a some good people and a good dog! We’re going to miss you in CT. Enjoy your new journey and may great oppourtunities be most abundant for you and yours!

  9. Glad to hear the three of you have arrived safe and sound. This is going to be another busy week for all of you. Steady time in the hotel for the next twelve days should give all of you a chance to decompress, have a more regular routine and maybe even relax a little bit. Kniles says Doppler will be happy when she realizes she doesn’t have to be in the car ALL day!

  10. Made the drive from Vegas to SoCal a couple times, amazingly beautiful drive……… Please post some pics of the new house, excite to see it and the area……..

    I meant to ask this as you left CT, but the first part has passed, but still appropriate. You have mentioned a couple time you would miss the “celebrity status” you enjoyed in CT and the people coming up to meet you. I wondered how long it would be on your trip west or when you settle in SoCal before someone would walk up and say, “hey, Geoff Fox, I used to live in CT and watch you” ? or something to that effect………. keep us posted !

  11. Glad you all made it safely. Spectacular scenery along that route, for sure.

    Of course, in celebration of your arrival in Southern CA, it was drizzling and spots of light rain this morning near the beaches, then scheduled to get really hot the rest of the week.

    Typical mad June weather…

  12. Glad to hear “The Eagle has Landed”! Bet Doppler is,too. Once she realizes she hasn’t got to sleep all day, in a moving vehicle, she’ll really be happy.
    Enjoyed the travelogue and explanations. Thanks also for the info on pet friendly hotels—Motel 6 used to be one, a few years back. But after our last stay at one in Ohio, about 11 yrs ago, and my getting flea bitten, I never tried one again. But I would like to be able to take my dog with me on a trip–if I ever get the courage up to re-enter that world. Travelling alone is scary, once one has gotten used to sharing the driving with a partner.
    Anyhow, Relax a bit, go see your daughter and friends, and get ready for the unpacking!! I’ve given your blog site address to several former Connecticutites—who have been out there for many years—-were the reason I travelled out there in 1962! It is lovely to be able to have the windows open or sit in the back yard and look over at snow capped mountains (around November and on.)If you miss it, you can get to it in a day—don’t know if they still require you to have chains for your tires. I carried them (and my skis) all the way out and back, but never attempted to drive into the mountains in winter. As I remember, Irvine is a nice place to live. If you ever get back into the TV business–look up Children’s Hosp.of LA—-good place to visit (and work). Much good work still being done there. Life changes and we have to go with the flow. Continue to be kind to each other.
    Barb

  13. Judging by those stats, that was a highly successful trip! Congrats & best wishes in your new home.
    As far as which state is “better” to live in, CT is the kind of place where you get very comfortable, and I’d think it would take a lot to move out. CA seems like a really wonderful place, so interesting and filled with so much that CT lacks. I hope it becomes comfortable and homey for you soon.

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