I put my feet out of the blankets so that the cold will help the itch of my bug-bitten swollen ankles, scratch them on the top sheet for a bit, then tuck them back in. I’ll wake at 430 after a shit dream and then again an hour before sunrise. We grab coffee and bananas to go because we also got a breakfast recommendation from Dad last night and Baja Cafe on Campbell opens at 6am. It’s starting to rain as we park. The dining room includes us, some scattered singles, and a group of men needing two tables who are dressed for some hands-on work later.

This Southwestern restaurant is known for its variety of egg Benedicts, so I try the Roadrunner that comes with green chile, a staple food in this region. We arrive in Phoenix, through the beautiful rain, around 10am. We spend hours talking about travel and catching up. Caroline makes me a cup of Heisse Liebe tea because it’s pink and sweet like she is. Dad makes me a ginger salad because he loves me and so he can read about it later. Some of the ingredients are pickled ginger (homemade), cabbage, tomato, and brown rice.

If that wasn’t enough memory-making, we’re gifted a hand-written card (oh, the obligatory words of years past) and Caleb gives Dad a kiss on the way out the door after a short 4.5-hour visit. Two of us with cameras and four of us with camera-enabled phones and only one meal photo taken until Dad gets a selfie of the group outside as we’re getting in the car. We meet back up with the rain, the heaviest I’ve driven through, with the blinding light of the bright white sky reflecting off wet pavement and a well-traveled windshield.

A stop at the Dateland Travel Center is never unwelcome. On this visit, I learned that the date shakes now come in two sizes and I gladly ordered a small for $6 (there’s also been a price increase). It’s for this reason we always stop in Yuma to fill the tank, even if only half of it, before driving back into California. We stopped by Caleb’s office so he could work from home through the holidays; too bad that wasn’t an option throughout his career, but some things should be earned. Our last stop for the night, pick up Zeus, my dog when in proximity (his house or mine) to keep each other company for a week while his family is away.