Day 8 and 9

Day 8 – January 13

600 feet thick, 560 tonne turbines, and security checkpoints at the gate – the Hoover dam!  Yes, we checked it out today, and it was really cool.  It’s an amazing feat of engineering, and all of it was figured out on paper as there were no computers in the 30’s when they built it.  After the dam, we left for L.A., with a short detour through the “Vegas Strip”.  Our quick drive through was more than enough for me, but the architectural diversity is quite impressive.  For supper we stopped at “Big Boy” on old 50’s styled diner.  Sadly the décor was the best part of the meal and we left somewhat disappointed with the rest.  After driving for 2 hours in the crazy interstate traffic we managed to arrive in one piece at the YWAM base in LA.  The base is an impressively quiet and serene place for being so near the craziness of the big city and I quite enjoyed walking around and checking it out.  There’s even a polo club / equestrian arena next door.  It was really good to connect with jyles in the evening and hear about his experiences so far.  Things are going well for him and I encouraged him to blog about his life here in efforts the let those who care about him know what is going on.

Day 9 – January 14

It was a day to sleep in a bit because breakfast on the base is only at 10:30am on Saturdays.  Following a delicious meal, the 3 of us hit the road, on our way to see Hollywood and a then find a beach somewhere.  But first a new experience: an oil change at the nearby Jiffylube.  All went well, and we were out of there in, well, a jiffy really.  Next off to see Hollywood, and we did, but at a pace similar to when we saw Vegas.  A drive through was all we really needed to see some of the famous sites and then get out of there!  I’m not a huge fan of it, but it was still cool do see what you hear so much about.  We also saw some really nice houses/mansions as we drove through the Beverly Hills district. 

Next we found Santa Monica beach, and it was really nice.  There were a lot of people, but once we were past the pier it really quieted down.  We walked the board walk, snapped pictures and enjoyed the sunshine.

For supper we took on the big city streets again and eventually found a Dennys.  It was a delicious meal and our server gave us the best service we’d received during our entire trip up to this point.  It’s amazing how rare it is to have a server who smiles, is cheerful, not pushy, and makes your dining experience pleasant one.  Once back at the base, Jyles went to hang out with his friends and me and Dad relaxed for the evening.