The Trip to California for Ashleigh and Jeff
We enjoyed the trip to Louisiana for Ashleigh's Graduation from Medical School and her Navy Promotion and Commissioning. After that she didn't have much time before her date to report to the Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California. She and the family were busy collecting items for her apartment in Oceanside and making arrangements for a van to carry belongings and a trailer to carry her car.
This is an attempt to tell some of the story of that trip based on photos provided and conversations, so it is subject to revision as I learn more. The route shown below may not match their route, but shows that it was in the neighborhood of 1900 miles.
May 25, 2024
 | This appears to be a photo when Ashleigh and Jeff were ready to depart from home at Radio Road. The photo has time 10:27AM. This suggests that the truck is loaded and they are ready to connect the trailer with Ashleigh's car. |
This appears to be somewhere on the road on their first day. Ashleigh's car is on the sturdy trailer, so it looks to be a fine traveling rig. It is timed as 4:39p. Ashleigh is at the cab, so I am presuming that they took turns driving. |
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May 26
 | Ashleigh and Jeff along the way, maybe Texas from the look of the land, timed at 2:45pm. The image below is a frame from a video shot at about the same time. There appears to be a railroad in the background in both cases. It is common for highways and railroads to parallel each other out west. |
This view of their rig at a motel looks consistent with the time of 8pm showing. The long shadow promises sundown soon. |
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May 28
 | This photo shows a time of 1:23pm, perhaps the time they reached the California border. |
They have arrived to Morse Street in Oceanside, California! The time shows as 4:59pm. |
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 | This had to be a significant moment for Ashleigh to see her car in the garage at 748 Morse Street at the end of this long trip! |
Having a snack at Ashleigh's new house. Hard to imagine all the feelings after all this trip and pausing for food about 8:30pm. |
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May 29
 | The next morning they walked from Ashleigh's house to the Pacific Ocean, which I believe Jeff said was only about 15 minutes. Time shows as about 9am. |
Jeff and Ashleigh on the shore of the Pacific Ocean! |
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 | The next agenda was to drive to Camp Pendleton where Ashleigh will be working. They arrived at the gate about 1pm. |
Jeff took note of the fact that when the young marine at the Main Gate looked at Ashleigh's identification, he stepped back and saluted her. She outranks the marines stationed at Camp Pendleton, so she has to get used to being saluted!
In two minutes they were at the Hospital sign, so it is just inside the main gate. |
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 | In another two minutes they were looking at the hospital building, which will undoubtedly become very familiar to Ashleigh. |
In driving the street around the hospital, it appears that this is a view of the Pacific Ocean in the distance. That street is named Mercy Circle! |
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| Awanas unpack the backpacks |