The four of us left Tucson early on a chilly Friday morning and started the long drive to Los Angeles, CA.  Toby took refuge in Allita’s lap in the passenger seat for most of the journey – he’s such a champion traveler.  Aside from some unexpected delays due to traffic, the trip west was mostly uneventful.  We arrived at Bonelli Bluffs RV park that evening after a 9-hour drive.  

Bonelli Bluffs RV Resort and Campground is an L.A. County park attached to the nearly 2,000 acre Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in lovely San Dimas, California.  By my count, based on the handy map you are provided at check-in, there are just over 500 RV campsites (510?) and around 15+ tent campsites.  This place is massive.  Furthermore, you can bring your horse and ride the trails – they have a large arena area and plenty of covered stalls in sprawling ranch-style, open horse barns. You can enjoy the lake in a variety of ways – including fishing! You can hike, bike ride, picnic, bicycle and even play a round of golf at the park course.  The RV resort has playgrounds, swimming pools, a fishing beach, sand volleyball courts, a general store, and is a lush and green area that is perfect for relaxing and enjoying the lovely breeze.  It definitely qualifies as a “resort”. The day we stayed was ideal with a high daily temperature just below 70 so we had no need for air conditioning.  

The next day, we left San Dimas and drove directly to UCLA with Allita navigating.  What an adventure!  The greater Los Angeles area is approximately 19 times more populated than all of Tucson.  Yes indeed – they have between 18-19 million residents, many of whom drive their own vehicles – and that does not include the volume of tourists that visit year-round. To say that we had to navigate traffic would be an understatement.  Even on a non-holiday weekend, the L.A. area is busy.  In order to handle the volume of vehicles zipping around the area, California has constructed a plethora of highways, freeways, parkways, boulevards, overpasses, underpasses, etc. that connect willy-nilly (left and right exits, HOV lanes, etc.) like varicose veins splayed everywhere across the area.  There is also a well-developed public transit system tucked into the whole mess.  It took us over an hour to reach the university campus from our campsite in San Dimas.  We considered ourselves fortunate to arrive safely, but, after we found an actual on-street parking space that could accommodate the RV, we nearly said a prayer.  

Allita and I left Mom and Toby in the RV while we schlepped all over the UCLA campus.  All told, we walked for nearly 2 hours. The campus is a massive, sprawling affair riddled with ornate brick buildings dotted among a variety of gigantic, old trees, lush, blooming gardens, and winding trails that grace the sloping landscape.  It is quite possibly the most beautiful campus I have ever visited.  The entire time I was comparing the brick construction to my alma matter and Allita was comparing it to ASU.  We were gobsmacked by the differences and, for the first time, I could finally understand why someone would choose a school located in downtown L.A. as their advanced educational destination.  Just wow.  

From UCLA, we rejoined the motorized shoal and made our way to USC, another university on our list to visit.  Wait, did I tell you why we are making this trip?  Right.  Sorry.  So, Allita is a senior in the fall.  Can you believe it?  That means, she is looking for places to attend school after she gets her high school diploma.  You know she’s an artist, so the schools that made her list are those that specialize in the arts.  In addition to ASU in Phoenix, there are four schools in California, one in Oregon, two in Washington (state) and one in Georgia.  We will visit them all this summer.  The west coast locations are our destinations this road trip.  The east coast is later in July and won’t really be blog-worthy.  While we are on the road again, we decided to drive the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) a little, visit Hearst Castle, see the Winchester Mystery mansion, drive through Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterrey and possibly Big Sur, tour a few museums along the way, say hello to friends in San Fransisco, Portland and Tacoma, take a ferry into Canada, see some redwoods, hike in Crater Lake National Park and Glacier National Park, and eventually make our way back to Tucson.  One giant loop – a whirlwind tour of the pacific west coast – in the RV, with the cat, and all before my birthday in June.  Hopefully.  

Anyway, we made it to USC just in time to watch graduates and their families exiting the campus in all their finery.  The two schools are located in vastly different neighborhoods still within Los Angeles, yet they appear relatively similar in design.  Beautiful brick buildings, lots of green spaces, an easily accessible train stop nearby, etc.  USC is a considerably smaller campus, which Allita immediately noticed and appreciated.  Apparently, she isn’t a big fan of having to walk an hour to get from one side of campus to another – go figure.  She also got excited about the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum right across the street.  Regardless how old she gets, some things never change.  

As is our way, somehow, we found an absolute gem of an RV park located perfectly in North Hollywood.  Private, secluded, full hook-ups, wifi, flat paved spaces, gated, etc.  The owner, Rafael, is fantastic – professional and easy to contact, flexible and very helpful.  One hundred percent, I want to leave a glowing Google review, but if lots of people discover this place, I may not be able to book it next time.  Quite the quandary. Also, there is a swimming pool but currently, it’s not quite warm enough to use it, so it’s empty from winter still.  I understand that – the high today is 72.  We are sitting in the shade outside the RV enjoying the lovely breeze and some fresh cool water. It’s perfect.  

This morning, we drove about 30 minutes up the freeway to CalArts (California Institute of the Arts), a small, exclusive art college renown for excellence in animation (Allita’s chosen field) and honestly, her #1 choice of schools.  The campus, located in Santa Clarita, is gorgeous.  The security guard generously allowed us a drive-through tour which took all of 15 minutes only because I had to go 10 mph.  Graduation was Friday and the campus is vacant currently.  There are only a handful of buildings on the grounds – almost none of which are brick construction – and the remainder of the campus is rolling, green, grassy hills, trees, gardens, and wide-open spaces.  We finished our “tour” and drove into Santa Clarita to find the closest stores and check out the apartments where students can live.  CalArts has an acceptance rate of 25%.  Naturally, Allita will apply here, but she isn’t putting all her eggs in – even though it is a very lovely basket.  You know?

For today, we are done with university-ing.  We are taking a much-needed travel break.  The cat is grateful.  We are enjoying the hospitality of Rafael and actually camping a little bit.  Tomorrow morning, we have a guided tour of California Lutheran University located in Thousand Oaks, CA.  We plan to leave North Hollywood extremely early.  I have already decided it will be a two-cup-of-coffee kind of day as it is Monday and we have about 2 hours to drive through LA traffic. Wish us luck!