Travel is great but good to be home

Just back from a three week trip to southern California to attend a relatives wedding and catch up with friends we haven't seen in years.
We used to live in Inglewood and Glendale after my discharge from the Navy. Since moving back east we have kept in contact with many people we used to pal around with. Most were in our wedding party.
While California is nice and boasts sunshine and warm weather without humidity most of the time, there is nothing like getting home.
Going in your fridge when you want something, sleeping your own bed, watching what you want to, going in and out in your own vehicle are some of the things I miss.
Practically anywhere we were around Pasadena mountains were in the background. So was traffic. It's horrendous to say the lease.
Doing south from Yosemite, we began encountering traffic around Bakersfield. Further south as we got into a portion of Highway 5 known as "The Grapevine" (named for a small town of that name) it became worse.
"This is the primary north/south route for trucking," brother-in-law Jim Heermans said. There was every imaginable size truck entering the Grapevine, a curving part of the freeway that leaves 18-wheelers climbing in what used to be known as granny gear, a very low gear.
Among the twists and turns came the downhills that had to be handed carefully both by trucks and private vehicles due to the possibility of overheating brakes.
I prefer driving in the right lane because I don't normally drive fast. Jim prefers the left land and gave me many reasons why this was the best choice.
Along the decent into Los Angles County we had to be aware of lane changes that were at times confusing to someone that wasn't familiar with them like me.
"Get over," Jim would admonish. "Okay now we're going to have to be in the left lane," and so it went.
Once we reached to outskirts of Pasadena and were on surface streets I found a wide spot, pulled over and let him drive the rest of the way.
While we complain of traffic around here it's not near the amount in southern California. On the Grapevine headed north was bumper to bumper traffic creeping along.
"Those people are returning home from work. They make this time every day," Jim said. We're glad we don't have to drive it daily as a part of living.