Why we are still in Tucson, my CA DMV rant

If you've opened this, you must be in the mood for a rant, I warned you and you opened it...so here goes. 

First off, I freely admit that Ken and I could have saved ourselves all of this trouble by requesting a copy of the title for our quad in the months before we left California. We made some assumptions about technology, connectedness and efficiency that unfortunately came nowhere close to reality, but I digress. That happens when I'm not in my right mind.

As you may be aware, we are on our way to Guatemala. When we arrived in Tucson, we went to the AZ DMV the next day on the 15th to register our vehicles at Ken's parents address. We had to have the title in our names for all 3 of our vehicles (Fj Cruiser, quad, trailer) to cross the border. The experience was REALLY different than I expected - we were in and out of emissions testing, license photo and issue, and in-depth meeting with the registration station in 45 minutes. They are a "title holding" state, so we got the title to our new trailer immediately. The guy that sold us the FJ has two names (one Chinese) so we were told we needed him to send us a notarized affidavit that the names both belong to him and we could come back and get that title immediately.

However, at some point we lost the title to our quad. Here’s where the overly optimistic assumptions come into play. Having the VIN and sticker for the vehicle, the thought was that the AZ DMV could simply enter the VIN and through a nationally connected system, see that we were the owners and re-issue the title in AZ. Nope. Somehow, law enforcement can track vehicles across state lines and we all know government seems to know everything about everything about us these days….except if two DMVs need to share information. That takes one issuing a piece a paper and physically sending it to the other.

Not ideal, but okay. I call CA DMV (which Google for some reason identifies as North Carolina DMV when you dial the number– try it) and a very helpful gentleman tells me not to pay attention to the website “rush title” process, that they just moved it to a new building, and the website hasn’t updated yet. He says if I send it overnight, it will take up to three days to process and if I include an overnight envelope, they will send it right back. So I download and fill out the paperwork, send an extra $15 for “rush title” and we sent it through UPS.

Using the tracking number, we saw that they accepted the paperwork on Monday the 19^th at 9 a.m. Great, so they have it and are working on it. Fast forward to Friday the 23^rd and the multiple times each day in between we checked the return envelope tracking number and the disappointment of realizing it hasn’t been shipped back yet.  Ken called the CA DMV and discovered that  A) they couldn’t track where it was in processing or estimate when it would be sent back and B) the process was actually 8-10 days. Yowie.

Plan B, we set up a Power of Attorney with a friend in Sacramento and she was in Merced with her husband, so she went into the Merced DMV office to inquire about our title and/or re-submit if it was lost somewhere. She had good things to say about how nicely they said it, but essentially even in person, there was no way to get the title the same day. They couldn’t say where the original request might be, but offered the helpful tip that if the check had not yet been cashed, they haven’t even started working on it. (It had not been cashed.) They would certainly takes the forms and money again, but they would then just send to the Sacramento office (the only place they work on titles) and start the 8-10 days again. Grrrrrr. We didn’t re-submit.

On Tuesday, May 27^th, we got a call from them. Oh happy day!! We were really excited, things were moving. For some reason, even though the VIN and sticker were on the paperwork, they wanted to clarify that we were asking for the quad title, not the title for the scooter we own which shares a common brand. Whatever, at least we knew it was being worked on. After clearing it up for them, we were sure the title would be in our hands the next day.

Today is Thursday, the 29^th. The check cleared!!! Fingers crossed.

The "Pre-Trip"

First off...YYYYYYEEESSSS!!!!! Houston, we FINALLY have lift-off!!!

This past Sunday afternoon we had enough of our affairs in order to take our show on the road. The only reason we are able to that is with the help of three people. Kathy Young is a dear friend and former co-worker who we have hired to do some work with our company and is also helping us out with some personal transition-to-Guatemala stuff. My dad has given up a room at his place to give us a local launching point when we are back in California for business. My sister Roberta is a rock star by jumping in and getting the house to a place it is ready to rent soon. So, without these three people, no way we are launched yet.

On to the trip...

Day 1: Sunday, May 11
FJ Odometer start: 114,300
Start time: 3 p.m.
Travel path: Sacramento down I-5 South  to I-10 East to Rancho Cucamonga/Ontario Aloft Hotel

We were really excited to get on the road and although not everything was done, felt at peace that our people in Sacramento could handle whatever we couldn't accomplish in Tucson or from the road. Ken had some work to get done while we were driving, so he got his FJ internet system set up and was typing away/talking away while I drove.

One of our cats, Osa (grey), loves to travel, but the other, Belle (brown) is a demon in the car. About an hour before we left, I tried to squish a kitty xanax into a anti-hairball treat that Belle likes, but it

crumbled up and she really only consumed about 1/4 of it. Not to worry though, that 1/4 was enough to send her to a happy place and she was actually purring while exploring and laying around the impressive kitty suite Ken put together for them.

I'll do a separate post on their digs when I get a chance, but just know that they are living the high life with access to food, water, private kitty box, several lounging spots near windows and a couple right above us to see the road. ahhh....to be a cat.

Got a little sleepy around 6ish in the middle of Cali, but turned up some music and got through it. We considered driving all the way through to AZ, but about 10 decided it made sense to pull over at a hotel. We're a big fan of the Sheraton Four Points hotels because they are consistently relatively nice and pet-friendly. However, the one in Ontario was full with a biker convention of all things...like stepping into the set of Sons of Anarchy (yay!) so we had to look elsewhere.

Apparently, there is a related line of hotels called "Aloft" that is like Sheraton's younger, hipper brother.

Very slick rooms, just Ken's modern style. We did have to sneak the cats in because we didn't want to ask if they were pet friendly and get rejected at 11 p.m. Key to sneaking - find a side door and move everything back and forth through that door. Try to avoid locking yourself out of said side door while your cat is in the stairwell (at least she was in her cage!)

Ken woke early and got us coffee and breakfast and worked like a mad man on a client project until 30 minutes or so AFTER our late check-out time while I got our "rig" packed and ready to go.

Day 2: Monday, May 12
FJ Odometer start: 114,750
Start time: 2 p.m.
Travel path:  Ranch Cucamonga/Ontario Aloft Hotel to Surprise AZ Ah So Restaurant/Tami's house

After a stressful start to the day with the competing hotel check out and client project deadlines, we were on the road again heading east towards the desert. About 30 minutes before takeoff, I tried a new kitty xanax approach that involved crushing it up and mixing in with cream cheese that she then licked from my finger - success!!

As we pushed through San Bernardino, I looked up at the mountains where I spent so many youthful happy days with my Memere and Pepere (French Canadian grand parents on my dad's side).

I was also nostalgic driving into the Palm Desert area, appreciating the changes like the huge casino and many wind turbines where there used to be fields of oil pumps. I though it fitting this week  to be driving through this place which is the earliest I can remember living, the place where I picture my mother whose birthday was the 9th. I am almost 20 years older than she was when she died so sometimes I feel like I need to live enough for two. I guess driving to Guatemala with your husband and two cats qualifies.

We arrived at Ah So Restaurant about 7:45 and it was so good to see my youngest sister Tami and her beautiful family. Her son Dylan is such a sweet boy, and gaining confidence each time I see him. Her daughter Lexi, now a JUNIOR in high school, just got her braces off and is a beauty inside and out with brains to boot. Tami's husband Richard is gentle and kind and a real sweetheart. With Tami as the youngest, I think all of us girls have felt a little protective of her over the years, so it was quite a shift for me to see that she doesn't need that from us anymore, probably hasn't for a long time but as the oldest born it's hard to get over that role. This time, she took care of us, insisting that we not try to drive through to Tucson after dinner and instead stay at her place, which we happily did.

Day 3: Tuesday, May 13
FJ Odometer start: 115,170
Start time: 2 p.m.
Travel path:  Tami's house to Ken's Parents house in Tucson

We left Tami's house about 9 a.m., with everyone but Dylan off to work and school. Apparently he was home "sick," but maybe just maybe he wanted to hang out a little more. :-)

After grabbing some coffee and unexpected east-coast style bagels, we were headed for Tucson. Being a California girl, I had thought of Phoenix and Tucson as a lot closer than they actually are.

Well, perhaps it just seemed longer because of the route we took.... depending on who you talk to, it was either the driver's fault (me) or the navigator's fault (Ken) but we ended up driving through Tucson to the next town of Vail, AZ - not to be confused with the beautiful town of the same name in Colorado. While that may sound hard to do, the area where Ken's parents live is beyond the city of Tucson....just not THAT far beyond. By the time we figured it out, we were being pushed into a one-lane merge as a result of road construction and no exits to be seen.

To add insult to injury, I was hungry and had to go to the bathroom but put it off thinking I could wait until we got to the Hobbs. Now I was stuck in a non-moving vehicle feeling pretty ticked that my husband couldn't admit he was of course the one responsible for getting off track .;-) Just as all was heading south, a dirt "path" appeared between the two directions of the freeway and at the risk of what in California would have been an expensive ticket, I took it.

Thirty minutes later, Ken and I sat down in Jan's kitchen for the best sandwich/salad lunch ever. Let's hope that's the worst thing that happens on the road, right?

Here'a fun bunny video from the golf course outside their home in Tucson. You don't think of the desert as having much to offer in terms of wildlife, but there is a ton right now to see just off the back porch. The cats are really enjoying watch the birds from our bedroom window.

Yes, that's Jan at the end of the video asking if I want some wine...;-)

Oh, and here's the "rig" with our trailer and quad behind. If you see this on the road, watch out.