We've been meaning to catch up with our friends Troy and Deb all year, but here we are in November and they head home next month! Unfortunately Andy's home in Adelaide for another work trip, so I decided to venture down on my own for a quick visit - or we were going to miss out all together.

Troy was nice enough to drive into LAX to pick me up, so I didn't have to brave the Los Angeles traffic or navigate myself out to their place. Didn't seem quite so daunting after having lived in the US for nearly a year now, but the roads and freeways are still a little busier than I'm used to in Seattle. Saw the famous Joshua trees - apparently they only grow above a certain altitude - and was amazed how quickly the city fell away ... it wasn't long before the suburbs thinned and vanished. Reminded me a little of the drive between Melbourne and Adelaide, just over the border into South Australia - long straight road, and not much to look at outside.

It was great to see Deb again, and after a bit of a chat we sheepishly realised it was about eight years since we'd caught up ... at their wedding! Geez we're slack . They'd had two daughters since we saw them last, so I also got to meet Chloe & Olivia for the first time.

Deb kept apologising there wasn't much to do around town, but we did pop up to Mt Whitney for a look around. Mt Whitney is the highest mountain in the 'lower 48' - so not quite as tall as Mt McKinlay in Alaska. Distinctly colder outside once we got up to the last car park - even this far south there was still some snow (or really thick frost!) around the waterfall nearby.

Troy and Chloe drove me back to LAX again this afternoon, so I'm back to work again tomorrow. It was great to finally meet the extended family - with a bit of luck we'll end up in Newcastle when we go home to Australia, so it'll be easier to visit!