LEAVING L.A.

Less than 5 hours after landing at LAX, I was taking off again. Makes for a long day, but great overtime.

Within a few minutes of take-off, the plane glides past the beaches and out over the Pacific Ocean. The plane usually turns left towards Palos Verdes Point, where the spectaulr homes sit on cliffs above the gorgeous water below.

I'd take one of those houses if you didn't have to worry about things like earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, fires, the worst traffic in the country and crazy tax rates.

We fly over Los Angeles (or at leas it's many sub-cities) for what seems like forever. Above is Long Beach, where the Port of Los Angeles occupies San Pedro Bay. This is the busiest port in the entire country.

Just outside of LA, the desert quickly creeps in as soon as the suburban sprawl ends. Anywhere that's not watered by people is a brush land. Almost every flight I see this mountain. I have no clue what it is, but I enjoy all the great scenery of the west.

The sun was setting as we crossed back into the great state of Texas, and a perfectly cloudless night made for a spectacular sunset over the land.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: A 1 day trip means no nights away from the hubby.