Leaving a Shaky LA - Los Angeles, CA - 2560 Miles

Last night we experienced our first earthquake and just for the record the 12th floor of a hotel is not the ideal location for it. It felt like a large group of people on the floor above us decided to start jumping up and down. I knew immediately what it was. Terry's description was like a car driving into the side of your house. It only lasted a few seconds. We then debated our course of action. Terry went to the lobby to see what was going on. I opted for risking death in the room rather than facing 12 flights of stairs. After a few minutes I took the elevator down. You could really distinguish the tourists from the locals. People like us compared notes on the experience and wondered what to do next. The hotel staff never slowed the pace of check-ins or paused in transporting luggage to rooms.

Local news broke in to TV programming. It was a 4.7 quake which apparently is in the range that definitely gets your attention but does little damage. The center was pegged just three miles east of our hotel. They said five smaller aftershocks followed. I think I felt one of them but it's possible it was just me shaking. People called in telling what it felt like which seemed strangely similar to people back in Texas describing the tornado.

This morning we leave LA and head up the coast for a few days stopping in Santa Barbara, Morro Bay, and Monterey.