Day 42

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Fri 9/8 - Sun 9/10: San Ramon/San Francisco
Friday I drove back to the bay area to stay with Scott and Christy in San Ramon. I got into town while he was at work, and killed a few hours at Barnes & Noble reading “Here is My Best,” a collection of writers choices of their own best work, and a brief blurb describing why they thought it was their best, or their least worst as most seemed to say. That night we caught up, watched college football in all of its High Definition glory, ate a great meal and put back some beers. Later I showed him some pics from the trip which was a bit of a mistake, because digital photography encourages you to take 20 pictures of the same thing. I will edit the slide show in the future to spare the audience.

Saturday, we hopped on BART, bikes in tow, and rode into the city. We stopped at the baseball stadium first, which is a great place to catch a ballgame. Behind the rightfield fence, there is a standing room area where you can watch the game for free (limited to 3 innings when crowded). From there we watched Barry Bonds hit homerun #731 almost over our heads to right-center. Luckily, Bonds is THE slowest base trotter, and I had time to get a great picture of his trot, the base runner he drove in, and the disgusted David Wells looking into the bleachers, all in the same frame. After a couple of innings we decided we headed back to the bikes, where we had an encounter with the police.

I thought we were about to get a ticket for locking our bikes to the handrail on the bay, but instead we got tickets for something else: the baseball game! The officer had about twenty tickets he was trying to give away, and Scott and I agreed that it was the best ticket either of us had ever received from the police. We drank beer and ate hot dogs until the 7th inning stretch, then rode down to Pier 39 for a sourdough bread bowl full of clam chowder and more beer, which we then sweat out completely on a long bike ride through Little Italy, the Financial District, and Haight Ashbury. And for the record, I’ll take half dome over the two hills on Haight, especially since the guy who gave his directions beat us to the top, on foot. Smugly I might add.

Sunday was opening day of the NFL season, and I woke up and ran to the TV like a kid on Christmas. Spent the rest of the weekend hanging around the house, catching up with Christy, watching TV and eating In-N-Out (I was schooled on the secret menu. I had no clue!).

Big Sur - Santa Monica
I set out Monday for Big Sur, with a stop planned at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. The museum was very motivating for this aspiring writer and Steinbeck fan, and I spent a few hours, walking through his life and works. It was especially neat to see the truck in which he traveled 10,000 miles in search of America and wrote about in Travels with Charley. I could relate to his reasoning for taking the trip painted in quotes on the walls.

Somewhere outside Salinas, my engine light came on, and I spent an hour in Gonzales figuring out that my gas cap needed adjustment. Luckily this fell just within my mechanical expertise so I was able to do the adjustment myself. I also realized I had been driving in the wrong direction, and I realized that it was a blessing that my engine light came on. I ate a Blizzard at Dairy Queen. Butterfinger.

Around Monterrey, I drove down into and under a bank of fog and clouds that would not lift until South of LA some days later. So, no I did not get the quintessential Pacific Coast Highway Experience of endless blue expanse crashing into rocky cliff shore, but it was just as beautiful. The whole trip from Monterrey to Big Sur was a winding ride into and above an endless fog bank. The cloud level perspective made driving feel like flying, and for once I thought the pictures actually captured it. The clouds brought a kind of mystic mood to the trip, and I oohhhed and awwwed my way all the way to Big Sur, where I set up camp at dusk, and cooked a can of soup in the fire before reading and going to bed, listening to waves crashing as I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I ate trail mix as I stood with my neighbors and watched as a Raven and a Crab squared off to a duel (the raven won). I then packed up my camp, loaded the car, and hiked to the beach about a mile from the parking lot. The hike followed the Big Sur river to the point where it meets the Pacific Ocean, and it was beautiful in both journey and destination. Hung out on the foggy beach for a while just soaking it in, waves, river rocks, driftwood, seagulls, and sufers.

Made may way down to Refugio Beach, north of Santa Barbara. Spent most of the day driving and taking pictures, making my way South. RB was a nice campground, and a fitting place to spend what would be my last night camping. It was hard to imagine that the road trip was almost over, and that I wouldn’t be sleeping outside until I start Outward Bound in a few weeks. I spent the night burning the last of my firewood, reading, playing guitar, eating chicken noodle soup and drinking Fat Tire. I left the tent in the car and slept under the stars.

The next morning it was a nice drive through Santa Barbara, through the hills, the castles of Malibu, and on into Santa Monica. I hungout at Peet’s Coffee on Main reading and people watching until my friend Chris got off work. There were lots of beautiful women walking small dogs, and it was nice to be in a town that felt urban and beachy at the same time. Chris came home from work and we spent a night on the town eating and drinking. Apparently at some point in the night I thought it would be neat to take a picture of lights swirling by the car at night, and even neater to take 20 of them. Chris is also my personal music advisor and he helped replenish my CD collection with all of the bands that are too good to become famous in this age. It is always good to catch up with old friends, picking up right where you left off like you never missed a beat.

Yesterday morning, I had another cup at Peet’s, then jumped on the 405 south. The clouds parted near Mission Viejo, and realized that I had not felt the sun on my skin in 4 days. It made me appreciate the sun, something it is easy to take for granted being from Phoenix.

San Diego, Pacific Beach
Last night, I caught up with BJ in San Diego and watched V is for Vendetta. Spent today just vegging out, reveling in the world of internet access and television, and resting for whatever adventure awaits tonight.

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Comments

[Gayle Leemaster]

Good Going Andrew
Andrew, I thought I had lost your information - I was in a panic. But, lo and behold, I did. Please be sure to forward any photos you may want to share with me. I would love to see them. I can't believe you are already ready to come back here for a period of time and onto bigger and better things. Good Luck with everything. My email address, if you no longer have it, is gleemaster@ bear.com or [e-mail]. Things are going well here and I am learning the closing end of the business, but I still am going to take the leap in the near future, I hope, to go into photography. One step at a time. Good luck with everything. You have done a great job in your comments of your trip. How was Yellowstone Park? Were you able to find my friend - Lynette Hall? That would have been so cool. I will now start watching a little closer. Gayle Leemaster

[BJ]

The spinach was a bad idea!
Drew, it was great to see you. Thanks for scheduling a stop to visit, it was a pleasure as always. The beard looks rad and your diarrhea of the mouth was more than interesting to listen to. I'll always provide you with an ear when you need it. We shoulda listened to the warning on the news about eating spinach but that's why they say hindsight is 20/20, right?

[Chris]

Yo
Just realized I had not yet visited your blog.....bad buddy. Now I am wasting the next hour or so at "work" while I catch up. I'm off to Belize/Guatamala in 2 weeks so it's great to read about the adventure and ponder my own :) Hope all is well!