Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Day 4: Blisters, bros, and Bears
Good morning from Oakland, where Tanya’s apartment will be
getting a favorable review on Yelp. This
entry will be short on words and long on pictures, mainly because I’m two days
late getting into Oakland (which Tanya and her roommate Leena have reminded me
of multiple times) and we need to get down to LA by 7:30pm tonight so I can pick up
Matt from the airport.
Yesterday started in Willits, CA with a drive west on
Highway 20, eventually making my way south on Highway 1. The drive along the coast was once again
stunning, with huge vistas around every corner.
And there were a lot of corners.
I’ve never driven a route with so many hairpin turns in my life. I’m totally going to kick my nephews’ butts next
time I play them in Mario Kart.
Although the drive was beautiful, it was very slow, with an
average speed of about 35 mph along the entire route. This was partly due to driving through a
number of small towns and partly due to getting stuck behind semis and other
slow moving vehicles, but mostly due to all the twists and turns of the
road. At one point, I realized I was
starting to develop small blisters on my hands.
After about 4 hours of this, I somehow managed to get off Highway 1 and head east toward 101. Must have missed a turn along the way. But it ended up being for the better because at that point I was fatigued from all the high alert driving Highway 1 required. I was also about 4 hours late for meeting Tanya at her office on campus in Berkeley and wanted to get to town before rush hour.
Upon pulling into Petaluma on my way south on 101, I encountered a street sign my 13-year-old self would have appreciated. Who am I kidding? My 38-year-old self still appreciates it.
After getting a Kale-ribbean Breeze smoothie at the local Jamba Juice, I was finally on my way to Berkeley. After the half-hour drive, I made my way to campus to meet Tanya at her office at the Haas School of Business where she’s doing a postdoc. I found a prime parking spot along Piedmont right in front of a frat house where the all the bros were playing corn hole and listening to obnoxiously loud Modest Mouse and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which I can only assume they thought was classic rock.
As I walked along Piedmont, I saw Tanya a block ahead. After getting her attention, I made sure she saw I was wearing my Corn Palace t-shirt in homage to one of the highlights of our trip out west last year. Tanya greeted me with a legitimate hug (not one of her famous turn-your-shoulder-and-lean-in hugs) and we made our way to Haas so I could see her office.
We then made our way down to one of the business districts in Berkeley so I could hit the bookstore and pick up the requisite Cal pint glass. There we met our Chapel Hill friend and former tennis partner, Amanda, who came over from SF after work. We got a quick tour of campus, then made our way the Cheese Board for a goat cheese and crimini mushroom pizz. I don’t like goat cheese and Tanya doesn’t like mushrooms, but all three of us agreed the pizza was great while the vaguely international band behind us drowned out our conversation.
With stomachs full, we bid adieu to Amanda, at which point Tanya gave me a personalized tour of the Berkeley campus, complete with trips to the basketball arena, the football stadium (that we were chased out of by a tough guy rent-a-cop), and an incredible view of the entire bay area from the top of a hill on campus.
We then headed to Tanya's apartment where I was warmly greeted by Leena and a cake Tanya made celebrating my successful dissertation defense.
Today it's on to LA with many stops sure to be made along the way. I say goodbye to Tanya after dropping her off in Chino Hills, pick up Matt at LAX, and begin the football extravaganza portion of the trip.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Day 3: Gondolas and grandpa's game of grab ass
Good morning from Willits, CA, home and final resting place of Seabiscuit, where the Super 8 will be getting the worst Yelp review yet. Yesterday started off in Coos Bay, OR where I had hoped to make a visit to Cape Arago on the advice of Sam. But the morning's blog took longer than expected to write, so I immediately hit the road and made my way south out of town on 101.
Much of my drive along the coast the previous day took place at night, and as a result, I didn't realize the spectacular scenery I was in the middle of until my drive out of Coos Bay. By the time I left town, the morning's fog had lifted, revealing incredible views at every turn along the highway. It was difficult to resist the temptation to turn off onto each of the many overlooks that dotted the highway, particularly because my goal was to make it down to Oakland by evening which was still another 9 hours away.
Temptation proved to be too great, so I turned off near Port Orford, OR, which provided the most incredible views of the trip so far. Sheer cliffs to my right that fell off into the deep blue Pacific, with large rock formations dotting the shore. Wind surfers and kite boarders taking advantage of what appeared to be ideal wind conditions. Some old couple making out in the parking lot next to me.
I hopped back in my car before grandpa's little game of grab ass seared its indelible image into my brain and headed further south.
A short while later, I encountered another turn off that proved to be too tempting and snapped a few pictures. A little further down the turn off was a group of 4 motorcyclists who asked if I would take their picture. As each one lined up next to his bike to pose for the photo, all I could think was, "no matter what you do, don't knock the bikes down domino-style or they may toss your ass over the side of the cliff." (That's two Pee Wee's Big Adventure references in the last two days if you're counting.) I didn't and they didn't, so I hopped back in my car and was on my way.
Coastal views eventually gave way to thick, lush redwood forests as I made my way into California. Signs along the way pointed to Trees of Mystery a few miles ahead. I had no idea what could be so mysterious about trees, but the signs offered gondola rides to the top of the forest, which is all it took to reel me in.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I was immediately disappointed Tanya wasn't along for this part of the trip. It was precisely the type of tourist trap we lived for during our trip out west last year, right down to the giant Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues that greet visitors in the parking lot. After a quick trip to the souvenir shop, I made my way up the half-mile trail to the gondola station and snapped a few pictures along the way.
As I got to the station and boarded the gondola, I immediately wondered why I hadn't thought things through a bit more. I'm pretty afraid of heights and the thought of dangling hundreds of feet above the ground suspended from a 3-inch cable all of the sudden became pretty unappealing. But at that point it was too late, so I got in, immediately started playing a game of Ticket to Ride on my phone, and pretended none of this was happening.
Throughout the 5 minute ride to the top, the car would periodically stop and dangle in midair as new riders entered or exited cars at the top and bottom. Those 20 to 30 second intervals provided an excellent opportunity to consider your mortality and how it would be a very inopportune time for, say, an earthquake to strike. Luckily, that didn't happen and I was able to muster enough courage to snap a few pictures. Yes, I know there's bird poop on the gondola window.
I spent a few minutes at the top to enjoy the view, then headed back down to get back on the road. At this point, it was clear I wasn't making it to Oakland that evening, so I took a little more time along the route, stopping in tiny Orick, CA to take part in my fantasy football draft that was taking place that night.
From there it was on to Eureka, CA and eventually here to Willits where the day's activities ended. Today I make my way into Oakland to pick of Tanya and catch up with some other friends. Then it's on to SoCal where more memories will be made.
Much of my drive along the coast the previous day took place at night, and as a result, I didn't realize the spectacular scenery I was in the middle of until my drive out of Coos Bay. By the time I left town, the morning's fog had lifted, revealing incredible views at every turn along the highway. It was difficult to resist the temptation to turn off onto each of the many overlooks that dotted the highway, particularly because my goal was to make it down to Oakland by evening which was still another 9 hours away.
Temptation proved to be too great, so I turned off near Port Orford, OR, which provided the most incredible views of the trip so far. Sheer cliffs to my right that fell off into the deep blue Pacific, with large rock formations dotting the shore. Wind surfers and kite boarders taking advantage of what appeared to be ideal wind conditions. Some old couple making out in the parking lot next to me.
I hopped back in my car before grandpa's little game of grab ass seared its indelible image into my brain and headed further south.
A short while later, I encountered another turn off that proved to be too tempting and snapped a few pictures. A little further down the turn off was a group of 4 motorcyclists who asked if I would take their picture. As each one lined up next to his bike to pose for the photo, all I could think was, "no matter what you do, don't knock the bikes down domino-style or they may toss your ass over the side of the cliff." (That's two Pee Wee's Big Adventure references in the last two days if you're counting.) I didn't and they didn't, so I hopped back in my car and was on my way.
Coastal views eventually gave way to thick, lush redwood forests as I made my way into California. Signs along the way pointed to Trees of Mystery a few miles ahead. I had no idea what could be so mysterious about trees, but the signs offered gondola rides to the top of the forest, which is all it took to reel me in.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I was immediately disappointed Tanya wasn't along for this part of the trip. It was precisely the type of tourist trap we lived for during our trip out west last year, right down to the giant Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues that greet visitors in the parking lot. After a quick trip to the souvenir shop, I made my way up the half-mile trail to the gondola station and snapped a few pictures along the way.
As I got to the station and boarded the gondola, I immediately wondered why I hadn't thought things through a bit more. I'm pretty afraid of heights and the thought of dangling hundreds of feet above the ground suspended from a 3-inch cable all of the sudden became pretty unappealing. But at that point it was too late, so I got in, immediately started playing a game of Ticket to Ride on my phone, and pretended none of this was happening.
Throughout the 5 minute ride to the top, the car would periodically stop and dangle in midair as new riders entered or exited cars at the top and bottom. Those 20 to 30 second intervals provided an excellent opportunity to consider your mortality and how it would be a very inopportune time for, say, an earthquake to strike. Luckily, that didn't happen and I was able to muster enough courage to snap a few pictures. Yes, I know there's bird poop on the gondola window.
I spent a few minutes at the top to enjoy the view, then headed back down to get back on the road. At this point, it was clear I wasn't making it to Oakland that evening, so I took a little more time along the route, stopping in tiny Orick, CA to take part in my fantasy football draft that was taking place that night.
From there it was on to Eureka, CA and eventually here to Willits where the day's activities ended. Today I make my way into Oakland to pick of Tanya and catch up with some other friends. Then it's on to SoCal where more memories will be made.
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