Welllcome back! A new week, new places, new tastes, old faces. What a trip!? Where do I start?
The road trip. As most planned trips go, I left Portland around noon, which was already four hours later than originally proposed. Travel was pretty brisk. Highway Eighty-four was very clear all the way south to Ashland. The road signs posted were all flashing and warning me to put my tire chains on. I finally did after much deliberation. I have been driving in snowy weather since i was twelve so I am very acclimated to the requirements of driving on slick surfaces. I finally put on my chains, after all, and hopped into a long line of tractor trailers and trucks. The line was so long, and after spending a over an hour in the slowly moving line I finally reached the police barricade and a miserable looking fellow who informed me that the highway was closed until further notice. Ground flares and flashing lights led me to southbound on ramp where I drove up and headed back to downtown Ashland. Right now, I am thinking, "Shit. The pass separating southern Oregon and Northern California can sometimes stay closed for days on end. I am supposed to be in Redding, California tonight." Needless-to-say I did not end up in Redding that night. Nor did I even make it out of Oregon. Also, as you can tell if you have been reading these chronologically, I was unable to post my Thursday blog.
Geez-oh-peets. That whole ordeal was terribly annoying. I made finally made it out of Ashland. I was in Mt Shasta the next day, as a matter of fact. Snow was still prevalent at that altitude so I decided to bypass any long hiking excursions, and headed south to San Francisco where I would meet up with buddies from a long way away.
San Francisco is one of my favorites. I am not quite sure what it is about San Francisco that always wants me to come back. I am not even entirely sure that I have a grand ole' time every time I visit. I just really appreciate the memory. I don't know. Meeting up with my buddies was fun though. The weather was nice and I was finally starting to feel the fatigue of being on the road, and I was only 700 miles complete out of 1200. One might say, ". . . but that is over half! It's downhill from here!" But HA! I disagree! it only get harder. As miles accumulate, and dollars pour forth, and tensions mount so does frustration and the friction that occurs between individuals can be likened to trying to slip & slide across sandpaper. Oh Poor Maia! Poor Reilly! my girlfriend and my dog and me were all up in kaboodles. Trite offenses were occasionally mistaken for blasphemy and heresy! It is a surprise, at some moments, that we did not all kill each other in our sleep. We're only 700 miles complete, remember? Next we head to Santa Cruz.
In Santa Cruz, we did okay. The sleeping facilities were much more cozy, but I did not like the city. Even walking the streets of San Francisco at 2 am, I did not feel as much hostility from passerby's as I did from the same individuals at 2 pm on Christmas Eve in Santa Cruz. The last day in Santa Cruz, yesterday, was the hardest day of the road trip.
As I am here writing this blog, I am not going into detail nearly as much as is required to accurately portray the characters and places as i encountered on this trip. Sorry. I will try to post some pictures.
Finally, we made it to Los Angeles. That is where I am tonight typing this. It feels great to finally have a bed and a slippers and a dresser. I am at Maia's Mom's house tonight and until January 3rd. Merry Christmas! I am pretty much done typing until next time.
While I am here in LA, I want to pick up a pair of jeans without holes in the knees; I want to purchase a nice hat to protect my balding head from the elements, e.g. cold air, snow, rain, etcetera; I want to see a couple museums (the Gettys?); I want to surf with a decent wet suit; and I want to hike some hikes in the surrounding areas. After I complete these tasks, I should be able to return to Portland with a sense of accomplishment and purpose ready to take on the next big challenge, my arch nemesis, the winter term. The dreariest months of the year are yet to come, and I want to continue my onslaught of great grades. Stay tuned!
The road trip. As most planned trips go, I left Portland around noon, which was already four hours later than originally proposed. Travel was pretty brisk. Highway Eighty-four was very clear all the way south to Ashland. The road signs posted were all flashing and warning me to put my tire chains on. I finally did after much deliberation. I have been driving in snowy weather since i was twelve so I am very acclimated to the requirements of driving on slick surfaces. I finally put on my chains, after all, and hopped into a long line of tractor trailers and trucks. The line was so long, and after spending a over an hour in the slowly moving line I finally reached the police barricade and a miserable looking fellow who informed me that the highway was closed until further notice. Ground flares and flashing lights led me to southbound on ramp where I drove up and headed back to downtown Ashland. Right now, I am thinking, "Shit. The pass separating southern Oregon and Northern California can sometimes stay closed for days on end. I am supposed to be in Redding, California tonight." Needless-to-say I did not end up in Redding that night. Nor did I even make it out of Oregon. Also, as you can tell if you have been reading these chronologically, I was unable to post my Thursday blog.
Geez-oh-peets. That whole ordeal was terribly annoying. I made finally made it out of Ashland. I was in Mt Shasta the next day, as a matter of fact. Snow was still prevalent at that altitude so I decided to bypass any long hiking excursions, and headed south to San Francisco where I would meet up with buddies from a long way away.
San Francisco is one of my favorites. I am not quite sure what it is about San Francisco that always wants me to come back. I am not even entirely sure that I have a grand ole' time every time I visit. I just really appreciate the memory. I don't know. Meeting up with my buddies was fun though. The weather was nice and I was finally starting to feel the fatigue of being on the road, and I was only 700 miles complete out of 1200. One might say, ". . . but that is over half! It's downhill from here!" But HA! I disagree! it only get harder. As miles accumulate, and dollars pour forth, and tensions mount so does frustration and the friction that occurs between individuals can be likened to trying to slip & slide across sandpaper. Oh Poor Maia! Poor Reilly! my girlfriend and my dog and me were all up in kaboodles. Trite offenses were occasionally mistaken for blasphemy and heresy! It is a surprise, at some moments, that we did not all kill each other in our sleep. We're only 700 miles complete, remember? Next we head to Santa Cruz.
In Santa Cruz, we did okay. The sleeping facilities were much more cozy, but I did not like the city. Even walking the streets of San Francisco at 2 am, I did not feel as much hostility from passerby's as I did from the same individuals at 2 pm on Christmas Eve in Santa Cruz. The last day in Santa Cruz, yesterday, was the hardest day of the road trip.
As I am here writing this blog, I am not going into detail nearly as much as is required to accurately portray the characters and places as i encountered on this trip. Sorry. I will try to post some pictures.
Finally, we made it to Los Angeles. That is where I am tonight typing this. It feels great to finally have a bed and a slippers and a dresser. I am at Maia's Mom's house tonight and until January 3rd. Merry Christmas! I am pretty much done typing until next time.
While I am here in LA, I want to pick up a pair of jeans without holes in the knees; I want to purchase a nice hat to protect my balding head from the elements, e.g. cold air, snow, rain, etcetera; I want to see a couple museums (the Gettys?); I want to surf with a decent wet suit; and I want to hike some hikes in the surrounding areas. After I complete these tasks, I should be able to return to Portland with a sense of accomplishment and purpose ready to take on the next big challenge, my arch nemesis, the winter term. The dreariest months of the year are yet to come, and I want to continue my onslaught of great grades. Stay tuned!
1 comment:
you must surf Samuel, oh you certainly must! How exhilarating!
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