Goin' Back to Cali

I'll start this off with a quick apology since it's now been 2 months since I've been home and I'm finally getting to the last day.

After leaving Vegas I drove back into CA for the first time in over three months. The drive was a little hot but overall not a big deal. The only minor hang-up was at a gas station about half way when the car wouldn't start. This happened a couple times on the drive back so far but after waiting a little and a few more clicks it would fire up, which is how I kept going this time too.

I finally got to my cousin Daniel and his girlfriend Rosette's place in LA around 7pm and he and I went out for tacos and a pile of frozen yogurt. It was great to see them since it had been awhile and we watched some pretty entertaining videos before I passed out on their couch. Daniel made some pancakes that night which we ate in the morning with some coffee before I left. I thanked him for the accommodations and waking up to see me off and headed out the door.

I had about 20 minutes until the parking restrictions took effect on the block I was parked. I sat down, inserted the key, and listened to a frustrating lack of spark under the hood. Thinking about the last couple times it didn't start, I waited a minute and tried it again, still with no luck. Off and on for 15 minutes I kept trying and getting more and more frustrated at the lack of response. Could I really have driven this car more than 4000 miles only to have it stop working on my last day? I just wanted to be home and this expletive-ing expletive car was being a pain. Regretfully I called Daniel who had gone back to bed and he came over. When he was en route I realized that when there was no click at all, none of the accessories worked either which seemed like the battery simply wasn't connected.

As soon as Daniel arrived I popped the hood and tugged on a wire a little that was patched into the battery terminal. That seemed to tighten the terminal screw a little so maybe the connection was just loose. Sure enough, the next time I tried the key the Corolla fired right up. I looked a little sheepishly at Daniel and thanked him for coming over regardless, then headed straight over to AutoZone to have the battery tested. Everything checked out fine, it was just a loose screw so I jumped on the freeway and began the last day of my journey.

I pretty much took 101 up to San Luis Obispo where I went to college and stopped at Firestone's Grill for lunch and a beer. It was a very familiar sports bar back in the college days and is still going strong. I also stopped at Central Coast Brewing to buy a couple favorite 22 oz beers to bring home. I hadn't been back to SLO in a couple years and it was great to visit, so many fun memories in that city.

From SLO I took the Pacific Coast Highway, Hwy 1, up along the coast and through beautiful Big Sur. The ride was stunning as expected and I came through Monterrey and Santa Cruz, finally finishing my East of Eden "book on tape" in San Jose, perfect timing! I then turned off the radio and drove for a bit reflecting on the entire journey. I'm sure you can understand the shedding of a few tears after finally returning home. After spending no more than 5 days in a single place for the past four months, I was cruising back to familiarity with a lifetime's worth of experiences.

I pit-stopped at my apartment in San Mateo to shower and get some clothes, then just kept going over to Berkeley to meet up with Steph and some friends. It was of course great to see her after a couple weeks and I was so content to have some food and drink with good friends. I was back in the Bay and couldn't be happier!