Day 13: California

Today was a big day for me, but doesn’t make for much reading for you. So, time to ‘fess up’ somewhat. In addition to the map, I also have a calendar that tells me roughly where I should be at any given point. And while according to the map I’m on track, in reality I’m only just catching up. Technically I was supposed to be sleeping in San Francisco last night, instead (as I’m sure you’ve read) I was in southern Oregon. So how come the mess up? Well initially I’d budgeted two nights in Moab, UT and two nights in Jackson Hole, WY. But Moab turned out to be much more of an accomplishment for me, and given that I’d done all that I wanted to do in just a few hours (more I might add than most who visited Moab did that entire day!), I dropped a day there and said I’d push on to Salt Lake City (which was never really a stop along the planned route). So at Salt Lake City (before hitting Jackson Hole) I’m on target and time. Jackson Hole then turned out to be a bit of a rich-boy’s playpen, and as a direct result of the money involved in staying there (and the small matter of no availability anywhere on the Saturday night) I dropped a night in Jackson and by the time I pulled into Spokane (or rather, autopiloted in that night) I had a day in my pocket to spare and was feeling good about myself. What I hadn’t counted on though was being late out of the blocks in Spokane which was meant to be an early departure to get in Seattle and Vancouver in the same day and spend that night in Portland, OR. OK so in hindsight that was ridiculous. Instead I opted to steal that spare night and spend it in Vancouver to give myself a decent shot at exploring the city the following morning. Enter the sleep-in in Vancouver and the spilled cola bottle and you’ve got less than 4 hours to see Vancouver with a 2 hour journey to Seattle which you haven’t even seen yet. In any case I spent the night in Seattle and saw the Space Needle instead of staying in Portland and getting to San Francisco a day earlier. Phew! All that out in the open, I headed for San Francisco this morning from rural Medford, Oregon. Here again I had to sit like a child and wait while the nice lady gave me gas and then told me because my card wasn’t accepted at the pump I’d have to go into the store and sign for it. So I literally spent 7 minutes sitting in the car when I could’ve been doing something else – that is such a stupid State Law and one I really have a problem with.

Mount Shasta from I-5

After being treated like a child (for the last time on this trip I hope) I pointed the Fusion south and set the auto pilot (read; me in a dazed mode with cruise control) to on, I left Oregon behind to enter California. Ah Cali, I love that state. As soon as I crossed into it the temperature began to rise as Mount Shasta and all its snow-capped glory lay before me. Winding around the hilltops I enjoyed this part of Interstate 5 which is, on the whole, the most boring road in the world. But a glance at the silent radio display told me stories of higher than normal temperatures outside. What had started at 65°F in the morning, had now mushroomed to 91°F despite being high in the mountains. I’d made a pact with myself again and this time I could stop in Redding (or nearby the city) and then push straight on to San Francisco. Upon Googling ‘lunch redding ca’ however, I spotted that of all the gin-joints in all of Redding, In-N-Out burger had the highest rating. So throwing caution to the wind, I smiled and looked forward to it. Pulling in I noticed people walking around in limp modes, and when I opened the car door I felt why – the temperature was reading at over 100°F (which is just around 38°C – body temperature!). I ducked inside the cool confines of the In-N-Out burger and proceeded to order some delicious food. If you’re ever in the Western United States, try them – they’re what every fast food outlet should be. Each store is wholly owned by the same person – a woman two years my senior. Her grand-parents set up the chain in 1948 and they just have the best fast food you’ll ever eat – always fresh and always satisfying. And by far the best chocolate milkshakes I’ve ever tasted. Period. So stuff it Pat McDonagh!

Only here do they look better than the pictures!

Cruising down the highway with the windows open after that delicious burger, I had a smile from ear to ear. The wind being forced inside the car by the physics of speed and velocity on surface dynamics was warm and similar to standing in front of a hair dryer turned on your face. You never get heat like this at home. Even at 70+mph the heat was still strong against my outstretched arm. And as they day wore on, the heat dissipated, and the journey lengthened. After a bout of frenzied searching for hotels online on my laptop in the car at a gas station in Williams, CA, I settled on the Comfort Inn in Oakland after reading the reviews. At €160 for two nights it was the best I could hope for in the city by the bay. Apple seemingly made some announcement that morning which caused a spike in prices. (Believe it or not I still haven’t actually seen the item in question!) And as I finally entered the home stretch driving into San Francisco on Interstate 80 (the same interstate I took from Chicago through Iowa and into Nebraska and left before entering Colorado) I remembered the route as if it hadn’t been more than 2 years since I last drove upon its raucous high-speed surface. Cruising down into Oakland it all looked the same except the Oakland Tribune building is now up for lease. I checked into the hotel, resisted the urge to fall asleep, headed out over the Bay Bridge to see the Golden Gate which was smothered in the infamous Bay Fog. Along the way I stopped by the Safeway store at Fort Mason before heading out over the fog encased bridge. After a round trip over the Richmond bridge I came back down through Oakland to stop here once more. At the moment I’m using the excellent laundry facilites with some detergent purchased earlier. I do love this city and its surrounding cities. If only I could stay forever…