The long ride home

La Jolla to Mountain View - 518 miles

Spent the weekend with my Aunt and Uncle in La Jolla. They have a great house with a view of the ocean and the weather was wonderful. They don't bother with things like WiFi - so no updates from their house.

Got home very late last night after about an 8 hour drive.

Got up early Sunday morning and spent the morning on Coronado Island (see pic, not mine but it looked so cool I had to steal it!) - cruising down the beach, and watching all the people go by. Drove down to the border crossing at Tijuana. Didn't go into Mexico, no time, and did not bring the passport. But since I was so close, I thought I'd make the trip go all the full length of the state.

Got into work this a.m. to another avalanche of work. Had lunch with my buddy Lynn, who caught me up on all the gossip. Rumors of layoffs, as the economy tanks, and our stock price is at a 17 year low (lucky for me I don't have any). Word is Tony got 2 margin calls in one day. Also, it turns out there is a certain receptionist who was seen taking a long lunch with the newly divorced manager. Newly divorced manager just turned 50 and bought a Porsche. In my book he gets an F for originality - OK your going through a mid-life crisis, but put some imagination into it, will ya?

Anyway looks like a late night, with dinner from the vending machines. Or maybe I'll treat myself to the indian restaurant down the street. I'm hungry.

Sushi Nazi

Irvine to La Jolla - 87 Miles

Had dinner with Larry at Wasabi Sushi in Irvine. This place is pretty incredible. There are no prices, there is no menu. The Sushi Chef may turn you away if he doesn't like the looks of you. It is a small hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall and very unassuming. The sushi chef decides what you will eat, and at the end he makes up a price. You will eat what he serves you, and you're done when he decides. He has really fresh fish.

The sushi was outstanding. Among the best I've had. The chef was quite perceptive. He looked at me and served me various tuna, including albacore, which I love. Then he gave me a limpet (Opihi, if you're from Hawaii). This is something that I normally won't eat - he chopped it up finely and made a mousse, and seared the top with a blow torch, like you'd do with a creme brule - creating a great taste and texture. He looked at me again, shook his head and said "No Tako for you". (tako is octopus) I smiled and nodded. He broke out in a big grin. He read me right. But he truly is the sushi nazi.

Larry is doing well for himself. He picked up the check for dinner (over my protests), and it was not cheap. He claimed that he cannot brag about doing well, and not grab the check - I guess he's right. No steady girl-buddy, but that does not surprise me. He spends too much time in the office.

Today, I'm off the visit my Aunt and Uncle in La Jolla.

Old Days

Huntington Beach to Irvine - 18 miles

Chrissy has an incredible zest for life. We stayed up 'till 3 in the a.m. almost finished a bottle of tequila and reminisced about the old days. She's kept in touch with more people than I have. I learned about who's getting married, who's getting divorced, and (in 1 case) who's going to jail. Yes, I now have a former classmate who is incarcerated. Yeah, I went to a *good* school.

Chrissy's got some guy she's been dating for about 6 weeks, I give it another 2. She had her heart broke something awful back in our sophomore year in college. Since then I haven't seen her get attached to anyone. That's kinda sad. But she seems really happy.

Tonight I'm going to see my buddy Larry, also a school-mate from way back when. Larry lives in Irvine. He's a corporate lawyer - plays monopoly with real buildings. Buys and sells shopping centers and commercial real estate, that sort of thing. Has a disgusting amount of money, unless he's lost it all in the down-turn.

Day - whatever

I'm on vacation. I can't remember what day this is. Seems like the end of the vacation should be soon, darn.

Malibu to Huntington Beach - 58 miles

Made my way down to Huntington beach where I'm visiting my good friend Chrissy. I've known her forever - since at least the second grade. Chrissy was a math major in college and was scary smart - although I never knew what she was going to do with a math degree. She works for some aerospace company doing I don't know what - and I don't think I'm supposed to know. Something about national security - probably a front for the CIA or NSA.

Chrissy has a small townhouse a few blocks off the beach, and she agreed to put me up for this night when I called. She travels a lot so I wasn't sure if she'd be in town.

Chrissy is like a sister to me. And we can talk about anything - and I mean anything. She has told me, in very graphic detail, what a yeast infection is and what the cures are like. In middle school she told me how girls masturbate and why I should always keep my fingernails very well trimmed and as smooth as possible. It's kinda cool and gross at the same time. I think it gave me a pretty unique perspective on girls. Everyone should have a friend like Chrissy.

She is a serial dater, keeping a guy for one or two months and then dumping him. She seems to really enjoy it, but I thought she'd settle down as she got older. Not yet (well, we'll see if she has any 80 proof confessions). She's pretty enough to have a steady stream of guys coming to her door.

She's always been a big tequila drinker, so I'm bringing a bottle of patron silver (see "what I'm drinking..."). It will be good to catch up with her.

I can't leave...

... and you can't make me go.

Yes, I know, I said I love Santa Barbara - but that was before I saw Malibu. Now I love Malibu. I can be so fickle. Is that so wrong?

This place is unbelievable. I know why movie stars pay a fortune to live here.

Fantastic room service breakfasts in bed, and the ocean out my door. The weather is perfect. Pretty girls walk by in bikinis.

Dined last night at the Sage Room - no link, couldn't find a web site for it. Good Italian food and fish. I'm guessing they focus on the food and not the technology. Based on the crowd there, they don't need to advertise.

Malibu

Or Living Like a Movie Star

Santa Barbara to Malibu - 69 Miles

OMG! I was driving down California's Highway 1, and saw this awesome hotel on the beach. I am sure that I've seen this in movies. It's on the beach in Malibu. Nestled between movie star houses. I pulled into the parking lot and went to the front desk. I chatted up the pretty girl working there. She was able to give me a good deal on a bottom floor room (well, good for Malibu), right on the beach. You can hear the waves, and taste the salt air. This is like camping, only there's a toilet, hot running water, 350 thread count sheets, and room service. I'll report on how good the room service is tomorrow.

Right now, surf's up - right out side my room.

This place is awesome.

Santa Barbara

Morro Bay to Santa Barbara - 118 miles

I love this town. If money were no object, I could live here. There's a relaxed attitude, a casual elegance. It is an incredibly target rich environment for good food. I got a motel where I can hear the waves from my room. It's too expensive for beach-front in this town, but I'm close.

I'm going to go decide where to have dinner.

More Camping

Big Sur to Morro Bay - 91 Miles

Spent the last few days camping, and making my way down the coast of Big Sur in central California. I spent the few nights before that in some really nice hotels, and a man can only take so much really good food and luxury - and if I ever get to that point I'll let you know. But, of course, there is the practical matter of being able to afford this trip down the coast. And I got in some good surfing, too.

Yesterday I met up with a nice group of folks surfing near my campsite on the beach. They were kind enough to invite me to their campfire and to dinner. I'm not sure their campfire was legal - there are a bunch of wild-fires going on here in southern California - and there are signs all over the park saying "no camp fires", but this was out on the beach near the water and the wind was blowing off-shore. Which blows any sparks out to sea - and creates great surfing conditions. They broke out a case of really cheap beer and we drank until the early morning. While I'm not a great fan of american beer, I graciously accepted their hospitality.

One of the girls needed to get to San Luis Obispo today and asked me to give her a lift. I kinda thought that maybe she wanted to spend some time with me alone, but while she was a bit tipsy she said, "I hope you're not the kind of perv that's going to ask me to blow you while you drive." mm-kay... Not that I wouldn't like it, but that kind of thing only happens to the guys who live in Penthouse Forum letters - so I won't be asking. "Nope, I'm not that kind of perv" I replied. I left her to wonder what kind of perv I am. She took a ride with me anyway.

It was nice to have some company on the drive. There's great scenery, but it was good to talk with someone. She made fun of almost all the music on my iPod and tried to figure out my life from the receipts in my glove box - gas, truck repairs, dry cleaning and laundry, too many from burger king, and a bunch from K&L wines in palo alto. She told me that I am anal, since I had the oil changed in my truck at almost exactly 5000 mile intervals, I have gay tendencies since I visited the dry cleaners almost every week - that shows that I cared way to much about clothes to be straight, and that I can not handle my money, as I often spent more than $50 on a bottle of wine. "There's lots of wine there for under $15" I protested. At which point she decided I am an alcoholic. Hmm, what do your receipts say about you?

Anyway, I dropped her off at the college in SLO, and then headed back to Morro Bay, where I found a not-too-expensive hotel - with free WiFi.

I'm going to wash out all the salt and sand out of everything I own.

It's good to back in civilization.

Day 4

Carmel to Big Sur - 42 Miles

I think I'm getting fat. After a wonderful dinner at Citronelle, I had a room service breakfast this morning. And followed that up with a late lunch (or early dinner) at Nepenthe - good food, great wine, awesome views.

I sat and soaked up the view and drank too much, climbed in the back of the truck to sleep it off.

After I was ready to drive, made my way down the coast a bit to a campsite, and pitched a tent for the night.

Actual sign on the side of the road:

Day 3

Monterey to Carmel by the Sea - 11 miles

Yup, I'm really roughing it. Decided to play tourist in Monterey. Went to Cannery Row, The Aquarium, hung out on the waterfront. Spent the night in a corner balcony room at the Monterey Plaza hotel. The hotel is right on the water, and a pretty nice place. Sat out on my balcony and watched the sunset (well, OK, fade into the clouds) and enjoyed a bottle of really good chardonnay. The weather was surprisingly good for mid-November.

Moved down the road a bit and am spending tonight at the Carmel Valley Ranch. Damn this place is nice. I could really get used to living like this. Dinner tonight at Citronelle.

Day 2

Santa Cruz to Monterrey - 51 miles

I was really planning to make some progress today, but I stopped by the side of the road near Marina beach and watched folks hang gliding. They fly right on the beach. It's amazing. I really want to try this one day. Turned out the flight school was closed on Mondays, so I couldn't take an impromptu lesson. And the winds were higher than recommended for a beginner.

I talked with a few of the pilots. I think I''m really going to do this sometime this summer.

Just what I need - another expensive outdoor hobby.

Road Trip - part 2

Mountain View to Sant Cruz - 38 Miles.

Going through Santa Cruz lately puts a knot in my stomach. Sarah and I got engaged there and spent a lot of time in that town. One of our hangouts was the crows nest. Yes, it's a cheesy beach restaurant. They serve mediocre food. The decor is tacky. But they have a patio that over looks the yacht harbor, and you can sit there and swill drinks with umbrellas and pineapple in them while you watch the boats go in and out.

We used to take off work early on Wednesdays in the summer and watch the boat races. Good times.

I started my southerly drive with the intent of making some good progress (I have lots of folks to visit in LA and San Diego). But I found myself at the Crow's Nest - taking my usual table at the window overlooking the water. And the waitress (who knows me) kept bringing the drinks. I wasn't drunk, but I had more to drink than was good for driving. So I made my way to a motel up the street.

I'll get further tomorrow.

Back in the Office

Mountain View to Coos Bay and back - about 1,200 miles

I'm back in the office after a 2 week road trip. Actually, this was part 1 of the road trip - stay tuned for part 2 next week. Even though I was generally checking e-mail for major disasters while I was away, work sure does pile up. I can't believe how many e-mails I get in a week.

The trip took me up highways california 1 and U.S. 101 up the california and oregon coasts. Best moment: when a cute blonde tried to pick me up in a bar in Eureka (it didn't work out, but it's the thought that counts, right?) A close second was the Halloween party at the beach house in Eureka. Worst moment: Shortly after the cute blonde tried to pick me up.

Anywho, I need to pile through 3 weeks of work here in the next few days. And I just wasted the past hour at the coffee bar regaling Lynn with my exploits over the past 2 weeks.

Why wasn't I born rich?

Day 15

Coos Bay to Mountain View - 547 Miles

Need to get back to the office. Suspending my travel rule against superhighways. Actually, broke all my rules of the road

10 hours. Long. Boring. Painful.

Day 14

Eureka to Gold Beach, OR - 139 miles

Overcast and drizzly – not a real good day to be out.

But what were you expecting - Welcome to Oregon! In November.

Not sure why I left Eureka. Nice folks. Cheap houses. Surfing at least as good as the bay area. Better paddling and windsurfing. Cute girls.

I think I fell a little bit in love.

Gold Beach is nice. Small town feel. Stayed at a small beachfront motel. Nothing special. Smelled like my Grandma’s house.

I’m ready to head home.

Halloween Party

It was an epic Halloween party – and I had no costume. It was threatening to rain. Nothing more than a mist fell. It was cold, but we built a bon fire on the beach and huddled around it until well past the witching hour.

I’m on a road trip up the California coast – but have spent most of the last week in Eureka. I’m staying with my new surfing buddies and they insisted that I hang around for their Halloween bash. There was lots of booze, and, I’m sure, more.

A stunning beauty in a French maid costume (oh la la!) caught my eye early in the evening. I’ve really got a thing for the French maid, but then what red blooded American boy doesn’t. Despite using every charm that I have, she wanted nothing more than a good night kiss. I think the fact that I’m leaving in a day or two killed the deal. She did spend most of the evening flirting with me – which was very nice. I did give her my jacket, as her costume was way too skimpy for the cold evening.

But in the end, she ruffled my hair, told me I was sweet, gave me a quick kiss goodnight, and walked away.
Oh, well.

Also, no sign of the party girl from the Red Lion lounge. Guess it’s not that small a town.

Day 12

Eureka to Eureka – 0 miles

Well, I was planning on continuing north, but the folks here in Eureka are just too nice. My new surfing buddies have a beautiful old Victorian house on the beach, with a wrap around porch. I can sit on the out door couch and watch the waves come in. There’s a huge fireplace in the living room. And the hospitality has been just awesome. It’s great to make new friends.

It was pretty drizzly most of yesterday, but we went for a surf anyway. They are having a huge Halloween blowout tonight, and I’m invited – so is most of the town. Hey, maybe party girl will be here. That’d be pretty cool.

Kayak Surfing

Not making much progress on my drive up the coast, but I am having a lot of fun. Got up pretty early yesterday and checked out of my hotel. Went back to Humboats and rented a kayak for the morning to do more paddling around Humboldt bay. Returned the boat in the afternoon and struck up a conversation with a guy in the kayak rental shop. He was up for some kayak surfing, but didn’t want to go solo (that’s not really safe – although I do it from time to time). I agreed to join him. I rented a surf boat and we spent the afternoon on the beach.

Turns out he has a big old run down house on the beach on the north end of town. He offered to put me up for the night. In return I bought him a quarter keg of amber ale from the lost coast brewery. That seemed to me a fair trade for lodging for the night. It also seemed to bring out all his friends. We got a bon fire going on the beach and stayed up to the wee hours of the morning. I slept on the back porch in my sleeping bag with a view of the ocean.

The next morning I got up before anyone else and explored the kitchen – I found the basics, flour, butter, eggs. etc. I went to the local grocery store and bought a bag of oranges, a pound of bacon, some buttermilk and a pound of fresh ground coffee. I whipped up a batch of buttermilk pancakes, with bacon, fresh squeezed O.J. and coffee. There were a bunch of folks that crashed overnight, they all came to the kitchen as the bacon smell made its way through the house. Everyone seemed to appreciate the effort.

I spent the morning on the back porch lazing over coffee and the paper, and borrowing their WiFi. There’s a light drizzle this morning, and I’ve decided to stay out of the rain. Later today I’m continuing my drive north.

Paddling in Eureka

Had a tough night (see prior post). After party girl woke me up and left my room, I called down to the front desk and extended my stay another night. I'm on a road trip and staying at the Red Lion in Eureka. It was about 9:30 A.M. and I was dead tired and I was not about to get up, check out, and hit the road. I put out the do not disturb sign and went back to sleep until noon.

I found an all day breakfast restaurant and had a nice eggs benedict and fresh orange juice. I lingered over coffee and the newspaper. One of the best things about being on an unscheduled vacation is the opportunity to do nothing for a while.

Eureka sits on Humboldt bay. A great spot for both surfing and windsurfing. But the wind was virtually non-existent and the waves coming on off the pacific were sloppy and unsurfable. I didn’t bring along my kayak (darn, I knew I forgot to pack something) but I was able to rent one from Humboats for the afternoon. Got in a pretty good workout – paddled for a bit over 10 miles. I’ll probably go back tomorrow. I’m gonna go sit in the hot tub.

Monday Night in Eureka

Or, How I almost got lucky in a small northern California town

After days in the wilderness I was looking forward to getting a hot shower and spending some quality time at a laundromat. I checked into the Red Lion hotel off 101. Oooh and they have a hot tub. I love those things. I checked in, took a hot shower and changed into my last set of clean clothes. I found the local laundromat and got the salt, sand, and pine needles out of my clothes.

When I got back to the hotel I sat in the hot tub for a while. It was wonderful to get warm again. Camping on the beach leaves a cold that seeps into my bones.

I went to the hotel lounge for dinner and a glass of wine. It was getting pretty late, but the kitchen was still open. I was on my second micro-brew (the wine selection was a wee bit limited) when I struck up a conversation with a couple of girls that sat down next to me. I guess the entertainment options for Eureka are pretty limited – and the Red Lion lounge has a pool table and some pinball games. Anyway, they were pretty drunk and they insisted on buying me another beer. The blonde that took the barstool next to me put her hand on my thigh and proceeded to flirt with me in a very unsubtle way. I suggested some fresh air,. She asked if I was staying at the hotel. I said I was. She pressed up against me and suggested going back to my room.

Wow. OK this kind of thing does not happen to me very often. And something in the back of my mind was wondering if I was going to be paying for this. And not in a figurative karmic sort of way. I was wondering if she was – well – a professional. OK, so I can’t just go and ask “Hey, by the way, are you a hooker?” If she’s not, then I’m screwed (or not – uh - you know what I mean) I figured if she asked for money I’d beg poverty and let her know I misunderstood – and please leave. I’m not morally opposed to prostitution. It just isn’t what I wanted to spend my pennies on tonight. Actually, I wasn’t even sure that I wanted her tonight. But, then again, she is kinda cute – and I’m kinda weak. Besides - cute, drunk, blonde, and slutty is a very rare and special combination not to be passed up.

We got to my room. We stood by the bed and she kissed me. I excused myself to the bathroom. You’ll see what a bad idea this was in a minute – but I just had 3 pints of beer, nature calls. When I came back, she was lying on the bed. Snoring very loudly. I shook her shoulder, but there was no response. She had passed out. Oh, well – now what? I thought it best to let her sleep it off.

Then she started to wretch. Oh, crap – one of the top ten reasons not to bring a drunk girl back to your hotel room. I rolled her on her side as quickly as I could and tried to hold her head over the side of the bed – and I kinda made it. But there was spew on her shirt – the bedspread – and the floor. She finished and was still blissfully oblivious.

I tried to clean up as best I could. I took off her shirt and rinsed it in the sink. Balled up the bedspread and put it in the bathroom. For the floor, after some lame attempts I went and found the night maintenance guy – it was about midnight. He had a carpet shampooer, which he brought up and we cleaned the carpet. He was pretty unfazed. I’m guessing this has happened before. She slept through it all.

Once the room was clean, I took her shoes, socks, and jeans off and pulled a blanket up over her. I was really looking forward to a good night’s sleep in a big old bed – but… Hmm. It didn’t seem right. I folded myself into the undersized couch in the room and tried to sleep.

At 4:00 a.m. since she hadn’t gotten sick again, and since I was really tired – and not able to sleep in the sofa – I climbed into bed. I usually sleep “au naturale”. But I wore some boxer-briefs (it seemed the gentlemanly thing to do) and a long sleeve tee shirt (to hide the big scar on my left arm - no one wants to wake up to that)

“Oooh,” she moaned (and not in a good way) and woke me up. She rolled over and yelped. She literally yelped when she saw me. But I think that hurt her head. Her eyes opened wide with surprise. She looked under the sheet at herself (I’m guessing to see what her state of dress/undress was) “OK, this never happens to me. Where are my clothes?”

I groaned from being woken. “Your pants are on the chair, your shirt is hanging in the shower – it’s probably still wet.”

“Oh god” she said with real panic in her voice. She wrapped the blanket around herself. She didn’t really need to, she did have a bra and panties on. She grabbed her jeans and shoes and made a beeline for the bathroom. She closed and locked the door. After a few minutes she opened the door and called out “Can I take a shower?”

“Sure” I called out. “Can I join you?” I added too softly for her to hear. She was way more fun when she was drunk. She slammed the bathroom door and locked it again. I needed to pee.

20 minutes later she came out. I was sitting on the bed. She was wearing her shirt – which was very wet. It looked like it was freshly washed. Guess I missed a spot. She moved toward the door without turning her back toward me – as if I might try to attack her or something.

“Can I drive you somewhere? Do you want to go get some breakfast?” I asked her

She snatched her purse off the table and ran out the door.

“I have an extra toothbrush, if you want it” I called out – probably too softly for her to hear.

I never even got her name.

Women. I’ll never understand them.