OTIS AND THE BIKE RIDE

Car Life

Monday, August 27, 2007 - Day 67

So yesterday was ended around 4am at a rest stop, with falling asleep in the front seat. Today was begun at 7am, at the same rest stop, with Gifford starting the car. He couldn't sleep, evidently, and wanted to continue driving. The man had not really slept, had driven all day for the last two days, but he wanted to keep driving. I don't understand. To me that's much harder than biking 70 miles two days in a row.

On we pushed, Giff driving all the way until southern Oregon. We traded drivers probably around 1pm. Other than a not so amazing breakfast at Denny's, we were on the road the whole time. Luckily, however, we made a little bed in the back so that the nondriver can nap. It worked out well. I slept a bit while Giff drove. It's amazing how easy it is to fall asleep in a car. I think it must be the gentle motion. We're used to being rocked as babies, so we find comfort in that side to side motion. Of course having 9 hours of sleep in the last two days definitely makes it easier to fall asleep as well.

So I drove for about two hours throught the rest of Oregon, into California, stopping in Weed to get some food. Going over the mountains in southern Oregon and the northern tip of Cali, I kept thinking about how much I wanted to get out of the car and jump on my bike. We climbed up some good hills. At the top would be a sign denoting a 6% grade or so for the next 5 miles. That would be some descent, I tell ya. I think I could easily get up to 40mph on something like that. Unfortunately Gifford was alseep in the back and my bike was in three pieces, the wheels removed to make for easier storage in the SUV. Otherwise I would have had no problem just telling Giff to pick me up at the bottom. Oh yes, I must find some hills like that in Orange County or L.A., something where I can really enjoy the downhill without worry of stopping or such.

In Weed, I stopped at a grocery store and picked up an old favorite. Actually two old favorites. I got some apples and a carrot and, of course, kiwi and a can of chili. One might think that I would be tired of that cuisine, but that one would be wrong. Kiwi is the best fruit and chili is an amazing meal, always. Giff was awake now and didn't want to wait for me to eat my chili (which was cold, of course), so he ended up driving again. He drove for several more hours until almost sunset. The sky was beginning to glow with pink when we traded again. I finished up most of the rest of the night until we got to Fresno. There we stopped to enjoy a southern California treat which neither of us had eaten in a while - In-n-Out. They sure do make a tasty burger. I hadn't eaten there since about day 3 of my journey. We had a delicious fast food meal there, and Giff resumed driving responsibilities. Big surprise.

We were not going too much further to his grandfather's ranch. The ranch looks great so far, but it is dark. The moon is so bright, however, that much can be seen for nighttime. His grandfather is not living there currently, so we have an entire house to ourselves. There is a comfy bed with my name on it. I am exhausted. Tomorrow he is going to show me around the ranch and the area a bit. The ranch is huge, evidently. I'm so fascinated by ranch life lately. I want to learn more about it and the kind of people that live it.

Currently we're only just over 200 miles outside of L.A., so tomorrow is going to be a relatively short day. We shall return to the place where this journey began 67 days ago, to Joey's house. Very fitting. I'm really excited to see friends again, people I haven't seen in two months. I am worried, however, about expectations. I know it will not be an easy adjustment back into the swing of city life. The first few days will invariably be exciting, seeing people, catching up, hanging out, but life must resume for everyone and will already be going on for everyone else. I will need to figure out pretty quickly what I need to be doing. I need to keep myself busy, keep my mind sharp, make sure I'm doing what I need and want to be doing. I can't expect it to be a great hangout for a few weeks. Most likely it will last a few days before it fizzles out and settles down. I need to prepare myself for that downturn. It can be a harsh one. At least I have many tools that I have learned for myself. I have much more direction and confidence in my life currently, and I feel I have the mindset and drive to make sure that I continue to make the most of my life, despite the fact that I am back in Southern California. I'm not going to let this area defeat me or depress me like it did before. I think I can do it.

It's all day by day.

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