California

The only time I visited the West Coast I traveled by thumb.

I arrived in northern Oregon and took a bus through the night to Ashland. That would be the only public transportation I opted for on that trip. I arrived early in the morning and ended up sleeping on a couch listening to a Moroccan orchestra while my friend Jocelyn let her artist friend mold a plaster casting over her chest. I spent a few days there eating ripe avocados on seedy baguettes, riding a bicycle and sitting under waterfalls in the towns little park. Joc had a few days of work to finish up before she and I could do our traveling together so I figured I'd travel north to Eugene for a few days to visit some hometown friends while I waited. I found a sweet Hungarian girl at the local co-op in Ashland who didn't want to hitchhike alone either, so she and I gathered our gear and headed for the exit ramp together. In the back of the pickup, she took my hands and said a short prayer for safety in her native tongue.

After a few days in Eugene, I met back up with Jocelyn and we started our journey down the Pacific coast...eventually landing in San Francisco.... where we were convinced we could find Harrison Ford and convince him to take us to dinner and buy us pretty things. We walked from Mission Street to Chinatown, found some great second hand shops, Joc shaved her head in the upscale women's bathroom of the downtown Macy's department store.... but we never found Indiana Jones.

A few weeks ago, my good friend's very amicable ex called me to propose flying me out there for her 30th birthday....a surprise (until last night... which is why I can now write about it on this blog!)

You just don't say no to a free trip to northern California. I'd close the shop if I couldn't get the shifts covered. It's just that simple.

So, I leave on the 10th of January, landing in Sacramento around 5pm. From there, I'll drive some rental sedan five hours north to Windy Creek, California and smother Brandi with birthday love.