|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We left Menlo Park, California, around 2:00 PM in our old Pontiac 1988, tons of luggages, Roberto, I and Ernie, my plant. Why someone would bring a plant across the country is beyond me, yet that is exactly what we are doing. Sentimental reasons, I suppose. Ernie was the plant I inherited from my late advisor, and I don't want to part with it. I trust in his resilience: Ernie is strong and doesn't need too much room.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saxophone packed at its best. Hope the moving company won't destroy it.
|
|
|
All our belongings are here all well packed as possible. See you in Virginia, hopefully!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cooked from the heat but relaxed for the long trip.
|
|
|
Engine always asking to be taken in for a check. Ahi ahi.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Struck in the middle of nowhere. Hot as Hell.
|
|
|
|
|
Our first stop was not too far away: Mountain View, our favorite Japanese restaurant, no more than 8 miles from home. How could we leave without a last California sushi?? We got to the road pretty fast, and all was well until we took road 152, linking 101 to Interstate 5. A huge, huge line of cars waited under the sun. It took us almost one hour to gain 15 miles. And I still don't understand why! Anyway, it gave us a chance to look at the fields in the San Joaquin Valley. Sometimes we forget how much California depends on irrigation. I wonder if they have salinization problems ... I guess I should have read my Californian environmental history more carefully.
Roberto and I were a bit intrigued with what seemed to be road courtesy: twice, when we were on the left lane, trucks switched lanes to be ahead of us, due to something happening on the shoulder. The first time there was a police cruise on the shoulder, the second time, just a stopped car. Roberto thought the truck driver might have wanted to warn us about the presence of the police. I think they couldn't care less about us, the drivers just wanted to leave enough room between them and whatever is happening on the shoulder, to avoid accidents.
|
|
|
|
We finally arrived to Bakersfield (which I kept calling Barkesville) at 8:00 PM. It was not yet dark, so we decided to go a bit further. Then we realize that the next lodging area would be at Tehachapi (which I kept calling Tegucigalpa). Since there was few alternatives for hotesl/motels, the motel was a bit more expensive than what we expected. Oh well. We had a great picnic in the hotel room (by then the restaurants were all closed) with bread, chocolate, cheese, fruit and goiabada ... a Brazilian confiture made of guava, thanks Abi! The idea was to wake up early in the next day, to avoid the heat at the Mojave Desert. See you tomorrow.
Lise
|
|
|
|
Menlo Park, CA - Tehachapi, CA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
