My way home and scenic detours …

Though I reluctantly gave up on the idea of “simply” swinging by to see granddaughter Juno in Nelson, BC., I feel 100% better this morning than when I stopped driving last night. I was thinking how fatigue robs us of some of our joy, so today I feel like my usually-cheery self again.

Yesterday I definitely took my very own path to get to Medford, Oregon from Camarillo. Having made an educated decision to take the freeway 101 up to some point north and then deke over to the Interstate 5, I set off at 3:30 AM with some confidence. I stopped for fuel in some sleepy town at 5 am, and continued on, then stopped for breakfast in another couple of hours.

I was enjoying my drive through or by San Jose and San “everything else”, when I realized I had missed some chances to switch to #5. Then I saw “101 via Golden Gate Bridge”, and I thought, “Oooh, that sounds like a good idea!”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge

At this point, my darling Shay is probably thinking, “Oh no…”. This route seriously changed direction, then, and took me back through a populous area of San Fransisco and into narrow streets, construction, lane closures and irritable drivers. At least I still had fuel in my tank.

And hey! I got to see communities just like I’ve only seen in movies! Streets so steep that you can’t believe the vehicles can park. I saw the famous trolley cars alongside hybrid electric buses, and San Fransisco sight seeing buses too. The traffic was bumper-to-bumper, with nowhere to stop, rest or turn back. Rarely (but thankfully) I would see a sign that suggested I was still, at least, heading in the direction of my foolish decision, “G G Bridge”, or a tiny “101”.

And then I could see the bridge and the ramp that led to it. Oh My God. I knew if I took the ramp that somehow told me it was my last chance to escape, I would find myself in another community of S.F. with little chance of finding my way back to another suitable freeway. I had already spent an extra hour in traffic.

So over the bridge I went. My fat little hands were clenched on the steering wheel, knuckles white, and … the fog or smog was so dense that I couldn’t see the water or anything below.

Then I was out the other side, and getting closer to the coast and pondering whether I wanted to wend my way all the way up to Canada on THAT route. There were few chances to pull over to look at a map (or PEE, I was beginning to realize). My iPad and iPhone navigators could not help me.

Eventually, I recognized the name of a town on the highway I5 and took that off ramp. That led onto a two lane road with congested traffic, construction and the odd emergency vehicle requiring all travellers to pull over and slow or stop. I observed what seemed like an entire family being searched at the roadside. Yikes! THIS isn’t what I signed up for either!

Because of my extremely early departure time from Camarillo, it wasn’t even noon yet.

I drove along thinking what I would say in my Blog. Really, though, the rest of the day’s journey was relatively straightforward. I thought of asking our friend Kerry if I could sleep on her couch, but it was too early to stop for the night when I was in her vicinity.

I drove from 3:30 am to 8:30 pm yesterday. Kind of stupid. But I’m well rested now, and anxious to take part in the complimentary breakfast. It’s almost 7, and I need to make tracks! 🐾🐾🐾

Love you for reading my blog. Talk later!