Road Trip

This has been one of the longest drives of my life. I went on an epic road trip with three of my friends up to Salinas from Orange County. That's over seven hundred miles round trip, and over twelve hours stuck in a Camry.

All credit to the driver, who used his own car and drove both ways. I don't think I have the endurance for that. I'm surprised he didn't want to trade driving duties halfway.

The trip started off less than stellar. I went to work early so I could leave early. I wasn't productive since I only had four hours of sleep. Then the internet at work goes to crap when I'm on the last task. I wasted half an hour waiting for things to load. I was forced to finish at home, cutting into my preparation time.

It didn't matter, because instead of leaving at four like we planned, we departed at five, straight into the meat grinder known as LA traffic.

After an arduous drive, we dropped by a Denny's. Service was slow and we were in the middle of nowhere. There was a family with like fifteen kids all dressed up living on the prairie style. Probably homemade clothes.

When it came to getting drinks, everybody got iced coffee except me. Way to make me look bad, guys. But it turned out great, because I got coffee on the house. Thanks a lot, guys. Too bad the waitress got our orders mixed up and I ended up paying for it anyways. Screw you, waitress.

When we returned to the road, it was dark. After a few wrong turns here and there, along with a disgusting restroom break and a near collision with incoming traffic on a one lane road, we found ourselves on a desolate stretch through the mountains that went for more than fifty miles with nary a soul in sight. The radio was rolling out old tunes and the contrast was tailor made horror movie atmosphere. Remember "Home" from the X-Files anyone?

It was a lonely winding path complete with crackling radio and zero cell service. To make things worse, we learned that our host in Salinas encountered a big problem. His water heater broke down and we wouldn't be able to use the shower, sink, or toilet. What a fantastic trip.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case by the time we arrived, but we ended up having to go without hot water. The cold shower sucked, but at least we had the toilet.

We got there well past midnight and played Texas Hold 'Em until 3. Didn't win a single hand. I went to sleep. We had a big day tomorrow.

Morning came and we were still reeling. I skipped out on the cold morning shower. We went to an Indian curry place called Avatar. Not bad. I like curry.

Afterwards, we made the long trip on Pacific Coast Highway to Big Sur. It was an incredibly scenic route with fantastic coastal views, seaside bluffs, and varied landscapes. We were literally in the clouds. I left the window down for a refreshing cold blast on my face. We crossed the famous Bixby Bridge and traversed a mix of sights that ranged from rolling hills and grassy knolls to dense forests.

Big Sur itself was a big disappointment. It's the mobile games of hiking, super casual and so easy even a kid can do it. And the waterfall I wanted to see so much ended up being a tiny stream at the beach. Great views but a bad hike.

We hit up Cannery Row at Monterey for a look around downtown. It's a lively street with an eclectic assortment of shops. My favorite in particular had a bunch of different Buddha statues. He seems to like taking baths with all the water fountains around. Some of the stuff reminds me of Sagat's stage in Street Fighter.

The highlight of the trip was when we debated whether it was a log or an otter floating off the pier. One of us was sure it was an otter even though it wasn't moving at all, and the rest of us were dead set on it being a log.

We went back and forth until the "log" sprang to life. It was an otter after all. Amazing plot twist. It was chilling like no one's business. That's why it barely budged.

We got home, ate pizza, and watched Cain lose. What followed was a long philosophical debate about enlightenment, truth, and reality, along with personal research into schizophrenia. Two of my friends are psychiatric therapists, so you can see where my due diligence comes from. I got a lot of good ideas for Love Sick because of our discussion.

We chatted a bit next morning and ate leftover pizza for breakfast. It was time to go home. We set off on the long journey southward.

We took a brief detour through wine country. There were dozens of vineyards here, and it was crazy to see fields of crops along the slopes. Aside from a couple oil fields, it's really all farmland along the way home with sparse sightings of cows.

I'm still in the car as I write this on my phone, but by the time I post this, I'll be safe and sound at home. It's been one hell of a weekend, but it was fun! Time to get ready for E3, baby!

Update: Turns out I'll post this after the big conferences. It has been the E3 of dreams. I don't know if I'll even post Love Sick this week.

Maybe.