Just finished up a long road-trip out to California and back, 1100 miles each way. Was out visiting some friends and family, which was nice. Since I have family both where I am and in Cali, though, I usually end up hauling a bunch of stuff each way when I go. Last time it was a box full of my grandma's old things (I didn't look, so it could really have been anything I guess), this time it was tools. My cousin (kind of, by marriage, it's complicated) wanted me to pick up the tool chest he left at his workplace in El Paso when he had to leave town rather suddenly. I didn't ask why. I don't want to know. Anyway I figure, "What the hell, I've never been to El Paso." Fortunately, even if he was in some kind of trouble, nobody seemed to take notice of me. El Paso was okay, though. Wouldn't want to live there, I'm not really a hot-weather guy. Also, it's right across the border to Juarez, and Juarez is bad juju, basically the murder capital of North America. Not exactly a pleasant vacation spot. Apologies to anyone who lives in Juarez, but damn.
Coming back from Cali I took a different route than usual; instead of going down highway 99 through the central valley, I went up to Carson City and down 395 through Bishop. Nice drive, damned fine country. All mountain valleys and craggy peaks, forested hills and scrubland and tiny little towns, low-key tourist traps. Wouldn't mind living out there if I had the scratch.
Then I went down to Barstow and out I-40 heading East. Spent all damn day in the desert, but the heat didn't hit me until I was just outside of Barstow... and it hit like a freight train. One minute everything's fine, the next it's like somebody opened the door to an oven right in front of my face. Turns out it was only like 104 or something, but it felt hotter. Heh. I was in a daze by the time I hit Kingman. Good times, though. 12-pack of soda in an ice chest, chain-smoking cigarillos, switching out CDs in my crappy cd player with its ancient tape cassette adapter. That's how I like to travel.
One of these days I'm gonna just wake up one morning, pack my gear, and drive East until I hit ocean. Then maybe I'll turn left and drive until I hit Canada. Never been through much of the Eastern Seaboard, just a little when I was a kid. One day maybe I'll get to see all 50 states; right now I'm only at 20, and some of those don't really count because I was a kid and just passing through.
I also need to get a passport. I'm only a half-day's drive from Mexico, I should really go see what it's like while I can. Plus I have a friend in Australia who has been bugging me to visit, but that's a lot of money and flight time just to drop in and say hi. Maybe someday, when I've got a few grand and a few weeks to burn.
