Thursday, January 8, 2015

Day 4: Waynesville Again

You never see it coming. I haven't forgotten a can of soda in the freezer since I was a kid. I am only vaguely aware of the consequences, and never on the lookout.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

The temperature dropped to a single degree last night. While we were inside by a fire, three cans of pop split open and went everywhere. I had them spread out in every possible section of the car. Once the aftermath was discovered, it took about a half hour off of my life. Everything out; everything in. I used an ice scraper inside the car to shovel frozen bits around. "Good enough."

Aside from Soda-Debacle 2015, it was a fairly lazy day. Evan went to work - snowboard instructing - and Kristin and I got moving some time in the afternoon. We hit the thrift stores in town and came back with some books. Easy.

Our plan is to buy books while we're traveling and ship them in to our account along the way. That's the plan, but we really don't have to. Our sales accounts are going like gangbusters, and we could probably pay for this whole trip twice by now. I'm not bragging about having money - that sort of thing goes in waves - but for the first time in a long time, I don't feel like the bottom might fall out of the bag.

I'm keeping an eye on the United States, and the story is the same for a great distance in every direction. Cold. New Orleans looks manageable, and the sparse expanses of southeastern California desert seem to reach the 70's consistently. Soon we will go there. I am ready to don some shorts and scrape my kicks through dirty sand.

4 comments:

miked said...

I wanted to let you know that I read every one of your posts, and hope you keep them coming for the trip! Your soda episode made me laugh. Can't wait to hear how your first full night in the car works out!

Jonas said...

SoCal, east of the cities, is awesome. I may have some recommendations for you when you're out there, but you already know about some of the weirdness that exists there.

Pixy Stoneskipper said...

Yo Jonas - I'll take any suggestions you have. I am not exactly the Earl Of Planning, so besides Slab City and the Salton Sea, I've got precious few ideas. I got lost in a Wikipedia vortex of ghost town information about a year ago, and thought "I will go to those," and now I'm pointed at that mess without any real memory of specifics.

I will be seeing Mary, almost for sure. We might go as far north as Salinas and Big Sur, and maybe even hazard into Oregon. Headed east, I'd like to buy legal weed. Those are all the ideas I have. Got others? Please share.

Yours Truly,
Christopher J. Harne
Earl Of Fukabout

Jonas said...

Since you mention it, you must do Big Sur and and the Monterey Penninsula. Do not attempt free camping in Big Sur, unless you want to backpack to one of the many designated sights miles inland, in which case you will still need to leave your car in a legitimate parking area that will cost you at least $5. Approximately $35 for a spot at one of the road-side campgrounds could be considered money well spent, because early morning in Big Sur is incredible.

I enjoyed driving north through the Salinas valley a few years back, but mostly because of my love for Steinbeck. It is not in itself an unmissable experience. The Steinbeck museum in Salinas is worth the $15 admission for serious fans and those who spend with abandon, but it's not a must-see. They do have the real Rocinante. The Steinbeck house is a few blocks away. It's a house.

The better destination for Steinbeck fans and everyone else is the town of Monterey. While a little touristy and a little expensive, it still has plenty of "charm". There will be harbor seals on the beach and you will still be able to picture The Pirate tromping around with his dogs. There might even be a real bum hanging out. A bicycle ride along the coastal path would be the perfect way to enjoy the area. I didn't have my bike when I was there.

I'll save my ideas about SoCal for later. I got excited thinking about the Central California Coast. California is a hell of a place, I tell you.