Places long unseen and places never seen. The road trip is over. We went from Tijuana to Vancouver. In all, we traveled some 2100 miles up the coast. And then another 1000 miles back to Vacaville. A place I will stay for another moment. It is roughly 15 days since I left San Diego.
The trip was amazing. A guy’s road trip. We threw sticks and rocks at each other. The charcoal on my shirt from a half burned piece of driftwood. We hid in the redwoods and diverted a stream to put out a beach fire. The kindness of a stranger who was also a park ranger. And a night in the car where one man snored and another man tried to sleep on a park bench. I must confess that I had a good nights sleep. Laughter and no apologies. Dirty motels and an ex-Mormon transvestite. Alcohol and strippers. And an almost fight. Meanwhile, somewhere an elephant seal fought to prove he was the better mate.
My friend takes pictures of a stripper and her car. The joys of working for a newspaper. She models a baseball bat with humor and with ease. Even modeling you can tell that she knows how to use it. She lives in a different world and not just because of her profession.
We eat bar food. Pizza, burgers, fries, onion rings. We play pool. And our clothes smell. Two police in two states in one night. They recite the same speech, but let us go. And the same songs play over and over.
I recall that some epic journeys begin with men leaving their homes. They go to find honor and glory. I wish I knew what I go to find. Leaving San Diego was quick and surgical. An amputation complete with phantom pain. I miss my friends and the life I had. But I made my choice.