"Get out the map, get out the map lay your finger anywhere down."

I really do love a road trip.

I got to HippyChick's and BeeDragon's house Saturday afternoon. HippyChick was feeling up to the trip, but decided to spend the first part of the drive napping in the back seat, which means I got shotgun for a bit!



They have the best fuzzy dice!



The ride down to Morro Bay from the Bay Area is mostly along US Hwy 101. This stretch runs smack in the middle of a valley. The hills you see in the picture above are very similar to the hills you would see from the other side of the car. It's a facinating juxtaposition of farm land (saw vineyards, cows, horses, etc) and the still brown hills. They'll turn green once we start getting some rain this winter.



There was also this well...from the little known California oil industry. Not that it helps much. We stopped to fill up the tank on the way back not far from here and paid the highest gas prices we've seen in a bit.



There is nothing so unique about road trips as the lovely rest stops that are kept up by the different State Highway departments. "Upkeep" can have many different interpretations across this great nation. California has minimal, but clean rest stops. I just wish that the hand dryer in the one on the way there wasn't set to arctic! Oh, and the above is a public service announcement by skate legend Tony Hawk that was in the rest stop kiosk. He cares about California...maybe he should run for governor next!



After yesterday's drive into Morro Bay, I now wonder why the idea of riding off into the sunset was ever romantic. As this picture clearly shows, it's just hard on the eyes.



Morro Bay is a lovely little town...sadly the first real way that you know that you've gotten there from Hwy 1 is when you see the 3 smoke stakes of the power station.



Morro Rock is a much more respectable landmark and quickly comes into site.

When we got into town, we settled into our hotel and HippyChick and I had a quick hot tub and chat. Then we got all girlied up and went to the party.

P'tit Loup's house was lit with lot's of lights and already there was a ton of people. Her husband had the grill going (with dead beast) outside. There was food and drink galore inside. It was a blast hanging out with the Kid, seeing and chatting with people I'd met on previous visits, meeting new folks, especially from P'tit Loup's work.

HippyChick and BeeDragon tired out early and went back to the hotel. I stayed and hung out until the very end. The Kid and P'tit Loup were kind enough to drive me back to the hotel.

P'tit Loup was the belle of the ball of course. It was clear from the gifts that she got that people really have a sense of who she is and what she likes...it is also clear with how people were comfortable and festive that she is well loved and makes everyone comfortable with themselves. She exhibited her ability to kick, stretch and kick several times that evening, so we know that she is a very spry and young 50!

Slept well...which is not always true for me in a hotel room. And woke to a hazy head and feeling dehydrated. I guess partying 2 weekends in a row really takes it's toll.

After breakfast, I convinced HippyChick and BeeDragon to go down to the water for just a bit.



The surf was up...there were a good number of surfers out and more coming in as we left. It was sunny (rare for Morro Bay mornings) and a good breeze. I think I could have stayed there all day! But alas, we had to hit the road.



But not before I got that shot of a seagull for Red!



And here are the hills as we were leaving Morro Bay. This picture was actually from the trip there as seen through the rear window, but I couldn't get a good shot of us heading into them. And sadly it doesn't quite do them the justice they deserve. Just suffice it to say, going from the beauty of the surf to the beauty of these hills in less than 20 minutes makes me appreciate California all the more.

I was pleased to see that you all liked my last idea for a post. I'd thought it before, and others have kind of done it spontaneously, but still...

On a wild tangent, I thought I would share 2 additional reasons that I can add to how I know I'm a geek/freak: 1) I used an analogy from the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring to describe some internal feelings to my therapist last week. 2) I have a recurrent fantasy set in a post-apocolyptic society/community which, interestingly enough Fox seems to have insight into (inadvertently through his/her interpretation of the appeal of "Lost").

That's enough from me for tonight. I'm posting this on Sunday, but it will stand as my Monday post since many people won't be seeing it until tomorrow anyway.