There have been many adventures (which is what I call the unexpected and sometimes frightening things that happen).
I left Southern California on Saturday morning, Aug 11th and was heading for San Mateo to Casie's wedding. My confidence level wasn't very high yet with towing but some hitch adjustments by Chuck make a huge difference and the towing experience transformed to smooth, smooth sailing and much better braking as well - I get it now.
Although I have a big hitch on the back on my car I don't have the engine upgrades for a tow package. Does that matter? Well, we'll see. The morning started off early and I was on the freeway by about 8:30am with an estimated arrival time of about 2:30pm thanks to GyPSy's acute sense of drive times and distances. You go girl !! The wedding wasn't until 6:00pm so I felt that there was plenty of time and anything that came my way would be alright and there would be time for stops and some relaxation. Well there was time for stops, but somewhat different that I anticipated. The first stop came about half way up the Grapevine. Ella started overheating (and now, after the fact I need to apologize to her because it was my fault - sorry Ella). Since she's the only way forward in my life right now I had to pull over and let her cool off. I did that wrong too... Here's what I've learned: my car defaults to overdrive, I should take it out of overdrive. I should NOT drive my car in 2nd gear with overdrive on. If the car starts overheating you should try and drive faster, rev the engine and keep the air flowing. If you do decide to pull over, don't turn the car off because the fan stops and the engine just keeps getting hotter. Oh and did I mention the heat wave?
One stop on the Grapevine would lead to two. Luckily both times there was a safe place for me to pull over. GyPSy was still keeping track of our arrival time and it started to slip to 3:30 and then 4:00pm, and then GyPSy did something I've not seen her do before, she found a FASTER way to get there. What a dear. She made a suggestion for a new route and I thought, well even if just shaves off a couple of minutes, every little bit helps right? Well unless it means going over another Pass !! So Ella made it about 2/3 way up only this time there was no where to pull over. I ended up half in a lane and half on the shoulder and these HUGE trucks laden with garlic ripping by me. The positive: I was close to the top of a long straight stretch so people could see me. The negative: I couldn't see people coming up behind me because of Miss Perception. Another great opportunity for my heart to beat out of my chest and really feel like I was alive. It always seems that when we've precariously put ourselves in a unsafe situations we feel "really alive" because there's a higher chance that we might die. (I'm fine though mom, please don't worry).
So by virtue of a heat wave, Ella overheating and GyPSy telling me that my arrival time would now be closer to 5:24pm this little Canadian was sweating bullets and melting as the day progressed. When all was said and done I rolled into the lovely Crystal Springs Golf Course at 5:24pm. I figured out where the overflow parking was and thought that I'd better get changed and head up to the clubhouse for the wedding. The wedding wasn't at the clubhouse but rather about 2 miles down the road at the gazebo. My timing was perfect, it was now about 5:40pm, Casie's limo was parked outside with her wedding party which included her sister Justine who I recognized right away; Casey was just coming out of the clubhouse for some last minute arrangements and some friends of hers pulled up, I hijacked their back seat and they were able to give me a ride down to the gazebo with about 10 minutes to spare before the wedding started.
The wedding was incredible. There was so much love between Casie and Brian it was one of the loveliest weddings I've ever experienced. Congratulations you two !!
The guy who looks like he's singing opera in the background is the minster, he was great, had a wonderful sense of humour and a really sweet spirit.
The golf course was nice enough to let me boon dock overnight. I was able to find a flat spot and get my jacks down to have a great night sleep after a wonderful dinner and reception.
This was the first morning where I've been able to sleep in so my Sunday morning never existed. I slept right through til about noon. When I finally got up and ready to leave something that had been weighing heavily on my mind since I arrived became a reality. I was almost out of gas. Luckily GyPSy was able to find a wonderful gas station quite close by, less than 2 miles. When I started out on the way GyPSy recommended I started going down these residential streets, noticing that the area was quite affluent based on the size of the houses and the yards. If you've ever been to the Bay area you'll know that it's not known for it's flat streets. GyPSy started taking me down these roads that were soooo narrow, all the while the needle was hovering closer to and then on the red line. The streets continued to get narrower and narrower. I decided to accept this as GyPSy's plan for the day and that I would just enjoy the scenery which I would otherwise not have had the opportunity to see. The neighbourhoods were lovely, the trees were tall and lined the streets... it reminded me of Bel Air in Beverley Hills. Between downshifting and trying to burn through my brakes, hoping the fuel lasted til I rolled into the gas station, I finally got out of the residential area to a larger street, but not before having to navigate through a narrow road with cars parked on both sides of the street. At one point there was less than 2 inches on either side of Miss Perception as we squeezed through just crawling along. At this point my confidence for hauling Miss Perception through narrow, winding streets has boosted itself up and my confidence is growing in avoiding obstacles (parked cars) when moving forward.
Sunday was filled with some familiar roads heading up to Fort Bragg. Miss Perception got her first view of the Golden Gate Bridge under a bit of fog but as we made our way over the bridge the fog cleared up. Everything went along fairly well during the drive. I would have to take the narrow and winding 128 in order to reach the coast. Things started off ok and Miss Perception handled so well, she tracks right behind Ella and there's never a question of balance or stability, everything is rock solid... except for my ability keep Ella cool while heading uphill. Naturally there was an unexpected stop in our journey as Ella got overheated (I know better now... these types of entries will stop now).
I found a safe place to pull over, it was hot, the sun was pounding down and the Garry Oaks were not large enough to provide any shade. I went and sat in the back seat where there was a bit of shade and tuned up my ukulele and played "I want to marry a lighthouse keeper" a few times, that made me relax a bit and the hold the panic of accidental car demise at bay. Eventually Ella cooled off and we were back on our way.
One of my favourite parts of the 128 is where it winds through the Redwood Forest. I've always imagined pulling my airstream over and taking some lovely pictures in the dark, cool dampness of the forest with the giant trees around. Today was the day I'd get to make that dream come true !! There are lots of good places to safely pull off the road and so here is where I took that chance.
It was a happy reunion pulling into Deb and Denny's place. I was exhausted, had a headache and just needed a shower but that all had to wait until I got to show of the little Miss.
Denny has been amazing. He helped me turn the whole rig around in the driveway and then back Miss Perception up into "the old driveway" where she sits between two buildings. Denny was also able to help me with the awning so Miss Perception has her awning out (pictures tomorrow) and I think she's even cuter... if that's even possible. There are a few oxidation spots which Denny can help me with as well so which I'm quite excited about. There are several things to still figure out but both Deb and Denny are tinkerers so I'm sure we'll make some good strides in my Airstream Education this week.
Since I've been torturing Ella she's at the car spa (aka the Dodge dealership) and is having her back rubbed and her nails painted. The great service team will put some new parts in and make her happier. Between her upgrade and my education I think we'll be much happier when we face the hills together in our future.
So today (Tuesday) makes 14 days on the ROMP Tour. I'm waiting on parts for Ella and the title transfer from the DMV. If we can get both of those items completed before Friday then I may be able to head north on the weekend. I need to give the border 72 hours notice of the "importation" of my large, taxable purchase while in the US. The adventure continues. I'm learning to accept things one day at a time and that plans sometimes come undone but I've got a safe place to rest and sleep and I'm constantly surrounded by friends - that's what's most important.
