I'm home now! I got back late on Thursday night after about 12 hours of driving. Coupled with my drive from LA to San Fran on Wednesday that took roughly the same amount of time, I was exhausted and took some time to relax with the folks, so I haven't really had a chance to post until now; here's what happened:
I left LA pretty early on Wednesday, and picked up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) after Santa Barbara. I then stopped at Hearst Castle for a tour. Hearst was just some dude with lots of money, both earned and inherited, and built a huge 'ranch' on the coast to play with his celebrity friends and mistress. The castle was incredible. From the grounds, to the pools, to the rooms inside and the building itself, this dude knew how to live in luxury. Must be nice to have gobs of cash.
After leaving Hearst Castle, I drove along the coast up to Monterey. I had been looking forward to this the entire trip, and let me tell you, the sights were astonishing. The highway winded through lots of hills along the rocky coastline, so the going was a bit slow. There were lots of viewpoints along the way, and I made sure to stop and take it all in. The drive was great...just cruising along in the mountains, windows open, 70 degrees, sunny, and a nice cool breeze coming off the ocean. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
After winding my way up the PCH, I got to San Fran Wednesday night around 7 PM last night, and stayed with another fraternity brother, Andy Berkheimer, who just moved out there from Boston a little over a month ago. We hung out a bit and grabbed some good food at a trendy pan-asian place, but other than that we just crashed. I didn't do any sightseeing there, as I've been there a few times, and seeing the home stretch, I just wanted to make it back to Kent, WA in time for dinner
Then, after a month of great weather and no car breakdown, something happened on my very last day driving - my driver-side window got dislodge from its track and wouldn't go up all the way. Just my luck. But I plugged onward, figuring I'll just drive straight home. I drove all day, stopping only for gas--yes, there were things I wanted to see, but most of them I've seen before, and given they're a one day drive from home, I could always come back. I even ate while driving, trying to finish off my crackers and peanut butter in my cooler. And after driving through the mountains in northern CA and Oregon all day, I finally hit Portland...and it started raining. With my window down, the last few hours of driving were a bit wet and miserable, but I made it! Mom and Dad were waiting with dinner at the ready, and I was sure to fill up on some good eatin.
And that's pretty much it. I haven't seen my friends yet, and I'm going to start looking for a job now. SO: I'll update with my job search, and with pics of me partying with friends. Once I figure out where I'm going to end up living, I'll have to make another road trip--this time to get my stuff from North Attleboro to my final destination. Since there's more to my travels, stay tuned, and check out the pics of Hearst Castle and the PCH, both below and in the Photo Album. And, I want to thank everyone for supporting me, from those I crashed with to those well-wishers I left behind--you've all been great!
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