Ah, the last leg of the trip, the culmination, the end as it were. A mercifully short leg of driving at 6 hours or so, we were of course thrilled to land on the West Coast. On the way, we had some more laughs, especially when it came to the Border Patrol check points. This day’s travels marked the fourth stop we experienced during the trip. Here is how they went, in order, with the first being a couple days earlier.
- Stern dudes with alert canine friend. Stern dude A asks Dave his citizenship. As we both agreed later, the answer was unclear. Is it American? Or United States? Dave threw out United States and passed the test. Turning his hard glare on me in the passenger seat and saying nothing, I stated “Same.” WRONG answer. “Citizenship?” the man repeated, more sternly. Stuttering, I spit out “United States” and whimpered. Again saying nothing, he waved us on. WHOA.
- This check point was more laid back. The 2 agents were visibly goofing around and laughing when we pulled up.
- “Just the two of you clowns in there?”
- “Yup”
- “Have a good one”
- This was easily our favorite. With the real agents apparently on lunch break, there was a portly man with a crossing guard vest leaning against the security shack. With a bored look and chin full of drool, he simply waved every car through, no questions asked. We felt much safer after this check point.
- The last one of the day, as we got in California was a combination of 1 and 2. Stern but not angry. Though they had the mirrors to look beneath cars, just like in James Bond. Neato..
With only a few hours left, we floored it through desert dunes, windy mountains and fields of produce. Dave also tuned in to the 90’s Hip Hop station on Pandora. This was epic not only for the tracks being played but for how we must have appeared with the windows down, deliriously belting out lyrics. We got to Tyler’s place about 4:30, just in time for him to wrap up work and go surfing. The waves were fun and the ocean felt AMAZING.
For dinner, we met up with Dan and Kim at the Priority Public House in Leucadia. The following was consumed:
- Peanut Butter Milk Stout by Belching Beaver – best beer of all time
- Rogue Dead Guy Ale
- Omission Lager
- Green Flash 30th Street Pale Ale
- Scotch
- How many of each of these liquids were gulped is unclear
- Specialty Fries – parmesan, garlic and gorgonzola
- Sliders Sampler – pulled pork, short rib and spicy sausage
- PPH Burger – stuffed with jalepenos and chipotles, topped with cheese and house made pickles
- Blackened Shrimp Po Boy
- Pulled Pork
- Mac n Cheese with Crab
- Mac n Cheese with Bacon
- And I’m missing something else here.
Also important is noting how awesome the people working there are. From the host to the waitress to the guy bringing out drinks, super friendly bunch. You should go there.
Dave found a convenient short term place to stay via AirBnb and I shared a bed with Tyler. The next morning, Tyler claimed his tummy was upset but wasn’t sure why. I regaled his roommates with the above list – they laughed. I also suggested they not enter his room for at least 3 days while it was aerated.
Tyler and I did some work on the following day, Friday, while Dave checked out a place to live, scraped bugs off the Audi and got some errands done. We met for coffee and food and generally marveled, as usual, at the incredible atmosphere and lifestyle of SoCal. That afternoon, all 3 of us went surfing. The waves were AWESOME, and we were all fried by the end of the day. I flew out the following morning and Dave is lining up a place to live. Overall, a ROCKIN’ trip and with lots of fun had by all. Wish Dave luck on his new beginnings, I know he’s gonna kill it!
The Bologna Foot 