Welcome! To California

Our adventurers have arrived in California. Driving for over 30 hours straight; coming to the realization of the endlessness that is Texas; determining that it was all worth it after seeing the Texan sunset; battling the horrors of downtown El Paso; being - at one point - a mere six blocks from the Mexican border; never being able to actually see the New Mexican scenery because it was the middle of the night; getting caught in a great migration of RVs and dirt bikes; finally realizing that the Los Angeles traffic and roadways are the eleventh and and twelfth (respectively) final plagues of God; and seeing the amazing mountains that sit just on the north side of Los Angeles. They sit in a Bakersfield hotel, only three hours from Mountain View.

I'll have more information and pictures soon.

Thanksgiving

Well, we've made it to Bastrop. Two states down, five to be completed. We now get to rest for a few days to recover from all the driving. We also get to restock our Mountain Dew supply.

For those statisticians out there, we're averaging approximately 20 mpg. For a reference point, the Sentra typically gets 30 mpg on highway trips. So it's not doing too bad. At this rate we'll be stopping every 240 miles to refuel.

Yesterday we got to take laps into and out of a gas station in Mississippi. The chain that is securing the trailer to the hitch decided to fall off every time we pulled out onto the road. I was content to do this for the rest of the night, but Dad had the better idea of stopping in the road and fixing it.

My suspicions were right about the feel of the drive. After a few miles, you don't really notice the trailer any more. Plus, now that our speed has been capped off at around 70 mph the drive is less stressful. It's not like we can pass people, so we don't have to even worry about it. I'm starting to have more empathy for those truck drivers.

Also, Mama Joyce has informed me that the picture of me that graces the top of the page is not a good one. She has also informed me that she doesn't want her picture there. I'll try to find something that works for everyone.

Good-Bye Alabama

The trailer has been packed to the top. In an amazing display of geometric power, Abby and I managed to get both the dresser and the full size bed inside. Along with all the other crap that I've decided couldn't be lived without. I'll have pictures to display at a later date.

Mom and I both took turns driving the now fully loaded trailer around the neighborhood to get a feel for how it drives. It is not pleasant. The trailer is like a monster on a leash at times. It pulls and pushes and swings and swerves. And boy does is make the car go slow. But I'm hoping that once it gets on the interstate and gets moving along it will settle in and accept its journey.

Now it's off for a six hour drive to Mama Joyce and Smitty's for Thanksgiving. I'm excited to get to visit with them. It's crazy how well the timing and location worked out. It's just a short trip off the interstate. Perfection.

Until then, good-bye Alabama.

The Trailer Cometh

So I just went an picked up the trailer. Apparently Uhaul incorporates a laissez-faire approach to renting trailers. "Do you have a reservation?" "Yes." "Okay, the trailers are over there, go ahead and get one." And I was off! But I guess there is no real danger in people stealing these things. They are a pain to drive with. Stopping must now be planned out a mile ahead of time. I feel sorry for any animals that decide to play chicken with my car with this thing attached. They won't win.

And for a bit of size reference, here's a picture of Abby inside the trailer. It's small. But I still think I'm going to get a full size bed in there if I angle it juuust right. Maybe I can just saw the box spring in half.

"What's that behind her?" "Has Justin already begun to pack and load the trailer?" "He's such a go-getter!" No, I'm sad to say the packing has not been started yet. Those are shoes that apparently were not wanted by the previous renter. She must have thought that the next person that uses the trailer would need some new heels. But the thing is, I don't need new heels. They also left us a hanger. I might actually use that.

Something tells me they didn't have to pay their ten dollar I-didn't-clean-out-my-trailer fee. I just don't think Uhaul cares that much in such a laissez-faire trailer market.

The Apartment

I finally got word of my acceptance for my apartment. So I'll share a few details.

The complex is called Heatherstone. It sits right in the armpit of El Camino Real (the main road that cuts through Silicon Valley) and Highway 85. [Map] It's about 7 miles from where I'll be working. [Map] My office is about a mile from the Stanford campus. I'm hoping to draw mental power from them in some way. Do they make hats for things like this?

It's 750 sq. ft. and has relatively new appliances. The only two appliances that will probably be missed are a washer / dryer unit and air conditioning. I've yet to live in a place without A/C. I realize that there are places in this world that do not in fact need A/C, but when you tell me that you're taking my A/C away, my heart starts beating a little bit faster. It's funny (sad?) how this issue is probably what worries me the most out of this whole trip. The floor plan:

An interesting fact is that I have not actually been to the apartment complex. I've only seen a few pictures and talked to a nice lady on the phone. If you're ever looking for a fun adventure, why not try renting a place for a year before you check it out? But the Internet seemed to say it was okay.

Also, there is an Ikea roughly 5-7 miles down the road from the apartment. I'm sure this will come in handy on more than one occasion.

Two Days And Counting

I'm starting the real effort in packing up everything I've accumulated over the years. I've had things in semi-logical groupings (Mom would call these "messy") since leaving Auburn, but now the process of picking out the needs has begun. It's a good opportunity to purge those things I really don't need. It's amazing what you can get rid of when you have to fit your life into an 8' x 4' x 4' box.

So today belongs to more formal logical groupings. I'll probably get around to finalizing clothes as well. Tomorrow I'll be able to pick up the trailer and get a better idea of what's going to fit.

Below is the route out west. We'll be spending Thanksgiving in Bastrop, LA with Mama Joyce and Smitty. Then it's off across Texas, and hug the border until we reach Los Angeles. It's then a straight shot up the west coast to Mountain View. In all, right around 2,500 miles of open road.


I've yet to "worry" over the move. I don't think the realization has hit me yet. Even through all the planning. Even through all the money that has to be spent to make a move of this sort happen. Even through all the good-byes. I'm curious to see how my emotions play out over the next few days.

As a final note: this blog will most likely not contain cute baby pictures. That department has been monopolized.