Thanks Jeff! :-)
ToxicGumbo wrote:those who put up with...I mean put you up during your stay.
ROFL!!! A bit of both, I assure you! :-)
I had been talking for a couple months about wanting to buy a purpose-oriented car, FreeEMS it, and then go on a highly-documented road trip around the US to other members' places, but it seems that's exactly what you flew in and already did.
Not really, as I explained, the FreeEMS aspect was an afterthought and very light duty, work wise. The intention was to meet some of my online friends and do a great US road trip. Also, it was only FreeEMSed for the last 900 miles / 1500 km, and only visited four houses/groups of people in that time. That'll come out in the last chapter of the story :-)
I DO want to do what you've suggested though, and I want to arrive to a car that's already been prepared for me by someone else so as to save time as 3 months max tourist stay is not enough when you have to get setup before you do anything. I've, for a few years, intended to pay someone at a starting point to prepare a vehicle for me, arrive, change ownership, drink wine, and start driving! :-) It's still a dream for now, and will likely happen on my way back to NZ from Spain the final time as all other holidays will be time-pressured and NZ-focused until then.
Next time you're in the San Fran area, take tours of Alcatraz and definitely of the Napa & Sonoma valleys.
Yes, and Sequoia National Park also! I'd also like to get to some of the areas that I didn't see at all the first time, mostly top corners and bottom centre.
I'm floored at how much wine was consumed & stashed. Would have loved to have seen a cop's face had you been pulled over.
I did get pulled over! Three times, and in fact, one of those times belongs in this chapter, but there were no associated photographs, so I missed it! Good spotting :-) It was somewhat embarrassing anyway, and not particularly spectacular, except that Abe had just said something like:
"Good thing there weren't cops behind us then!" To which I replied: "What? Like the ones in the mirror right now?"
Classic movie-spec Californian cops! They reminded me of liquid metal man from T2. I'm glad they didn't slip on a glove :-)
It's especially meaningful to me that you didn't avoid the less polished areas of the coastal suburbs and that you took the time to gather thoughts on the matter.
It was in LA where that theme began, though I continued it throughout the entire trip, as you'll see.
Again, great work. Thanks for sharing and remember that this is your home now too.
Awww shucks! Thanks Jeff :-)
Fred.
