Nightglow Window

Lost In The Doldrums

The I-5 through the Central Valley is like the Doldrums from The Phantom Tollbooth, that book from childhood. It's a place so boring that thinking isn't allowed. It's a place where a tree is worth a comment and a cow a five-minute conversation. It's 471 miles from San Francisco to home, and there's no easy way to make the miles pass -- especially in a slow-mover like Big Red.

Earlier we stopped briefly in Pleasanton. We drove by my old house and elementary school. It was the first time I had been back since November 1980, when we packed up and moved to San Clemente. Not much has changed in the neighborhood, although the town itself has grown by leaps and bounds. There's even a BART station there now.

But with that highlight of the day over, we settle in for the long drive. It's all easy enough until L.A., where we hit ten miles of hard traffic. It takes every bit of nine hours to get home, but given what we've seen over the past week, the hassle is definitely worth it.

Heading up into the Grapevine.

Heading up the Grapevine.