We Venture North

I know enough about Game of Thrones that there should be a joke here, but not enough to execute it. But if you come up with something clever, please share!

Today is travel day- and it feels like we're officially on the road. Orange has become a common destination and feels comfortable and homey. San Francisco still seems exotic and far away. And it just so happens to be our next stop. It's not completely uncharted, we stopped here last year on our way back from Oregon. And I've been to the Bay Area once prior, many years ago. But being further away gives it a feel of vacation; a destination and just a stop along the way. 

Nearly 8 hours in the car is rather uneventful overall. But we did pass a lot of cows (which we sung to- I think they liked it). There were empty fields, some large windmills, and numerous truck stops. We made a pitstop at very classy establishment somewhere north of LA- it was a generic gas station and our only goal was to use the bathroom and get a drink. The women's room was out of service, so everyone has to use the single stall men's room. I wasn't phased, and no one else was there, so I walked in. 

The bathroom was typical of a rundown gas station in a rundown gas stop town. Except for the graffiti. The toilet seat and porcelain seat were covered in etchings. Many an artist contributed to the art work adorning these surfaces. I think it's the first time I've ever seen toilet seat graffiti, so that's one for the memory book I suppose. This lovely gas station also sells shoes! Mostly very high wedge heels with velour designs on them in such stylish colors as royal blue with white vinyl stripes. I'm not sure who is buying these shoes, but they're sold "As Is". Mitch and I debated, but ultimately decided we were well enough equipped in the shoe department, so the addition of one of the 3 different pairs of leopard print heels and wedges weren't needed. 

We listened to a variety of podcasts on our drive. The best by far was Limetown- a War of the Worlds style radio broadcast about the search for information on "Limetown", a scientific community that disappeared years prior. If you're looking for a compelling story, I recommend it! 

But the best moment of the drive was when a bad joke was made, probably by Mitch, but I can't swear to it. He laughed, I laughed, he laughed some more, which made me laugh harder, which made him laugh, and on and on. We spent several minutes laughing in the silence about nothing. And it served as a reminder of the great match we are and how much fun I always have when we're together. I'm looking forward to what the rest of the summer has in store for us.