Personal Dork Assistant

On the Road

It's surprisingly difficult to fit a 10-hour block of time into one's day. Procrastinated enough so that I ended up eating lunch in San Diego and didn't leave until 2pm. This meant that I ran smack-on into the Orange Crush around 3pm. Found myself stuck behind a car with a Syracuse University sticker, in one of life's little coincidences. Decided to take 57 North instead of sticking on I-5, since the traffic was only to going to get worse. Had to crawl for a while on 57, too, but it was smooth sailing once I got past the I-10 interchance. If crawling through northern Orange County rush hour isn't hell itself, it's a good approximation. Hey, they finally extended the 210 East extension to San Bernardino! So even more people can commute across the entire width of the LA Basin from the Inland Empire to downtown. I guess Orange County isn't that bad, when compared to San Bernardino. The freeway extension sure did its job, as traffic piled up to fill all the new capacity and then some on 210 East. Thank god I was travelling in the anti-commute direction. Got back on I-5 and escaped the Santa Clarita valley just in time to leave the commuters behind. Hit the Grapevine at the time of the day when the sun was high enough to highlight the expansive blue sky and thin white clouds, but low enough to impart a golden glow to everything on the ground. No, I shouldn't be taking in the scenary when going 80MPH downhill on a twisty road with lots of big-rig trucks around.

Finally had the chance to stop in at the Kettleman City In-n-Out. Somebody at InO Corporate needs to get a kick in the ass because it's a fucking crime to only have one outlet on I-5 between Castaic and I-580. It's a slam dunk, considering that the only competition along the highway is other fast-food chains, and everyone already knows that In-n-Out kicks their collective ass. Got the best In-n-Out fries I've ever had, good fresh potato flavor, with great golden color and crispy skin, unlike the usual limpy production. It's about as good as you can make fries without double-frying.

Got nailed by the county sheriff in Dublin for going 85 in a 65 zone. No, safe speed in the middle of nowhere is not the same as safe speed in the middle of suburbia. Time to go back to school. Nevertheless, even with the stops for gas, food, and police I managed to click off 513 miles in under nine hours. I've done better, but I got there.