Driving North and ROCKIN in San Rafael

According to Google Maps, today’s trip would take about 6 1/2 hours. my tendency is to make a lot of stops and to take scenic routes, so I usually increase the time stated by Google by about 25%, which would put me at about 8 hours. So I wanted to get an early start.

I had packed up and showered the night before, so as soon as I woke up, I brushed my teeth and checked out and we hit the road before 9am.

We drove for about an hour and a half before I realized, I didn’t have my coffee that morning. So I got out my Urban Spoon and found the nearest Starbucks. The stretch of highway 101 that I was on wasn’t offering anything in the way of businesses, so the nearest one was about twenty minutes east in a town called Lompoc.

River waited in the car while I got my coffee. It was hot in Lompoc. I can see how it could get really uncomfortable for a dog in a car really fast. Without the moving air, there’s nothing to cool himself with. Luckily I was in and out fast and, after checking my trusty Gas Buddy, I found that the cheapest gas in the area was on the same block, so I quickly filled up before getting back on the road.

We drove for another couple of hours until I had to pee ferociously. And even then, it was a good 45 minutes before the next rest area. By the time we passed Paso Robles, we were in the midst of the 90 degree heat of the San Joaquin Valley where were stopped and had a picnic in the sun. I spread some more avocado and this time added kale to the cauliflower on top of the pizza. It was a wonderfully refreshing and filling lunch. River drank from the tupperware container that used to hold the ice in the cooler but was now full of cold water. I laid the blanket down under the table so he could chill out while I ate. We hit the men’s room and then got back in the car for more driving.

Once we got around San Francisco, the fog returned and the temperature dropped a good twenty degrees to a comfortable mid 70s. We hit some traffic, but not as bad as LA. River got to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge for his second time, and was interested in all of the sights and smells as we drove through the city of San Francisco.

It was about 5:30 pm when we finally got to the motel room in San Rafael, so I was right in my estimation of about eight hours. I had all of these avocados still, so I used three of them and mashed them up into some finely chopped cauliflower, broccoli and kale. It was pretty good, but I would have loved to add something spicy. I was kicking myself for not saving the red chili flakes from last nights’ pizza delivery. But the good thing was a chocolate bar given to me by one of the FreeDance students. It was the perfect topper to the day. 

I don’t know why driving makes me feel worn out. I think it’s because of having to pay so much attention for so long, without a break. It is mentally exhausting. But I have no obligations for the rest of the evening, or for tomorrow.  I have a Nia class to teach at Move Me studio, and then a client who needs a massage after class at 8pm. Until then, I have nothing to do and have decided to go to bed early. 

The next morning I woke up to glorious sunshine streaming in the window on my naked butt. I guess the motel guests got a free show. I helped myself to the Motel 6 free coffee, but I’m noticing lately, that this coffee is terribly weak and has a strange flavor. Even at FREE, it’s not really worth the price. I have been visiting Starbucks the past few mornings, and this morning will probably be no exception.

And unless I want to have avocados for breakfast, I’ll have to find something else to eat out there. Since I had avocados for lunch and dinner yesterday, I kind of don’t want them. I only have two left; I wonder if I’ll get to them before they go bad.

We took a little drive to Starbucks and met a woman who wanted to stop and pet River.  She sat down next to me and we talked like we were old friends. The guy at Starbucks who helped me was also very, very friendly, telling me I ordered the best sandwich in the place, that he was going to have one on his next break, and he loved my shirt. (Angry Mickey Mouse). I asked the woman about local parks and she directed me to a nice waterfront park called Pickle Wood Park.

River and I took a walk on a trail that bordered the bay? lake? lagoon? slough? Let’s just say it was a big body of water and we had a good walk and even a little bit of a roll in the grass. I was observing River as he walked and there was no sign of any limp at all.

On the way back to the motel, I stopped to fill up with gas and was given attitude for not having my shirt on. But that’s something I’m used to. One of the burdens of being a shirtless kinda guy.

Back at the motel room, I had a client come over for a massage, and afterwards, I went to check my phone and noticed that the battery had died and I couldn’t find my charging cord anywhere. So I made a quick trip to Radio Shack to replace it.

Funny enough, Radio Shack is only a few doors down from the Move Me studio, where I’ll be teaching tonight, so I dropped in and chatted with Sarah and she told me about an organic cafe with outdoor seating that was just a block away, which saved me from a lot of searching around.

I had a delicious chicken curry wrap and then went back to my room to relax and prepared to ROCK in class.

I had a great time bringing my ROCKIN routine to San Rafael. There were quite a few Nia newbies in the room, so it was fun to bring them kind of a different flavor of Nia. We got sweaty, we laughed, we played air guitar.

Then I came back to the room and showered off, had another massage client and went to bed.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I posted a comment but I don't see it, so I'm posting again!

I so love these blog posts. I'm visualizing driving down 101 (which I have done in the late 90's) smelling the ocean breeze, wow.

River seems to be doing nicely...you are indeed a healer. I also like the image of the sun on your naked butt...I had to laugh out loud at your comment.

Even though I don't always get a chance to read these as you post them, I do love them. Have fun in your class!!

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