Day 19 - 06/20/2008

I woke up anyway. I have a vague memory of Lydia quietly directing Pat to a portion of the wrap-around couch in the living room with me and the guys, and Josh & Johanna standing nearby, ready to turn and go to one of the upstairs bedrooms. I gave Josh and Johanna each a quick hug, not even getting out of bed, and fell right back to sleep. As I drifted off, I heard Josh say he wanted to stay out here with all of us.

I woke for good around five in the morning. I tried to go back to sleep, but to no avail. I even knitted for awhile in bed. I couldn’t believe how quiet it was upstairs. That’s not a connotative adjective for a room of sleeping teenage guys.

I went downstairs to use the bathroom and heard giggling from the big bedroom. I walked over and saw that almost everyone was awake: Rose, Carolyn, Mary, Amanda, Jordan, Jenna, Julia (still sleeping) and Jessica. Apparently my quiet upstairs was a sharp contrast to the “symphony” that went on last night downstairs, and they were all laughing about it. Except Amanda, she was pretty grumpy about it.

We all took our time getting ready for the day, because we’re on vacation. I had some time to talk with Johanna, and was very glad to see her, Pat and Josh. We had breakfast, and then discussed plans to go to the gym again. I was sore from all the arm and chest work I had done yesterday, and was planning to just go swimming, but it was already 11 a.m. when we finished breakfast. So I decided to shower and hit the road instead. I needed to get home because Jon and Kandi’s wedding is tomorrow.

So I quickly packed my car, said good-bye to everyone (which takes awhile), and drove off. In spite of my best planning efforts yesterday, I realized I would need to fill up here to make it back through Yosemite. As I expected, gas is higher ($5.09/gallon) out here. Oh well.

Driving through Yosemite was both breathtaking and frustrating. When I got stuck behind a line of cars or an RV, I just tried to pull off at a place where I could take some pictures, but those were few and far between when staying on the main road.

About 15 miles from the turnoff to head south on the 41 to Fresno, I saw a guy with his thumb out. I hadn’t picked up any hitchhikers on this trip, in spite of my best efforts to find people to help, so I pulled over and asked him where he was headed. In an Australian accent, he told me he was headed to Glacier Point. We figured out that just going my way would get him partway there, so I made some space for his backpack in the backseat, and invited him in. His name is Bob, and he’s “on holiday” from Australia. He really wants to see some of the National Parks here, and so I gave him some recommendations of ones on the west coast that I’ve been to or through. We talked as I drove, about work, life, our respective countries, etc. He was a really nice guy.

We arrived at his turnoff, and I was just going to let him out, but then I saw the sign “Glacier Point – 16 miles.” And he wasn’t just going there; he was returning. His car was already there, and he had hiked out yesterday, I think. It was an uphill road, too. As much as I wanted to get home quickly, I just couldn’t leave him there. So I took him all the way up. It gave us a chance to talk some more, and it wasn’t too long before we got to the top. I let him out, wished him well, and then started heading back down. The advantage to that was having seen some beautiful view points on the way up, I knew where to turn off to take some pictures, and I got some beautiful shots.

Heading home took me through Oakhurst, and finally to Fresno.

It was HOT here! Before going home, I stopped to take care of some errands. I went and got a wedding present for Jon and Kandi. I have to give a shout-out to Bed, Bath & Beyond because of their EXCELLENT customer service. I walked in, and looking at the long lines, tried to find a clerk to point me to the gift registry kiosk. It turns out they have a manned station area (rather than just a machine like at Target or Sears) for gift registries. Seeing how tired, hot and flustered I was, they gave me a cold bottle of water and patiently let me figure out how to form words. They helped me every step of the way, including quickly gift-wrapping it at no extra charge. If I ever find a wife, we’re registering there for our wedding.

After stopping to get gas again, I drove by the post office to confirm their open hours to pick up my mail tomorrow and drove home. Not only was it boiling outside, but inside my apartment as well. If it was 95 inside, I can only imagine how bad it was outside. Nonetheless, I emptied my car. I had to get ready for my next trip. Chicago, here I come!

Thanks to those of you who had the stamina to read through this journal. I had fun making the journey, and hope the documentation of it blessed you as it did me.