town country town country

Entered the US to little fanfare, except for the payment of $6 for the pleasure of giving the federal government my fingerprints and a mugshot. Easier than I had expected. First hurdle overcome.

Three nights in a hotel while I acclimatised and recovered from jetlag, then three in the friendly if slightly chaotic Green Tortoise (above the needle exchange -- playing good block/ bad block to get to the mini mart for beers in the evenings), one in almost complete isolation on Vashon Island, a 10 minute ferry ride, across the Puget Sound, and then, after a slightly fraught but eventually victorious day used-car shopping, the beginning of a slow crawl down highway 101 and the west coast of washington, oregon, and northern california. Met too many crazy people to list, and nearly stacked the truck on many occasions from the sheer draw-jopping beauty of the coastline vistas. Even if things are slightly spoiled by the surfeit of seniors in RVs and official "vista point"s.

After six days driving, including 2 nights sleeping in the back of the truck (ouch, it actually gets pretty cold at night, even despite those walmart-purchased $4 fleece throws lining my three-season sleeping bag), I am now happy to be cooling my heels in San Fran -- altho I am already on my second hostel. There's about 7 in town, each with different qualities, and in different areas. Or perhaps I just can't get out of the habit of continual onward movement.

The map is indeed not the territory: I have found it almost impossible to estimate driving times from looking at the trusty rand mcnally (last year's issue (that's the '05 one, go figure) can be bought at a 60% discount from walmart, hoo-yah for corporate destruction of downtown shopping districts). An hour's hiking in the redwood forests of NorCal became 3 when I seriously underestimated the scale of the map, and I had to accept a lift from a couple of liberal seniors the last part. They were not impressed to find that despite my cute english accent I was destroying planet hourly with my 15mpg Suburban. That bothers me somewhat too. Not enough though.

Enough for now. San Fran rocks tho. Apart from all the homeless people, rudies, and crackheads. But hey, It's America Stupid.

Till the next hostel with free internet...