Big Bear 2

Last day of the year today.  2008 ground by – oh, wait, it didn’t, mostly.  I’m so in the habit of a dim outlook on this life that apparently I have forgotten that this has been my best year, pretty much Ever.

My Cali-Blue isn’t new any more – I passed 11,000 miles yesterday (but darn it, I missed the odometer turning over to 11,111 – only see that once per car).  I just drove and bought gas.  I did write down the mileage at each fill up, so when I get ambitious, I can look and see what kind of gas mileage  I got, but I didn’t try for mileage.  The speed limit in California is mostly 70 on the highways, so I drove 70 -75 (and found that the car REALLY LIKES 70+).

I’ve got to work on my "going on a trip" routine.  I dawdled around Monday and then said to myself "oh shit, I gotta go!" and, ahem.  Forgot stuff.  Charger for my phone?  At home. I’ll be getting another phone real soon (Qwest wants me to switch to Verizon, and I need another new phone for that) but staying in touch is sort of addicting (and I can call California’s road advisory line if I got a phone) so maybe I’ll go to Radio Shack and see if I can get a car charger.

Minor problems.  I’ve been doing this exact drive, PDX to BB, for almost 20 years now. I came to Oregon from Japan in 1987, and drove down to see Jhni for the first time in a few years in 88.  I have seen the roads change in that time – once upon a time, the highway past Mt. Shasta was a two lane scary road to share with big trucks.  Way back when, the National speed limit was 55 mph, and I got used to driving at 62 miles an hour (and ya know, the ONLY speeding ticket I’ve ever gotten was this year, as I was driving along and thinking of the operation I’d have to have to fix my neck discs that were out of place.  Told the Judge about that and he cut the fine in half)

I haven’t washed the car for a couple of weeks now – the snow in Portland kept me from doing that, and so now, my Cali-Blue looks like it was rode hard and put away wet – I’ll get some pictures up next week, I think.  Turns out that I didn’t take many pictures coming down- I just drove.  I did print out a dozen 8×10’s of my picts to share with family, and gave Jhni her choice of the prints.

(She’s working this morning, but when she gets back, we’ll go get some big clasp envelopes for the pictures and maybe find a car charger for my phone…)

Last day of 2008.  Wow.

*****