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Departing from my home in San
Francisco's SOMA district
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Leaving home today was really, really difficult. I hated leaving Dan
and my home. I hated leaving the comfort of our bed. I felt sore, and
old, and nauseous. Dan was very supportive. He told me that I would
have some incredible times, and that I'd have a lot of fun. I knew that
I probably would, but I still felt sick.
Last night Dan, Brian, and I went out for dinner. While we ate, I
whined to them about my anxieties. Both Brian and Dan said that if I
didn't like it, I could simply come home. It isn't that easy... I don't
like giving up once I've started a project... but they were comforting
nonetheless.
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Stopping above Tenaya Lake in
Yosemite's high country
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Once I hit the road, however, most of my doubts simply vanished. The
van handled incredibly, driving smoothly out of the San Francisco Bay
and into the Great Central Valley. After baking for an hour across the
valley, I reached the Sierra foothills. I climbed slowly towards Yosemite,
with the emphasis on slowly. The van is clearly hauling more
weight than it's comfortable with. On some grades, I slowed to 25 mph.
Nevertheless, the suspension feels right. I'd like to lose some weight,
and I've figured out a few small things to dump... my walking stick,
my rear mosquito net, marshmallow forks. I'll lose a lot of weight by
jetisonning the water tank, which I'll probably do while driving across
the country.
Tonight we sat around the campfire talking about the next few days,
as well as safe and low-impact off-roading. (Which is a misnomer, since
we'll be on roads the whole time.)
I'm feeling better about this trip. As I type this I can hear people
talking outside the van, including the high-pitched voices of kids.
It's a relaxing, comforting sound. I'm going to make the bed and lay
down reading (Nick Hornby, High
Fidelity
)
for a while. Hopefully my white LED reading lamp won't give me a headache.
Ron
Just the facts
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Mileage driven today:
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269
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mi
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Mileage to date:
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269
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mi
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Distance from home:
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186 mi
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mi (as the crow flies)
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Distance from Ushuaia:
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7043 mi
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mi (as the crow flies)
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Altitude:
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7915
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ft
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Fuel bought today:
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25.4
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gallons
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Fuel cost today:
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$55.81
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