All gone to look for America
So as you may know, our younger son John just graduated from Berklee School of Music in Boston. And like a salmon returning to its home creek, John was ready to high-tail it back to the Bay Area (very specifically, The People’s Republic of Berkeley) the moment he had his diploma in hand.
It had been earlier determined that we were going to give John and his brother, David, our ’97 Honda Accord to share. So there was John in Boston, the Honda Accord in Asheville, and both of them needing to get to Berkeley, California.
So some combination of fatherly love and synapse misfirings caused me to look up from my computer and say to Lisa, “Well, how about John and I drive the Honda from Boston to Berkeley?”
I guess it was just yesterday, Wed. the 19th, that I arrived at John’s condo a few blocks from Fenway Park and found that my son was literally vibrating with the need to be Out of Boston, Right Now. Our original plans to pack, organize, clean yesterday and leave today had vibrated out the door.
In nine hours, we made three trips to the post office, shipped 30 boxes to California, [1] made our way to the south side of Boston for a Goodwill drop, went to REI to purchase and install a cartop carrier, [2] and to John’s roommate’s boyfriend’s house to retrieve a guitar amp being stored there. That all got us to here:
This is the Honda, double-parked outside John’s condo. If nothing else, I finally understand how city denizens take double-parking completely for granted; you just do it.
At 9:30 PM last night, we rolled out west on I-90. “Call your mom”, I said. “You guys left tonight?!?!? You’re crazy.” An insomniac delayed-sleep-phase music school graduate and a poker player? We put Sly and the Family Stone on the car stereo and made four hours before crashing at a Microtel in western New York.
P.S. As I was taking this picture, the security guard at the condo across the street came out to see what was going on – he clearly thought I was documenting a traffic accident (probably the correct result from Occam’s Razor). “No – we’re headed out on a 3000-mile drive to California.” “Holy shit.” “Indeed.” “So, travel safely and… God bless.” You all know I’m not religious, but if he wants to have a word with his deity in our favor, I’ll take it – there are a lot of of 18-wheelers out here with no brakes and half-asleep drivers.
[1] Note to brother David: “Duck!”
[2] Madpropz to Evan at the Boston REI who installed the whole thing in 30 minutes with true workmanship.
I really enjoy being able to share your travels – you tell it so well. Thanks and continued safe journeying.
Will suppress my envy enough to say, “Enjoy, boys.”
No envy needed, Brad. I would lay long odds that you will take one or three such trips with Uno and/or Dos. And then you will blog about it and I will chuckle with the memories.
How cool is this…I make my students in my 20th Century US class read Kerouac’s On the Road so I feel like I should hand John a copy when he gets to the Bay Area. Having driven out from Wisconsin myself I know the challenges and beauty of that drive. Travel safe, enjoy the scenery, and stop by if you have a free moment when you get out here!
Too late. John read that years ago and considers it one of the cornerstones of his life view.
I’ve already determined that for Jack’s 21st b-day, we’re heading to Vegas. We might just have to drive it….
Safe travels.
As long as you take Morgan for her 21st, imo.