I was up early this morning because there was one thing I needed to accomplish. When I’d packed my bike a few days ago, I’d gotten pissed off towards the end since it took so long and feared I’d done a half-assed job. And so, I opened the box and re-did a few pieces, protecting the brake discs better and making everything fit a bit tighter. When Jonah came out with the cards, I explained that I couldn’t play until I was finished and he graciously accepted. When Ash got out of bed, he was the fill-in and they got into Phase 10 as I did the last bits of taping.

To support the volunteer firefighters within Paradise Park, we walked down to the social hall where the firies were putting on a pancake breakfast. $9 entry got us unlimited amounts of pancakes, eggs, sausages and orange juice. Like any all-you-can-eat buffet, we all went back for seconds. The pancakes were delicious, as was everything else and we enjoyed them to the scene of the “Ladder 49” movie playing on the big screen.

With no more chores for me to do back home, I was happy to enjoy my first day back in the Bay area with nothing to do! That meant me and Jonah played cards for the next two or three solid hours, playing every game that he knew how to play. It was a very laidback morning for everyone except Jayne who was trying to organise travel insurance that would cover her for paragliding. Not an easy feat in America considering the costs of evacuation and emergency care should she fall out of the sky. She was online and on the phone the whole morning while Ash napped on the window bed, Ross helped out where he could and Jen coordinated the maybe-sale of their wood burning stove to a couple that came round to see it.

Eventually Jayne gave up and so Ash and her packed a few more things into the Astro, then they were ready to go. Wow, it was really happening now! We did the handshake photo in front of the van to officially document the handover then it was time to leave. I hugged Jen and Ross, happy to have met such great people and Jonah gave me a huge hug before he let me go. I piled me stuff onto the bed and crawled in. Ash took the wheel and we drove away, me waving out the window as we left Paradise.

It took us over an hour to drive into San Fran, getting hotter as we left Santa Cruz, then cooler again as we reached the fog of the inlet. Ash seemed comfortable in the driver’s seat and I was feeling pretty neutral about the whole situation. I had seen it coming for such a long time I’d gotten used to the idea. We parked outside V’s apartment complex and J&Z stayed in the car while I tried to figure out where I needed to go. Once I had it sorted, I came back out to get my gear and J&A came with me to help carry stuff. Knowing this would be the last time I’d see the Astro, I said an awkward goodbye and we walked to the elevators.

When the key didn’t work in the door to V’s apartment, we all had a go but couldn’t figure it out so I told J&A they might as well go while I got in touch with V to figure this out. I hugged them both and wished them well on their new journey. I didn’t have to ask them to look after my girl, I knew they would.

I eventually discovered I was in the wrong building so I carried all my gear (looking like an overloaded idiot) in circles until I found the correct building and worked my way to V’s front door. I dumped my stuff in the corner of the fancy housing then went straight out again to meet V out at a bar. Her, Kyle and a mate of his had just come out of the Giants baseball game at the AT&T stadium across the road and were holed up in a bar called Lord George. I found it easily enough, it was only a block and a half away and I sat down at their table, relieved to have a distraction from the huge life change that had just happened. I met Kyle and Matt Harris and we got to know each other over a plate of oysters (I did not partake) and a jug of beer.

After nibbling on a bit more food and hearing some stories from the boys, we uber’d across town to a tiki bar at the bottom of a hotel. We were easily the youngest ones there since it was all full of older professionals staying at the hotel who didn’t care how much they paid for their drinks. I paid $60 for a cocktail drink shared between four people and knew before tasting it that it was a complete rip off. Filled mostly with ice, we could hardly taste the alcohol and we definitely didn’t feel it. We stood by the indoor pool sipping on our straws, commenting on the gimmick that was the rain that fell into the pool.

The next place we uber’d to was called Tupelo, a much more grungy place that suited me perfectly and the drink prices were right. Sitting by the window, we had another round of drinks with some wings and talked nonstop, laughing considerably at each other’s quips. These guys were a lot of fun. By 10pm, just as the band started playing, we were all ready to call it a night. We said goodbye to Matt Harris then me, Kyle and V walked home. We stopped on the way to buy more beer and ice cream and it was a nice walk in the warm air, a rare thing for San Francisco.

At the apartment, we sat in V’s living room talking a while longer drinking the new beer. V didn’t last, she fell asleep on the couch after two mouthfuls of ice cream. The happy couple went to bed and I took up my position on the couch, too tired with my head spinning to think too much about the fact that I was now vanless.