Alarm off at 6:45am, I was up for another shower. Vanessa was up shortly after for her morning routine. When I was ready, I said I’d meet her in the garage and went down to do some more organising with my bags and to put her car back in order. She met me at the garage exit and I navigated the early morning San Fran traffic to drop her off at the Caltrain station for her to get to work. She was generously giving me the run of her car another day for me to run around before getting on my flight. I gave her a hug and wished her a happy day at work, feeling a little bit like a Mum dropped her kid off at school.
From San Fran, I drove down to Palo Alto to SLAC where I met Ross outside the compound to drop off my hiking pack. He was going to hold it for me, along with my duffle bag and bike box which he already had, until I came back from Phoenix to fly home from SF. We spent ten minutes catching up, him telling me about the slide escapades from Paradise Park and Jayne’s movements. I couldn’t stay long though, so I thanked him profusely, then head to the next thing on my to-do list.
Rob couldn’t meet me at Tesla’s design office until 9:30am so that gave me just enough time to drive to the closest car wash and give the Mini a good clean. In one of those self-serve stations, I swiped my credit card and within five minutes, the beige machine was looking all shiny and new. I drove then to Deer Creek to Tesla where I could meet Rob and collect the few things I’d left in his car after the Dome. I valet parked (for free, thanks Tesla) and waited outside the main entrance for my friend. Thankfully, I didn’t see anyone I knew and just enjoyed the view of the Model 3s lining up in front of me. I was grateful I didn’t have anything to do with the stress of building one.
Rob was a little late, but he eventually drove up with Theresa and gave me a big hug, which I returned. Again I couldn’t stay long, so we only had time for a few quick words, the exchange of photos and my belongings. Another big hug and he was off. See you another time Rob!
Back in the Mini, I now raced over to Kylie’s place to drop off the National Parks Pass she’d lent me for the trip to Yosemite. Emma was in preschool and Oliver was asleep so we had time to exchange a few stories, but when Oliver cried from the next room, I took that as my cue and jumped back in the Mini after a quick hug. My last stop was Vanessa’s work, where I’d be saying goodbye to her and the Mini that had been my faithful steed the last few days.
I let V know my eta and arrived around 10:30am. I got all my stuff out and waited at the kerb for my friend while sussing out Ubers to the airport. When 10:45am rolled around, I couldn’t wait anymore and I knew Vanessa was in a meeting she probably couldn’t get out of. I sent her a message letting her know I was leaving her keys under the front tyre and ordered myself and Uber. A nice guy in a Nissan SUV came up a few minutes later and after one last look at the front door, I hopped in and we drove away. Bye Vanessa, you’ve been such a great (and unlikely) friend, I’ll see you at the farm for Christmas!
I was quiet in the Uber to begin with, the reality of leaving my friends in the Bay area finally sinking in, but when my driver started talking about the weather, I was distracted for the rest of the trip. My timing at the airport was perfect. I walked into the Oakland terminal, dropped a checked bag that I’d managed to get for free by applying for some credit card, went through security where I had to remove my Teva sandals to get through, got myself some Chinese for lunch, then boarded once I’d finished. In hindsight, I’d probably cut it a bit close, but I’d made it onto my first flight.
The plane was so small that my carry-on backpack wouldn’t fit in the overhead compartment, so I had to waddle down to the front of the plane where I dropped it off for gate collection. This was a new feature! I settled into my tiny seat next to an overweight lady and got my laptop out. For the rest of the flight, I wrote about the Half Dome experience.
When I alighted in Salt Lake City, I got a message from Jayne telling me that the Astro was officially no longer mine. Her and Ash had been in to the DMV and for the grand price of $25, the Astro was now in their name. I was surprised when tears came to my eyes. It had all felt temporary for some reason up until now but this was different. I collected my bag without incident then walked through the airport to find my place at the new gate. It was only half an hour later that I was getting onto my final flight to Phoenix.
I continued blogging until my battery died, then spent the last few minutes reading “Once Upon a Tom” until we touched down. Now I was excited to see Dan. I waited patiently from the back of the plane for everyone in front to arrange themselves and their bags to get down the narrow aisle before it was my turn. The walk from the gate to the baggage claim seemed never ending, but it didn’t matter when I saw my bag on the carousel right as I approached it. I grabbed it and walked straight outside.
When I sent a message to Dan with my position, he told me he was only a minute away. Sure enough, a minute later, he was in my arms. He looked different somehow, but after a few hours, the idea of being next to him had settled in and he looked like his old self again. We talked the whole way home, mostly about my escapades of the last few days and the insane heat of Phoenix that hadn’t lessened much in the time since I’d been there last.
We pulled into his driveway and it was weird that the Astro was absent. When we walked in through the garage, Cleo was more than happy to see me. I’d never seen her so excited, she couldn’t keep her paws off me and her tail whacked the walls of the hallway loudly as we tried to get to Dan’s room. Still she was all over me as we went to say hi to Dan’s Dad. Debbie wasn’t home so we spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards and catching up until she got home.
It was great to see Debbie again, we sat around the kitchen a while as I tried to explain what had compelled me to climb Half Dome and why it had been so scary. After a re-heated dinner of mac n cheese and pulled pork, we retired pretty early to Dan’s room to watch a new TV series called “Mars”, after which I fell asleep promptly. I think I was still trying to catch up.