I found that last night I had trouble sleeping. Couldn’t get rest, so I woke up extra early. Bought enough supplies for a small army, loaded the car, and started my journey.

I would think it would be hard to drive away from Los Gatos for what is probably the last time, but it wasn’t. I guess I have already transitioned and the drive just makes it official.

Its weird to drive across the country in a Prius. For one thing, when you think of road trips, you think of refueling. You will need refuling before the Prius will. I was used to holding tight till I ran out of gas. Can’t do that with the prius. Not at all.

Plus its odd design, compact yet roomy on the insight, doesn’t feel the same compared to the other cars. Its hard to fully articulate. Ill think about it more as the journey continues.

Other observations on the first day of the drive (Los Gatos, CA to Beaumont, CA)

• I-5 is an odd interstate. As its that mega-rural part of California that gets culturally consumed by the Los Angeles area and the Bay Area. But it is massive.
• I saw a sign that had pasted over “Trump” with “THANK YOU” so it now read “Thank you for making America great again!”
• The thing about I-5 is that it smells like shit. Its 100% agricultural. So if the wind drifts a certain way, you get the odeur of pure cow feces. It lingers. If you dont switch to interior air circulation, you smell cow shit for a 100 miles.
• You have to stop before you get on the grapevine. For the uninitiated, its the road where central california ends and the LA sprawl starts. Once you get on the grapevine, you are sucked into the gravitational pull of LA, never to escape.
• I still dont understand how one lives in the LA area. If you get on the wrong side of the LA traffic gods, you are smited for your insolence. I have been on the bad side too many times. This was definitely one of those days. Long trek to the hotel.

With Ethan sick, I am trying to shorten my trip to make it across the country in 4 days. Not sure if its possible given the circumstances, but I am going to try. More news as it develops.