One long drive

So yesterday I embarked on the car trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. I began the day with my long run by the beach, so I knew I'd be ready to sit for a while. I left my LA hotel around 11 and immediately got into traffic on the freeway. I sat in traffic for the first hour or so, and then finally got free of it and really began my trip.

I was surprised by how fast the surrounding landscape turned into really dry desert, complete with signs warning drivers to turn off their air conditioners for certain stretches of the freeway to avoid overheating engines. There was also several places to stop for radiator water. I started to get a little nervous because I couldn't see myself wandering around on the side of the freeway trying to figure out how to put water in my rental car radiator, but the Prius and I made it through without any problems.

I did stop at the first place I saw to get gas (I think I paid $4.59--a record as far as being the most I've ever paid per gallon). This was my first stop with with hybrid to fill it up and embarrassingly I couldn't find how to open the tank. Luckily it only took a few minutes of searching before I figured it out and I don't think the other drivers knew what an idiot I was, but it was a little stupid of me. Oh well.

After the gas station I went down a hill where the posted signs said the grade was 6% for 5 miles. All the semis had to slow down to 35 mph and it was pretty extreme. There were runaway truck ramps on the side of the road and one of them actually contained a semi that had been required to use it to stop and was being towed out. Exciting for me, probably more exciting for the truck driver.

After the hill I hit flat farmland for the remaining 5 hours of the drive. Incredibly unexciting with very few diversions or even places to stop. I saw orange groves, a cattle area, a million tomato trucks, corn, and many other crops I couldn't identify when driving by. I noticed that I kept seeing the same people on the freeway, so I think almost everyone was going to either San Francisco or Sacramento.

I arrived in San Francisco around 7 p.m. and immediately found it is not a city to drive in. I found my hostel, checked in, and then took my car to their recommended garage. At $17 a night it's supposed to be a "bargain." I can see why I couldn't afford a hotel in this city. Man.

The hostel is okay, but a little too hostely for me. I forgot how much I dislike having random roommates and everyone being on different schedules. The light was turned on three times in the night (once for each roommate who came in after me) and this morning one girl's alarm clock went off four times between 6 and 6:30 a.m. Finally I just got up to use the shower because she'd woken me up and apparently I held her up from using the bathroom before she had to catch her flight. I say if she'd gotten up the first time the alarm went off there wouldn't have been a problem. Another roommate left around 6 a.m. and didn't bother to close the door after herself. Only two more nights of sleeping in a hostel...two more nights...

I'm thinking of taking the more scenic, but slower 101 back to LA on Monday to get a picture of the other side of the mountain range I drove up on. And now, to explore San Francisco.