We took our time in the morning and after waking up slowly, eating breakfast and relaxing we finally made our way to the car to set off for Fresno where Clay has a friend who recently moved from Chicago. It turns out we were catching them right in time because in 36 hours they are set to move to Belgium for at least three months.
The trip through California's Central Valley from Bakersfield to Fresno was uneventful along a flat highway bisecting fields of corn and fruit orchards. Just after noon, we turned into a new subdivision in Fresno located across the street from a fruit orchard and parked the car in the driveway. We had a chance to chat with The Merrills about their upcoming trip; the house was clearly packed for immediate evacuation though the pool in the backyard still beckoned invitingly in the heat. Their two children were napping and once they woke up the fun really began. They were shy at first but opened up pretty quickly. Micah is a week away from four and he showed Julayne his ka-poo-da (computer) which was really an interactive learning game encased in a bright, red shiny car. Maia is two and a half and entrusted Julayne with her baby doll for just a moment before reaching out to take her back. When their mom mentioned that Julayne had a baby in her stomach Micah reached out and placed his hand on her belly and rubbed it saying "baby, baby." Maia kept looking around for the baby and lost interest when she didn't see one. We went out to grab lunch with them and after lunch we said our goodbyes.
One of the bottles of water in the car hadn't been in the cooler. Julayne took a sip and declared it hot enough to make tea. Even when the A/C was on full blast it didn't feel particularly effective. We stopped at a gas station to refill the cooler with ice and continue the last leg of our epic journey winding through farmlands, crossing over the Altamont Pass and into the Bay Area where the temperatures were more reasonable.
It felt amazing to travel the last hour or so on well-known roads where the GPS was merely a noise not a necessity. We arrived at Julayne's mother's house just after 8pm and dinner was waiting for us. Over dinner Clay explained how he knew The Merrills and it was noted that he needed to stop using 'here' to refer to Chicago as he was no longer there. After eating, relaxing and talking we retreated to rest our feet and recount the day's adventures. Hours after our arrival we pulled sleeping clothes out of our suitcases and they were warm like they had just come from the clothes dryer.
We thank you for joining us on our trip over 10 days, eleven states and countless stories. Though this particular one is over, let the adventures continue...
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