Life is bueno right now. The move went well, the trip across country was uneventful and unfolded as planned, the condo is far more spacious than I was led to expect, and I got a rather decent job two days after I arrived. Yes, it's just like I imagined it would be to move back to northern California. No horrid changes other than increased traffic, and all the things I missed most exactly as wonderful as I remembered them. Best of all, numerous people, including online friends, have welcomed me back. Thank you, thank you. It's great to be home.
The thing I recall most about our five day journey through America's Heartland (Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and the arrid strangeness of the central California valleys) is the incredible number of ugly billboards. I felt bombarded by ads for Genuine Indian Artifacts, Love's Truckstops, and the zillions of possible exits to Historic Route 66. Let it be known that there is nothing that would induce me to travel Route 66 after seeing so many ads for it. I'm sure there are reasons for driving slowly through mind-numbingly flat states with endless auto dealerships and fast food restaurants providing quaint American vistas but it's not what I'd call a fun vacation. My theory is everything west of Tulsa ought to be got through as quickly as possible.
I did think eastern Oklahoma was rather pretty. It's hilly and forested and there are lots of pleasant rural sights. Amarillo is a great bright oasis of civilization after the scrublands of central and eastern Oklahoma and the endless ranch country of the Texas panhandle. But I truly love New Mexico and eastern Arizona. I like the mesas, the mesquite, the cottonwoods, the golden buckwheat, the red earth, and plenty of good, spicy huevos rancheros for breakfast. Once we crossed into New Mexico I felt my shoulders ease as the landscape became familiar. It was definitely The West, and home.
Funniest meal: going out for Texas barbeque, counting on beef ribs which are hard to get in the mid-south, and finding possibly the only place in Amarillo that specializes in pork ribs. The onion rings could have been worn as bracelets. Longest traffic jam: the entire state of Oklahoma. Most confused locals: at the Denny's in Mojave, CA, a family in the next booth vigorously berated "all the damn tree-huggers" while wearing t-shirts that said Save The Mojave Hot Springs. Coolest tourist site: definitely the Meteor Crater (Our Legacy From Outer Space!). Best National Park visited: the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest, seen on a sunset drive. Most emotional moment of the trip: realizing we would need to stay in a motel for three nights once we got to California because our moving van wouldn't arrive until after we did.
The pets were quite easy to move, by the way. Dixie likes car rides and getting out to pee at rest stops every hour or so. The cats weren't all that happy at being stuffed into their cat carrier for hours at a time, so we let Natasha out after the first day and she spent most of the trip sitting on top of the cat carrier watching the road go by. Keiko preferred being protected, and besides, with Natasha out, she had quite a lot of room to curl up in. All three enjoyed staying in motels. They all seem to like the new place, too. The cats have already investigated the local felines in the compound and are helping me plant the catnip I bought over the weekend.
Altogether, I'd say we're settling right in.
