Palo Alto

Palo Alto
Back in the 'hood

After the big hike in Lassen, we hopped in the beast for the drive south to Palo Alto. Ritu and I had tickets to the Bridge School Benefit concert, which was really a good excuse to come back and see her. Nate also had some people he wanted to see in the area, so back we went to the old Alma Mater. Although neither of us are huge on the school spirit thing, so we weren't singing the Hail Stanford song by any means. After a failed attempt to surprise Ritu at the hospital (she was on all-night call that evening, fun fun!) we were back to a real house with showers and real beds. This is by far the cushiest road trip ever. We may have to sleep outside in the snow a few evenings to make up for all the comfort. The concert was great; Jerry Lee Lewis came out and belted out "Great Balls of Fire," which got everyone in a good mood. The next few days Ritu had to work the whole day, so we spent some time being lazy. Halloween was spent watching a movie and generally relaxing. Everyone kept asking me what I was for Halloween; I wasn't dressed up though, so I didn't know if I should laugh or be mad. Nate was in the city and I hear he had quite an entertaining time, but I will leave that description up to him. One of the days, Nate and I took a trip up to Point Reyes National Seashore, which turned out to be quite a cool place. Ritu was on overnight call again that day (harsh schedule!). While she was finishing up her shift the next morning, I went and visited Dave Kroodsma, a roommate from school. He was about to embark on his own adventure, which is to ride from Palo Alto to Patagonia. No, not the Patagonia store downtown, but the Patagonia at the tip of South America. I have to say, it makes driving around in a van sound downright luxurious. He has a website at Ride for Climate. That afternoon, Ritu and I headed on over to Pescadero State Beach to hang out and explore some tidepools. The beaches in Northern California are so remarkably different than those in San Diego, it’s hard to believe it’s the same ocean. Up here, it’s cold, rocky and harsh. Nobody is out in the water. Down in San Diego, there’s a traffic jam on every wave and the beaches are packed with people. It’s quite a contrast. The next morning, it was time to hit the road again. After saying some goodbyes, we were back in the van and headed for Davis, CA.

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