On the road again…

Okay– so the deal was, the family and I went on vacation last week, Saturday to Friday, in San Diego. You saw that.  We went to the zoo, we went to the ocean, we went to the movies–all was fun, and then the ride home in which I overdosed on water additives and saw sound.

Then, we had two days– Saturday and Sunday– during which we did Easter, hid eggs, cleaned the house, dyed eggs, took my mom out to lunch, came home and cooked dinner, then hung with children.

Then I packed to come to Portland for a writer’s conference at Dreamspinner that starts on Thursday and I can’t wait to be at–and, yes, once again, there is driving.   This time, I’m driving with esteemed editor, Gin Eastwick from Canada via Germany, and friend and DSP Goddess, Julianne Bentley.  We’re in Julianne’s car, and she’s doing most of the driving– mostly because I think I scared her a little, which, well, we’re all still alive.

Anyway–

So, some things I’ve learned from the last time I chatted, in which I had learned not to overdo it on the MiO:

*  There is no good way to travel on your period.  Yes, world, I said it.  Now you know.  Saying.

*  That being said, traveling with smart, funny, interesting women is always a good time.

*  Watching Julianne discover a roadside attraction is like watching a kid discover the circus.  Gin and I would go out of our way a hundred times over to see her drive through a tree again.

*  Driving through a tree really is cool.

* Hwy 1 is beautiful– but not to be hurried through.

*  If you don’t like the weather on the Northern California coast, wait five minutes– it’ll change.

*  Rain + windy road + twilight = stressed out driver.

*  Don’t try not to eat chocolate or red meat when you’re on your period and on a road trip.  For sweet fuck’s sake, something’s gotta give.

*  I could listen to Gin talk for ours– she has a Canadian accent, and it’s been semi-neutralized by Germany, but every now and then it sneaks out and attacks me with joy.

*  Glass beach is cool on so many levels– from tide pools to rounded glass to the big something that might have been a tractor that turned into a rock formation.  Dudes… go.

*  Confusion Hill is confusing on many levels, not last is why we visited.

*  Holy Jebus… did I forget to buy a brush when we stopped at the pharmacy?  (This is not necessarily something I learned, but something I just remembered while typing on the blog.  Oi.)

*  Snoring gets you a room to yourself.  It’s not fair, but, well, it happens.

*  There are NO, I repeat NO gas stations between Ft. Bragg and Cave Junction– that’s like, sixty or so miles.

*  If you’re traveling down a dark, windy road, and there are no gas stations for sixty miles, the last thing you want to see is a road called “Butcher’s Knife.”  Hello, Sam and Dean, come save us now!

*  There is no such thing as internet on Hwy 1.  Just kick back and enjoy the scenery.  There is plenty of that!

*  When in doubt on a road trip, sing!  (With any luck, someone will sing as beautifully as Gin does, and she’ll take over 🙂

*  There will always be some music you can agree to.  There is no way there’s not.  It’s a statistical impossibility.  Play mix tapes until you find it.

*  Even after spending an enforced week with my family, plus a family holiday, I still miss them fiercely.

*  Even after spending an enforced three days w/ Julianne and Gin, I’ll be thrilled to see them even more at the Dreamspinner Press conference.  We arrive in Portland tomorrow!