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John's Journal

Day Fortyone

THE LAST DAY ! ! !

Mileage - 161 Route- Hwy 49 South, I-80 West, Hwy 39 West, Hwy 101 South

Homeward bound. I am relieved, yet sad to see it all end. I don't think that I will be able to truly appreciate or analyze or figure out or understand what all happened on this journey for a while.

I accompanied my sister to Dylan's daycare center for the last time (mine, that is, not his). It was great to spend time with the little guy, never enough, though. Then, I said goodbye for now to my sister and went to show my brother-in-law my web page. It's funny to think of someone tuning in now, when it is really over, but, he has heard from me a few times along the road and it will be great for him to catch up on all the details.

I then went back to their unlocked house (this is a small-town, remember, where people don't have to lock their doors), put on my nifty leather outfit for the last time in a while And headed off toward home around 10:30am. I knew it could be fun to take the longer, more scenic route home, but I was anxious to get there. That's why it was also hard to stop for lunch and gas and not speed too much.

The drive along I-80 is very uneventful, pretty flat in some spots and boring, too. Lots of cars and trucks and very warm across this Sacramento valley. I did decide that I wanted to come back to the city via the Golden Gate bridge route over Hwy 101. This is much more scenic for the last hour or so of the trip. Plus, I will either get a grand view of the Golden Gate or it will be wonderfully foggy. Any bets as to which one it was?

As I approached the Golden Gate bridge, I was smiling bigger and bigger. I love this part of the area and will often go riding and hiking through this and other parts here in Marin County. And the approach to the Golden Gate bridge is really great. Hills wind around, up and through the gorgeous terrain. But, guess what? FOG| The fog was really thick, thanks to the warm days and chilly nights, I believe, but I really thought this is a great way to come back into the city I love and live in.

What a gas! It was actually hard to see coming over the bridge, but at last there was very little traffic to deal with. Once over the span and after the $3 toll, I came down around the Marina area. It was a beautiful, mostly sunny day and people were out walking, jogging, flying kites, and riding around the great Marina Green area. Again, a nice way to come back.

Home!

Wow, nothing has changed. I just pulled in and left everything on the bike. I still had some clean clothes at home, so I slipped into something more comfortable and made myself at home. I checked the refrigerator to see just how bare it really was and found the one of my houseguests, most likely Velvy, had left me one last Samuel Adams beer. Ahhh. How nice. I realized that I had taken the bottle opener with me and had to go dig it out of my stuff. I sipped that fine, cold beverage and went through my mound of mail.

I am an idiot, I know, but I wanted to go through all of it and get it out of the way. Who knows? There might be some money or ??? hiding in there. Anyway, I guess I am not really convinced I am back, yet. I didn't go out at all since I have been home, I'll save that for tomorrow. It is very strange to not have to go into the office, do expense reports, catch up on all the developments, check voice mail from all those whiney customers (oh, sorry, if you are a customer and you are reading this, I am talking about all the OTHER customers) and go right back into a routine. I have no routine at this point. Everything is new. I love it!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to make some calls to find some work.

I will figure out something about keeping this going, perhaps. I need to get my pictures developed and maybe will go back to add some to what's already there. And, now you can send my e-mail that I will answer. Send it to: jh@johnhenkel.com

Thanks for following my exploits. I have had a fabulous, wonderful, challenging, insightful time and you were all there with me. Oddly enough, I have already thought about the next trip. I do not know how to end this, so thank you for letting me into your homes, sharing wonderful meals, drinks, hikes, and talks. I can now never imagine doing a trip like this without you all.

Later...