Dill Pickle Sunflower Seeds

So I'm in the middle of working on a post full of deep meaning and reflection, but in the meantime I thought I would share how the first leg of the trip went. My friend Kate from high school (thank you social networking for reconnecting us) flew down from Seattle on Wednesday to hang out with me for my last days in SF and to help me drive back to Montana. I was able to check off a lot of items on my bucket list with her help!

Going away dinner at one of my favorite places in SF Local Kitchen. Going to miss my SF friends a lot!

Finally made it to the Castro Theater to see Inglorious Basterds which was amazing.

Still my favorite bar in SF, Elbo Room with one of my favorite people, Grace.

We drove out early Monday morning to drive my car back to Montana, so I could leave it parked with my brother for a few months (no need for a car in NYC).

Cheap flights have cut down the amount of road trips people take. I did a lot of traveling by road with my family as a kid. I didn't even get on an airplane until I was 18, a freshman in college, scared out of my mind. My dad drove trucks for a living, so we got to see a lot of the United States from the cab of a semi. This could have been the most boring road trips I've taken though. First stop was Elko, NV, almost half way between San Francisco and Helena along the 80. I have a large fascination with "weird" things. I have both the Weird America and Weird California books, and plotted our trip with as many Roadside America stops as possible. These stops were the only thing that kept us going on the trip.

First stop Auburn, CA! I've been through here plenty of times on the way to Tahoe, but never stopped to have my picture taken in the gold miners bowl.

The long expanse of road we covered. Boring!

Our stops in Sparks were a bust (they were either gone or we couldn't find them), so we decided to stop for In-N-Out, Kate's first taste!

Probably the jackpot of Weird. This was called Thunder Mountain (not the same as the ride at Disneyland) outside of Imlay, NV.

My first taste of Basque food in Elko, NV. Definitely fit in with our weird finds. You order a main (ours was pork tenderloin, covered in garlic and pimento) and are served an array of sides: green beans (canned), pinto beans (canned), french fries, spaghetti (canned), cabbage soup, salad drenched in dressing and bread. Not the epitome of gourmet or taste, but a fun experience.