An Opportunity Afforded (Part II)

Part II

My last photo of Santa Barbara, CA

The trip up the California coast was a moderately uneventful one. My mom joined me in my trek up the state. She provided some much needed company along with someone who could take the wheel. In all honesty, she did a majority of the driving. We got a later start than we would have liked -about 9am- and began our journey. 

The conversation along the way was mostly chit-chat. We didn't delve into any deep, philosophical discussions or get mired in politics or religion. We mostly recounted what had transpired over the past few months, trying to wrap our heads around going from a home with pool to relative uncertainty in a state I had only visited for about 24 hours prior to moving. 

To her credit, there was no question of if I was doing the right thing. She knew that what I was doing wasn't something that was necessarily in my control. Sure, we could have stayed in California and found a place and paid way obscene amounts for rent, as is the norm for Southern California but that wouldn't have made anyone happy. So, we (Aria and I) decided on Oregon. She grew up here so it seemed logical; at least one of us would be familiar with the area.

Many, I have a feeling, would have viewed the move as being forced out of their home-state. Honestly, that is how I viewed it for a period as well. But I knew that thinking like that would ultimately lead to me regretting my decision. I knew I would end hate Oregon because it would be the place I ended up after being forced, economically, out of the state I had called home for 28 year. I didn't even want to think of it as making the best out of a bad situation. This isn't how I wanted to start this chapter of my life, to use a cliché. I was honestly looking forward to a fresh beginning with new faces. I had to break that line of thought. So, I began to think of it as being afforded this fantastic opportunity to start anew. 

As my mom and I lumbered up the coast, we decided to stop for the night at a hotel in Humboldt. There was one room left and it was a handicapable. There was no real distinction of a regular vs. handicapable room besides the shower. There was no bath and just a drain on the floor that didn't quite let water out as fast as the shower had let it in. Before I realized what had happened, the bathroom floor flooded and water began to seep out into the sleeping area. I turned off the shower to let the water drain. The benefit to these rooms is that it seems the bathrooms were almost designed to flood. Nevertheless, I showered and crawled in bed for a good night's sleep. 

We woke early the next morning to partake of the hotel's Continental Breakfast offering. It was better than most, as I recall it. Fresh waffles, cereal, juice, milk, coffee, fruit along with various assorted pastries. There was a cat that lived in the hotel as well. A hotel cat seems to be just as common as the breakfast these days. Friendly, if a bit skittish. We packed in what we could of the free food, returned to the room, loaded our belongings, and headed out on the second leg of our journey.