Fiascoes And More

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - It's been a long 24 hours since I last posted some stuff on here.

We'll start with at least the first part of the fiasco that was yesterday.

In the afternoon, Bobbi and Mallory invited me to go on a ride out to a beach to see the sunset. We hopped a bus and went to the "secret spot" to get their van (there is very little free parking here, except in one sweet spot on the other side of the city). As we got moving, they explained to me that the gas gauge was broken and they needed to kind of guess when they were out of gas. They were discussing just this issue as we approached the Golden Gate Bridge. They decided we could make it across the bridge and get gas there.

Then we ran out of gas.

We at the edge of Presidio, this very nice neighborhood that was the site of an old military base.

And no gas stations anywhere close.

The van was nice enough to run out of gas right near a stop sign and on the side of the road. While they were in the van deciding what to do next, I stepped out, leaned in the window, and thanked them for inviting me along on this adventure.

Mallory stayed behind and Bobbi and I started walking to get some gas. It was a fun walk. I ended up just laughing half the time about the situation. No one was much help in guiding us toward a gas station. "Go to Lombard," was the common advice. We could see Lombard from where we were... and we were no where close.

At least the view was nice.



We saw a couple getting ready to pull out of a parking lot so Bobbi ran up to the car and asked them if they could give us a ride to a gas station. They were kind enough to say yes and we got to the station in considerably less time than it would have taken otherwise.

Mallory called and let us know you can call the cops and they will bring you a gallon of gas for a fee. We thought it over for a bit and decided to try to pick up gas. However, neither gas station we visited would loan out a gas can, which meant dropping an additional $6. So Mallory started working on getting a cop to come by.

More time passed and it was looking like we weren't going to see the sunset at the beach. Mallory was able to get the gas and then came and picked us up. Then we booked it for the beach.

I tried to get a shot of the sunset through the dirty windows and traffic. This is as good as it got.



We pulled into Muir Beach and headed from the parking lot. Just in time to catch this.



Totally worth it.

We hung out at the beach for a bit and just watched. It was great. I love this place.





It grew dark quickly and we needed to get back. It was Mallory and Bobbi's night to cook dinner for the crew. They're staying for free at the hostel in exchange for doing chores and helping out.

We headed back and the common room was packed. A busy Saturday night. I enjoyed some good conversation and spent a while talking with Chris who works at the hostel. He teaches kids to sail (and tried to buy a boat today but it didn't work out). We discussed travel and Kerouac, so you can't really go wrong.

I ended up going out with Mallory and Bobbi to see an art show and the fiascoes ensued. We met up with Scottish John and hopped on a streetcar, which broke down immediately. Then a bus that took quite a while to get going. And so on and so forth. A fiasco night. I won't go into all the details but I'd love to share some pictures from the art show.

Without flash, some weren't captured so well.







The night was full of fiascoes which resulted in a long walk home at the end of the night. I think at a certain point I began to realize this is just how the day had been going.



I did get a shot of this though:



I wasn't very productive early today and didn't decide until the afternoon to really go do something. It was supposed to hit 78 degrees today, so it sounded like it would be nice to head to a park and read a book. Gia was going to Golden Gate Park to walk it and I asked if I could catch a bus with her - I just told her there was no way I was going walking once there.

I took a nap for a bit and when I got up, she asked if I just wanted to head down to the pier. Sounded good.

First things first though. Russell (a British guy passing through) felt like he really needed to get some fireworks. He asked where he could find some and we let him know that we're in Chinatown and he wouldn't find anywhere better for fireworks. He was gone briefly and returned with some smoke bombs and snakes. And he was quite excited about them. I'm not sure that he'd ever played with fireworks before this point.

So, Gia and I went downstairs with him and lit off a few. It was a blast. Felt like being a kid again.




While at the pier, I caught some good shots and had a chance to see some seals.







It was a relaxing afternoon. And at one wonderful time, I was able to enjoy an In & Out burger. To be honest, I've really been wanting one since first seeing Big Lebowski. And I'm glad I had the opportunity to. Double Double, Animal Style. Learn it, love it.

Back here I didn't do much with my night except move my car so it doesn't get towed tomorrow during street cleaning.

Over the past two days the issue has come up about whether I would like to stay in San Francisco. Dave, the manager of the hostel, has offered me a chance to stick around and work or help out here (I'm not entirely sure which, if there is a difference, or what the difference would be). But I'd live for free, have a meal each night, keep meeting new people, and could even grab a part-time job.

I don't know. I think it would be great and a really interesting experience. I have a lot I want to go back to in Illinois, though. If I started after New Mexico, I would have to work here through the holidays.

What to do...?

Something to spend some more time thinking about. I'm not sure right now if I want to keep seeing more of California before New Mexico or if I just want to spend that time here. It's a great city.

I'm dead tired and once again, the last person awake in the hostel. Every night but one so far.