Day 2: San Jose

I slept well considering I was away from my own bed. Waking up to cute animals always brings cheer into my morning.


Today was a relaxing day spent in San Jose. I didn't want to drive far, so I went to the Valley Fair, which is a very large mall which had Louis Vuitton and Juicy Couture in addition to many stores we've seen before. Across the street was Santana Row, a high class, outdoor shopping area. You know things are expensive here when someone parks there Ferrari 360 Modena outside a hotel. Not to mention the cars that dealers put on sidewalks here are not Honda's or Chryslers. Instead, they're 200k+ Bentley and 145k+ Aston Martins. And I haven't even hit southern Cali yet!

Coincidently, right across the street is the well known Winchester Mansion. I've always wanted to see it and I finally got the chance. I learned that the designer and owner, Miss Winchester, is a crazier person than I thought. The tour guide did a great job informing of us the history of the house.

Just remember to go to school, be happy and don't let the ghosts or lost souls get to you. If you had as much money as she did, I hope you'd spend it more wisely. The most interesting part of the tour was wondering why she made these decisions.

California Day 1: The drive down

Today was the first day of my month long California road trip. I'm officially on my way to being an honorary Californian! Unfortunately, Day 1 consisted primarily of one thing: driving. I made it all the way to San Jose unscathed, despite dodging bullets from Tacoma and Olympia. However, there was something I couldn't evade: the Washington Clark County Police Department. Despite all the warnings I received about speeding tickets, I was nailed with one just a few miles before hitting the Oregon border. I should have got a clue from seeing numerous people being pulled over earlier, but it seems that it was that time of month and everyone was getting one. My citation? 5 MPH over. I was going a little over that, but needless to say, this put a damper on my trip. I decided to take out my frustration (which really only lasted 30 seconds) by running my car into as many bugs as I could.

Seriously though, it was disappointing to receive the citation, but there's a first for everything. The drive was long but went by fast. There were a few fun, curvy mountain roads through Mt. Shasta, but the majority of the drive was straight with not much to see. The lone vista point, shown below, had a view of...nothing.

My car and I are safe and happy. Hope all is well back home!

Interesting Facts:

Red Bulls drank: 1
Water: 3+
Gas mileage: 34.03 mpg and 35.14 mpg
Gas prices: 4.39 (Eugene, OR), 4.68 (Redding, CA) for Premium
# of cops spotted: Washington: 15+ (all but 1 pulled over someone), Oregon: 1, California: 1
# of rest stops used: 2
Highest temperature: 98 degrees, northern California
# of bugs decimated: enough
Amount spent today: $85 (gas and food) + $90 (speeding ticket...)