The Never Ending Journey

Ah, coffee. You were the highlight of my day.

My mother and I departed Salt Lake this morning at 10:18. Oh, wait. No we didn't! We departed at 12:20, two hours late. Thanks, United.

We missed our lunch date with our cousins (disappointing) but trekked up to Emporio Rulli anyway. Having risen at 630 (after a nice wakeup at 2am, 4am, and 6am - Iain!) and breakfasted at 7, we needed a little something to keep us from biting Californians.

But we ought to have known that our morning of delay, frostbite (small airplane plus cotton socks- ZOMG), and frustration (101N? Ha! Try 101S to 380 to 280 to endless traffic in SF) bode ill for a service experience. We happened to visit Rulli on a day when they were breaking in two new employees. So it took ten minutes just to order, then we waited endlessly for our coffee and sandwiches, then we found that Mother's turkey sandwich had morphed into a ham sandwich.

I might have stalked into the cafe and proclaimed, "My mother's Jewish, this ain't gon' fly!"

Ahem.

Anyway, while we waited the couple of women next to us got up, kissy-faced, bade one another goodbye and separated. So when two men walked up and said, "Is this table open?" I said, "Yes!" Then one woman came back. Oops. She was a complete...person who rides a broom. "What made you think I was gone? What kind of person just takes a table? Where's my stuff?"

Sandwiches consumed. Coffee swallowed. Let's get the heck out of here. Which way? How about this way? Nope. How about that way? Nope. Ten minutes up a crazy, windy, tree-lined road with ABSOLUTELY NO PLACE TO TURN AROUND? Sure. Great. Let's do it again.

Finally on the 101, we spent three hours in traffic. Every time we thought it was over it popped up again. Let me tell you about the 7 exits for Novato.

At last. AT LAST, we reached exit 523 - California Highway 128. Yay! Mendocino!

No. No. No.

68 miles on a windy, two-lane road lined with: construction, redwoods, boulders.

We finally arrived, achy and punch-drunk, at 815 Pacific time. Our B&B is utterly adorable. We're watching TV, drinking water in wine glasses (it's wine country, y'all), and eating the cookies we bought at Emporio Rulli. Thank god for those cookies, because there won't be any supper tonight.

help. me.