A Three Hour Tour
Well, almost. So tonight I embarked on a journey...
Approx. 58.6 miles, estimated 1 hour 5 min travel time. Yahoo & Google both tell me to take the 237. Right. At 5:30 on a Thursday afternoon?!? Bollocks to that! So before heading out, I ask my coworker (an eastbay resident) for tips on the easiest way to get to the 680. She says Dumbarton, over the 880 onto Decoto, then Mission, then Sunol or any exit from there and you'll be on the 680. "You're familiar with the area, right?" she asks. "Yup" I say. Famous last words. I fire up my trusty SR20 and point it east. It is now 5:40 ish PM.Things are fine and dandy, iRiver blaring my old school mp3s through my (now working) JL10W0. Tank full of gas. 6:15ish...Traffic wasn't too bad, found myself on Decoto...good. Boy, it sure is a long street. The hills are coming up...Now, I know the 680 must be right up ahead. Oh wait, I don't see a freeway...but there's Mission Blvd. Oh, OK. But wait. Did she say left or right? Damnit, no Thomas Guide; it's still at home. But instinct says right, because I do remember my coworker saying something odd in her directions...something about going the opposite way that I should be going. But hey, if I'm wrong, I'm still going in the general direction (North) and I'll just catch some crossover that'll take me east to the freeway. Besides, more folks turning left, they must all be trying to get to the 680 too. OK, left it is.
15 minutes pass...boy this road sure is long. Hmmm...Tennyson? That's an 880 exit. Jackson St.? WTF? I can't be near the 880, but these all are exits on the 880. 30 minutes pass. Damnit, people drive so freakin' slow around here. And to my right all I can see are hills, with no way to get over 'em to where I think the 680 is. Hmmm...Carlos Bee Blvd. Lots of cars turning onto that road. There must be a way over.
Up the hill...Cal State Hayward (CSUEB)... Great. The cars were students. Ah hell, it's worth a shot...up and up the hill, keep on driving, see where this takes me....homes. And more homes. Homes as far as the eye can see scattered throughout the hills. A few minutes later, a big flashing yellow construction sign verifies my fears: "Road closed ahead". @$%@#$%. U-turn, better call OJ and tell him I'm lost in Hayward hell and gonna be late.
Back down the hill to Mission Blvd. Too late to turn back, might as well keep on heading in the same direction -- I'm bound to hit something. Wouldn't you know it, couple of blocks later: 580E, Right lane. Jeezus!!! The 580?!? Well, at least I'm not lost. :) Hop on the freeway and haul ass to Pleasant Hill and the Fatburger ("owned by Chester McGlockton & E40", says OJ). Time of arrival: 7:17PM.
Son of a b*tch.
Well, at least the hamburger was worth it. And we were able to make some good progress with our project. Next time, I'm leaving the Thomas Guide in the car.
Oh and one thing that amazes me about living in the bay area...all the various communities scattered throughout. Little enclaves, little pockets of people here and there and everywhere. And from vastly different cultural, social, and economic backgrounds. Areas that are steps back in time, areas that are pretentious wannabe southern californian urban strip malls...suburbia, rural, metro, you name it. Six years later and I still haven't explored everything yet.
And no, I am not going to get a Nav system for the car. Where's the fun in that?
posted by VirtualErn @ 9:46 PM
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7 Comments:
If you're on 880 trying to go to 680 and you see the Nummi auto plant you've passed the 680 exit. That is still one long-ass drive. I did that Vacaville to Sunnyvale drive just to go play softball, on two different weekends and on both saturday and sunday.
I don't know how you did it. 2 weekends Sat+Sun?!? Sheez. At least I didn't hit much traffic, can't imagine what *that* would be like. I feel sorry for my poor G, I really abuse the hell out of that car and she never complains (knock on wood).
Decoto and Mission? You were soooo close! Right on Mission. Drive south for 1-2 miles. Left on Niles Canyon Road (there's a 7-eleven on the opposite corner). Niles Canyon Road is a relatively short (3-5 mi), beautiful winding road, that parallels trout filled Alameda Creek. The road is hugged by dense oaked-hills and takes you through SUNOL and smack into 680. If you drive on Niles Canyon Road late at night, rumor has it that you'll see a ghostly "lady in white" trying to hitch a ride.
"Lady in white"? Cool, I'm there! I'm sure it'll help my non-existent love life. :)
There's a road back in San Diego where the "Bonita Bride" would frequent. It's a dark, winding road through a small valley near Chula Vista. She was killed there on the night before her wedding in a freak accident...so she roams the backroads of Bonita, searching for a husband, longing to live happily ever after. And if you fail to stop and help her, she will appear in your back seat to curse you forever... Next time you're in San Diego, take a late night cruise on a moonless night down Proctor Valley Road.
I thought that Proctor Valley had given way to Eastlake development. But gawd, that sounds like a horrendous drive. And yes, you were so. very. close.
Nav systems aren't all that bad, BTW.
Is Proctor Valley Rd really gone? That's too bad. Had fond memories of taking a station wagon full of friends out there during high school.
glad you made the schlep to Pleasant Hill. If there weren't Fatburger at the end of that road, I wouldn't fault you had you decided to turn around.
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