Starbucks of Destiny, Windmills, and Barstow

Today we hit the road! The hubs worked half the day, while I got last minute items together. At noon, we picked up the car and drove away from home, eager to get out on the open road.

Of course, Voyager Craft Coffee was the first priority. Voyager is our favorite coffee shop in the Bay Area. And what an appropriate name for our current circumstances! We got our drinks, then headed for the "Starbucks of Destiny".

You might be thinking Didn't you just get coffee? I hope you're not that tired yet!

Hear me out. The "Starbucks of Destiny" is a must-do whenever the Gundels drive south. Aaron gave it its name because this location has been very important to us. We stop there on Disneyland trips (including the surprise Disney anniversary trip when Aaron drove through the Starbucks of Destiny with a blindfolded wife), Monterey trips, and, most notably, we stopped there the day Aaron proposed. When going through Gilroy, you stop at the "Starbucks of Destiny".  Since we already got coffee at Voyager, we decided on breakfast sandwiches here.

After stopping TWICE in the first forty minutes of our trip, we commit to really getting on the road. I drove first and sang along to each and every song while Aaron kept me company with facts about science-y things. In Bakersfield, we switched places. I sank into the passenger seat and turned on an audio book.

Somewhere between Bakersfield and Barstow, windmills popped up! Lots of windmills! I've never seen so many. This may sound like a silly note, but something about the way they spun was... mesmerizing!

We arrived in Barstow about an hour ago. We scored a well-reviewed hotel (thanks Google maps!), ate some salads from the cooler for dinner, and are settling in for an early bedtime.

I am so looking forward to crossing into Arizona tomorrow. Aaron and I talked about taking the trip one day at a time. Not worrying about the end goal, but the day's goal instead.

Tomorrow's goal.... Albuquerque!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting High on our Second Anniversary

So for our second anniversary, Allyssa decided to do something different.  I've got to hand it to her - I didn't expect it.  To clarify our tradition, we do things in threes.  The first year I do the anniversary activity, the second Allyssa does, and on the third we both do.  (As you might expect, this is a fairly new tradition it hasn't fully played out for the first time yet).  So we started the day by packing up and going to..... Coffee Cat .  Coffee Cat is a coffee shop in Scott's Valley.  We frequented it when we were going back and forth to Mt. Hermon while we were planning our wedding.  I suspected we might be.  In fact, my suspicion was that we'd be staying the night in Mt. Hermon.  So when we went to Coffee Cat, I thought my suspicions were accurate.  After we took off from there, we went to...Mt Hermon.  But, come to find out - it's not our final destination.  It's a stop along the way.  So we took some time to visit the chapel where we got ma
Read more

The Thunder Rolls

Image
Last night we stayed in Tucumcari, New Mexico. I'm really thankful for reviews on google maps to tell us which places are good stays. Phew! Not much to tell about the stop here. This morning we got an early enough start and started cruisin'. I'm listening to a Nicholas Sparks audio book that Aaron can tolerate. Aaron is educating me as we also listen to "The Expanse" books. The story is enjoyable for me a little bit at a time. Around Texas, the storm hit. Now, I'm a California girl. Any storm is a BIG storm. I was driving when we met the storm front, but my driving did not last long. With every streak of lightning through the sky, I found myself flinching. Not exactly safe driving posture. Thankfully, Aaron took over and drove like a pro. While I closed my eyes and tried to not to see the flashes of lightning, Aaron sang to me. Granted, he sang Garth Brooks', "The Thunder Rolls". Not the most comforting tune. But it was sweet and actual
Read more