he got all he had and he started on down the road

LISTENING TO: Robert Wilkins - The Prodigal Son (Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1959-1964)


This trip has absolutely flown by; each time I come here I just end up wanting to spend more time in the area. 

My last full day in Sacramento ended with me visiting what felt like to me was the most east coast part of town since I got here. McKinley Park felt like it belonged about three blocks from the shore, and walking through the residential areas around the park just solidified that for me even more. We ended up walking down to Sac Yard, and if you had blindfolded me and sat me down I would have probably told you we were in Brooklyn. Not only that, but combined with the outdoor patio, fun beer, live music... it just made me feel like I was at home. And once you add in some fantastic Filipino food from visiting food truck Pinorrito? It really capped off the rest of the night pretty perfectly - then again, I'm always a sucker for an outdoor band and good beer.

One of my last stops out of the city was this morning - last winter, my coworkers had gifted me with some coffee from Pachamama, and I loved it so much I wanted to grab some on my way to pick up my rental car. Let me tell you - this is a coffee co-op I would live at if I were closer (highly recommend their lavender latte, if you're looking for something different). It was the perfect thing to get me to Enterprise (ironically, it was via who I'm pretty sure was one of my Uber drivers from the last time I was in East Sacramento, which just shows you how small the world really is).

Driving into Visalia was way easier this time around (although technically, I just had to make it to the Fresno airport), mainly due to caffeine and not being absolutely exhausted. The drive on 99 was much nicer in the daylight, and as much as I enjoy driving at night, it was much easier (and dare I say, more fun) to actually be able to see my surroundings on the way in. Before being picked up at the airport by my aunt for the remaining forty minutes or so back to Visalia - some traditions should just be continued, as evidenced by our first stop in town being In N Out. I could have done without her telling me that what I've called my favorite highway to drive is actually the deadliest one in America, but you live and you learn, I guess.

Now that I'm here, I see a lot of sitting by the pool in my future (as that's my afternoon plan, currently), but I can't really complain about enjoying the Californian sun in the summertime.


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