-- ...Right Back Where I Started From (Day 10)

Another early wake up call.  Dad says we're headed home today.  Ahh... At least I know where all the squirrels and bunnies hang out in my neighborhood.  Makes me giddy.

 Yo -- the vacation's over, varmints.  Here I come.

The weather this morning in San Francisco was dismal.  I love my morning routine, sniffing and searching for the perfect place to do my business -- and the rain on my face is such a distraction.  Not a good way to start my day.


Okay, I'm over it.


When we got on the freeway, Dad could hardly see the road ahead through all of the crazy fog.

As soon as we got out of the Bay area, though, it was situation normal:  a boring drive.


We stopped by Sportmobile in Fresno for some quick maintenance on the Supervan. 

Btw, this is where our 'just-a-van' was transformed into a SUPERvan.

Okay, not-so-quick maintenance.  They said it would take 3 hours. 

3 hours??? Seriously?

Lunch was at a familiar restaurant we'd visited last time we were here.  That logo always cracks me up:


I can totally relate to a full belly, but I can't push a wheelbarrow

I wasn't allowed inside the restaurant.  No surprise.  But since the Supervan was in the shop, Mom and Dad tied me up outside the restaurant in the shade.  Something smelled awfully good in there.  Hey...save some for me!


Lemme in... I smell tortillas...

When the Supervan was ready to go, I couldn't wait to get back on the road.  It's hot in this town.


Geez, let's go already...

It was Mom's turn to drive and she cranked up the A/C for me.  Ahh... 

I love my vent

When we exited the freeway in Westlake, I knew I'd be home soon.  There were so many things I couldn't wait to do...

I just wanted to chase something:

I don't know if I'll have that much energy after eating all those tortillas on the way home. But there are lots of other things I could do.

Hmm...


I know.  Maybe Grama can take me for a walk... 

Oh-- squirrel !

Sheesh.  After such a long drive, I think I'm even too tired to walk. 


Oh well.  I guess I'll just chill on the sofa and watch some TV with my dad.

Our road trip has been fun and adventurous, but at the end of the day, there's something to be said about being in your own back yard.

Right back where I started from...

Until our next Supervan adventure, happy trails to you all, and thanks for following us on our journey.


Love, Supertank

-- Em-BARK-adero, No-park-adero (Day 9)

My morning began with a full-on brushing!  That's like an all-over body scratch. 

Yippee-kai-ay.

We headed out bright and early for the Golden Gate Bridge.  I figured this might be the place to find squirrels.  I mean, they can't swim across the bay to get to Marin County, right? 

Which way did they go?

 

 

Dad suggested we walk all the way across and back.  Wow, that will get Mom's Fitbit in gear.  I was up for the task, but wouldn't you know it, no pets are allowed on the bridge.  I guess I'll have to look ferocious and guard the Supervan against anyone with a 'smash-n-grab' inkling in this sketchy parking lot.  Beware of Supertank, buddy. 

 

So I assigned Mom the task of picture-taking... and she delivered.

 

My dad's a fast walker



Mom trying to be artsy-fartsy

Epic fail on the selfie, Mom: 




Hair-do Alert

 

So here’s how the Golden Gate bridge sidewalk works.  There are pedestrians and there are cyclists.  Oh yeah, and there are idiots.  The pedestrians have to stay toward the outer railing of the bridge and the cyclists stay toward the street railing. 

 

Seems simple enough, right?

 

My dad follows da rules...

 



As you would expect, sometimes there are "incidents."  This could range from morons who refuse to stay on their side of the line, or people who just aren't paying attention. 

When the sidewalk gets crowded, this is where danger lurks.  Mom was such a victim.

With a crowd approaching, she had to step around them, crossing “the line.” Right then, an oncoming cyclist, who clearly didn’t want to slow down, yelled to Mom, “STAY ON YOUR OWN SIDE,” and proceeded to bash into Mom. 

The good news: his handlebar hit Mom’s purse instead of her gut.  As the cyclist pedaled on without so much as a “sorry" or “oops,” Mom refrained from calling the dude a moron out loud. 



Here’s the bad news:

Of course Mom will most likely turn this situation into a positive.  Now she has an excuse to go buy a new purse.  There you have it, Dad -- a legitimate reason for Mom to go shopping.

There are lots of different kinds of people on this bridge.  And some think the bridge isn't high enough above the water.  Check out those pants.
This guy was ready for a flood...

 

 

 

My mom takes random photos just to feel good about herself.  (Don't judge, now people -- my mom was just having a little fun with the photo-editing feature)

 

 

 

By the time my mom and dad returned to the Supervan, we were all hungry.  Dad drove around the Embarcadero area for a parking space, but it wasn’t meant to be.  The Supervan can’t fit in any underground parking lots, and good luck trying to squeeze into a space on the street.

After 45 minutes of sheer frustration, Dad gave up and decided to take us to the California Academy of Sciences instead.  Same impossible feat there too. 

We ended up eating at a shopping mall food-park outside of town at 3pm.  How festive.  


On our way back to the RV park, I knew we had limited time for a nap before meeting up with Rob.  And since I do it so well, I got a head start -- even though I was hanging off the seat.  (Sometimes, my dad has to hold me up):

 

A little while later, Dad said it was time to head for Rob’s apartment.  That made me smile.

Gonna see my bro, yo

Rob's apartment was awesome.  I had to wait in the Supervan, but I could see his building from across the street.

 

I waited patiently while Mom and Dad checked out the inside of Rob’s apartment.

Then suddenly I saw him.  Oh dude, I was so excited, I almost peed.

 

Rob took us to dinner at a cool place in the Marina district. 

He loves me so much, he scratched my head the whole time while Dad drove.  I have that kind of effect on people, y’know?

Too soon, it was time to say so long to my bro.  He’s the one who named me Tank -- betcha didn’t know that.  

Mom did her usual sniff-sniff, boo-hoo routine as we drove away, and then it was back to the RV park for the night.

 

Tomorrow, we head home.

 
 

-- Going Coastal (Day 8)

Our day began with minor mechanical issues with the Supervan.  Something about a "fuel cell." 

 

Huh?

 

My dad tried to fix it, but he decided to deal with it after our road trip.  Whew.  I sure didn’t want to get stranded.  It’s too hot here.

Today, we head for San Francisco to see my bro, Rob. 



Gonna see Rob -- Gonna see Rob.  I have happy feet!

It wasn’t long before we crossed into California!

 

 

The drive was scenic, with pine trees for miles and miles. 



Please pardon the bugs splattered on the windshield!

 

Dad stopped along the way at a view point so Mom could do her usual photo op.  Dad and I climbed out of the Supervan and waited by a tree.  When Mom got out of the van, Dad started laughing.  I didn’t get it.  What was so funny? 

 

I looked at Dad and then over at Mom. 

 

Oh. My. God.  How utterly embarrassing.  Somebody call the fashion police!

 

Didn’t they even look at each other when they got dressed?  Not only were they wearing the same-colored shirt, but brown-plaid shorts too!

 

Matchy-matchy

I shoulda been a model...

We stopped in Roseville for lunch.  No surprise... they chose BJ's.  Bring on the pasta bread.

Mom drove the rest of the way into San Francisco.  Welcome back to the California traffic:

Turned out, there was an accident ahead.  After an hour wait (pfft), we continued on and crossed over the Carquinez Bridge -- hah, I've never heard of that bridge before.

And then we crossed the Bay Bridge.  Pure awesomeness.

 

We arrived at the San Francisco RV Resort.  Wow, nice coastal view! 

 

 

Dad took me for a walk while Mom set up our camp. 

 

Everything was peaceful for a while...  Then the Loud Family moved in to the space next to ours.  With a howling mutt, too.  Ugh. 

And if that weren't bad enough, then the news worsened:  Rob had to work late, so we won't get to see him until tomorrow. 

In a state of depression, I turned in early.

 

 

 

 

-- I Dream of Bacon... (Day 7)

Today, we have a long drive ahead of us.  After we ate a half loaf of Mom’s sourdough bread (I love toast), we got on the road early.

 

 

 

Typically, my dad drives until we stop for lunch, but all of that bread must've had a soporific effect on him (ah, the ever-occurring “food coma” as my brothers like to call it).  Mom took over so Dad could catch a power nap in the back seat. 

 

Zzzzzz...

Mom and I played the cloud game.  You know that test that they give you, where you look at an inkblot and you tell ‘em what you see?  Well, my mom and I used cloud formations instead.

What do you see here?

You probably said a flying elephant, didn't you?

Predictable.


Okay, how about this one?

 

You probably said a big fat rat, right?

Hmm...

Funny, cuz that's what my mom said, too.  But you're all wrong...



Both clouds are the same thing:  Bacon.

 

Now you see why I like to sleep.  These driving games are pure dumbness.  I’m gonna take a nap and dream about bacon.

We stopped in Wells, Nevada for lunch at a place called Bella’s Espresso Cafe.  I can’t tell you much about the food because all my mom and dad bothered to bring me was two packages of saltine crackers. 

Uh, gee Mom. Thanks.

Mom headed west on the I-80.  One of the cool things about driving in Nevada is the speed limit. 

Yee-haw!

Mom musta been feeling guilty about those measly crackers because she told Dad I needed more dog food.  We looked for a grocery store in Elko, but didn’t see one.  There was a Walmart, though.   



A dangerous pastime...

As Mom got out of the Supervan and walked toward the store, Dad shouted, “No impulse purchases,” out the window.  Sorry, Mom.  Sucks for you.  Take solace in the fact that you got your coffee cups yesterday...

Mom did well.  She came back minutes later carrying a bag of dog food and a cold Diet Pepsi.  Atta girl... 

Dad took us through Nevada while my mom typed away on her computer.  All in all, it was not much of exciting day. 

 

We stopped for the night in a city called “Lovelock.”  Haha.  Instead of an RV park, Dad suggested dry camping at the Rye Patch Dam and Reservoir on the Humboldt River.

 

 

  

Something was up with my mom.  Just our walk down to the lake sent her into a sneezing fit.

C'mon Mom...get over it.  What about my walk? 

Dad to the rescue.  This camp site was a nice change of pace, but it was HOT.  Sometimes I wish I could take this dang fur coat off!

 

 

But Dad says I get to drink as much water as I want!