If you read the last post, I left off anticipating a nice long run with the husband, baby, and dog.
That did not happen.
Before I tell you what we spent the next four hours doing, I need to tell you something else: while I can ace Art History and Anatomy exams with my excellent memory recall, I am absolutely hopeless when it comes to remembering small, salient details such as where I put my pen, my earrings, my phone, and of course, my keys.
Yes. I lost the truck key.
No biggie, right? Wrong. Very, very wrong.
Because we have exactly one copy of the truck key. The one I lost.
Why would someone not make a copy of a truck key, you ask? ’Cuz it costs $75 from the Isuzu dealership, and I’m a cheapskate. That’s why. Any other questions?
So we spent the next four hours looking for the key. We combed every inch of the popup, truck, and campsite. Twice. We spoke tensely about every minute detail of the morning. On the third combing, Joshua struck gold sifting through the dirt next to the picnic table. Hallelujah.
And then we went for a run.
Later, we went down to the beach and walked along the water for miles. We stopped to play in the sand with Henrie, and we chased each other around the drift wood.
***
The next morning, we bundled into the car and drove down Highway 1 to Point Reyes National Seashore. This was my favorite part of California. I loved the windy road down to Point Reyes National Station, lined with eucalyptus trees, picturesque farms, vineyards, and cycling tourists. In Point Reyes, we stopped at the Bovine Bakery for fruit cobbler, a muffin, and chai, and we sat outside enjoying a rare bit of sunshine with the cyclists.
Point Reyes Station is adorable. It also has some fatally gorgeous artisan food, including Cowgirl Creamery, a veritable cathedral of cheese. Mmmm. So we bought a sampler bag, and then we walked down to the grocier for some Sonoma County wine and crackers for our picnic lunch.
We drove through the park, enjoying the lovely seaside landscape. On the point, we walked out to the lighthouse and watched the sun sparkle over the water. Back in the car, we drove down to Pierce Point Ranch, and from there, we walked out to the very tip of the peninsula. Elk with full racks ran past us, and the waves crashed against the rocky shoreline. It was gorgeous. Hands down best picnic ever.
Also, we were a little drunk for our five mile hike back to the car 
***
The next day, I felt a bit ill. I went without nursing for the longest period yet the day before, and I was afraid that I might be coming down with yet another case of mastitis. Ahh… The gifts that keep on giving…
Anywho, we went for a run and then we spent some time on the beach, playing in the sand and taking in the wind. We took much needed showers, and afterwards, we had fish and chips for dinner. GLORIOUS.
***
On Friday, we drove down to Berkley to explore the campus and the surrounding area. Henrie had a blast walking Oscar, and Joshua and I talked about being graduate students. That’s right. We want to go to school again
For lunch, we had an Indian buffet (nom nom), and afterwards, we walked to the University Press Bookstore, and Joshua picked up some texts for his class that he will be teaching this year on Latin American History.
At 5 PM, we began our long haul back to Colorado.
We drove through the night, and after a couple fitful hours of sleep, I took over the wheel at 4 AM somewhere in Nevada. I was really drowsy, so I did something terrible. I bought a Rockstar.
Now, it had occurred to me to keep this a secret. I made Joshua swear an oath that he would take this information to the grave. But I’m telling you because I discovered something surprising: there are less than 10 ingredients on the back of the can, and I recognize all of them. None of them are that bad. With 250 mg of caffeine, it’s comparable to a cup of coffee, and taurine, an amino acid sometimes used in supplements.
Anyway. I drank it. Usually, I can feel the effects of foods or drinks that are not great for me right away, but I was not jittery and I never did crash. I was happily awake, driving and listening to This American Life until we hit Salt Lake, where we stopped for breakfast and I went for a run.
In fact, I kept driving, and it wasn’t until 2 PM that I started to feel tired again and asked Joshua to take over. So, Rockstar it is for long drives
Henrie was a champ in the car, and it wasn’t until 4 or 5 PM that she really started to loose it. I climbed in the back with her and we took funny videos with the iPhone, singing and squeeling, and then laughing at ourselves when we watched it back. Hours of entertainment, I tell you.
Finally, at about 10 PM we pulled up in front of our home. We bathed and then collapsed into bed. Henrie even let us sleep for eight hours
***
Two Questions:
1) Why did you come back early?
We decided to come back on Friday night because we could NOT find a single available campground 
Also, Joshua needs to put in a bit of work on his curriculum, and I need to rent out the basement.
2) Did you eat meat?
Yup. You bet. It was local and delicious, and I’d do it again.
***
Finally, I wanted to tell you a little bit about the three videos we posted. I really hope you watch them, even though I know its about a 12 minute commitment. They were so much fun to make, and Henrie is her adorable self through them all. I was inspired by the much more professional/lovely videos over on Documenting Delight of their trip to the Philippines. You should go over and check those out, too
