Road Trip Blues

Like the migratory birds in winter, I decided to head south to Irvine this weekend...primarily to hangout with my high school buddy - Aditya Chauhan and his fiance. Unlike the migratory birds, however, I decided to drive down. Some lessons learnt from the trip follow:

• A road trip can become a guilt trip. If not the melting ice caps in the artic, the upwardly mobile gas prices should urge you to consider public transportation.
• Consider Mapquest instead of Yahoo! Maps for your directions finding needs. It can not only shave off 50 miles off your iterinary...but will also give you peace of mind.
• LA traffic is not for the faint hearted. 24 hour carpool lanes (I-405) should give you some idea. Graciously allow the southern californian swinging in from 3 lanes away to cut you off by inches.
  
• Consider renting audiobooks from the local library for the trip. Caution: If there was a book that you couldnt get past page 2 while reading (for example, Men are from Mars Women are from Venus) dont expect a narration to work miracles...you will only end up turning on the radio and gladly listening to fading radio stations playing mexican serenades.
• Exits marked with gas stations might be duds. Make sure you have atleast a quarter tank full at any time.
• The Lonely Planet guide to California has a section on San Luis Obispo in Central Coastal California. You can skip the Bubblegum alley on Higuera St. It is just a narrow alley abandoned by the municipality. For Indian travellers think of walls splattered by Paan (Betel) juice and if such an alley is worth visiting :)

Bubblegum Alley - San Luis Obispo