I only have two full days left of my run, and I can barely enjoy it because I am running on one of the most heavily travelled roads so far on my trip. My second to last day took me over Pacheco Pass, the second to last mountain I have  to run over. Despite the steep and winding roads this pass seems to be a major trucking route, and I have to deal with a huge amount of trucks on a road that isn’t conducive for huge truck travel.

   At least the shoulder continued to be pretty wide, so at least I could keep my distance from them, as long as they didn’t migrate over on some of the tighter turns.

    Some of the trucks had big mesh trailers full of onions or tomatoes. They lost some of their produce as they rattled along, so all along the side of the road I had to be careful not to step on over ripe tomatoes. Also, the relatively garbage-free roadsides of states past are not so common in California. All kinds of refuse was strewn all over in the grass and on the roadside. Someone must have lost a suitcase because I saw nice toddler clothes at one point, and it made me want to pick them all up before they got ruined. I just don’t know any toddlers, and I feel like people might think I was homeless or something, and I try to avoid making that impression whenever possible.

   I also saw vast areas next to a reservoir that were burnt, part of a controlled burn that I could smell yesterday on my evening run.

   I made it to the top of Pacheco Pass before I rested for the afternoon. It topped out at a measly 1,368 feet, but I did climb about 1,000 feet from the valley floor to get there. Before I got to the top Nick called to let me know that he had stopped at a gas station to use a restroom, and there were no spots to park because every single curb was painted red. Nick weighed the risks and made a quick run into the store. Of course within those five minutes the only police officer either of us had seen for days writes a ticket. We have made it this far with no problems even though we have probably parked in hundreds of illegal spots, just to get dinged in the last few days.

   I quickly showered, and then Nick and I drove into San Jose to pick my sister up from the airport. She came to see me finish, and sight see on the way back to Wyoming. I was really dragging after we finally got back from out two hour airport excursion, so a nap was in order. We did not turn on the generator for air-conditioner because it wasn’t too hot outside, and Kathryn complained that she was “sweating like a fat pig.” Welcome to living in a little box. I told her that she should be happy to not have been in Nevada.

   The drive and nap caused me to have a late start. Kathryn ran with me, which was really nice, anything to help me forget about the traffic. We only made it 9 miles before it started to get dark. Out of water, and tired of eating our own cooking, we made out way to a tourist trap known as “Casa de Fruta.” The house of fruit is not only a huge fruit stand, but also a 24 hour restaurant, RV park, gas station, and a little kiddie train called “Casa de Choo Choo.” We had a really good diner style dinner, and bought $30 worth of dried fruit, nectarines, and pomegranate wine.

   It has been so long since I had a really good nights sleep. My nose is constantly giving me problems, and the busy roads that we have parked near lately don’t help. This evening my head hit the pillow and the next thing I remember was Nick telling me to get up. Comatose sleep is something to treasure.