I was greeted by a red sun over the bay this morning and a smokey haze. The California fires continue to burn, so fortunately we’re just passing through. My wife’s daughter went back to work this morning and our weekend guest party ended. We’ll be getting in the car soon to complete the next leg of our cross-country adventure. It’s only four hours until our next hotel stay in Cambria. We will not be able to take the planned scenic drive down Highway 1, with traffic re-routed to 101 due to the fire conditions. 

We’ll stop at the Hearst Ranch Winery for a tasting along the way, meeting up with friends I haven’t seen for years. It will be an interesting day, catching up on the different paths our lives took since living in Indianapolis twenty years ago. I stay in touch by phone, but haven’t actually seen them since we left the Hoosier state. Since then, we’ve lived in Illinois, Texas, and Oregon, while they came straight to California. I’m looking forward to today’s reunion over a glass of wine with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop. 

It was another quiet family evening last night. We had an early dinner at Coqueta on the waterfront once the smoke cleared away. Earlier in the day, we watched Takuma Sato hold off Scott Dixon to win the Indy 500. The race ended in disappointing fashion, as a crash with five laps to go brought out the yellow flag. The odd circumstances were befitting of this year. At least, a Hoosier was in the winner’s circle, as team owner David Letterman shared the spotlight with his partner Bobby Rahal. Several of my Facebook friends watched the race from outside the locked gates. It was bazaar watching with no fans allowed in the stands. 

Another day – another drive. This time it will be a one-night layover before heading to Palm Springs for two nights at another Marriott resort. It’s tough to give up the spacious luxury of this San Francisco property, but tonight we should have a room overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We’re slowly making our way to Florida to make the final building plans for our forever home. We’ll hit the Florida state line in another week with additional stops in Tucson, Marfa, Austin, and Mobile. Today will be a memorable reunion of old friends. Stay tuned for Day Four.