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Shocking absolutely nobody, we got off to a slightly late start today. We got out the door late, and it took us about an hour to get to the truck rental shop (SF Downtown? Not quite). But they were quite friendly, and sent us on our way quickly.
It only took us three or four elevator trips (with two carts packed shoulder-high) to clear out my storage unit. Most of the boxes remained unopened, though I did raid a few for gear that might be useful while we're camping. The load fills about two thirds of the truck to hip-height (two boxes high, or the equivalent). We even left one of the shelving units intact, because we had plenty of space and didn't have a mallet handy.
After we finished packing, we took a break to get Adrienne some authentic San Francisco sourdough and me some Spam musubi, and also to pick up some maps from AAA. A quick stop back at Dave & Jenny's to pick up the camping gear and my bicycle, and a diversion to a grocery store to get some more provisions, and we were ready to hit the road... right into traffic on the Bay Bridge. It was at least moving the whole way, rather than actually being stopped.
We swung by American Steel in Oakland. I knew I'd have extra space in the truck, so I commissioned a sculpture from Dan Good. The sculpture, Spur, is a set of linked steel squares, like a chain folded back on itself. It's really cool. The crate he built to ship it alone is nicer than any of my furniture, and fit perfectly in the corner of the truck.
We left the Bay Area heading for Yosemite. Adrienne spent several hours reading aloud from a book about all of the deaths that have happened in the park, and while she was reading about coyotes (deaths caused by coyotes in Yosemite: 0), one crossed the road in front of us.
That was not the most impressive wildlife sighting today, though. We arrived at our campsite (at the Lost Claim campground, in the Stanislaus National Forest, about 10 miles from the entry to Yosemite) with enough time before sunset that we decided to head into Yosemite to pick up some brochures, and on the way out of the campground, a mountain lion crossed the gravel access road! I've never seen one in the wild before. We also got a good look at a hare at almost the same spot on the way back. That hare'd better watch out, or it'll be puma chow...
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