It’s been quite the ride. You saw the pics but missed the soundtrack. Yes we listened to plenty of music , some of which surfaced by title in the blogs but we also had plenty of time to discuss our impressions as we traversed America
. I’ll summarize a few.
First we were in awe of the natural beauty of this country – from the bayous to the beaches, the mountains to the canyons, it is humbling to feel the breath of nature. For that alone, this is a trip we urge you to take. However, we were also impressed by the fragility of this beauty – the slow and imperfect recovery of NOLA from Katrina, the parched beautiful browns of inland California. Occasional signs of renewable energy generation were insufficient to diminish our fears of climate change and our concern about its denial.
Second, we met so many interesting people – from Burundi to Bucharest, from Conakry to Chelmsford ( UK and MA). Everyone has a story and people of all ages, colors and political persuasions shared them with us. Just like our geography , the diversity of our people is a thing of beauty.
Third, this blog served to connect us with so many of our friends and colleagues, within the US but also across the world. We were reminded that this is one of the great gifts of science – a global reach of friendship. Just as love and friendship give us a reason for living and are the most important things in life, we were also reminded of their fragility. On the anniversary of my wife Kate’s birthday I learned that a dear friend in Dublin, Tony Farmar, had died. That evening Ian and I dined with Steve Prescott – all three of us with recent health war stories to share. Life is for living, friends are to treasure, don’t exist on the installment plan.
Finally, the politics. You can’t travel the country like we did, driving in a smart car, playing with smart phones and dining well without being acutely aware of our privilege and the inequality of wealth and opportunity in this country. Stopping at fast food joints and passing the homeless on each city’s sidewalks you see the dead end jobs, the evident poverty and the appalling diets. You can understand people feeling abandoned, making them susceptible to the guile of a carnival barker. In our opinion, these people are getting screwed by the Republicans and ignored by the Democrats. To see the shameful tax bill, the political support for an evangelical pederast and the diminution of our support for human rights , control of global warming and peace in the Middle East is dismaying. We get what we vote for. We need to engage politically if we want an ever better union and even to nurture the fragile beauty that we have.
Blair gowned up, assembled all the dirty laundry and squeezed it with all his purchases into big red Bertha , aiming for SFO.
It’s been quite the ride. Only two more blogs left to go, the final one from Ian when he gets to Philly with the full accounting. 
We never anticipated how this would take off and be so much fun: thank you to all who have followed us!
So tonight we went to Octavia , sensitively steered by the local Robert, of a somewhat Marxian countenance . As luck would have it we sat beside Adrian and Adriana. They met on a cruise ship, an Australian ( well her father is from Taormina) beautician and a Romanian ( not Hungarian) barman.
However, forsaking the boat, love blossomed and the world beckoned. They are just completing a 5 month global trip ( we are so provincial by comparison – they recommend Iceland and Madeira, but they did quite like Portlaoishe). She works now in life insurance and while passing through London (what do the Brits know about this?) he passed his master SOM exams. He knew and approved of our Rioja and shared his local Zin.
The food was excellent as was the service from Brittany, a Napa refugee.
To conclude we were ferried home to the renovated Ritz by another Adrian, this time a Pakistani. We relished discussing the current form of the English cricket team with Ian. Finally port and cognac served by a charming Ethiopian. All of us , citizens of nowhere. It’s almost all over now baby blue.
Reminiscent for me of our trips down California 1 in 1987 during my time in Genentech. The memories now are bittersweet. The natural beauty of the coastline, the surfers and the seals , the sun to your left slipping down the sky as the road rises and falls. 
First time for Blair, he is overwhelmed. His emotions get the better of him at one pull off and the red socks are cast aside as he goes for a paddle – a very British concept . Used to the still waters of Margate, he is unprepared for a dousing in the surf. Tossed, shaken and stirred, like a rolling stone and left with sand in his shoes.
We dash up the coast to catch the sun setting at Half Moon Bay, an old favorite of Kate and mine. Busier and built up a bit in 30 years but still a magical place.
A fitting last stop before the final push into San Francisco. A real lesson to go your own way.
The moans of pleasure, the flap of the canvas, the smell of the sea in the air
Yes we have reached Santa Cruz. They have some North Carolinian instincts about banning dogs in toilets
Still who can belittle our reaching another shining sea
The boys adjourned for some fresh Monterey crab in a gender accepting environment, raised a toast to the coast and prepared for the final assault on San Francisco!
reminded us that we are just in time. Each ring is a year and 3000 years ago there were events of note close to its birth
The more peripheral timing keeps us humble
Finally, we had been amused – back in Atlanta to watch a spokesperson for Roy Moore ( before he lost) advancing the cause of banning inclusion in Congress those who could not swear allegiance on the Christian bible. Adding to his confusion about separation church and state, he rationalized his brand of sharia by saying this country was based on three thousand years of Christianity 
Just goes to show there is a crack in everything.
On the other hand, he was quick to point out that the fire is artificial, the adjacent ornate clock plastic and that he has deep concerns about the gender of the figure atop the Christmas tree. Against these odds we had an excellent meal – better than the Santa Fe hautes salons – in a setting only a bit upmarket from last nights refectory.
The wine – despite being recommended ( after we had selected it) as Reagan’s favorite ( how would he know) was really excellent: all praise to the SOM.
Credit for the food goes to the courageous ( he showed up) Justin Picard , son of the soil from New Hampshire and a Bernie supporter. Well acquainted with Quebec he has Italy, Ireland and France in his sights. He should be in the sights of a SF restaurant investor!
Joshuas and other strange trees, forests of windmills, mountains of the moon, peace trains and Bakersfield traffic.
At last, 650 miles and 10 hours later they reached more familiar territory in El Paso de Robles – which does rather sound like an interesting dance.
Algretto combined missionary grandeur with a dash of Californian kitsch but made the Travelers welcome, feel close to their destination, briefly forget the shameful Republican Scrooges’ tax plan and despite it, feel some seasonal cheer.
A trove of final pics from Ian including his encounter with the headlights.
It never leaves you…
