Day 10

I left Bakersfield bright and early (6:00am) after stopping by Starbucks for some fuel. Driving along Stockdale Hwy that early in the morning is something pretty amazing. With the windows rolled down the air is crisp and earthy. There aren't many other drivers on the road then so everything is really peaceful. I secretly love driving by acres and acres of fields while the sprinklers are on...something about the "click, click, click" that's so hypnotic and relaxing.

The only thing worth mentioning from this drive was my neverending search for the least expensive highway gas. I'd drivin almost all the way to Sacramento and was getting a little low (but not hurting) so I started checking out the prices...regular unleaded $3.97 (too high, I can do better)...regular unleaded $3.77 (better, but I bet if I head further north the price will keep coming down)...regular unleaded $3.67 (awesome, but maybe one more exit?). I pull off on the next exit (the gas light is now on so it's time to fill up) but I couldn't see the gas price from the freeway. And of course it would be $4.09!!! Serves me right for being greedy, I guess.

I made it to Truckee around 11:30 and drove straight to Michael & Melinda's new house. After big hugs we piled into the car to take Michael to lunch. He works at a Ski Shop (I'm not sure what the name of it is, but these two words are most prominent on their store front) and seems very much in his element. We ate lunch at the Dragonfly ("If I could have a salad with fries instead of lettuce, that'd be great") where the food was extra good but the service was a bit lacking. We weren't asked if we wanted anything to drink and so poor Michael had to drink water instead of the coke he so desperately wanted. It also took a half century to get our food which we all had to eat quickly so that Michael could get back to work.

Mel and I ran a few errands in town. Someone had to get all new makeup since someone caught pink eye. We cruised back to their house to hang out and catch up until Michael got off work so the three of us could drive to Reno for Michael's improv show. His troupe is Empire Improv and it was so much fun. I haven't had an opportunity to catch much improv since I graduated high school where it felt like we went to Comedy Sportz every week.

After some sort of miscommunication, I got the chance to play bartender that night which was kind of fun. Lucky for me the drinks everyone ordered had exactly 2 ingredients (rum & coke, crown & water, vodka tonic, etc.). I totally felt like Tom Cruise from Cocktail! Except without the flair or feathered hair...

I had such a good time that night and laughed (embarassingly) loudly on more than one occassion. They've got more shows in the future, Saturday nights at 8pm, I believe. So if you're in the Reno area and are interested in a great night of comedy, check out Empire Improv.

You've gotta love Reno too because after the show was over, we decided to get a bite to eat. We hit up one of the casino restaurants where you can get Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner any time of the day and with the most interesting people. I saw a woman with the most awesome hair ever. It was bleached blonde, well, somewhere between banana yellow and platinum, and SUPER frizzy. Her outfit was made out of lycra and her companion was sporting a very serious mullet. Only in Reno...

Oh, and it was snowing as we were driving home...aahhh...cold. Loving it!