Finally, after about two weeks, we've gotten online access again!
It's amazing how one gets used to having near instant access to information and how frustrating things get when that access is denied.
In any case, we're now in our apartment and I've been unpacking the past week, and there's still boxes to be emptied. We still need more bookcases, nothing new there. We haven't been able to get any new furniture yet due to an odd, to us Indiana residents at least, practice of California banks. As our previous bank has no branches in California, we had to open a new account. Then we also deposited Christy's first paycheck and reimbursement check. Then we were told that for the first month of a new account being open, you're limited to only $100 of your deposit for a week after the deposit. Supposedly, this practice is to stymie money laundering operations. So, if you're moving to California, make sure you've got a bank with branches in the state or make sure you get cash with that first deposit so you've got money to run on.
Is California more expensive? Yes and no. Rent is higher as is stuff like gas, insurance and meats. Chain restaurants such as Taco Bell and McDonald's have standard prices as does Denny's so they can be cheaper than local places. The real trick is finding the local grocery stores and cooking yourself. Safeway is a standard supermarket with a decent selection and moderate prices. Get their discount card and buy store brands to save a good bit of cash. Trader Joe's is great for organic foods and has some great prices mixed in with some high prices, so shop around. Movie theatres are similar to Indy in prices plus about $0.25-0.50. Books cost the same at the local Borders and comics are cheaper for us thanks to Cryptic giving their employees a discount. I still have to find the local game store now that our money will be available again.
So, that's where we are right now. We're still adjusting to the time difference and the location.
Well, time for dinner so I'll talk to everyone later.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Monday, July 9, 2007
We've arrived!
We have arrived in Los Gatos, safe and sound, as of 6:00 pm Saturday 7/7/07. This is my first opportunity to get online since we left Indy as we only have a desktop system. Getting here involved a personal Odyssey including a long run after dark along Highway 50 in Nevada. As the linked article notes, AAA called this stretch of highway "The Loneliest Road in America" and let me tell you, it's true, especially after dark! Just imagine over 200 miles of rural highway with a town at either end and only one small town in the middle. There are no street-lights and it's pitch black otherwise. The only thing that kept me from thinking we were driving into a horror movie was the presence of other cars on the road. Combine the darkness with unfamiliar terrain and fatigue as this whole route took longer than we were told it would take.
What precipitated this trek you might ask? We were following our plan of taking I-80 straight across and this went well at first. We stopped in Des Moines at the Motel 6 Wednesday night. About all I can say about that leg of the trip is that Illinois had the cleanest highway rest stop I've ever seen, probably because it was staffed. The next day took us across Iowa and Nebraska before stopping in Laramie, Wyoming for the night. Iowa was a lot like Indiana and Illinois but flatter and its rest stops had free wi-fi. Nebraska was a long empty drive with a few, Old-Westy style attractions advertised but the most interesting thing was the Great Platte River Road Arch. This thing is a bit startling when you see it straddling the highway. Otherwise, we were glad to be out of Nebraska. There was a blatant change in terrain when we entered Wyoming, going through Medicine Bow National Forest. Cheyenne was a bit depressing as the area along I-80 was quite run down. Laramie, however, was great! We had dinner at a local place called the Altitude and I had a delicious steak sandwich. There were many interesting looking attractions advertised and the state is beautiful, so we plan to go back sometime.
The next day we drove through Utah and Nebraska. Salt Lake City is HUGE and its tangle of interstate ramps puts Indy's "Spaghetti Bowl" to shame. The Great Salt Lake and the Salt Flats are visually impressive and yet frightening when you think about traveling across them without modern technology. Another thing that struck me about the western states is the large number of mobile homes and single and double-wide manufactured homes. Add to that the large distances between homes and towns and the vast open areas and there was no question we were someplace different. Nevada was marked by the sudden appearance of casinos.
We were doing fine along I-80 until we reached Carlin and were flagged off the interstate due to a wildfire. So we broke out the AAA maps and realized that we could cut down 278 to Highway 50 at Eureka and then take 50 west to Reno and get back on I-80. The locals said it would take about three hours and it was 4:00 pm local time, so I thought "no problem." Heh heh heh, apparently the locals drive a whole lot faster than I do. We reached Fallon, NV at about 11:00 pm local time and I was bone tired. We found out that Fallon was hosting a rodeo and most of their hotels were full. We lucked into a free room at the Super 8 and got some sleep after over 900 miles of driving.
The next day brought us through Reno, back to I-80 through Lake Tahoe which was the only place on our route that outdid Wyoming for sheer natural beauty. The terrain was so eye-catching I was having trouble driving as I needed to watch the curves of the Highway as it ran up and down the mountains but my eye kept being drawn to the landscape we were driving though. As we headed towards Sacramento, things got less interesting except for the large amount of traffic. Then the land changed yet again as we moved into the Bay area and down into Oakland and through the largest conglomeration of highway ramps I've ever seen. We pushed on and finally arrived in Los Gatos where we took a room at the Los Gatos Lodge. We'll be here until the 12th when our apartment will finally be available.
Yesterday morning we woke up and went out for breakfast, which we had at Baker's Square. While eating I was looking out the window at a great view of pine covered mountains. We did a little exploring after that, to the extent that my back would allow. (The moving aggravated an old lower back sprain and I've been gimping around since Tuesday.) The street layouts are much more irregular than what I'm used to in Indiana, where most streets follow a basic grid pattern. Here, there are many more twists and turns. Downtown Los Gatos has a strong feel of artist community like Nashville, IN combined with the small town feel of Shelbyville, IN all mixed with the upscale style that north Indianapolis/Carmel/Fishers, IN tries to project. There's actually a Lamborghini dealership here but just down the street are little antique shops and candy stores next to international restaurants and pizza and burger places.
We still feel like we're on vacation rather than actually living here. Maybe once we get our apartment and get settled in, we'll feel different.
In any case, our adventure isn't over yet. We've still got a whole new city to explore and we'll be keeping this blog updated as we do, so don't go away!
I need to let the hotel have their computer back now, so take care everyone and we'll talk to you later!
What precipitated this trek you might ask? We were following our plan of taking I-80 straight across and this went well at first. We stopped in Des Moines at the Motel 6 Wednesday night. About all I can say about that leg of the trip is that Illinois had the cleanest highway rest stop I've ever seen, probably because it was staffed. The next day took us across Iowa and Nebraska before stopping in Laramie, Wyoming for the night. Iowa was a lot like Indiana and Illinois but flatter and its rest stops had free wi-fi. Nebraska was a long empty drive with a few, Old-Westy style attractions advertised but the most interesting thing was the Great Platte River Road Arch. This thing is a bit startling when you see it straddling the highway. Otherwise, we were glad to be out of Nebraska. There was a blatant change in terrain when we entered Wyoming, going through Medicine Bow National Forest. Cheyenne was a bit depressing as the area along I-80 was quite run down. Laramie, however, was great! We had dinner at a local place called the Altitude and I had a delicious steak sandwich. There were many interesting looking attractions advertised and the state is beautiful, so we plan to go back sometime.
The next day we drove through Utah and Nebraska. Salt Lake City is HUGE and its tangle of interstate ramps puts Indy's "Spaghetti Bowl" to shame. The Great Salt Lake and the Salt Flats are visually impressive and yet frightening when you think about traveling across them without modern technology. Another thing that struck me about the western states is the large number of mobile homes and single and double-wide manufactured homes. Add to that the large distances between homes and towns and the vast open areas and there was no question we were someplace different. Nevada was marked by the sudden appearance of casinos.
We were doing fine along I-80 until we reached Carlin and were flagged off the interstate due to a wildfire. So we broke out the AAA maps and realized that we could cut down 278 to Highway 50 at Eureka and then take 50 west to Reno and get back on I-80. The locals said it would take about three hours and it was 4:00 pm local time, so I thought "no problem." Heh heh heh, apparently the locals drive a whole lot faster than I do. We reached Fallon, NV at about 11:00 pm local time and I was bone tired. We found out that Fallon was hosting a rodeo and most of their hotels were full. We lucked into a free room at the Super 8 and got some sleep after over 900 miles of driving.
The next day brought us through Reno, back to I-80 through Lake Tahoe which was the only place on our route that outdid Wyoming for sheer natural beauty. The terrain was so eye-catching I was having trouble driving as I needed to watch the curves of the Highway as it ran up and down the mountains but my eye kept being drawn to the landscape we were driving though. As we headed towards Sacramento, things got less interesting except for the large amount of traffic. Then the land changed yet again as we moved into the Bay area and down into Oakland and through the largest conglomeration of highway ramps I've ever seen. We pushed on and finally arrived in Los Gatos where we took a room at the Los Gatos Lodge. We'll be here until the 12th when our apartment will finally be available.
Yesterday morning we woke up and went out for breakfast, which we had at Baker's Square. While eating I was looking out the window at a great view of pine covered mountains. We did a little exploring after that, to the extent that my back would allow. (The moving aggravated an old lower back sprain and I've been gimping around since Tuesday.) The street layouts are much more irregular than what I'm used to in Indiana, where most streets follow a basic grid pattern. Here, there are many more twists and turns. Downtown Los Gatos has a strong feel of artist community like Nashville, IN combined with the small town feel of Shelbyville, IN all mixed with the upscale style that north Indianapolis/Carmel/Fishers, IN tries to project. There's actually a Lamborghini dealership here but just down the street are little antique shops and candy stores next to international restaurants and pizza and burger places.
We still feel like we're on vacation rather than actually living here. Maybe once we get our apartment and get settled in, we'll feel different.
In any case, our adventure isn't over yet. We've still got a whole new city to explore and we'll be keeping this blog updated as we do, so don't go away!
I need to let the hotel have their computer back now, so take care everyone and we'll talk to you later!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Down to the Wire
Wow! What a week!
We're finally all packed and nearly ready to go. This past week was a whirlwind of activity, from confusion over how Cryptic was paying Christy's moving allowance to getting our new apartment to packing and cleaning. After all that, we've still got a 2300 mile drive ahead.
Still though, it seems Christy timed this move pretty well. We found out Friday that her former employer is laying off workers. It seems our predictions of a downward spiral for them has begun.
In any case, Cryptic finally decided to just pay the bill for PODS to move our stuff and it got on the way Monday afternoon. Also, they paid the deposit on our new apartment so we now have a place to live! We'll be at the place pictured in the last post. The only problem is, due to the July 4th holiday, we probably won't be able to get in until the 12th, so we'll have a few extra nights in a hotel than anticipated but since we didn't have to pay the deposit we've got extra cash to deal with that.
Then there was the packing and cleaning. As to that, thank goodness for friends and family or we'd have never gotten it done. Mom helped pack the breakables, Dad directed the loading of the POD and got it securely packed, Mike helped Dad and proved to be the King of Lift & Carry by hoisting up to four boxes of books at a time, Amy and Carrie cleaned and made a few supply runs while Nick and Wendy drove down to help with Nick doing both lift and carry tasks and being on carpet shampoo duty while Wendy went all Domestic Goddess and led the cleaning charge. I was in awe of all the assistance provided. As a reward for all the work, we got to wind down with a couple of sessions of Ars Magica.
Now we just have to get the last few details squared away before heading out Wednesday.
We'll be taking pictures along the way and we'll update things here as soon as possible. As we don't own a laptop it might have to wait until we're settled in to the new place before the next update. So wish us luck and we'll get back to the story as soon as we can.
We're finally all packed and nearly ready to go. This past week was a whirlwind of activity, from confusion over how Cryptic was paying Christy's moving allowance to getting our new apartment to packing and cleaning. After all that, we've still got a 2300 mile drive ahead.
Still though, it seems Christy timed this move pretty well. We found out Friday that her former employer is laying off workers. It seems our predictions of a downward spiral for them has begun.
In any case, Cryptic finally decided to just pay the bill for PODS to move our stuff and it got on the way Monday afternoon. Also, they paid the deposit on our new apartment so we now have a place to live! We'll be at the place pictured in the last post. The only problem is, due to the July 4th holiday, we probably won't be able to get in until the 12th, so we'll have a few extra nights in a hotel than anticipated but since we didn't have to pay the deposit we've got extra cash to deal with that.
Then there was the packing and cleaning. As to that, thank goodness for friends and family or we'd have never gotten it done. Mom helped pack the breakables, Dad directed the loading of the POD and got it securely packed, Mike helped Dad and proved to be the King of Lift & Carry by hoisting up to four boxes of books at a time, Amy and Carrie cleaned and made a few supply runs while Nick and Wendy drove down to help with Nick doing both lift and carry tasks and being on carpet shampoo duty while Wendy went all Domestic Goddess and led the cleaning charge. I was in awe of all the assistance provided. As a reward for all the work, we got to wind down with a couple of sessions of Ars Magica.
Now we just have to get the last few details squared away before heading out Wednesday.
We'll be taking pictures along the way and we'll update things here as soon as possible. As we don't own a laptop it might have to wait until we're settled in to the new place before the next update. So wish us luck and we'll get back to the story as soon as we can.
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