Fear the Crab

Thursday, 9/16: One of the notable features of Simi Valley is the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. For the group it was not considered a must-see tourist attraction, but once I told them that Air Force One was there interest was certainly piqued. There was even a piece of the Berlin Wall that President Reagan was so famously quoted for in tearing down.

As we left the library we decided to get lunch. We noticed an Original Tommy’s and decided to pick up some hamburgers for the road. Unfortunately we didn’t realize that among the default ingredients is a heaping pile of chili between the buns, and since we didn’t want to mess up the rental van, begrudgingly opted out. Consequentially, the burger seemed to lack something. I don’t know if it was the thin patty or the subconscious idea that we’d taken away what made the burger “special,” but lunch was not very tasty.

Around 14:00 we started the long drive north to Gilroy. We expected a 5 hour journey along the I-5 as we made our way to the Gilroy Inn. The 5 was flat and straight, and while there wasn’t much to see we were able to make the most of the view. Made two rest stops for fuel or snacks along the way, but otherwise the drive was rather uneventful. And apparently we were too tired to notice that Casa de Fruta was right along our route; I’m sure we would have otherwise stopped by. Before we even crossed the city limits we could smell the garlic that Gilroy is known for.

Yet the main reason we went to Gilroy was because somebody heard there were “three large malls” which tantalized the shoppers in the group. Turns out the malls were technically outlet malls, specifically the Gilroy Premium Outlets. The “three large malls” were discovered to simply be separate sections of the same place, divided by roads (and there are actually four sections). Oddly the group was not expecting outlet malls. Personally I don’t make much of a distinction, but people apparently had high hopes that there were “three large malls” that weren’t outlets, thus our first bout of disappointment set in. Second, if you count lunch.

This wouldn’t be a wasted trip, though. There is a well-known store that sold garlic-centric goods, perfect for those special gifts to bring home. Dinner was at Fresh Choice, a buffet-style salad bar with soup and pasta. It was a very interesting place that offered a variety of salads and toppings, and for $10 per person (including drink) it seemed cheaper than most other buffets I’ve been to.

In the evening we altered the itinerary again and decided we would drive to Napa. Towards that end we tried to find a motel in the area, but it was harvest season and tourists were flooding into the valley to attend the “Crush.” Huh, three disappointments in one day. Hope that wasn’t a bad omen.

We ended up getting a Motel 6 in Vallejo, a neighboring city south of Napa. We weren’t going to expect much from this stop, treating it instead like temporary shelter for the night.