I wen leave da motel reluctantly; I coulda watched all nā manu and da koi much longer. But we had to be in Walnut Creek around noon foa visit Nolemana’s sistah dem and have lunch. So off we wen go.

Dis is along Interstate 5. Compared to Oregon, dis area looks so dang barren! Get some oleander bushes in da middo of da freeway dat wen provide da only color around hea.

Moa I-5. Dis is litto bit North of Orland.

Awreddy my eyes stay longing foa green. Dis is one long, brown stretch of interstate.

We wen see some horses out in da pasture.

And had some fields of corn.

Dis next photo get one story behind it. My maddah wen mahke on July 4th. And da only way I could get down was to drive. My dottah Leilani wen go wit me (I going post about dat trip lataz). On da way home, aftah being in Los Gatos foa a week, we stay on our trip home. Was kinda late afternoon, and we needed coffee! So in Willows, da kid at da gas station wen tell us had one coffee place down da road. So we wen drive down da main drag trying foa find da place.

We wen pull into da parking lot, but stay closed da cafe! Auwe! Willows stay in da middo of nowea, but nomo choice; we had to keep going home… minus da coffee. But as we wen pull back onto da main drag heading toward da freeway, we wen spock one sign saying da drive-up still open! Whoot!

So I wen turn da cornah and wen drive into wat I thought was da drive-up window. Keep in mind we wen drive 12 hours in one whack alla way down to Los Gatos, den had one extremely emotional week dea, den facing anodda 12-hour drive home. I wen pull into da drive-up area, only to realize dat ack! We wen go in da todally wrong way!

I was going turn around and come back in, cuz I wen feel so stupid, but da wahine at da window wen tell us, “Eh, nemmine. Stay reeyo slow right now, so no boddah.” We wen ordah our lattés, when ack! Dis big white SUV wen pull in, heading foa da drive up window! I wen tell da wahine at da window, “Eh, I stay going turn around, cuz get somebody coming.” She wen look in her mirrah, and wen tell me, “Eh, I know dat wahine. She comes in every singo day and gets da same ting. So I going go start hers one.”

Da wahine in da SUV stay giving Leilani and me big-time stink eye, so I wen tell da coffee wahine, “Eh, mo bettah I turn around, cuz dat wahine not happy wit me right now; be right back.”

So I wen start forward, da wahine in da SUV wen back up, and when we wen pull up alongside her, Leilani wen roll down her window and wen apologize profusely. She wen tell da wahine, “Eh, we nevah been hea befoa; I stay SO sorry! We wen go in da wrong way.” Da nasty wahine in da SUV nevah wen crack one smile, but wen say, reeyo sarcastic kine, “Yeah, you sure did!” Reeyo stink her voice.

So I wen drive back into da drive-up, going da right way dis time. And while we stay waiting foa our coffee, Leilani wen tell me, “Eh Mom, u know wat? Ke Akua stay telling me dat we should pay foa dat wahine’s coffee.” So dat’s exactly wat we wen do. I wen tell da wahine at da window, “Eh, we stay going pay foa dat wahine’s coffee.” Was so funny… da wahine wen get dis puzzled look on her face and wen tell us, “Where are you people FROM?” LOL. We wen tell her “Oregon”, and she wen make shua dat’s wat we like do. Yup.

So next thing we knew (I could see dis in my side-eye mirrah), da coffee wahine wen go out to da SUV wahine’s car, and wen tell her we wen pay foa her coffee. And I could see dat wahine’s jaw drop about a foot and could see her tell, “WAT?” Todally shocked her.

We wen pay foa everything and wen leave. And on da way, Leilani and I wen talk about how much bettah it was dat we wen do wat we wen do den just stay hūhū wit dat wahine. And who knows… maybe she going go home and tell her ‘ohana about dese pupule wahine from Oregon. And maybe going change da way she looks at tings. And maybe she going say, “Hmmm… pass on no pass back” like Leilani and I wen do. Maybe going make no difference in her life at all, but maybe going. We wen do wat ke Akua wen tell us foa do. And dat’s wat’s important. I hope dat we wen make a difference in da life of dat wahine. If not now, maybe somewea up da road.

So anyway, Nolemana and I on DIS trip, stay ready foa coffee. So I wen tell him, “Eh brah, I know wea stay dis kewl coffee shop”, and we wen pull into Willows, wen get gas, den wen drive up hea: Common Grounds. Willows, CA.

Dis time I wen drive in da right way!

And guess wat? Da wahine at da window wen remembah me from da trip befoa!! Was todally kewl.

We wen leave Willows wit fresh coffee, and soon wen take da I-505 bypass to I-80. Going dis way shaves about two hours off da trip, cuz no gotta go alla way chru Sacramento. Talk about barren! Was moa worse den I-5!

Mile aftah mile of fence posts. I no could help but wondah how long wen take foa dig da post holes foa alla dem. Talk about tedious!! Foa me, dis area is one of da hardest parts of da entire trip. Nomo even one pipi foa AFK!

Moa fence posts. Dey wen dig um by hand? Oa hand one machine? Dunno.

Finally we wen cross ova Carquinez Strait (photos on da way home trip), and into Walnut Creek. Ho da traffic! Twelve lanes of it! Foa dis Hawai‘i/Oregon girl, ho da scary!

We stay so glad to finally pull up to Nolemana’s sistah dems hale. Out in da back yard we wen get greeted by dem, dea daughter-in-law and her two keiki, and dis colorful sight, so nani aftah alla miles of bare, brown land.

Next time, we leave Walnut Creek but run into one surprise on Ygnacio Valley Road!

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