Day 6, Part 3. Why am I in this basket?

One of the nice things about the trip was that my rental car was equipped with Hertz Neverlost, a GPS system. I could ask it where the closest hotels and/or restaurants were.

And I was hungry. In the middle of nowhere.

I was basically in the middle of pretty rural farms, that just happened to be abutting majestic mountains. This wasn't tourism USA. I liked it that way.

But still, I was hungry. And exhausted. And I needed a shower. Badly. So I asked the GPS where the closest hotels and restaurants were. I just needed to get into a town.

But this was all I see.


No can do, the GPS replied. You're 60 miles from anywhere. $#%%^$. OK, I'm going to be on the road for a bit first.

Perhaps it's pick your own dinner?

Orange groves and grape vines dominate the landscape. Every mile or so I see a building. It's late, dark, and I'm sick of driving. I finally pull into 'town'. And pull up to the town restaurant.


Hmmm.

Now, normally, what language other people speak is a political question I'm pretty liberal about. I figure I have no business telling others what language they should speak, just like they have no business telling me to do anything.

Now all I want is some food. I've spent over 30 hours in the saddle so far this week, I'm hungry, my everything hurts, and I'm grumpy.

I go into the local restaurant, and after a few minutes. Manage to order some tacos (if by 'some' you mean 'seven'). As I'm eating a local girl - her back to me the whole time - gets up and walks toward me for some unknown reason. She stares at me, I smile at her.

She recoils in horror. I wonder what's wrong.

In any case, perhaps that's enough effort for this week. I tell myself I'll get up tomorrow, do some sight-seeing. Maybe I'll ride. We'll see.