I think it was probably just after midnight when Sean and I started driving out of Vegas, stopping to get occasional Pokémon Go Pokéstops and Pokémon just to break up the monotony along the way.
We were road tripping up to northern California to visit Alcatraz and see our first ever 49ers game with my sister Elisabeth (Liz) and her husband Kyle, detouring for work purposes (Uship) along the way.
Our first stop was in Los Angeles, CA to drop off an exercise machine we were being paid to deliver. It was significantly out of the way but worth it for the pay.
Waiting to see if we'd get any other Uship bookings we'd bid on, we got a couple bits in McDonald's and loitered for a short while while using WiFi and getting some work done. We didn't hear anything back from any Uship people though so we eventually got back on the road.
From where we were, the fastest way to Hayward, CA, where Liz and Kyle are currently living, was by taking the I-5 north. We headed up then, catching more Pokémon on occasion and stopping at a TA Travel Center in Buttonwillow that was under construction on the way. Inside TA, they had a "Game Room" that didn't have any games inside. Hopefully, that was to be remedied for the better by the time construction was complete.
My sister and Kyle were still working when we got to Hayward but we had things of our own to do. First, we dropped off the second of two Uship items we'd brought with us from Vegas: a grill. We'd been lucky enough to find something that fit in the car going from Vegas to Hayward during the dates we'd be making that trip anyway. Kinda like free money!
Down the street from the grill recipient's place, we got some great deals at the 99 Cent Store. They had a section I'd never seen before - not even in another Cali 99 Cent Store - just for Cali souvenirs. We totally raided it and got lots of fun, impractical things. Lol
Then we killed a little more time catching some Electabuzzes and other Pokémon at the nearby Horseshoe Lake.
Kyle had just gotten home to his and Liz's apartment around then and texted us to head over so we drove a few minutes to their place, shared some snacks and drinks, and hung out for the rest of the night while waiting for Liz to get home. We all fell asleep while waiting but Sean and I got up for a bit to spend time with her when she arrived.
Day 2 - 8/13/16 (Alcatraz):
Taking advantage of Liz and Kyle having the weekend off and it being the weekend after Kyle's birthday, we all lounged at the apartment as long as possible before getting the BART (conveniently across the street from their apartment complex!) to San Francisco, getting an Uber to Pier 33, catching more Pokémon on the way, and boarding for the cruise to Alcatraz we'd booked long in advance ($132 for 4 people)!
There were great views on the way to Alcatraz and from the island once we arrived. We got some snacks and beverages as well as lots of pics and vids onboard on the way over and then spent a good couple of hours walking around, exploring, learning lots, and taking in the sights of the prison and island.
We weren't sure what to do with ourselves once we made it back to Pier 33 but it was cold so we decided to walk while deciding. We made it to Pier 45's Musée Méchanique antique coin operated arcade and had a little fun putting coins in a few old machines there before doing a bit more aimless walking around the area and finally getting a Lyft (like Uber, this time using $5 of free credit we had and maybe $8 out of pocket) to get to Box Kitchen and Tempest Bar for foods and drinks. Yum!
We had to catch the BART back to the apartment before it got too late so we started that way after Tempest, got a pizza to share from 7 Eleven, made it back to the apartment, watched stuff, chilled, and eventually called it a night.
Day 3 - 8/14/16 (49ers Game!):
Today was an even bigger day with an even slower start. It probably didn't help that one of the first things we did was download Pokémon Go on Liz's phone and actually manage to get her into it with the rest of us! Finally dressed up in 49ers gear and ready to go after 3pm though, we started to Levi Stadium to watch the 49ers vs Texans preseason game - Sean's and my first live pro football game ever! :D Sean and I had gotten the tickets awhile back at only $86 for 4 people! Not the best seats in the house by any means but we loved our view, the weather was great, and we had a fantastic time. We got beers, nachos, the best burger IN THE WORLD and even shared some snacks we'd brought and caught some Pokémon there while watching the game. Sadly, the 49ers lost this time but we didn't love them any less for it. (Well, Kyle's a Packers fan so he probably couldn't have cared less about who won. Lol) We just had fun watching and enjoyed the halftime show and everything else that went on while we were there.
It was already getting late when we made it back to the car after the game so we drove back to apartment to enjoy the hot tub there for awhile. Technically the boys spent half their time in the freezing cold pool because they're insane but we all eventually enjoyed the warm hot tub water together!
We watched movies and caught more Pokémon for a short while back in the apartment. I think Liz was already at level 6 by the time we all went to bed!
Day 4 - 8/15/16 (Merced):
By the time Sean and I got up today, Kyle had long since left for work and Liz was studying for school. Sean and I had to pack up to get on our way and Liz had to get ready and head to class but we all made a little last minute time to spend together. Sean and I left some beverages, snacks, and small goodies for Liz and Kyle and Liz sent us away with headphones, gorgeous lanterns, flowers and such. We said some very reluctant goodbyes then and were all on our way.
Sean and I headed to Merced to see my mom and youngest siblings next. We met them at the McDonald's just off the 99 freeway's R Street exit. My mom had a delicious German chocolate cake waiting for us when we arrived and had bought us drinks too. So sweet!
My mom's friend Sue's house was just a couple doors down from McDonald's so after cake we left Juliet and Jarod (my little bro and sis) at McDonald's while we went to say hi to Sue, feed some animals there, and get a couple of boxes my mom had left there to send back to Vegas with me.
We rounded Juliet and Jarod up after that and all headed to storage to get some of my old things out of a unit my mom was renting. We filled the car up completely with tons of old things, most of which I'd forgotten about but nearly all of which had sentimental value. Crazy seeing it all again after all these years and so nice being able to take so much of it back to Vegas with me to sort out and finally use in my own home!
We went to Joe Herb community park, I believe it was, so we could exchange some things we'd saved for each other and catch up for awhile. Mom and I got to do a lot of chatting there while Sean and Jarod did some sword (well, stick) fighting with some kendo sticks, I guess they were, that Jarod had. Haha Boys!
Sean and I had to get on the road finally so we got in some last hugs and started back towards Vegas.
We were hungry on the way so we found a Food Maxx (like Food 4 Less) and got a rotisserie chicken and some jalapeño cheese bread rolls.
To take advantage of a deal for a free $50 gift card with two hotel night bookings while keeping comfy, we'd booked a room at Econo Lodge in Barstow, CA for $52 total. We were pooped when we got to Barstow at 3am anyway so it worked out perfectly. To make things even sweeter, there was a Pokestop we could reach from our bed so we got Pokéballs and Pokémon while watching the Olympics til falling asleep a little after 4am!
Day 5 - 8/16/16 (home):
We were up again at 9:15am to get some continental breakfast (served from 7-10am there) which consisted of toast, prepackaged danishes, or cereal and milk (plain Cheerios or corn flakes) with coffee, orange juice, or cranberry juice to drink. I suppose you get what you pay for but we were alright with it! Staff was nice and it was our 2nd of the 2 hotel nights we'd done so our gift card (which could be for one of a number of places such as Walmart) would be on its way soon meaning we'd basically only paid like $26 for the night. :D
At 11am, we were checked out and back on the road towards Vegas, getting a few last Pokéstops and Pokémon before making it home again.
