Just Far Enough

Life’s Good When…you’re on the road towards a party most likely to meet your expectations of a great time. Just far enough out of town to be considered a road trip and making new CD’s is a necessity. This past weekend my travel partners and I left town mid-afternoon south for San Louis Obispo (SLO). Our cause was to celebrate a good friends birthday, relieve ourselves from the weekday regimen, and enjoy our short get away to the fullest.

We set out with clouds in the sky and wet roads from a mid-morning rain. To me this meant more exciting driving conditions. Of course because of precious cargo (passengers) I would have to be on my best driving behavior, keeping the 100+ speeds to straight-aways and just long enough for the thrill without the ticket. Although enjoying the cloudy scenery, for my travel partners rain would ruin their intentions to wear dresses and boots for the evenings events. To eager to get to our destination weather worries faded, we stopped for nothing and kept the music up beat.

Taking just under two hours we arrived in SLO around 3:20pm. Expecting to greet the birthday girl, we were welcomed by two strangers I’d never met, the roommates. Happy to be free from the driver seat I chilled out with the comfort of knowing I didn’t have to move from the broken back couch I was sitting in for two hours; cocktails began at 6:30pm, dinner was at 7:30pm.

When five o’clock hit, the living room went from about 15 people to five guys. The assembly line had started: shower, hair dryer, curling iron, make-up etc. Whether it’s one girl or ten an hour and half for getting ready seems to be a popular time frame. Now for guys, it's more like in the movies when the guy walks into the airplane bathroom (lavatory) closes the door, opens it a second later and walks out in a suit. Regardless, the time is worth it.

The preliminary stages of a great night started with cocktails at the Del Mar Bar. Once everyone was unable to drive safely the taxi cabs arrived and shuttled us down town. We arrived and filtered downstairs to a basement like special events room fully decorated and staffed. Here’s where the expectations would be met. Dinner for fifty, open bar, and good company, all compliments of the birthday girl’s parents. Extremely generous is what comes to mind when I think of this family. As the night carried on the staff quickly caught up to our drinking abilities. With every new drink a new conversation would start, vaguely remembering details, but confident in our enjoyment. After speeches and laughs from friends and family we departed at 12:30am from a dinner that began at 7:30pm.

At this point the birthday girl had thrown in the towel and retreated back home. This left about twelve of us out and finishing the night at a small bar dancing. Last call put us on the street, directionless, but happy. With rationality out the window we began walking not really comprehending how far we had to go; about two and half miles.

Once home we all piled on the living room floor, shouted at each other for about ten minutes, and finally passed out almost instantaneously. Dazed and confused, the morning brought groans and pain. Luckily I had consumed just enough water the night before to keep my head from pounding out of control. Keeping the blanket over my head to avoid conversation, I tried sleeping, failed, and inevitably wound up listening to multiple girls “catch up.” Switching from one hip to the other on a thin carpet floor I tried with desperation to sleep off a night overly consumed with fun and alcohol.

As we said our good-byes two things were on our minds: In-N-Out Burger and our beds. We accomplished one within twenty minutes of leaving San Louis Obispo. Eager to get home and rest, we were cruising, doing a safe 75mph and listening to the “chill playlist.” Reclined in shotgun and spread across the back seat my travel partners were out for the count, an hour of silence past slowly. We were close now and all thinking about one request: be cloudy and rainy at home so when we arrive we can melt in our beds guilt free. Our request was granted.

Stephen Conway