Rental Car Trouble and Pine Grove, CA

The day after Sequoia, great uncle John drove us to the Fresno airport to pick up our rental car, which I had reserved to drive to Seattle. I was worried there would be some sort of hassle with the company because I am under 25 years of age with no major credit card. Boy was I right. The agent on the phone said I could use my debit card, but the agent behind the desk had a different opinion. I gave her my card; she arbitrarily typed a few numbers into the computer, and said "the computer won't let me process your order because you're under 25." One of my greatest pet peeves is when humans use computers as an excuse to deny people service. I mean really, you have no power over that plastic box in front of you? You're completely enslaved to its processes? Of course there is no manual override in which an actual human being is forced to make a rational decision. Where's the man behind the curtain!?! Sorry for the rant, but that is the weakest excuse a person can give. Realizing there was no way we were leaving the airport in the car I reserved, we tried the next desk over. Luckily Hertz rents to 22 year-olds with no credit, so we said goodbye to Uncle John and sped to Pine Grove in our Nissan Xterra, which cost an arm with the added underage fee. (I thought once you turn 21 there are no more underage fees.)

We made fantastic time to Pine Grove as we blew by acre after acre of meticulously cared for wine-grapes and other California fruits. Sean and Michelle both work at school, and their two kids Derrick and Natalie were not playing hooky that day, so it was no surprise that no one was home when we arrived an hour before school let out. I attempted to gain access to the house, but re-evaluated after Sean and Michelle's dog Abigail threatened to tear me limb from limb. Okay, maybe we'll just hang out on the driveway and tinker with our bikes until they get home. Michelle's folks live right down the street, and Bonnie stopped by to welcome us. A bit later, Michelle's dad Roy came over to hang out for awhile and let us in the house. We talked about where we'd been and where we were going. Roy offered us a beer from Sean's fridge - not yet, but he looked up at the sky, stated that it was after noon, and cracked one open. I liked Roy. He showed us the outdoor kitchen he and Michelle were working on. It looked like a great place to throw a packer party. I'll have to return during football season. Soon Sean and family got home from work/school and Sean and I drank Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and caught up on his deck. Derrick did back flips on the trampoline and tried not to land on his little sister bouncing below. Sean told me how it happened that he became a permanent resident of California - taking a year's hiatus, bartending and substitute teaching, when the local school district offered him a full time position. He accepted, took some administrative courses on the side, and is now Principal of Sutter Creek Elementary.

After we chatted for awhile, Sean started the grill for the delicious tri-tip dinner. If you've never had tri-tip beef, marinated perfectly by a California meat market, this is reason enough to take a trip west, for tri-tips are only available in California - to my knowledge. Sean grilled a mean tip, and Michelle cooked delicious potatoes and sweet corn on the cob! This was a feast fit for a king and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a really nice visit with Sean, Michelle and the kids, and am very glad we had the opportunity to stop. We spent the night and left with them in the morning, taking the leftover tri-tips for road sandwiches.