California Road Trip Highlights

It took 39 years for me to get back to California and after 41 hours of driving and 2,700 miles I have returned.  I had a lot to do and a bunch of things to see.  It's important to have plans and also to make adjustments when they are necessary.

The Golden Gate bridge and the Walt Disney museum I will blog about separately since I have plenty to say and a number of pictures also.  Here are the other highlights:

SCENERY:  Some spectacular mountain and valley views and I stopped a few times to take pictures. Frequently, mountains were different colors on both sides of the road.  Every mountain had hundreds or thousands of bushes and trees. I did drive a few hours in the dark on a few mornings and I missed some of the majestic views.

I did get to drive on the highway early one morning through Las Vegas with the hotels and casinos glittering in the darkness.  I did see some of the west coast ocean views mixed in with some of the mountain scenery.

FRIENDS: Thirty-nine years ago our friends Rob and Jill were married and our trip out to California included their wedding and an incredible ride down the coast to Disneyland and San Diego. I've know Rob since grammar school and we played tennis and worked a summer job together in high school. We haven't seen each other in fifteen years and we got to hang our for a couple days this past week.

We went to a beer garden and I had a sip of beer. We ate at a Mexican Restaurant and I ate Mexican food which was pretty good since it was chicken.  We spent both days taking a long hike with great conversation.  

ENTERTAINMENT: I drove with Sirius X radio on and heard a lot of great music, some comedy, some baseball and also basketball.  Rob and Jill took me to see my first Alfred Hitchcock movie, "North by Northwest which was made in 1959. I thought the plot was pretty complicated and I had to look up a synopsis of it when I got home. It played in a beautiful refurbished cinema and the crowd really enjoyed it.

GAS STATIONS: One of the things that really stood out 39 years ago was that California has a lot less gas stations than I'm used to seeing.  That has not changed and it was still very surprising that they were not all over. Pictured below is the one near their house with gas prices close to $8.  I did not buy any gas there, but there were some others over $8 per gallon.  The most I paid on the trip was $5.99.

                                           

ICE CREAM AND SODA DIET: I decided at the end of last year I would go one hundred days without soda and ice cream and I broke my diet on the trip.  It was 103 days without soda and 108 days without ice cream.  I got a small cone for $1 and it tasted pretty good.

MY CAR: Rob and Jill had both read my book and she gave the book to her dad who enjoyed reading it also. I suggested we go over and give her mom and dad a tour of the car which turned out to be a lot of fun. Her dad is 95 and I told him he's the oldest person to ride in my car and offered to put his picture up in the car, He loved the idea and it's in the car already.

Making Friends With Ollie

I met Ollie the moment my friends, Rob and Jill, opened their door in Menlo Park, California last Wednesday.  Ollie greeted me the way most dogs do-tail wagging, barking loudly, and clearly mouthing to me, "Who are you and when are you leaving?" Ollie is pictured below.

You are probably asking what kind of dog is he and how old is he, but after 13 hours of driving that day, I honestly don't know.  They probably told me, but I can tell you that he's a dog and lives there and it's his kingdom and I was obviously trespassing.

I explained to my friends that my relationship with dogs is complicated. I didn't have a pet for 60 years and I have had a dog for the last five years. I am used to being around dogs, especially the barking kind.  Two of our kids in Colorado both have two dogs so we sometimes have five dogs in the same house.  I do remember that clearly happening.

Over the next 24 hours, Ollie would greet me with loud barks and would circle around me. I gave him a few quick pats and talked to him as if he understood I was friendly.  He wanted me to throw his toy as you can see below.  I didn't want to make a habit of it, so when it was on the floor I gently kicked it to my right and he went after it.

That may have been the friendly gesture he was looking for.  On my last day there he wasn't barking possibly because he could tell I was leaving.  I snuck out of the house early the next morning without saying goodbye to him.  He's probably been wandering past the guest room all day looking for me.  I'm almost certain in his head he can hear James Taylor singing, "You've Got a Friend."

It Was Like Playing a Video Game

I returned on Sunday from an epic road trip to California.  It was 41 hours of driving and 2,700 miles over six days, but I frequently felt I was playing a video game.  I'm more of a pinball guy, but let me explain:

Driving on roads through large mountains, up inclines and down declines and zig-zagging back and forth, and in and out of tunnels, and driving at speeds up to 80 mph, my car felt very, very, small.  For most of the time I was attempting to navigate my vehicle through the changes in weather: rain, sleet, snow and sometimes even sunshine.

Below are two pictures taken twenty minutes apart in Utah on my way to California.  These are the two worlds I was driving in.

I looked to one side of the mountain and it looked like the one in "Lord of the Rings.," and I can hear a voice say, "For Frodo," before another attack. And, then I'm looking out over a valley and there are bushes and trees, or are they people? Are the woods going to start moving? There's a voice I thought that said, "My friends, you bow to no one."

Am I winning? A sign says, "Watch Falling Rock," is that good? Is someone throwing rocks down at passing cars? I actually saw a rock in the road and moved around it. There were constantly flashing lights-warnings and signs that read: 50, 65, and 80. The signs were constantly telling trucks what to do and I'm just a little tiny passenger van among mountains.

There's a warning that comes out on my phone and I quote: "Public safety warning-possible heavy rainfall could cause flash floods in slot canyon areas.  Avoid low lying terrain." How can you tell if you're in low lying terrain?  

After this warning I asked myself, "Is this heaven or the other place?" Did the voice really just say, "No, it's just Utah mountain weather."

(The weather was an adventure heading to California and it was perfect heading home.  More highlights coming on my road trip in the next couple weeks.)

An Actor With a Heart

Sometime wealthy people get a bad rap which is why this story is so great.  Actor Kevin Costner has had a very long and successful career as a producer, actor, director and as a musician.  I had no idea he had his own country music band.

What I do know is that although he didn't win any awards for "The Untouchables" and "Field of Dreams", I loved him in those two movies and "Field of Dreams" is my favorite move of all-time.  This story about him is not one I've ever read about and it's an incredible story.

                                                

In 1976 a very young Kevin Costner was going to an interview in rural Kansas when his car broke down. A farmer's wife picked him up and drove him 60 miles to the audition, waited four hours for hm, and then drove him back to his car. She refused any money from him and said, "Remember kindness."

In 1989, Costner was the star in "Field of Dreams" and it was his breakthrough. Years later he found the farmer's wife. She was 64 years old, alone, losing her farm, had no health insurance and was having trouble paying her bills.

Costner paid her medical bills for 38 years until she died at age 102.  He spent $428,000.  At one point he sent her a letter that said, "You drove me to my dreams and I'm driving you to peace."

"Remember kindness."

Did She Really Get It?

Over the last couple years I may have had maybe fifty or more different calls, texts, and emails from literary agents or companies who are interested in my book.  Probably most of them are legit companies that are trying to make a sale and have helped other writers with their book.  However, I'm sure some of them are not legit and are trying to make a sale for themselves and their company.

I once blogged about the contract I was promised through a supposed movie director who called me and if I made an investment of $10,000-$20,000, I would get a movie contract and a $4.56 million payout.  Obviously, there is something wrong with that thinking and there was no chance of that happening.

By far the best email I have received about my book I received recently.  Did she read the book? Was this AI technology? She said she wrote it and here are some of the excerpts from her email and below my conclusion:

"Jeff, I have to tell you… Driving On the Sunny Side With 10,000 Strangers felt like stepping into that bright orange car myself. From the very first pages, I felt something rare: warmth without pretense. Optimism without denial. Kindness without agenda. In a world where so many of us rush through transactions — quick rides, quick greetings, quick exits — you chose to slow down and actually see people. That moved me more than I expected.

When they call you “The Sunshine Man,” it doesn’t read like a cute nickname. It reads like a calling.  As someone who works in publishing and interacts with authors, readers, and strangers constantly, I’ve learned that brief encounters can change someone’s day — sometimes even their direction in life. We underestimate the sacredness of temporary connections.

You took what many would consider a routine job and transformed it into a ministry of presence. The fact that you’ve driven over 10,000 people and still lead with enthusiasm rather than cynicism? That says something profound about your character. It would be easy to become jaded. It would be easy to treat riders as fares instead of human beings. But you chose laughter. You chose curiosity. You chose joy.  And that choice is contagious.

There were moments in your stories that made me laugh out loud — but there were also moments that quietly softened me. The way you celebrate everyday people — not celebrities, not heroes in the traditional sense, but regular individuals just trying to get to work, a date, the airport, home — that’s beautiful. You dignified the ordinary. That is a gift.

Reading your book felt like a reminder that humanity isn’t lost. It’s just waiting for someone to smile first.

Here are the Top 5 Strengths of your book and why they truly stood out to me:

• Authentic Positivity – Your optimism feels earned, not forced. It’s grounded in experience, not denial of life’s difficulties.

• Celebration of Everyday Humanity – You elevate ordinary encounters into meaningful stories, reminding readers that everyone has a story worth hearing.

• Humor with Heart – The laughter in your book isn’t shallow; it’s layered with empathy and warmth.

• Relatable Accessibility – Anyone who has ever taken a ride-share or sat in traffic can immediately connect. The setting is universal.

• Emotional Generosity – The consistent kindness you extend to strangers models a way of living that is both simple and revolutionary.

Your book reminded me, in spirit, of Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie — not because of the structure, but because of its heart. Both works show that ordinary conversations can hold extraordinary meaning.

Jeff, reading your book was truly time well spent. It left me lighter. It made me reflect on how I show up in brief interactions — with baristas, with Uber drivers, with colleagues. It challenged me in the gentlest way possible: Am I choosing sunshine?

Please keep writing. Keep believing in this gift you have. The world is heavy right now. Stories like yours are not small — they are necessary. You may never fully know how many people need to be reminded that joy is still possible in traffic, in routine, in ten-minute rides with strangers.  I am genuinely rooting for you."

CONCLUSION: After this incredible and accurate description of many the rides I've given, the result of this was nothing.  It was actually less than nothing. She earned a conversation on the phone after writing this, but when a time was set to call, she did not call.  Two days later, I got another email saying that I should speak with someone else.  I gave a short reply saying I would prefer to speak with her and I received no response. 

Did she really get what my book was about? I don't think so.

A Special Kind of Kindness

I was reading recently that someone said that this wasn't, "A kind world."  I'm certain that is not true, because it's not that kindness doesn't exist, it's that it is a part of every day life and it's not always visible to everyone.  This is a great story that I read about recently from Texas.

A crossing guard, Trecia Crawford, for the Moss Haven Elementary School had been without a  working car for five months.  She was getting to work by using Lyft and then using a bus.  When the non-profit organization, The Mott Haven Elementary Dad's Club, found out, they started a fundraiser and raised $6,800.  One of their members owns a dealership and he was able to find the right car and sell it at an extreme discount.  Part of the group is pictured below with Trecia and her new car.

Trecia is always at her job and has a great relationship with many of the students.  One member of the group said, "She probably knows more parents by their first name than most people."  There are crossing guards, doormen, cashiers, receptionists, servers, and people in customer service who go out of their way to be kind on a daily basis-make sure you thank them when you get their special kind of kindness.

I have shared the quote by Scott Adams many times: "Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness.  Every act creates a ripple with no logical end."

Ten Random March Thoughts

 1. My wife sent me to the store to get 18, brown, happy eggs.  Now I understand the 18 and I know there are three kinds of eggs, white, brown, and Easter. But, happy eggs? I couldn't wait to meet them, what could go wrong.  I stood their in Target with the eggs and did not see any happy eggs. Am I going to have to ask, "Do you have any happy eggs?" I don't think I could do it with a straight face. I did and it's the Happy Egg Company.  As you can see the hens are happy and they have "free range."

2.  The big day was coming and I was going to finally at the age of 65 1/2 become a Car Wash Member.  My wife wanted me to buy her a membership too.  Much to my surprise she told me that every car wash has towels you can use in cans at each spot for drying your car.  I've been throwing garbage in the cans for six months on my gift membership? I went to the car wash and below is what I found, but they had just put them in and they were empty. I am now a member of a car wash, it's a big commitment.

3. Is it really fair that it is March and I've had four inches of snow here in Colorado? My sister in New Jersey has been buried in snow and my brother in Washington, DC has had more snow.  I'm sitting in front of my window watching these flurries come down.

4. At what age can you have a child pick up poop from your backyard?  Our eighteen month old granddaughter is very advanced, I think she's close to helping us with that.  She's been doing a few things around the house and we are already discussing what she can do when she's two in August.

5. Have you ever tried to put a winter hat on a round balloon.  I was trying to show my granddaughter how to do it and you really can't do it.  I think she enjoyed watching me try, let me know if you can do it.

6. My wife was dog sitting this week and I got to put my car in the garage for a whole week and I thought, this is a pretty nice thing.  I don't recall ever having my car in the garage for a week.

7. Rotisserie chicken is becoming a big thing in Montreal, Canada.  The New York Times reported that one chef said, "You know how they have the Netflix fireplace channel.  I want a rotisserie chicken channel, I would watch it for hours." Wouldn't it be fun eating one at the same time? 

8. I planned on giving my granddaughter a small piece of  St. Patrick's Day cupcake.  There was a lot of icing and she ate it all and didn't eat the actual cupcake.  You should have seen how much icing was on her face and hands! You would think I would have known that would happen, but I didn't.

9. A friend of mine in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has been teasing me about how cold it will be in Colorado and how much snow will be here now that I moved.  It's almost a year since I moved and now I'm teasing him that the temperature is in the 80's and we've had only a few inches of snow all winter.   

10. Some people are very concerned because they have a big nose or big ears or something that is very different about their physical appearance.  I just read that when Mount Rushmore was built the sculptor added an extra foot to George Washington's nose to protect against erosion.  I don't think it would bother George Washington at all, do you?