I didn't really want to waste any daylight, so when my alarm got me up at 6, I showered and quickly hit the road. The mission for the day was to see as much of Siliocn Valley and the coastline as I could before having to come back to San Francisco for the taping of TechTV's "Unscrewed." I was in a bit of rush hour leaving the city, but it wasn't horrible. After all, I had the top down and was still enjoying the convertible's freedom.

After about two hours, I was in San Jose, considered to be the heart of Silicon Valley. The city itself is very
clean. Lots of buildings bearing big computer industry giants lined the highways, and I took a few minutes to walk around. I knew that my day had to keep moving, so I hopped in the car and headed to my next destination.

I entered the city limits of Cupertino not knowing exactly how I'd get to Apple's headquarters. But, I knew I wanted to see that. I drove along the main drag to the downtown area, and just as I was about to turn off to find a gas station, there was an Apple logo on a sign. I was there! I drove around the campus taking pics, then found a store near the main building. I got a shirt that says "I've visited the Motherland," which is such a touristy thing to do, but I really dig it. In just another year, that iMac will be mine...

Anyhow, I hopped back in the car and headed further south towards Santa Cruz. This was another area in California that I wanted to see, since it was a beachy area, and I could take the Coastal Highway back up home. Santa Cruz was a busy downtown, but I went to the pier area, which is part amusement park, part beach, part pier. I walked along the pier a bit and then had some lunch. (never tried filet of Shark before. Pretty decent!) From the pier, you could see the cliffs off in the distance, along Rt. 1, so I knew I was close. I got back in the car and started out that way.

As predicted, the views from the Coastal Highway were exceptional. Sometimes, there would be evidence of docks and peirs from days gone by, and wreckage of things, but most of the time, there were surfers along the beaches, randomly stopping to park and climbing down the cliffs to get a quick surf in. It was really neat. I stopped to take a few photos, but was mainly focused on getting back to San Francisco for the show.

I made it to the hotel room with enough time to change before going back out to TechTV's San Francisco studios. This was the last night that the show "Unscrewed" would tape in that location, since the company was bought out and merged with Comcast's G4. They're all moving to Los Angeles, so they were all drinking wine and...well, they all seemed pretty lit.

I wasn't sure if I was in the right place until I saw Kevin Rose in the parking lot, talking with a guy about MP3 players and laptops. It was strange seeing him...I have only seen him on the Screensavers a few times, but it felt like I knew him. I didn't bug him though. I was interested in just getting inside. We were outside for about 30 minutes. Martin Sargent came out to smoke and then came back in. It was all kind of surreal. He was as sloppy in real life as he seems to be on the tube. I hope that image works for him.

We went through a standard welcoming session by the interns, but it was a bit more laid back, considering this was the last time they'd ever give the tour. They got us to test a few clap sessions, which was kind of forced and lame. We were asked to exaggerate our entusiasm and applause to add to the "realism" of the show. I got a free tshirt, so I was happy. The shows were broken up into four blocks, and we did two shows each. I think overall, it was a neat experience. I got a picture with Laura (the cohost) and then headed home. They were all going to hang out with the crew at a bar, but frankly, I knew what it was going to be... no one was going to show except the geeks in the audience, and then it'd be a big geek-off where everyone stands around wishing they had a life, tossing 12-sided dice against a wall, and talking about how hot Laura is. That pic of us isn't me with a belly that hangs out...that's her huge Barbie-like chest cutting into me. Anyhoo...

After the show, I decided to get lost in San Fran and try and find my way back home. I was successful. I drove up to Lombard street to drive on the "Windy-est road in the country" but didn't think it was all that cool. I took a photo of the scene from up on that hill though, for posterity. The weather was cool, so I drove home with the top down, enjoying the scenery. I set the clock for 5:30.