ROAD TRIP DAY 10 – Home, Sweet Home

In the morning, we awoke and got prepared for the long drive home. It felt bittersweet that we would finally get to breathe the crisp Bay air again, see our folks, and sleep in our own beds, but all good things must come to and end. Before leaving, we decided to hit the brunch buffet at the Wynn. Supposedly, it was one of the better buffets on the strip. I’m not normally a big buffet person (my body says otherwise), but since partaking in good grub had been a theme of the trip, I gave in to the demands of the crew.

Sad to say, but the food at the Wynn was just mediocre. It pretty much had the basics, but there wasn’t any one dish that stood out, begging for seconds. If anything, the only thing that highlighted the meal was the décor of the atrium in the restaurant. Anyhow, we piled into the bimmer one last time and tilted our hats to Sin City.

As expected, everyone passed out as I drove the first half of the journey. About an hour out, I recalled a few years ago when some friends and I had made a stop in Baker, CA for some grub. We had eaten at a diner called The Mad Greek that serves Greek and American cuisine. I decided to make a quick pit stop and treat everyone to make up for our sub-par breakfast. We couldn’t end the trip off on a sour note!

I made a quick exit off the freeway and shook everyone awake. We couldn’t really have a full meal, so I got two gyros and their world-famous strawberry shake to share. To everyone’s delight, the food was a hit and was a perfect end to cap off our foodie adventures. Most of the time, everyone flies to Vegas, but if you ever drive, make sure to eat here. There are a couple locations in Vegas, but the one in Baker is the original spot.

So, we were off again. The journey thus far had been spectacular. It had been one of the most tiring things I had ever done, but it had also been the most fun. In just over 10 days, we had covered nearly 5000 miles, been to 15 cities, seen the greatest of natural wonders, and had eaten some of the best food our country has to offer. We had felt highs and lows, seen some of our best friends, and most importantly, were able to cross an item off our bucket list. No one really ever plans to drive across the country, but we had finally done it. The memories will last a lifetime, but I’m sure that TC and the Guinto 3 will have many more adventures to come.

As we approached the Bay Area, Tiff got a phone call. It was her mom in San Diego with our mom on three-way. They wanted to get an update on our position. Apparently, they missed us and wanted to know what pasalubongs we got them. They talked for a bit and Tiff finally got off the phone. My mom had cooked us a feast of Filipino food and it was sitting on the table, waiting for us to enjoy. Mmm…home cooking. We had searched the country for the best food and we had finally found it, in mama’s kitchen.