Week 16: Harvey Clifford

Week 16: April 16-22, 2023

Harvey is my great aunt's car. Its a 2016 Honda HRV ("HRV" = "Harvey"), and amazingly enough, it is one of my favorite colors: fire engine red.

For those of you who don't already know, I have had my fair share of experiences with different vehicles over the years. My current set of wheels actually belongs to my grandpa. It's a 2004 Honda Odyssey and has been great during moves or when I am pretending to be a soccer mom.

Since I sold my beloved 2007 Camry (Mrs. Alabaster, for those who care about vehicle names), I've been saving up for a car for a while. I had yet to actually find a car within my budget that checked all the boxes (sedan or small SUV, hybrid or electric, 2019 or newer, etc.). For a couple months before I was able to drive the Odyssey, I was driving my friend's ridiculously loud and lifted 2009 Chevy Silverado. Now, things are changing again, and my great aunt agreed to pass Harvey on to me, as she can no longer drive. I feel so lucky and grateful to be trusted with a great car like Harvey and am SO EXCITED to have a car with a screen! It even has a backup camera!

My awesome parents took on the task of driving Harvey all the way from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Berkeley, California.

From my parents: A glorious road trip photoshoot in the desert!

This week, I flew up to the Bay to get back x-rays at Kaiser Oakland and to drive Harvey back down to San Diego with me.

I've decided that the car's full name is Harvey Clifford. I want to honor the name bestowed upon this set of wheels by my great aunt, which is why Harvey is still Harvey. To add some more fun to the mix, Harvey now has the last name of "Clifford." Since (yep, you guessed it!) Clifford the Big Red Dog was a staple character from my childhood and Clifford's Puppy Days remains to be one of the cutest shows to ever exist, I thought it was a cute addition.

The drive back down to San Diego was pretty smooth sailing, other than a bit of traffic in LA County (unsurprising, yet still so annoying...). I left Berkeley at 5am, and was able to see the sunrise right before Patterson, CA.

A hastily snapped photo of the sunrise

I made good time and was desperate for some caffeine, so I stopped in Santa Nella to get some Starbucks. I got a Grande Chocolate Cream Cold Brew and a Spinach Feta Wrap. I'll admit I was tempted to get two drinks (What? Sue me, you know I love beverages!) since I had a long drive ahead, but figured I would need to stop for gas and could grab something then.

Next time maybe I'll try the pizza

Driving around in a new car always takes some time to get used to. It was great having a good sound system and being able to sing without worrying about annoying any passengers (other than the cat-bus keychain that lives in every car I drive). Here's a small victory story! A white 2021 Kia Forte that tailgated me and cut off multiple other drivers on the I-5 South was pulled over for speeding, and I felt a little "Ha!" emerge from my mouth as I drove past. I kept singing along to whatever Spotify shuffled next, and had to stop for gas only once. My drive was interrupted a couple times by the need to wipe dead bugs off the windshield every couple hours. I felt kind of bad, seeing the mass bug-homicide (insecticide? bug-icide?) Harvey and I committed in the Central Valley. I think it's okay, we're each others' accomplices.

The bug graveyard at just the FIRST stop... you can imagine the windshield.

(I ended up getting a mini car wash just to remove the bugs after getting back because I felt like I was driving a bright red graveyard through the streets of San Diego.)

Friends, as much as we may love Kettleman City for its reliable In-N-Out Burger location with the big mirrors... We do NOT love Kettleman City for its gas prices.

Every other town had "reasonable" gas at $4.35ish... but not Kettleman City!

Instead, I stopped at a gas station in Lost Hills to fill up on gas (thankfully, it was NOT the same price as Kettleman City) and grabbed some (more) beverages.

Only 2 beverages to reduce the need for bathroom breaks!

I was intrigued by the limited edition Gatorade flavor. As a bit of a Gatorade connoisseur, I can say that Tropical Punch was not anything to write home about... but alas, here I am writing.

Inside the mini mart, the bathroom had no mirrors (should've gone to the In-N-Out in Kettleman City...) but! they did have a large variety of knives (???) for sale.

Gas station markets have the strangest items for sale

I made it back to San Diego in about 7 and a half hours. I stopped briefly at my sister's house to bother her (and to drop off some books and plants my mother tasked me with bringing down).

It was awesome driving a new and different car and pinching myself that its really mine!

I can't wait to get Harvey Clifford an official full service car wash and interior detail. I know I will really grow to love my new set of wheels.

By the way, not sure who might be in the market to buy knives at a gas station but if you're looking for a good selection, check out the AM/PM in Lost Hills.

See you next week.