SF - Highway 101 - Southbound - 2am

The Great Organiser's got a position on whether or not you should take any of the freeways feeding into or out of San Francisco after midnight: don't do it.

We were both about ready to fall asleep. I'd had almost no rest the night before and the plane flight from New York was delayed, causing the Great Organiser to drive laps around Oakland airport for 45 minutes before I eventually emerged from the terminal. All we wanted was to get home and get to bed.

Being able to drive up to the toll booth on the east side of the Bay Bridge is a rare treat, so we thought we'd dart over both spans in record time. And we did. But approaching the Potrero Hill crest of southbound 101 our decent clip was arrested by a swerving cop car acting to bring us all to a near-halt. The Great Organiser immediately began remonstrating about the drunks that tend to take to the road around this time of night, and how had she had her wits about her she'd have exited the freeway at the first opportunity. She was right. We should have ditched the 101 as soon as the chance presented itself.

We slogged our way through the congestion until the Cesar Chavez exit came around. Not far before it lay the scattered bodies of two cars: one a large white SUV and the other a silver Camry, their front ends nicely mangled. The cops had cordoned off the area with their usual pink flares and every passing motorist gave it all a good stare, us included. The scene smacked of a DUI.

When we finally made it home I poured myself a glass of wine and went to sleep.