Day 5: Flirting With Fame

Our little blue Honda has taken a day's rest. All RaeRay needs is to drive out on Coronado island and touch the Pacific, and the western journey will end. We will turn eastward back over the Bay Bridge and begin anew. Las Vegas is the next stop. We hope to see the Grand Canyon in the next two days.

RaeRay should apologize to followers who stayed up late to see “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.” Sitting through Jay’s interview with Kim Kardashian was a bit painful. Of course, this is a split decision for RaeRay. Morgan was more impressed than I. We agreed that Sherri Shepherd was much more fun. Morgan couldn’t believe that Jay read all of his jokes from cue cards. She said she could be funnier than him by just being herself.

Jay’s ride was really disappointing, too. While throngs of fans and paparazzi surrounded Kardashian’s black Escalade, Jay slipped past in the passenger’s seat of a boring white van – no Mercedes, no vintage Bentley, not even a roaring motorcycle. Jay didn’t even wave to the few who noticed him. That didn’t matter. I’m still a big fan.

After the taping, Jay’s assistants came onstage and announced that they needed two members of the audience to come down front. One of the names called was Mike Kaylor. They were looking for talent for future shows, and each person had been asked to fill out a card telling what they could do that was special. I said I could cluck like a chicken.

Morgan, Tessa (our host in San Diego), and I were taken to the side of the studio, where one of Leno’s aides video-taped a screen test of 10 seconds of clucking. The other guest selected could squeal like a pterodactyl. I’ll not likely hear back from the show, but I enjoyed my 10 seconds of fame, and we met another aide named Steve Ridgeway, who had graduated from the University of Alabama. We parted with a friendly “Roll Tide.”

Side Trips

Jay Leno talks frequently about In-N-Out Burgers, so we had to try one on the way to the taping. Morgan’s I-Phone directed us to one at The Market Place on El Camino Real in Tustin. The prices were unbelievable for Southern California -- $2.20 for a cheeseburger and $3.20 for a Double-Double. Fries are peeled and diced in every restaurant and cost $1.50. They are really good, and the burger just might be the best I’ve ever eaten. It’s dressed with a sauce like Thousand Island.