No lunch was to be served on this flight, or their flight to California. Baba asked the stewardess whether she had anything on board to eat. She had a breakfast tray left, and Baba requested that she bring it. He tasted a little and then set it before Lud, telling him to have it as his lunch. Baba asked the mandali whether they had anything along to eat. All they had was one can of Spam (processed meat). After asking Don whether it would be all right for his digestion, Baba finished most of the can.
Because Baba kept asking Lud where they were, Lud borrowed Don's flight map and thereafter would point to where he estimated them to be. Lud drew a line tracing their course on the map to Washington, D.C. and divided it into the number of minutes remaining. Sure enough, Baba wanted to know where they were by the map all the way to Washington.
The pilot had radioed ahead for a wheelchair. Baba was met by an attendant and wheeled through the airport to check-in for their ongoing flight on TWA Flight 47. Ivy Duce's friend met them and delivered three reels of films of Baba's 1956 visit, and a girl with her mother wept when she met Baba. Baba and the men boarded their plane immediately, as by the time they arrived, there were only fifteen minutes left before departure. The plane left at 1:00 P.M. They were given a snack on board the plane, so they did not go hungry after all.
The group had to change planes in Los Angeles, and had only 20 minutes to make the connection; but for some reason, TWA decided to hold the 6:50 P.M. flight (No. 77) for their arrival. Baba was again taken in a wheelchair by an attendant to the other plane, which took off shortly thereafter. They landed in San Francisco at 8:40 P.M.
Lud rented a car, and they left the airport at exactly 9:00 P.M. Baba wanted to know how far it was (35 miles) to Lud's house (at 141 Crown Road, Kentfield) and how long it would take to get there (an hour's drive). Baba kept asking if they were halfway there yet, and how much farther they had to go. When they arrived, he asked about the arrangements: How many rooms? Where were the beds?1
Baba decided to sleep in Three-B's room (Lud's daughter Diane).
Shortly after arriving, Baba drew an imaginary line across the middle of the house with one of his canes and informed Lud, "Don't cross this during the night."
Lud suddenly remembered that they had turned off the heat and hot water before leaving for Myrtle Beach, so Baba made an exception and allowed him to reenter the special zone to turn on the hot water. Adi and Lud then drove to a grocery store to buy 7-Up (soda) for Baba, some groceries for breakfast, and a snack from a local hamburger joint, the Eat & Run.
Footnotes
- 1.The house had been built by the Dimpfls in 1957.