After leaving Visalia, I headed north toward Fresno 
. Fresno is not on the actual route, but I had been invited to speak to a group of 4th and 5th graders at Riverview Elementary School. So, I took a small detour and was glad to do it!
I met with Tim Rios, Senior Vice President Community Development Manager, and Kim Andersen, a member from his team who did a wonderful job of setting up the event. I had a great time with the kids and they, as well as the teachers, seemed to enjoy my tales from the road and stories of Wells Fargo's history.
Next I headed toward San Jose. This was to be a relatively short day, as the event in Fresno was the only one on the schedule. The road to San Jose was beautiful -- the weather was amazing and the views were stunning. In the little town of Hollister just off Highway 25 I passed (but could not pass up!) Casa De Fruta. This is a fruit stand extraordinaire! It's a combination fruit stand, gourmet food and candy shop, and amusement park that has been in operation for 100 years.
The stop provided a much needed break, a chance for the dogs to take a walk, and for me to stock up on my favorite candies and fruit. I'm a Jelly Belly freak, and this place has flavors even I haven't had before.
With my belly full and my wallet emptied, I headed north. About 33 miles south of San Jose is the town of Gilroy. Ormsby passed through this area 150 years ago and made note of the fact that he came across the first "croaker"; of the whole trip. Dictionary.com describes a croaker as someone who grumbles or forebodes evil. This is exactly what Ormsby had in mind when describing this guy as "the only man that was not glad to see the stage and to speak well of the enterprise.";
Lucky for me I met no such croaker on my journey. The area today is much as it was in Ormsby's day: a fine agricultural district with lots of farms and fresh fruit.
Further north I came to the town of Morgan Hill , where I found the Coyote Valley RV Resort. Wow! This is the Hilton of RV parks and where I decided to stay for the night as I was not to arrive in San Jose until tomorrow. Juan had a friend who lived nearby, so he escaped from our 24 foot abode for a restful night in a real home.
But I was content. I had my dogs, beautiful surroundings and a bucket full of Jelly Bellies. I spent the evening pondering sentimentally my journey thus far — a little sad that it was quickly coming to an end, but looking forward to my San Francisco arrival.
One more day to go!
Casey, I have a boat loan with WF. As far as I am
concerned, if WF goes forward with the expensive corporate junkets to Vegas while losing 2.8B in 4th quarter, Im going to refi with someone else. I recommend you communicate up the food chain, that your customers (at least me) are furious about this waste at a time when others are scrimping to make it. I don't want to hear that expensive recognition junkets are your "culture". Other large companies are doing the right thing and cancelling these types of expenditures.
What's up with the 12 night executive excursion (party, vacation?) to Las Vegas after you receive $25 BILLION in Taxpayer Bailout Money? This deeply offends me during this troubled time. Where does executive judgement play into any of this?
Is there a good historical analog for Wells Fargo getting a huge bail out from the federal government and then spending the money on Vegas hotel suites? It would be a cute thing to work into your blog.
We've received comments and questions today on this post about the Las Vegas team member recognition event. I just wanted to let Guided by History readers know that we've posted more on this on our "Wells Fargo-Wachovia Blog", at http://blog.wellsfargo.com/wachovia. As that post is on topic for that conversation, please enter your comments there, where they can be shared with all who are following it.
Thanks!