Cruising Down Northern California

Here's some pictures of me and Bob-o's dog, Cuzco, out hiking around. Also, the inside of the van, which I realized I had never pictured and maybe never should have.

Heading South

Today I headed out for halfway to San Francisco through some amazing and beautiful country I hope to explore more on the way back. At Crescent City I saw a Curves, so I dashed in and worked out before moving on. It's weird to go to the same place wherever I go, a common thing these days.

I finally wanted to camp and made the mistake of trying Myers Flat, a scary town with no restaurant, no cell, and an RV park where folks were nice, but dogs barked at me and the electricity didn't work. I didn't even tell them--I just left and thought, "Get the heck outta here NOW!" Et voila, 16 miles later, the very civilized town of Garberville. I found a place with wifi and started frantically working, which, of course, was when Bob Carlin called me about the banjo workshop in May. I have to get a picture (ugh) and write a bio (ugh). So we talked about that and about what kind of workshops to do. Any ideas, you guys?

Then, looking online, I realized that this ritzy RV place down the road had wifi and that it was getting dark. So now I can get caught up with school and the blog.

The Van

This being my first night really living in my van, not just sleeping in it, I thought I'd describe the setup. Maybe it will inspire some of you.

First off, I got a nice rug at Target and actually cut part of it in half so that I can put in one seat in the back and just double up the rug on that side. Mistake: I bought a rug that was cute but is made of little bittie things that now are coming loose all over the place. Note to self: bind the edges of the rug when you get back. For Lent.

I worried way too much about cots. You just get the cheap narrow one and put foam on top of it. I hope to get some nice memory foam at Costco (pretty good deal!) to pile on top, but for now it's a really old piece plus an extra quilt doubled up. The really cool thing about the cot is all the boxs you can store under it. And it's quite comfortable to sit on, either regularly or cross-legged!

Heat: The little heater I got is working just great. Light: I really need to get one of those cool windup lanterns, but they were all out in Port Townsend since everyone was paranoid about losing power. So instead, I've just used the van's lights and, tonight, since I have electicity and am hanging in here, old Christmas lights strung in a net. I know it's a little weird, but it's what we had. A power strip for all this is good, since I also have a computer, a kettle, and a cell phone charger, not all in at once. Hope the pictures give you some idea.

It's warm and cozy with the heater coming on and going off, the Christmas lights fading when the heater goes on and brightening when it goes off, and Morgan Sexton playing on my computer. I hope to read some more of The Egg and I, which my brother Steve gave me for Christmas. It's a lot of fun, though a bit disturbing with the comments about Indians and the breezy sort of toughness.

Tomorrow, San Francisco! Ack!

Actually, I'll be staying in Berkeley with a music buddy, Susan. More soon.