Some crappy pictures of my route. These totally don't do it justice. And Scott's garden! And my kids in their animal hats on the Umpqua, long ago. (Thanks, Phil!)
On Monday, I managed to get out of Berkeley by 10 a.m., which for me is pretty good, and I only did one bad thing--snagging a water bottle by mistake! Sorry about that, Susan! Check's in the mail, or will be soon!
It was an exquisite robin's egg of a day, with the sun shining, the air all cleaned out from the rains earlier, and the temperature something warm in the sixties, which felt balmy to this Northwesterner. I drove though all the ugly suburbs on 101 and then turned west on 116 and felt back at home on a country road leading through little towns (admitedly shamelessly tourist ) with things like the Uneeda Eat Grocery and the Dew Drop Inn (is there one of these everywhere?) and redwoods and the crazy people who build houses under them and then get to live with their lights on all the time. The usual roadwork, but all well managed (even with traffic lights--good grief!). I guiltily drove past a Curves. I wanted to get to the coast.
Jenner and Beyond
I came out at Jenner, having been warned to avoid Rte. 1 south of there since it was closed or something. I drove through rolling hills, hairpin curves, and around me soared huge black birds that I thought might be condors, but when I looked up condors, I realized they are too rare and big. They were like hawks but bigger, with red on their faces, maybe vultures? Anyone? There were lots of hawks, too. Some towns were awful--one I called the Place of Big Boxes, all these boxy, modern, identical houses for rich people. Really boring white posts for roads, all the same. But most of the towns were cool and funky with the California twist of "wine lounges," organic markets, and beautiful little B&Bs.
The ocean crashed below in turquoises, blues, and white froth, and I drove along in a happy dream until I got to Mendocino, where I turned off for Caspar Beach RV Park. I had called them the day before to make sure they had wifi because, alas, I needed to work and do laundry and get food and get organized. So I did all that on a beautiful sunny day instead of taking the walk I should have!
Because the next day, it was cloudy and cold. My asthma was acting up, so it was a short walk around the beach and then a long day online. Internet Explorer was acting up and making me crazy. A loooooong day.
But Scott was busy. Check out the beautiful raised bed he is building. I'm starting to get homesick! It didn't help when he told me it was sunny up there!
Tomorrow, I'm going to aim for an Oregon state park. They have electricity and are cheaper, but no wifi, so I'll have to go into town for that. That will be a nice change from the cot in the van. It's nice in here with my Christmas lights and music playing, but my hands are sore from typing, and I think I'll sign off for some serious goofing off with the banjo, fiddle, and a Harper's.
On Monday, I managed to get out of Berkeley by 10 a.m., which for me is pretty good, and I only did one bad thing--snagging a water bottle by mistake! Sorry about that, Susan! Check's in the mail, or will be soon!
It was an exquisite robin's egg of a day, with the sun shining, the air all cleaned out from the rains earlier, and the temperature something warm in the sixties, which felt balmy to this Northwesterner. I drove though all the ugly suburbs on 101 and then turned west on 116 and felt back at home on a country road leading through little towns (admitedly shamelessly tourist ) with things like the Uneeda Eat Grocery and the Dew Drop Inn (is there one of these everywhere?) and redwoods and the crazy people who build houses under them and then get to live with their lights on all the time. The usual roadwork, but all well managed (even with traffic lights--good grief!). I guiltily drove past a Curves. I wanted to get to the coast.
Jenner and Beyond
I came out at Jenner, having been warned to avoid Rte. 1 south of there since it was closed or something. I drove through rolling hills, hairpin curves, and around me soared huge black birds that I thought might be condors, but when I looked up condors, I realized they are too rare and big. They were like hawks but bigger, with red on their faces, maybe vultures? Anyone? There were lots of hawks, too. Some towns were awful--one I called the Place of Big Boxes, all these boxy, modern, identical houses for rich people. Really boring white posts for roads, all the same. But most of the towns were cool and funky with the California twist of "wine lounges," organic markets, and beautiful little B&Bs.
The ocean crashed below in turquoises, blues, and white froth, and I drove along in a happy dream until I got to Mendocino, where I turned off for Caspar Beach RV Park. I had called them the day before to make sure they had wifi because, alas, I needed to work and do laundry and get food and get organized. So I did all that on a beautiful sunny day instead of taking the walk I should have!
Because the next day, it was cloudy and cold. My asthma was acting up, so it was a short walk around the beach and then a long day online. Internet Explorer was acting up and making me crazy. A loooooong day.
But Scott was busy. Check out the beautiful raised bed he is building. I'm starting to get homesick! It didn't help when he told me it was sunny up there!
Tomorrow, I'm going to aim for an Oregon state park. They have electricity and are cheaper, but no wifi, so I'll have to go into town for that. That will be a nice change from the cot in the van. It's nice in here with my Christmas lights and music playing, but my hands are sore from typing, and I think I'll sign off for some serious goofing off with the banjo, fiddle, and a Harper's.
No comments:
Post a Comment