Holy Moly, I Gotta Catch Up!

Here's a scene for you--I'm sitting up in my van a little after midnight, the heater going, typing away, and on some neighbor's wifi. How cool is that? I should be actually finishing up an edit for Intel, but I can't stand letting the blog go any longer. Too much has happened! So, this first part is going to finish my cruise up the California coast and on to Bob-o's in Port Orford.

Caspar Beach

Isn't it great that I found a beach named after a ghost? And a cute ghost. Anyway, I found 'em because they had wifi and laundry and stuff. I really needed a pit stop after Bezerkley and all the wild fun there, a time to catch up and just be quiet for a while. The RV place was nice except for no cell reception, and I got to take a little walk the two nights I was there, but mostly I worked my butt off catching up with my blog and mythology class. And then I watched a whole lot of movies and stuff online, mostly cool musician stuff from John Hartford's site.

I was just north of Mendocino and south of Fort Bragg, which is kind of an ugly pit. But it had a Safeway. My food thing is pretty low key--I bought stuff and just kept what I needed cold out in a plastic box. A beautiful jay kept coming around hoping for crumbs. At night the ocean waves crashed. I love that sound.

Heading Up North, Heading Up North This Fall

Luck Don't Change, I Won't Be Back at All

OK, who knows where this is from? Forrest, you can't answer!

I left a blueberry on the picnic table at my spot, hoping the jay would come and that I could take a picture of him, but of course he didn't.

Vanita was ready to roll. We took off around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, my goal being Brookings, just over the Oregon border, where there were two state parks with electric hookups, way cheaper than the RV places. It was a long drive, but I thought I'd try for it.

Even though Bob-o had warned me against it, I decided I just had to see what it was like to drive the rest of Rt. 1, so I did so. More lovely, haunted hills and cliffs over the jewel-like sea, hairpin turns with coatings of red, and tunnels of eucalyptus trees. And then--the road veered east and took me into the forest and some of the gnarliest turns you ever don't want to drive. So it took FOREVER to get over to 101, but then I was there, and cruising up to good ol' Garberville. I stopped into Treats again for a little wifi and lunch, and there was something cool about knowing the place a little now. Had some awesome corn and salmon chowder and a sandwich, checked in with email and my classes, and then I was off.

And I just kept going. Before I knew it, I was heading over the line for Brookings, the last line of eucalyptus trees fading out in Eureka. Then I was freaking because I had forgotten to do some myth stuff, so I pulled over in front of a motel with wifi and just sat in the van and did my work. There was something cool about that!

It was getting late, so I was hoping to set up in the park. Couldn't find it. Kept driving, and before I knew it, I was almost at Port Orford, so I called Bob-o, and by the time I got there, he and Lois had the burgers going, and I was back!