...an excerpt of life on the ROAD - part one

Day 1 - Since my kids are off in Mexico with their dad, Joseph and I headed out on a road trip this week to see what we could see. Before we took off on Christmas day we first had the task of cleaning out my car for the journey. The kids had left the most disgusting stuff in the car and as we were cleaning out the back of my car and finding food mixed with change and toys and all sorts of nastiness, I was resolved to setting up some new rules when the kids get back about what will be acceptable in the car. It was pretty nasty. We'll see if I can stick to my guns when they get back. We headed south and got as far as Coos Bay. We stayed there for the night and went off roading on the beach the next morning to find the wreckage of the New Carissa before we continued on down Hwy 101.

Day 2 - We headed down the Oregon coast and into California to the Redwood forest. This part of the trip was special for me as I was born in Humboldt county and lived there until I finished kindergarten. The sight of the sequoias is overwhelming. To see a tree and know that it has been there for 1,000 and some for more than 5,000 years is a reminder of the insignificant blip that is my life by comparison. It's kind of a religious experience. Although I have been accused of being a tree hugger in the past, there has never been any convincing proof until now.

I was especially excited about sharing the beauty of northern California with Joseph as he had never experienced it. Needless to say, he was impressed.

We arrived in Eureka, my hometown, to find that it has grown enormously. It has everything. The little coastal town where I got my start, now has a mall, two Cineplex's, a Costco, and most all of the other major chain stores that you find in a big city. We went to the house that I lived in when I was born and found that it is now painted a vibrant purple. It is also for sale. The house next door which belonged to my godparents is now brown and it was painfully obvious by looking at the neglected back yard that they are no longer there. When I was a child, they were our retired neighbors and spent their days alternating between caring for the plants and tending to their garden and polishing and cutting rocks. They were ardent rock collectors and their home was filled with amazing rocks that although unremarkable on the outside, were sliced open to reveal amazing crystal formations and stones. My childhood memories are very fond and I photographed the alley that I walked down to get to school. I could proudly say that I walked to kindergarten by myself, but in reality, my godparents could watch me walk into the school building from their yard, so I really wasn't as independent as I thought that I was. Without connections to the people living in these homes, things were different from my last visit, as it was just the homes, now inhabited by others that I was visiting. We drove around town and decided to take in a film. It didn't start for an hour so we went and found a tiny bar and had a great local beer, Great White. After sitting there drinking the beer and chatting with the locals (the bartender offered us some pizza that they were eating, not for sale, just a kind gesture) I was slightly disappointed that we had to leave as we had a movie to get to. If you are ever in Eureka, CA, stop in at Ernie's on A St. just off of 6th. It's a cool little hole in the wall.

Day 3 - We did some more driving around in the morning. I tried to get a Humboldt State sweatshirt for myself but the University was closed for winter break. I guess I will just have to get one online somehow. I had a sweatshirt a few years back, but over the years, it is one of the articles of clothing that has disappeared into the black hole of clothing lost. Another disappointment would be my discovery upon arriving in San Francisco later, that I had left my white corduroy blazer in the hotel room in Eureka. Joseph called and tried to locate it, but to no avail. Somehow, housekeeping had failed to find the blazer that I had left hanging in the closet. Bummer for me...a stylish fashion treat for someone else...

We had lunch at a local pub that makes Great White among other beers (I had a tasty Tangerine Wheat) and then headed south on Hwy 101 to San Francisco. We drove down the Avenue of the Giants, a 33 mile long scenic alternate route through some of the most amazing stretch of the Redwood forest. We drove through a tree and saw a ONE LOG house. It was pretty amazing. That is one sight that I would never tire of. The weather was not working with us. It was dark, stormy, and raining wickedly. The drive to San Francisco was tiring as visibility was poor and it was dreary. Some stretches of road move by more quickly than others. By the time we were crossing the Golden Gate bridge (another magnificent sight) we were so tired, that I was desperate to get to a hotel so that we could crash. We drove around San Francisco taking in the sights of the Tenderloin district, Chinatown, and Fisherman's Wharf. There was a blues club, Lou's Blues Club, on the pier and so we went to check it out. A local band, the Riverside Kings, was playing. They reminded me of a blues-y version of Christ I'm Chuck. They were very good, and although I was practically lying down in my seat from exhaustion, I was enjoying it. I went to the restroom and had to wait as both stalls were full. The first person who came out of a stall was, surprise - a man! I said ummm, hi and headed in after he left. After I came out of the bathroom, he saw me and began apologizing. "I just followed the guy in that was in front of me. I thought it was the men's restroom. I am so sorry. I guess that kind of thing can only happen to you in San Francisco. " After leaving the blues club, we headed out to grab a quick bite and find a hotel. We went to In-n-Out Burger, which I have just discovered, makes a damn good burger. Joseph had been raving about it, so I suggested that we check it out. Yum! We also got some free entertainment out of the deal. There was a Japanese woman sitting at a table by herself talking and screaming in Japanese to no one in particular. She had her hair up in pigtails high up on her head like a little girl would and had on face makeup (white) and was kind of looking a little like a geisha. She was yelling on and on. It was entertaining. We got in the car to look for a hotel, and all of a sudden, we got a second wind. I think it was the food that did it. I figured that if we went straight to a hotel, that we wouldn't have the energy to venture out later that night again. We went in search of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, just to check it out. We found it and it is a very eclectic little neighborhood with all different types of folks out and about. Do you know what is on the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets? I bet you can't guess. This corner, this corner famous for being the supposed birthplace of hippies, so counter culture, is now home to - The Gap. That's right. The Gap. Where was the protest against that? Crazy, baby. We parked the car and walked up and down Haight street and wandered into an cool old bar called Zam Zam. We just went in for one drink and then sat there and talked with the bartender and the other patrons until closing time. The music on the jukebox was from another era. Etta James, Frank Sinatra, Rays Charles...

The bar was 50 years old and it was all made of wood and it was beautiful. There was a mural behind the bar that had been restored. We had a great time and met some interesting characters. Sometimes it's worth it to rally. San Francisco is a collection of interesting and kitschy neighborhoods, each with their own flavor. I can see why it has been named the most livable city in America numerous times.


Day 4 - The next day, after spending some time in a coffee shop for breakfast in the Presidio neighborhood, we decided to head south as quickly as possible in order to spend some time in Mexico. I was hoping to drive down Hwy 1 between Monterey along the coast down to San Luis Obispo, but if we continued to travel at that pace, we were sure to run out of time. So on to the boring stretch, headed down I-5, where everything all started to look strangely like...California. I have always considered Northern California to be more of an extension of Oregon than part of California. I got a call from the kids who were in Acapulco enjoying the 90 degree weather. They sounded really happy and healthy and it was really nice to hear their voices. It will be really great to see them on the 4th and to hear about their adventures.

To be continued...