It’s always felt that way to me, always on vacation.

Nate

We entered the state along highway 199. It greeted us with the rambling Smith River, redwood, live oak, madrona, fir, pine, bay laurel, buckeye, tannoak. California forests just smell different. Richer maybe, I don’t know.  We hit the 101 at Crescent City where we plugged in at the local Starbucks for a couple of hours. (Thank you again for that generous gift card, SCH friends). After our internet fix, we drove down the coastline, taking in the waves until we couldn’t stand it anymore and found a beach south of the Trinidad Head to play in the sand and surf for a few hours. For the first time, it felt like we have no schedule and no destination. We all still need to get used to it.

A beach near Trinidad

A beach near Trinidad

Amelia and her new canine friends.

Amelia and her new canine friends.

Arcata is not at all like I imagined. The plaza is adorable, well-kept and a lot more hip than I thought. It must be the “underground economy,” as it is called here. I don’t know what I was expecting, maybe run-down buildings and potheads everywhere? There were definitely a few, and we had dinner with one them.

Meet Neo, the Enlightened One. Neo lives in the forest somewhere. His previous self died metaphorically about a year ago… or maybe longer? Was it before or after the heroin addiction? Anyway, Neo sang, talked, preached. He intertwined oh so many thoughts into one long paragraph with no punctuation the third eye his connection to Mother Earth how we are all an illusion how marijuana has opened his self his daughter Derby tattooed on his heart the love for all humans him the Ante Christ vaya con Dios en el nombre del Padre del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo. “Amen,” responded Amelia. He shared his poetry and artwork with us. We shared dinner, six listening ears (B was in his cave) and $4.

Johnny, Alyssa and their two boys welcomed us warmly into their home even after having spent the previous hours on a long drive home from camping, fires involved.

From Arcata we took some road and then 128 — my favorite so far! Giant oaks with their outstretched arms formed a tunnel all along the way, and Spanish moss hung from the trees. While St. Helena is obviously the preferred destination, the hill above it is, I think, more beautiful — less perfect.

Welcome to Napa Valley. No Don’t Drink and Drive signs here. Abundance abounds. Majestic — no other word for the wineries. Easy California.

We got lost for the first time. We were tired. In-n-Out put us in a better mood, and we finally arrived at Butch and Callie’s in Sacramento at 9:30 p.m. “This is an awesome house,” B says. It might be hard to get him back in the van after enjoying the TVs, small fridges, video games, a pool! Heck, van life is awesome! The stay at Casa Ernesto has been the most relaxing. Easy going to the extreme. Lovely.

We got to see Eric and Tiana for a short, rich while. Met their bunny and kitties, and played Dix It!

Two or three hours after leaving Sacramento, we arrived in Berkeley. And we had potato balls at Gregoire. Hmmmmmmmmm. That’s how long it takes for them to dissolve in your mouth. We played tag, found a net (random) and walked through UC Berkeley. We got a little bit lost again on our way to Oakland.

Anna and Nati were waiting for us, making dinner. Doug arrived minutes later. Sweethearts! Oakland, let the noises begin! People talking, crying, laughing, screaming, swearing on the street; motorcycles and cars speeding (they do doughnuts in the corners for fun). A rooster. Were those gun shots? No police sirens afterward though. Raiders, Raaaaiders chanting at the Bart station. Dogs barking. The City of Noises. It already feels like Latin America.

53 minutes to cross the Bay Bridge in the horrendous traffic of a calm Saturday afternoon. Easy California.

Welcome to S.F.

Welcome to S.F.

Coffee break in the Castro

Coffee break in the Castro

Edificio de Mujeres in the Mission District.

Edificio de Mujeres in the Mission District.

Picnic at Dolores Park.

Picnic at Dolores Park.

Highway 101, here we come. You, gorgeous, with your coast line, beaches, small towns, strawberry fields forever.

And right when we are ready to leave the highway to camp for the night at Los Padres National Forest, we heard the van making a really strange noise. Huge bubbles of boiling water. No, a washing machine full of rocks. We stayed at Motel 6 in King City.

The next morning, we drove to San Luis Obispo to find a mechanic. We found one open (on a Sunday) but they have to order a part. Said they won’t see us until the next day. Nate is going to miss the flight to see his Grandma in Oklahoma.

SLO is not too bad of a town for our first pit stop. The three people who saw us with hood open stopped to offer help. The mission is cute. I guess Oprah named SLO one of the best places to live. Since then, it’s been changing a lot. My prediction is that very soon it will no longer be on the list.

We slept in the van in front of Patrick’s house. We met him, his Mom and his dog at the park, where he helped us get a frisbee down from a tree. It’s Day 3 of a minor repair. Part is in. Cosmo is repaired. We are on our way!

Oh yes, did we mention there is a drought? Except for the rivers and lakes that are no longer, it doesn’t feel like it. More on that later. 

 

Let's try that park, it has a lake....

Let’s try that park, it has a lake….

B and A killing time in San Luis Obispo

B and A killing time in San Luis Obispo

  

 

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Showing 9 comments
  • Reema
    Reply

    Love love love this post. I felt like I was right there with you 🙂 Glad Cosmo only put you a day behind, but sorry Nate missed his flight to Grandma – able to get another? Miss you, KEEP WRITING! (are you also tweeting? should I go look for you?)

    • Nate
      Nate
      Reply

      No, I missed my flight unfortunately. I’ll try again next year when we’re back in the States.

  • Tomasito
    Reply

    Great post, cant wait to red the next one!

  • Lorna Brown
    Reply

    Greetings from Medford, MA(missing emojii) Enjoying living vicariously on your journey. Larry, Lorna and Wayne

  • Ruth
    Reply

    Cosmo better behave from now on!

    • Nate
      Nate
      Reply

      So far so good! No new noises. He’s doing well in this 100-degree Baja heat.

  • Kirsten Wysen
    Reply

    Thank you for sharing such great stories. Your Tangletown compatriots appreciate the chance to follow along on your travels through your writing. Love the adventure so far; real adventures include highs and lows both. Thanks for the great writing and for staying in touch. The kids look fantastic!

  • Kathi Elliott
    Reply

    Absolutely loved your post… I feel like I’m there with you – or perhaps in the next van behind you. Totally entranced by the tunnel of oak trees – my favorite! I hope N was able to get to his Grandma’s … and that Cosmo stays ‘fixed’. Sending you tons of ‘hello’s’ from your SCH buds. K

  • David
    Reply

    What the F?

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