So on the 11th we stayed in Petaluma for awhile because one of my best friends, Matt, decided he wanted to meet us there. He lives in Vallejo so it wasn't a bad drive for him. The Veterans' Day parade was going so there was lots of foot traffic and children playing in the street. We met up with Matt and his wife, Kristy, and their two kids Zach and Ethan (my God Son). We had some Mexican and talked; it was good times.
Anna and I and the Boyds
For my Wesleyan brethren
Crab pots galore
We headed out on a walk after that while it was twilight. I was hoping that we could get to the Pacific Ocean on our walk. I brought my headlamp some supplies and we meandered on foot down the road towards Bodega Head. We made it to the edge of the bay where it wasn't technically the Pacific and then turned around. After the walk we climbed in the bus and did some reading and fell asleep quite early.
From our night hike in Bodega |
We got up and Anna made some oatmeal while I did a little jamming on the guitar. We then headed out on bike to Bodega Head. We wanted to go to Fishermans' Memorial. The hills were pretty big and we had to get off and walk the bikes up in some places just cuz we are pretty weak. We walked all around the cliffs and took pictures and met some people from Australia.
Trucking up that hill |
This guy was just hanging out looking for whales |
during our hike |
She didn't fall off |
We got back at about noon and decided it was time to head up to Mendocino. I was definitely nervous because it would be highway 1 all the way and it has tons of twists and turns and inclines and declines. We said a quick prayer and at a gas station I check all the vitals on the bus. Everything looked good and we were on our way.
The drive was not easy at all. I was constantly downshifting and upshifting and using the gearbox to slow us down etc etc. I was avoiding using too much of the brakes because I didn't want to get them too hot or wear them out. People were coming up behind us and I was constantly using turn outs to let people by. The good news was that we weren't in a rush to get anywhere. We planned on a pit stop at Point Arena Lighthouse just to let the bus rest and to regroup ourselves.
The lighthouse was really cool we forked over the money to get the guided tour and saw some sweet scenery. The lens was insane and was made in like 1906. They were making those lenses back in like the mid 1800s too and it was hard to believe we possessed the technology to make them back then.
Point Arena Lighthouse tallest one in Cali, getting painted |
Up on top |
Grey Whale skull pretty massive |
After that we continued North and finally landed in Mendocino. I was so proud of the bus making it to Mendocino. It behaved like a champ and if it survived this leg of HWY 1 I am confident it can make it through anything else we are going to put it through. Anna has officially lost 30 lb. since she started dieting and exercising so her reward for her/us was to stay at a Bed and Breakfast for a night. So thats where we are at now just hanging out.
Note to readers:
Sorry I am so wordy I am really trying to be brief and use more pictures.
Anna and I are using the same pictures for our blogs is that annoying? Should we make a conscious effort not to duplicate the pictures in our separate blogs?
I hate always writing, "the bus" I want to name it have any ideas?
Constructive criticism always appreciated.
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Alex, you're not too wordy; actually I find your entries quite engaging. Also, don't worry about the pics, post 'em all!!!
ReplyDeleteBus names: "the ripper" "duplo" "rexus" "the beastmaster" or "the beaster" "the zimmer" "zim zim" "bustizi" "the bangster"-uh.. maybe not that one.
Let's see... what else..."the tripster or tripmaster" Wait, is your bus feminine or masculine? Is it your baby or your loyal gangsta beast? The name depends on that. Good Luck!
You sir, are far too verbose, doctrinaire, and bookish. I would much rather have your blog read as a Dr. Seuss. (joking) you're fine and Debo's right it is very engaging. Regarding the pictures, I hadn't noticed that they were the same yet (lol) but I did really like the insertion of the youtube video. More of those, or just your entire blog entry recorded on a video would be a nice change of pace occasionally. Names: Wunderwagen, buszilla, chimpy, wimpy, Betsy, maanderwagen (Deutsch for meander bus), Choo-Choo or "c.c." based on "the little engine that could," or Frisky, based on the late great kitty owned by Alex. hope this helps broseph! Thanks for the pics of the crabbing stuff! We need to go when you get back!
ReplyDeleteKeep the pics and the long posts- I actually enjoy seeing what you do and hear all the details it is a trip I would love to take with my family, so i am living it through you. Anna's are much shorter and don't have half the stuff you have, so it was neat to hear about Ray and seeing that you were able to meet up with matt boyd. keep it up!
ReplyDeleteLoving the pics and the wording is fine man. John Steinbeck did a similar trip across america with his dog Charlie. The book is Called "Travels with Charley" Anywho he named his camper Rocinante named after Don Quixotes Horse. I think It would be cool to call it Rocinante 2. Love you both keep up the fun times. I think a cool Idea would be to fly out and meet you guys sometime somewhere down the road.
ReplyDeleteYou're doing great with your blogs. I think you show equal amounts of facts, history, emotions, frustrations, humor. You definitely have potential for this being published, or being a free lance blogger for "Lonely Planet" . If you blog too short, then people don't get a good idea of what you're going through in your adventure. You also blog about problem solving, this lets people who travel after you know what they could encounter. Do you ever watch "Globe Trekker" on PBS? You also show excitement and awe of what you've discovered, and the internal self reflections you saw after reading some Thoreau was cool. The lighthouse discovery was awesome and the experiences with the locals, restaurants, and sites is pretty cool too. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the comments. This is very encouraging. I think the front runner for the bus's name is Maander. Then I could call it The Maan. Hehe
ReplyDelete