The Journey Ends - Part 9

Travels With Dex

End of The Road

December, 2007


Tuesday – December 4, 2007

Escondido, California

I’ve been delaying making my “final” entry on this latest journey of mine.

I’m thinking that maybe subconsciously when I post this one, it’s the signal that my fantastic adventure is really over. I don't really want it to be over, I suppose.

Of course it’s only over until the next one starts in less than a month now, but it’s sort of the end of a very meaningful and enjoyable experience.

When I left Pomona last Friday, it was pouring rain and all of my outside stuff was soaked. Putting away wet things, even if for just a relatively short drive, is never fun. You can’t help but track some water and dirt and mud into your place which is aggravating. The storage compartments get wet. The stuff you have to stow inside is wet....I put a bunch of stuff in the shower for temporary storage. It was pretty packed, actually.

And then loading up and securing your motorcycle in a rainstorm is yet another challenge.

The good news is that before I headed out on this trip I had some work done on my motorcycle. The motorcycle mechanic, Sean, is a great guy, a “real” trumpet player, and that repair process is a story unto itself that I won’t go into now. Sean also races and he’s a Safe Motorcycle Driving Instructor. He’s all about motorcycles.

So, after experiencing getting drenched to the bone every day I was in Miami last December while commuting via motorcycle from my RV Park to the Tennis Coach’s Conference I was speaking at, and knowing I was going North and expecting a lot of rain and wet weather on this trip, I was grousing to Sean about the lack of really good motorcycle rain gear.

“Get a set of Frog Togs,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Frog Tog’s. I guarantee they’ll keep you dry, they’re light weight, and they’re really cheap.”

So before I headed North I found myself a set of Frog Togs at a Cycle Gear store.

Leading to my point...

During the rain on my trip and while un-hooking and packing up in Pomona and then again while hooking up and unpacking here in Escondido in absolute downpours, I was, indeed, completely dry. Blessing to Frog Togs. First rain gear I’ve ever found that actually works perfectly.

Anyway, the drive down was forever. Left around 10:30 and because of the rain it was bumper-to-bumper the whole way. A 1 hour trip became 3.

Arrived safe and the manager and staff were glad to see me and welcome me back as I was glad to see them, too. They had to evacuate the place during the fires, but no damage was done.

Saturday started drying out, so I got everything outside for drying, but it really took until Sunday afternoon before most of the wet stuff was actually dry.

Sunday I had lunch with Vanessa and Blake....Pics Below. As you can imagine, it was great to see them both. If you go back to my first posting in early October, you’ll see Blake almost exactly 2 months ago when I was leaving. Look at him now. When I saw him in person I didn’t have the sense that he’d grown that much, but he seemed way, way older. That’s what struck me. Hello little boy. Goodbye little baby.

Great lunch, and I’ll get to spend a few days with them later this week and will get to see Chelsea, too.

(The Proud Mom.)



(The One Year Old.)

Vanessa asked me at lunch what I liked best about my trip and I had a hard time picking something. In fact I didn’t really pick anything. Each spot I visited had different good and bad parts about it. It’s kind of like life, huh? Most everywhere I went and stayed was thoroughly enjoyable to me with the good outweighing the bad by a long shot. The only exception was Sacramento which I really didn’t enjoy at all.

The Coast, Beaches, Ocean, Forests, Redwoods, Streams, Lakes, Rivers, Tennis Games, Matches, and Competitors, The Deep Bright Blue of the Daytime Sky, the Quantity and Brilliance of the Stars when you’re out in the country a bit, the Quiet...all of it is what I was looking for, what I was longing for, and what I found.

Picking one aspect that was better than another or one place that was the “best” is beyond my ability. Maybe later if I really stop to think about it and review it in retrospect I'll feel differently. But really, it's not a series of places and events. It’s one package. One trip. One adventure. One experience.

And it was a Great One.

Perhaps, though, if I were forced to pick something more important than anything else, more meaningful than anything else, more important than anything else, it would be having the opportunity to re-connect with old and dear friends – Diane and Greg in Santa Barbara, my dad’s best friend, Mike, in Monetcito, and, of course, Frank and Connie and some of their family in Bakersfield.

At the end of the day, trees are trees. But friends are...well...friends. Precious.

And then, of course, as Dorothy said after her fantastic adventure wound down, “Auntie Em, Auntie Em...There’s no place like home.”

Well, it wasn't really "home" she meant, of course. It was family. It was being in and among the unconditional love and the security and safety of your family. The most precious gift of all.

The Journey Continues - Part 8

The Journey Continues

Leg 8

Last Stop - Prado Regional Park/Anaheim Hills Tennis

November 25, 2007

November 25, 2007 -- Settled In Chino – Last Stop

It’s late Sunday afternoon. It was sunny when I got here. Now the wind’s picking up and there’s a solid sheet of cirrostratus clouds covering the whole sky and obscuring the sun. It's cooling off quickly.

I’m at Prado Regional park in Chino. It’s a big , really nice park with a lake and lots of fishermen/women, tons of soccer fields, it's "Soccer Sunday" so there were a million people here earlier, and they have a fair number of camp sites – RV and tent.

I stayed here last year for a couple of weeks and like this place. When I found out I couldn’t stay at Lake Casitas over the Thanksgiving weekend, this was my first choice down in this area. But, they, too, were totally booked causing my temporary lay-over in Pomona. When I got here just before noon, most of the RV sites were still full. I had to wait for the man and his 10 year old son who were in my spot to leave before I could pull in and hook up. But now I can only see 3 other RV’s. The Holiday Weekend is over and everyone is on their way back to normal.

The only negative about this park is that it abuts a Dairy Farm and has an equestrian center and so, when the wind is calm and the weather is warm, there are flies around here. It’s been so long since I’ve been anywhere where insects were an issue, I have a bad habit of leaving my screen door open. I’ve already done it twice today and so there are flies inside. I have to consciously close that screen door or those nasty little flies are going to own me. I had to search some, but found my secret weapon....my fly swatter. Yes, an old fashioned fly swatter. As much as I hate to kill living things (any living things) I make exceptions to my moral code for flies and ants. They just bug me. And, of course, when you smack a fly with a fly swatter, then you have the little ugly corpse to deal with. I'd much rather do it in Mr. Miyagi fashion and just grab the buggers in my chop sticks. Then, whether they lived through the grab or got crushed, I could easily either turn them lose outside or drop them in the trash in one operation. No separate corpse issue. That would be nice. However, my hand eye coordination, my hand speed, my ancient vision, and my chop stick skills aren't up to Mr. Miaygi's standards. But, I'll keep trying. If he can do it, so can I.

Here are a few pics of my spot to give you the idea.

(The trees get pretty full in the summer, but as you see it's no forest. But it's open, with big roomy spots and very peaceful and quiet. This is obvously from behind...looking SSE.)

(Here we are -- the next couple from slightly different persepectives -- looking from the open field on my Port side out towards the SW. You can see, there's plenty of room around here.)


(Now we're on the other side -- the Starboard side -- with a few shots looking the opposite way. As you can see, I have a pretty big "side yard" here.)



I’ll be staying here until the Anaheim Hills Tennis Tournament is over. I expected the first round matches to start on Tuesday, but my age division isn’t starting until Wednesday and the finals are on Friday. I’m booked here until Friday, so if I’m lucky enough to make the finals, I’ll see if I can extend one extra day. If I lose or have to drop out because of the groin issue, I’ll leave here on Friday.

How about those gutty little Bruins????????? I know everyone’s laughing about next week, but we were every bit this bad last year coming in to the SC game and completely ruining SC’s entire season. Can the Bruins do it again? No offense to the Trojans, but let’s hope so. We’ll see........

REPLY TO COMMENT

Hi VEG -- By the time you see this, you will have survived the little bity airplane ride and you'll be back home. Glad you're enjoying my TravelBlog.

I trust the rest of your Hawaii trip (after we talked on Thanksgiving Day) was peaceful and relaxing and fun. If I don't see you next week, we'll schedule something for the week after. Of course, if you want to bring Blake out to Anaheim Hills on Wednesday for his first tennis tournament, I have a late morning match and I'd take you guys to lunch at Knowlwood (remember Knowlwood?) after. Think about it.

Love you.

November 27, 2007 – Red Sky At Night...

Working all day today, mostly on my book. I’m struggling to put an index together before I send it to my editor and it’s rather a pain. I finally figured out the system, but it’s still a pain. And since I have to read it to do the index, I keep making additional changes and corrections. I thought the text was done a while back, but I can hardly look at a paragraph without tweaking something.

One of the good things about living in my Motor Home is that I’m never more than 6 feet or so from being outside. And, unlike most RVer’s, I keep everything open as much as possible.

Most RV people, I’ve noticed, keep their shades and curtains and mini-blinds closed all the time. I guess for privacy. I’m the opposite. I keep mine open almost all the time. If people passing by or parked next to me have nothing better to do that look in at me, I figure that's there problem, not mine. I like the light and it gives me the sense of more space and really the feel of being outside but without dealing with the elements.

Anyway, I was just sitting here working away with all my blinds open and my door and windows open (screens closed) and I heard this strange sound from outside. It’s very quiet here and the sound was faint. It got a little louder. Then louder. I soon realized it was a horse at full gallop.

I looked outside and there was a man or woman on a horse racing up the trail. I’ve ridden horses just a little tiny bit and I don’t’ think ever at a full gallop. It has some sort of appeal, though, doesn’t it? Watching that horse and rider scream by made me think (for a second) that I’d like that experience. Don’t know why, and it’s probably not as fun or exhilarating as it looks. But the fantasy of it holds some appeal. (Maybe it goes back to my playing Pony Express Rider days?)

That’s when I noticed the sky.

If the old Red Sky At Night adage is correct, tomorrow should be a beautiful day.

Take a look.

REPLY TO COMMENTS

Chel - - Yep, it won’t be long now. I expect we’ll see each other within a week or so. I’m excited, too. Can’t wait.

By the way, this spot is not exactly gorgeous. Big Sur is gorgeous – spectacular. Many of the other places I visited on this trip are truly gorgeous. This is nice and clean and open and roomy and very quiet. I can sit outside and play my guitar as loud as I want and won’t be disturbing my neighbors. I like the big RV spaces and the roominess of it. I don’t feel like I’m on top of anyone. That has a lot of appeal for me. But gorgeous? Not really.

Love you. See you next week.

November 29, 2007 – Thursday In Chino

Sadly, this is my last official day of “travel.” At least on this particular Journey.

I would gladly just keep on moving around. America is an incredible place and I encourage anyone reading this to think more about vacations and trips IN the Continental United States and less in Mexico, Europe, Asia, Hawaii, etc. We have it all right here.

I’m grateful that the 21st Century gives me the freedom to work from my Motor Home from wherever I am and still be able to go wherever I want. It’s very awesome.

On the other hand, I’m eager to see my family, including my grandson, Blake. He just turned 1, I haven’t seen him for a couple of months, and Vanessa says that since I last saw him he’s learned to read, write, talk, walk, run, and throw a football. We’ll see.

Tomorrow I’ll head back to Escondido and hook up at my old favorite RV Park for the month of December. That will give me a good chance to catch up with the family and local friends.

Then I plan (assuming my health and groin) are OK, to move down to the Desert for the month of January so I can play the 4 big January Tournaments down there. I did that last year for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it. A tournament a week. It's fun.

Yesterday I got to play again for the first time in a month. Met up with Bill at the Anaheim Hills Tournament. He was too good for me and won our match 4 and 3. As I’ve said many times before, and not just in my Travel Blog, virtually all the Seniors who are willing to put in the time and effort to play competitive tennis at our age and at the level we’re playing at are just great guys. Bill did not disappoint. A very good, consistent player. Way more consistent that me yesterday, that’s for sure. A gentleman and a tough and fair competitor.

In spite of the extreme wind and the loss, I had a great time and was, as always, just plain grateful to be physically able to get out and run and sweat and compete hard. I accomplished my main goals: to get out and play a match and have some fun; to test my groin injury; and, most importantly, not do any more damage to the groin.

Mission accomplished. I had to ice it afterwards and am icing it as I'm writing this. Honestly wouldn’t want to play today. It’s pretty tender, but I don’t think it’s worse than when I started. No additional damage done.

And, if you note the smile on Bill’s face, you can assume he was happy with his well deserved win and also, like me, simply glad to be out there and able to “Just Do It.”

Even though this is my last day of my “trip,” I’ll shoot a pic or 2 of my Escondido location so you can get a sense of it when I get there and over the weekend I’ll write some final thoughts on my 2 month Journey and Travel Adventures.

So, if you’re interested, keep checking back.

Plus, I think I’ll just keep blogging anyway. It’s rather mentally cathartic for me. And, of course when I head down to the Desert, that’s a whole new Travel Adventure, so I’ll definitely be online for that.

So you’re all welcome to visit on an ongoing basis if you want. And, of course, feel free to post your own Comment(s) any time.

The Journey Continues - Part 7

The Journey Continues

Leg 7 -- Homeward Bound

November 19, 2007

November 21, 2007 – Wednesday - Lake Casitas, California

Well, I'm officially back in Southern California.

Sunday in West Sacramento was a day to polish up a presentation for a Monday Conference Call, stock up on food and supplies, generall clean up, and get ready to move out.

If I never get back to Sacramento, I’ll think I’ll survive the depravation.

On Monday, I actually got moving around 8:30 or 9:00. Going where, you ask? I still wasn’t 100% sure even as I left. I wanted to end up in So. Cal., here at Lake Casitas, by Wednesday. I was thinking I might make it a 2 day affair and was thinking of stopping over at Kingsburg....a great little town on the Kings River about 20 miles south of Fresno. I had also received some travel advise from my friend Frank in Bakersfield (See Comments) and was considering his input, too.

Had 2 problems starting out. First, although I’m really good at directions, when I left Sacramento I decided to take the 5 rather than the 99 no matter what. I could always cut over to Fresno. In my mind (never bothered to look at the map), the 5 was west of where I was. So I got on the 80 West. After about 10 miles I realized I needed to go a mile or 2 EAST from where I started to hit the 5. Whoops.

Since I was that far out of the way, I decided to keep on going, head south at a convenient major highway, and pick up the 5 further south. I probably added 40 or 50 unnecessary miles to the trip. No biggy. But next time I may look at the map instead of relying on my normally infallible memory and sense of direction.

Also, a light I’ve never seen came on after about 15 minutes of driving. “Choke.”

Over the years I’ve owned a lot of different cars and trucks and motorcycles. The motorcycles all have a manual “Choke” and I think one of my old trucks had a “Choke,” but I’ve never seen a “Choke” warning light.

The Motor Home is running perfectly, by the way. There’s noting in its operation to indicate anything is wrong....it’s just the stupid light. And I remembered once when Vanessa was driving to school at Santa Barbara when her “Check Engine” like came on. Now that sounds serious to me. Turns out her gas cap was not screwed on completely tight.

So I figure one of a several things may be wrong. The light itself is malfunctioning. The choke is actually malfunctioning and a) not big deal, b) it will correct itself, c) it will not correct itself and if it doesn’t, it’s either a big deal or not a bid deal. But I have not a clue which of the above it really is.

Those of you reading this who know me know this: I know virtually NOTHING about cars, engines, or mechanics.

Since this is a new experience for me and I don’t want to blow up in transit or do any damage to my engine, I decided I better stop and have someone who does know something about engines have a look.

That’s a pretty easy decision, but not so easy to execute. At that time I was on the 80 between Sacramento and San Francisco. I found an exit where it looked like there was actual human life, and started looking for someplace where there might be a real mechanic. The third place I stopped I found a guy about my age with about my same amount of hair, I figured he might know what he was doing and would give me some straight answers. Anyway I hoped so.

He explained that this engine (not fuel injected) has an automatic choke and that the light indicates it was stuck. When the engine heats up enough it should automatically close. Given that I’d been driving for 20 or 30 minutes, I suggested it had probably heated up enough. He said maybe not. If it was stuck, it might have to “really” heat up.

Turns out it’s a pretty big deal to run the diagnostics (both electrical and mechanical) to figure out the problem and, depending on the problem, it might be difficult or easy to fix.

I said, “Will it hurt anything if I drive with this light on, assuming the Choke is actually stuck and it stays that way.”

“No....the engine will just run real rich.” (Meaning the fuel to air mixture will be heavier than normal on fuel and lighter on air than normal.”

“And will that hurt anything?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Don’t THINK so? What’s that mean? What’s the risk?”

"Well....none really. It won’t do any damage, but it might run sort of rough with a rich mixture...that’s all.”

With that advice, I decided to push on and have this looked at when I get settled. But I have to tell you I was still a little apprehensive.

After another 10 or 15 miles the Choke light went out and I breathed again.

And, it was at that point that I decided to just keep pushing along and put myself where I am...at Lake Casitas.

I had planned to be here by Wednesday and stay through Sunday.

Lake Casitas is 5 or 6 miles from Ojai, one of my favorite little towns and a place that holds a million great memories for me.

The rest of the drive was uneventuful. Central California is pretty much uneventful. Flat agricultural land as far as you can see in every direction.

Arrived here – after my wrong direction detour starting out and the Choke incident – Monday evening.

(Here's my new spot...at least for a couple of days.)


Yesterday, Tuesday, I headed over to Ojai around 9:30. Now, I know I promised (myself) no tennis for the month of November to let the groin heal. Well, it’s been feeling pretty darned good. And I’ve been itching to hit some balls – anything other than just running. So I broke my promise.

There is a senior tournament the week after Thanksgiving at the Anaheim Hills Racket Club. I know the owner there and always try to support his tournaments if I’m around. The deadline for entry was last Friday at midnight, and to help ease the pain of withdrawal I was suffering, I entered. One of the reasons I wanted to be back in the area around Thanksgiving. I need to be around Anaheim Hills early next week.

The reason I love Ojai so much is because it is a cool, quaint little town as towns go. More importantly, it is an absolute Tennis Mecca.

It’s essentially in the Los Padres National Forest. “The Tournament” is held in the spring. It’s been held annually since 1895....I think the oldest continuous tournament in the U.S. It is also now one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world. There are many hundreds, if not thousands of players. All during the same week and at the same Ojai hosts the top juniors, high schools, small colleges, the Pac 10 Men’s and Woman’s championships, Open events.....it’s incredible. And I was lucky enough to experience it many times over the years in support of Vanessa and Chelsea who’s rankings were high enough so they were invited. Plus, Chlsea played The Tournament as a member of the UCLA Women’s team.

There are 100’s of courts around town including private courts at people’s houses. Typically many Ojai families open their homes to host players during The Tournament and also make their private courts available for matches. I have awesome memories of junior matches played in the most incredible settings on gorgeous estates.

That week is like a died and gone to heaven week for any level of tennis fan.

So yesterday I grabbed my rackets and headed off to Libby Park, right in the center of town, and the site of all of the Championship matches during The Tournament.

I knew I’d find players there. I was right. I got a game of doubles with some guys who where not very good. Exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to take it REAL easy and did, but got in some hits and serves and had a great time. It was a spectacular day....cool, vibrant blue sky, surrounded by ancient oak trees, remembering all the matches I watched on those and the surrounding courts throughout Ojai...fond memories of the fun, the family, the excitement.

My groin is still sore when moving to the left or taking a big step forward, but not too bad, and I was very careful with it.

Great morning. I’m going back this morning. I plan to hit some again today, very carefully, then take off again until my first round match at Anaheim Hills whenever that is.

Via Internet and phone, I had made arrangements to volunteer to help out with a Thanksgiving Dinner for the needy in Ojai on Thanksgiving. A couple of Church groups are putting on a dinner at Libby Park. Lake Casitas has 400 camping spots, so it never occurred to me I’d have a problem getting a spot here. And since I wasn’t sure until late Monday morning when I’d actually show up, I didn’t call for a reservation or anything until that decision was made. Stupid me. I got a spot for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but they are booked from Thanksgiving Day through the weekend.

So I had to cancel my Thanksgiving Volunteer plans here. Naturally it occurred to me that if this place, with 400 spots, is booked, everywhere might be booked and I better find a place to go. I made a lot of calls and did a lot of searching yesterday morning to find an RV Park that wasn’t full. Not so easy. I finally got a spot at a KOA Campground in Pomona of all places and then immediately sent out a bunch of “I want to volunteer” emails and phone messages to organizations around that area. Hopefully I’ll find somewhere to volunteer on Thanksgiving.

You’re up to date. Have a great day.


November 21, 2007 – Heading Further South

I’m kind of bummed that I have to leave here tomorrow. I was really looking forward to staying longer. It’s a very pleasant place and I had organized a Thanksgiving Volunteer situation for myself in Ojai, but I had to break that date.

So as I sit here Wednesday evening, I've been calling around trying to set something up in Pomona where I’m going to end up tomorrow of all the ridiculous places. Pomona. After all the beautiful spots I’ve been living in the last couple of months....Pomona for god’s sake.

Oh, well.

And, it’s really a lot harder to volunteer than you’d think. I still don't have anything lined up and confirmed.

This morning I went back over to Libby Park (took my camera this time so there are a few pics, below). Got some hits in with a female tennis teacher while she was waiting for her lesson to show up, then got about 45 minutes of serving in. Feel pretty good. No damage done.

Here’s a couple of looks at the Lake Casitas area – before the fog completely burned off this morning.




And, here’s a little of what Libby Park is like – but these really don’t do it justice at all. It’s way cooler than this.

(Looking from the street into the park. The tennis courts are tucked back in there.)

(And now here you are on court looking out.)



(This is a path through the woods from the upper courts to the lower courts.)



(Is there a better tennis setting?)



(There are not a lot of people on Planet Earth who care to watch me play tennis. In fact, probably none. Well, maybe one. Rocky here. He got a good seat, too.)

I hope everyone reading this has a fabulous Thanksgiving.

And, along with enjoying your family, friends, turkeys, and trimmings, please make a point to stop for at least a few minutes to quietly and honestly reflect on all of the good fortune we all have and think about how truly Thankful we ought to be for being able and free to live where we do and the way we do. Sure we may have some problems and difficulties and challenges. But all in all, I think everyone I know has a helluva lot to be Thankful for. Let's take a moment to reflect on it and gain some positive momentum from it.

November 24, 2007 – Thanksgiving Day & Beyond

Thursday – Thanksgiving

I sadly departed Lake Casitas/Ojai around 10:30 on a beautiful, glorious Thanksgiving morning. I would have preferred to stay put, but it wasn’t in the cards.

Moving from an out in the country, in the forest, very rustic campground at Lake Casitas to a glorified urban parking lot across from the Pomona Speedway and the Fairplex wasn’t my first choice. In fact, it was my last and only choice under the circumstances.

(Remember the pics of my spot at Lake Casitas? Compare that setting to here. Where would you rather be?)

Besides the setting, the thing I was most disappointed about was that I had made arrangements to volunteer at a Thanksgiving Dinner for the needy in Ojai. In spite of a lot of time and energy and phone calls trying to find a place where I could be useful in or around Pomona, I had no luck at all. As I said before, Volunteering isn’t as easy as you’d think it would be. Or should be.

Once I got here and hooked up, I went down to a place where I had heard they might be doing something. No one from there ever called me back, but I thought I’d just go. Sure enough, the Beta Center hosted a thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, it was over by the time I got there and the place was closed up.

On the way back and quite on the spur of the moment, since I didn’t seem to be able to do much good for anyone else, I decided to treat myself to a movie.

I saw August Rush. It’s a movie about music. That is to say music is a main theme in the story....sort of the axis around which the story revolves.

Maybe because I’m a wanna be musician, I happen to love movies about music – or where music is a main and critical element in the story. Two examples of such films that come immediately to mind are Mr. Holland’s Opus and, my personal favorite – perhaps, in fact, my favorite movie of all time – Music of the Heart. Given that Meryl Streep is probably the best actress of all time (the Roger Federer of Actresses), that it is a true and fantastic story, and that it is all about the power of music and demonstrates how sad it is that music programs are usually the first to go from school programs when budgets get tight, it is an incredibly great story and film. It should be mandatory watching for all teachers and all parents and all kids. (Gee, I guess that’s just about everyone, isn’t it?)

If you haven’t seen it, go find it and rent it and turn off your cell phone and watch it. If you did see it in the past, go find it and rent it and turn off your cell phone and watch it again. And again.

Anyway, August Rush was OK, but only OK. I give it a 5 on a 10 Scale. In order to appreciate it, in fact in order to even enjoy it, you sort of have to suspend the logical part of your mind (it is utterly implausible and even verges on being a fantasy) and be prepared for overdone sappiness and utter predictability. If you can get past that, the characters are engaging (Robin Williams as Wizard – the Fagin character in the Oliver Twist element of the film – is a bit over the top in my view, but he’s always a bit over the top and a joy anyway), the music’s good and very innovative, and although you’re never in doubt of the happy, sappy ending, you’re glad for the characters when they get there and the family is reunited.

That was, then, essentially my Thanksgiving.

Through it all, I had plenty of time to reflect on how thankful I am for being alive and healthy. I am thankful for a wonderful family and terrific friends. I am thankful to live in America and have the chance and ability to enjoy the freedom we all enjoy and too often take for granted.

It was a great day for me to contemplate those blessings. I am also thankful that I am conscious of how lucky I am and that I appreciate it all. I don’t ever want to take it for granted. Not ever.

Friday

Yesterday I didn’t really have anything particular to do so I loafed around in the morning. The TV news was talking about the huge crowds and near brawls at Target stores. I needed a few things, there’s a Target close by, so I decided to go experience this phenomenon.

I hate shopping. I only go when in need, I go with a very specific list, and I never deviate. In and out is always my goal. As fast as possible.

Ordinarily I do everything in my power to avoid crowds. But I really had an urge to observe the mania.

Oh, man! Was I disappointed!

The Target I went to was virtually empty. No crowds. No hysterical fighting people. No hair pulling or name calling. No fights. No maniacs. No nothin’. Just a plain, normal, Target.

None of my plans are turning out the way I expect.

Spent the rest of the day just hanging out, reading some, working on my book a bit, and cleaning. I’ve been steadily on the go for 2 months now and although I clean superficially all the time, I figured yesterday was a good day for some thorough “Spring” cleaning.

Also took the time to work on a few blues licks and progressions I’ve been fiddling with and figuring out some Bruce Springsteen tunes from his "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" album -- a tribute to Pete Seeger's music. (It’s that wanna be musician in me.) That was fun. Really fun. I haven't spent a solid hour with my guitar for a long long time. My fingers are really sore.


(By the way, since I'm serving as movie critic, I may as well be music critic, too. If you like folk music, old style rock and roll, and Springsteen at all...even in the least little bit...I highly recommend this album. Springsteen called a bunch of musicians to come out to his farm and they recorded this in the living lliving room....with some of the musicians in the hall and the kitchen. They had never played a single note together before. There were no musical arrangements and no rehearsals. It's live. It's spontaneous. You can hear Sprinsteen calling out the instruments and instructions in the the background as they jammed along. It's like a bunch of musicians -- really talented musicians -- getting together on the steet corner or out on the front porch or something and just going after it and having a ball. It's spontaneous. It's rough and raw and free. And it rocks.)

Today I’m going to take my rackets over to Cal Poly Pomona and see if maybe I can find a game or at least a backboard.

Which brings up the groin injury again. I figured it out. I’m such a dolt sometimes.

With all the sports I’ve played from my youth through my senior years, I’ve pulled, strained, sprained, broken, and injured just about everything at one time or another. It’s given me a good sense of what’s serious and what’s not and I pretty much know how to treat everything that’s treatable with self-help.

So after laying off for the better part of a month, and with the groin feeling really good in day-to-day activities, I was pretty disappointed when I played a little in Ojai and it was still clearly a problem.

Then, driving down from Lake Casitas to Pomona (ugh...Pomona), it hit me like a 10 pound sledge in the middle of my cranium.

It’s really my back, not my groin.

Huh?

My back slips out of kilter from time to time. Once in a while when it does, my back hurts, but not always. Most of the time nothing hurts, but I know my back is messed up because my whole body....face, shoulders, hips, legs, etc....are visibly askew. I spent most of my life believing that one of my ears was lower than the other (bending glasses frames so they looked straight on my face) and that one of my legs was shorter than the other. Fact is, all that is a result of my head resting on my Atlas Vertebrae a little cockeyed. I probably got whacked playing football causing the cockeyedness in the first place which impacts everything else.

One time, a few years ago I had a very similar groin injury that just wouldn’t go away. I went in to my doc for a back alignment. I knew my back was messed up at the time, but never related it to the groin. No clue. However, as soon as my back was aligned, my groin was fine. I’m talking instantly. Duh. I should have known. It was so obvious in 20-20 hindsight.

For some stupid reason, I had forgotten all about that until the drive on Thursday. Then, out of nowhere, that 10 pound sledge hit me. I absolutely, 100% guarantee, that’s why this groin thing isn’t “healing.” I’m not suggesting I didn’t pull or strain it playing. I did. Whether the back had anything to do with this iteration of my groin injury or not, I don’t know. Probably it did. Regardless, I do know with certainty the back is responsible for the non-healing.

So, there’s another thing to be Thankful for. I now know the problem and have a solution. You gotta take your Gratitudes where you can find them.

So even though I’m committed to the tournament next week with a still sore groin, I’ll play carefully and conservatively, try not to do any more damage, then make an appointment and get it fixed as soon as possible thereafter. I’m excited.

Again, I hope everyone reading this had a great Thanksgiving and took at least a little time to appreciate how much you have to be Thankful for.

The Journey Continues - Part 6

Swinging Around To The South

Leg 6

November 13, 2007

November 13, 2007 -- Hello State Capitol

Last night I finally made the decision to head Southeast out of Willits and go to the Sacramento Area. May mosey on down the Sacramento Delta after a while.

It started raining again yesterday (Monday) around 10:00 AM, I was cooped up all day, and was still raining when I left Willits this morning. Also, it was still pretty cold.

So what that means in real life is that everything that I had outside was completely saturated and I had to stow it while it was still wet, the ground was one giant mud puddle so I was traipsing mud all over the place, and generally it was a big fat mess.

I got a reasonably early start but had to make a couple of stops (gas, tire store to have air put in my tires – it’s a big pain with dual wheels on the rear and I couldn’t possibly do it at the local gas station, etc.) and so finally really got traveling around 10:00 or 10:30.

Spent many miles driving along Lake Mendocino. It is a big and beautiful lake. I would have liked to have stayed on the lake and I had called every RV Park on the lake I could find before I went up to Willits, but I couldn’t find a place where I would be able to get Internet access and cell service is patchy in that area.

But, look at these couple of pictures from the banks of the lake and you’ll see why it wouldn’t be too awfully bad a place to be hanging out for a little while.



Rolled in to my RV Park here in West Sacramento at exactly 1:30, got on a conference call as I was coming down the driveway, and finally got off the phone and actually picked out my space and registered around 2:30 or 3:00. Laid all my wet stuff out to dry, took off my flannel shirt for the first time in a while, opened my windows for the first time in a while, and here I am in Jeans and a tee shirt listening to some birds chirping while catching up on the Blog.

Here's where I'm living for a few days....maybe more. You'll notice all the junk I have laying around -- it's just wet stuff that needs to dry out. And just behind me about 40 yards is a pretty little finger of the river you'll see. The place is pretty empty and should be quiet and peaceful.

More on our state capital and the Surrounding area to come. I’ve never been around these parts before (one of the reasons I decided to come this way) so if and when I can get out to explore and site see, it will be an adventure.


November 15, 2007 – Thursday In West Sacramento

Quiet day working.

I did a little running this morning (there’s a big field that’s perfect for working out right next to me) and even though my groin is still a bit sore, if I run straight and under control I can work out without aggravating it. And I need to really start getting back in some sort of shape, I think, just in case I ever play tennis again.

Other than that and other than working on some contracts, nothing happening today. In fact, my butt is sore from just sitting in my office chair all stinkin' day.

Yesterday I took a break and a motorcycle ride around the immediate area to see what was around.

Nothing, actually. Business and industrial mostly. Flat. Sparse. At least it's nice and warm and not too hot. And the RV Park where I am is quiet and a fine place to work. Yesterday I made a bunch of phone calls sitting on a proch swing (a real hanging from the rafters by chains porch swing) overlooking the river finger behind me. Nice.

I probably won’t see anything of any interest until the weekend. I’ve been asking everyone I can find, “What should I do around here that’s fun or interesting...or both?”

Without exception the answer is: “Have you been to Old Town (also known as Historic Sacramento) yet?”

So, I guess that’s it. I’ll head over to Historic Sacramento first thing Saturday morning and see what’s up. It doesn’t have me excited, but who knows? It may be the greatest place I’ve ever been.

If any of you loyal TravelBlog readers know Sacramento or have any Sacramento suggestions, I’m totally open. Let me hear from you.

I’m going to stay here through Sunday and then head further south (I have no idea where to) on Monday.

I'm also open to suggestions on my next few stop over spots. I don't have anything specific in mind yet.

REPLY TO COMMENTS

Chel - Miss you, too and am excited to see you when I get back.

And boy oh boy would we be having fun if you were along for the trip.

No tennis in the immediate future, but I'm thinking I may look for some hits the week after Thanksgiving depending where I am. I sort of promised myself to let the healing process go on through November. The last time I played was Oct. 28 in Sonoma when I lost that match to the really good guy, Jeff. So the week after Thanksgiving will be about a month. But, if my groin is still sore then, I'll do my best to resist the temptation to play. I'd really like this thing to get healed this time. I could play right now, but one false step and I'd be right back where I was. So maybe in a couple more weeks.

Speaking of tennis, did you hear about Martina Hingis and the Cocaine Scandal? Maybe we can get a few opinions here on the TravelBlog on that shocking news.

Love you.

November 16, 2007 – At Best, Running Is Boring.....

Other than some work stuff (and the closer it gets to Thanksgiving, the slower that gets) and a couple of errands I had to take care of, it was a very quiet day here in West Sacramento.

There are only 2 things even worth mentioning.

First, while working on my book (the “Diet” and Health book), I watched the Roddick –Federer tennis match from Shanghai.

I’ve been following tennis long enough to have seen Connors, Gerulitis, Borg, Chang, Agassi, Sampras, Navratilova, Everett, Graf....all of the oldies when they were young and all of the current youngsters on tour. I totally thought Sampras would always be my favorite player. Never occurred to me otherwise.

But I gotta tell you, this Roger Federer fellow is from a different galaxy. It’s hard to believe how he can take such a complex, mentally challenging, and physically demanding sport and make it look so gosh darned SIMPLE and EASY.

Even if you’re not a tennis fan, do yourself a favor and find a match where Federer will be playing on TV and watch the grace of a true artist at work. You’ll be telling your grandkids that you had the privilege of watching one of the great ones play.

Second, keeping true to my pledge to myself, I took a break for a run (jog). Ugh.

First, I had to really force myself to do it. How do you even get motivated to intentionally torture yourself?

I was going to go out early this morning, but I kept stalling and stalling and stalling.

Fact is. I get winded just saying “five mile run.”

Finally, I couldn’t make up any more excuses for myself, put on my shorts, laced up my shoes, and hit the road. It’s drudgery. I hated it when I was in the Marine Corps and they made me run mile after mile. I remember one time they had this long distance race (for “fun”, not as a “real” part of training), and, naturally, I was running last. About the 1/2 way point the Marine right in front of me (second to last) was giving me a hard time saying stuff like, “How’s it feel to be last, sucker?” So, although I was slower than anyone, I was as smart as most and said to him, “Do you really want to know?” And I dropped out.

Running sucks. It blows. It both sucks AND blows.

Not that it’s terribly hard physically – you can go at your own pace – but it’s so gosh darned boring.

But, if you’re a complete moron like me and push yourself, it’s both PAINFUL AND BORING.

It seems to me only right that if you’re going to do something painful, it should at least be fun. And, if you’re going to do something boring, there should be some great feeling of accomplishment or euphoria when you’re done.

Running provides none of the above.

I’d take some pics of me running for the TravelBlog, but they don’t make cameras that slow.

It’s no wonder Jim Fixx, acclaimed author of The Complete Book of Running and father of American’s infatuation with running for exercise, died while running. I figured it out. He actually died of boredom.

Even with the old iPod...good music and a good book on tape...it’sstill boring.

OK, I feel better now. Thanks for listening to my rant.

Unfortunately, I’ve got to start getting in shape somehow, so I’m committed (or should be, I guess).

Tomorrow: Old Sacramento. Stand by for some pics and who knows what else?????


RESPONSE TO COMMENTS

Frank –

(Since I don’t think he signed it and for those of you who don’t know him, the thorough analysis of drug testing is from my law school buddy, Frank....the one with the $6,000 mailbox in Bakersfield. See why I say he’s probably the smartest person I know. He’s a retired judge to put some of his comments in perspective.)

Background: As I understand it, Hingis tested positive from a standard, random urine test and then they did another (per the WTA rules) both showing “positive” for cocaine. Drug testing is very common in pro tennis these days. Everyone knows they’re going to be tested and they test quite frequently, I think. After Martina was told the results (several weeks later, by the way), she announced her retirement, denied any drug use, and had a hair test done. The hair test was “negative” for cocaine use.

As you said, one of the tests is wrong. Which one?

Big drama. Big controversy.

Hingis is adamant about not using drugs. Just from a competitor’s point of view, it’s hard for me to envision her using cocaine in the middle of Wimbledon. It just doesn’t track. Others maybe. Not her. (Not that we’re good friends or anything....just doesn’t seem right to me.) Lyle Alzado? Sure. Barry Bonds? Absolutely. Martina Hingis? I don’t know. I just don’t think so.

And, let’s remember, cocaine isn’t normally thought of as “performance enhancing.” I don’t know that much about it, but I’d sort of think it might be the opposite.

Also, I don’t know if the Tennis Gods’ standards for “positive” are the same, higher, or lower than the NIDA standards that you pointed out. That would be interesting to know. Remember, tennis is an international sport, so U.S. standards or guidelines may not be applicable or even close to the standards they use.

Thanks for your input and insight. Always appreciate it. Always learn something from you. As this unfolds, I think it may prove to be very interesting.

And, I not only “liked” Martina....I still do.

I’m going with INNOCENT! I just want to believe her, I guess.

_____

VEG

Glad to hear you and Blake and Brian are well and that’s he’s growing as expected (Blake, not Brian).

I hope you have some pictures of the tooth brushing (what, 4 teeth?). Send them and I’ll put one on the TravelBlog for everyone to get a laugh from.

Miss you, too, but I’ll be back in So. Cal. before you know it.

Love you.

November 17, 2007 – Saturday – Old Sacramento & The Capitol

Very foggy this morning and pretty cold – low 40’s, I think.

Left at about 9:30 for Old Sacramento.

I wasn’t expecting much and that’s exactly what I got.

It’s a small area of about 4 square blocks on the Sacramento River.

There are a few museums – I stuck my head in them all but didn’t go through any of them. They seemed pretty schlocky and I really didn’t want to waste money and time on something that wasn’t going to be that great.

Walked every block.

There are 30 gift stores. There are about 25 or 30 cafes and restaurants. There are at least 6 candy stores. That’s right....in 4 square blocks, there are at least 6 candy stores.

In other words, there isn’t much there except tourist trap stuff.

Not my style. Not at all.

I found the same thing last year when I intentionally went out of my way to visit The French Quarter and Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Complete tourist trap. No charm...all hype.

Here are a couple of pictures.

(This old stern wheel paddle boat seems to be the main attraction in Old Sacramento. She's the Delta King - how's that happen since all boats are female gender???? She was a staple of transportation for passengers and cargo running the Sacramento River from 1926 all the way up to 1941. She's been made into a hotel, there's a dinner theatre aboard, and a restaurant.)

(By this time much of the fog had started to burn off...but you can see it lingers. And I liked the juxtaposition of the old - typical Old Sacramento architecture - and the new highrise in the distance.)

(I just snapped this because I used to play Pony Express Rider when I was a kid. I think maybe a lot of us romanticized racing across America on horseback carrying the mail, fighting Indians and mail robbers, surviving the hardships of the prairies, plains, deserts, mountains, and weather. Even as a kid I guess that sense of rugged individualism had some attraction for me. The Pony Express system, about 2000 miles each way, ran from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento. Stations along the route were about 10 miles apart, the maximum distance a horse can travel at a full gallop carrying 165 pounds. Riders could only be 125 pounds or less, they carried 20 pounds of mail and 20 pounds for the saddles and all their survival gear. Each one did about 100 miles before changing riders. Here's an actual classified ad for Pony Express Riders: "Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows. Not over 18. Must be expert riders. Willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred." These guys really knew how to write appealing ad copy, didn't they? At least they were honest. Although the Pony Express was very successful in reducing mail delivery time to about 10 days, its timing was very bad. It only existed for about 18 months in 1860-1861. It fell to superior technology....the Telegraph and the Railroad.)

(Here's something I DID NOT do.)

I had decided, since I was only about 8 or 10 blocks away, to walk over and look at the Capitol building and Capitol Park. People had said it was worth it.

Just to be sure, I even asked a guy at the Tourist Information Office in Old Town if it was worth it. “Oh, it’s great and the Park is gorgeous....the flowers and everything. It’s well worth going over there.”

So I went through the underpass, then through the mall (regular shopping mall with Gap, Macy’s, Hard Rock Café, etc.), and over to the Capitol.

The building is very Capitol looking. The Capitol Park was grass and trees. I didn't really see any flowers. Nothing to write home about. Another disappointment.

Well, I’m not really being fair when I say “disappointment.” I had very low expectations and since they were met, I can’t claim I was disappointed in the outcome.

Here are a couple of glimpses.

(You can all brag that you were the FIRST to see the lights on the State Capitol Chrismas Tree. These guys had just put the star on top and were starting to string the lights from the top down. So, look for it on the TV news when they light it up and tell all your friends you knew it when....)

(And, ta da.....the Capitol building/dome...)

I’m committed to stay here in West Sacramento through tomorrow (Sunday). I have an early morning conference call scheduled on Monday morning, but as soon as that’s over I plan to head south. Don’t know how far or exactly where to, but south it is first of next week.

Hope you’re all enjoying your weekend.

The Journey Continues - Part 5

Continuing On North

Leg 5

November 7, 2007

Willits, California

Here I am at 5:00 AM, outside temp 37, in Willits, California.

Willits is on the 101, 10 or 15 miles north of Ukiah, about 30 - 35 miles east of the coast.

They call Willits the “Gateway to the Redwoods” and the “Crossroads of Mendocino County.”

Can’t say I know exactly what that means quite yet....I just came up here yesterday afternoon, and clearly some clever marketing guy came up with those slogans...but I’ll find out.

The owner of the KOA RV Park where I’m staying, Jerry (and his wife Connie), is from Huntington Beach. Jerry was a fire sprinkler contractor and just got tired of the rat race, came up here on a vacation, fell in love with the place, and bought the campground in 1993. Been running it ever since.

He’s also a motorcycle guy, so you can see the bond. He gave me a personal map of all the best “rides,” off of the main routes, all around the area, plus all the best hikes, site seeing, etc. A valuable resoource, for sure.

So in between work related activities, there is probably a lot to explore around here....hikes to be hiked, rides to be ridden, and scenes to be seen.

Here’s my spot. It’s big, peaceful, quiet. Other than some long term people in the long term area which is down the road a bit, there’s only 1 other RV here at the moment, so I pretty much have the place to myself.

Well, not quite to myself....here’s some of my neighbors.




More on Willits and its environs later.

November 8, 2007 – Still In Willits

Busy day yesterday with business projects.

Sneaked out for a quick hike around the property here. Nice little trail. Short, picturesque, steep in parts. May try jogging it today....feel like I need to start getting some running type activity in. Groin is somewhat better....not perfect by a long shot, but I was able to mount my motorcycle the other day regularly....like you’d get on a horse. First time in....well....since I can remember. I won’t even try to explain how I was doing it. I’m sure if any people happened to watch me trying to protect the groin and swing my right leg forward....sort of step over the seat/gas tank...they’d be laughing their butts off.

Here’s a couple of pics from the hiking trail.

(Trail Head.)

(Catch & Release Fishin' Hole.)

(Surrounding Area.)

Reply to Comments:

Hi Chel. Miss you, too and am sorry I'll miss Blake's 1st Birthday. But I understand there are 70 some odd people expected at the party, so I doubt he'll miss me.

I probably won't get to do any real exploring or take any motorcycle excursions around here until the weekend...and it's supposed to be raining by then....so we'll see how it goes. Nothing I can do about it.

And, I do love my neighbors. Not one of them has come over to attempt to engage me in time wasting, useless, banal, and sophmoric chit chat. Love it. My kind of people.

November 9, 2007 – Stuck In Willits

Been very busy and haven’t even looked at the map to plan my next stop. So I’ve decided to stay here for sure over the weekend and hope the weather’s OK for some motorcycle exploration and some hiking. There are several State Parks/Redwood Preserves fairly close and right on the motorcycle routes Jerrry mapped out for me. We’re looking at highs in the high 50’s/low 60’s with “showers” on Saturday. And, we’re getting down around the freezing point at night. I don't mind the cold, but I really hate driving my motorcycle in the rain. Even with the best rain gear you still get wet and I just really don't like wet roads and poor visibility. There is no windshield wiper on your helmet face plate.

Only thing I did yesterday other than look at my monitor and talk on the phone was....get this....take a run. When I say "run," that really means "fairly slow jog." As far as I'm concerned, no one should ever actually run farther than from the base line to the net. That's plenty far enough all at once. Beyond that, you're just wasting time.

Nonetheless, I went out on the trail here at the RV Park which is hilly and steep, so it was a test since I typically don’t run and haven’t run hills since the Marine Corps as far as I can remember. Finished up with some sprints. It actually felt great to get out. Heart seems to be working fine. Groin feels OK - no worse. And, the rest of me isn't too awfully sore...at least not yet. Took a nice hot Jacuzzi after.

It did make me remember why I don’t run. It’s really plain old boring even in the lovely hills out here. Next time I’ll plug myself into my iPod which might help....but probably not all that much.

Hope you all are doing more interesting things than that.

November 9, 2007 – Meet The Neighbors

My darling daughter Chelsea was asking me about my very quiet and desirable neighbors, so I promised her some pictures....

(This guy (or girl....I really didn’t get close enough to figure out the gender), is easily as tall as me and I’m guessing comes in at 400 pounds or somewhere in that range. Llamas are known to be very smart and have been used as pack animals for centuries. Some enjoy their meat, and there is a growing movement promoting Llama meat as an alternative or addition to beef, pork, etc.)

(Naturally, I nicknamed him/her Dali.)

(And here's the rest of my Neighborly Menagerie.)

(Slim)



(Seabiscuit.)

(Hidalgo.)

(McGruff.)

(Wolly Bolly.)

(Lucifer.)

November 10, 2007 -- Willits – Of Footballs and Bummers

Interesting hour last night and big fat bummer today.

Last night when I went outside to light my bbq, I ran into some football players. There were 5 or 6 of them. All were 8 or under....down to about 4, I’d guess. Three of them are brothers and 1 a cousin of the brothers and the others are just others. The brothers and cousin are in a giant 5th Wheel Toy Hauler that came in yesterday afternoon....I don’t know where the others came from.

So anyway the kids are throwing this ¾ sized nerf football around and I say, “Here....throw me one.” Well, Andrew (the 8 year old and clear leader of the pack – who has quite a good arm by the way) says, “Nah....you’re too old.”

Too old? That was a big mistake.

But, I didn't want to be rude or scare them or anything, so I just quietly hung around and watched and, inevitably, the ball bounced over to where I was. So I picked it up and told Andrew “Go Long.” He sort of looked askance, but I motioned for him to go out and he finally did. After 10 yards or so he stopped and looked back like he was thinking that was about as far as an old codger like me could throw.

“Long, I said.”

So he hauls off and (luckily) I launched what turned out to be a perfect spiral easily 30 yards or more down the driveway. Right in his hands. Pure luck, of course. Couldn’t do it again in a million years. I haven’t thrown a ball that I can remember for a long, long, long time. Certainly not a football....even of the nerf variety.

But that one was a thing of beauty and hit the mark exactly and, just like that, I was one of the guys.

So me and the guys tossed the ball around and I told them about our high school CIF Championship teams and having the honor of playing a little ball at UCLA.

A cute little blond girl around 7 or 8 came by and said, “Here...throw me one.” Andrew said, “Nah...you’re a girl.”

I eventually got the ball and threw her one. Jennifer, it turns out, could catch as well as any of them and throw as well as any of them except Andrew. I told them stories about Chelsea (my daughter for those of you reading this who don’t know) and what an incredible arm she has and stories about both of my “girls” and what great athletes they are.

Maybe they got some points about “old” people and “girls.” Maybe not.

All in all a fun diversion. Nice kids.

As I mentioned before, the weather forecast said there was a chance of rain today.

In fact, yesterday early, weather.com said chance of showers. By mid day they said showers overnight and chance of rain Saturday.

At 3:00 AM it was definitely showering. By 9:00 it was definitely raining. Right now, at 11:30, it’s out-and-out pouring. Expected to continue until midnight.

BUMMER.

I stayed here for the whole week partly so I could take some time this weekend for motorcycle excursions, exploring, and hiking. I still could do those things, but it’s really not worth it when it’s raining this hard. Plus, it’s in the low 50’s.

So thus far this morning I drank way too much coffee and ate way too many pancakes. Might need to throw up in a while.

The good news is I’ll get some work done, there are a lot of good movies on TV all day long, plus the UCLA football game is on a station I can get up here.

So I guess I’ll just sit tight and stay dry and warm today, do some work, watch some TV, keep stuffing myself, I’m sure, and grouse about the rain.

I wonder why we don’t have a rule that it can only rain on Wednesdays and Thursdays? Wouldn’t that be a lot better? And easier, too?

(Don't know if this pic out my galley window paints the picture for you, but maybe you can see that it is wet and rainy. BUMMER.)

November 12, 2007 – Monday – Last Day In Willits

Yesterday, Sunday, was a big day in at least 3 ways.

First, it was my Grandson’s 1st Birthday. My daughter and son-in-law threw a little 1st Birthday Party for him. When I say “little,” I mean they only had around 100 guests.

Happy Birthday, Blake. Sorry I missed it, but I’m pretty sure you didn’t miss me.

Second, it was Veteran’s Day. A day to remember, thank, and give tribute to all of the men and women who have served our country to help keep it free. Sometimes voluntarily....sometimes not. Sometimes honorably...sometimes not so much. Sometimes for causes we like and believe in....sometimes not. But think about it....without them, where would we be? What would your life be like today if the soldiers throughout our history had not served? It’s pretty easy to be critical when you’re sitting on the couch with the remote in your hand, isn’t it?

Third, I finally got out and about.

It started with a big pain in the butt. As I was tying my trash bag to take to the dumpster, it broke spilling normal trash, but worse, several days worth of wet coffee grounds all over my carpet and rugs. Wet coffee grounds on the carpet are not our friends. It slowed me up by about ½ hour to clean up the mess....and I think the stains are permanent. Plus, I may have destroyed my DustBuster with the sludge.

The trip also started out in a whole refrigerator full of cold. It was really cold. Remember, it had rained the day/night before for 20 straight hours. So when I started out at 9:00...well, 9:30 after the coffee grounds cleanup effort....it was icy cold and soaking wet.

Drove over to town for gas (my tank only holds enough gas for about 90 miles or so and even though it’s only 35 miles west to the ocean, I wasn’t sure what I’d find over there, and the last stupid thing I want to have to write about is running out of gas in the middle of nowhere).

The road I picked to go west was 90% forest. Pine forest. Up, up, up through the forest to the peak of the coastal ridge, about 1500 feet, I think. Then down, down, down through the forest into the coastal plain. A wet slick road. Winding and replete with a number of switchbacks. A great beautiful ride except for the wet road and the fact it was freeeeeeezing cold. There are parts of the forest that probably never get a single ray of sunlight on the forest floor. They’re cool in the summer. Just imagine yesterday when the outside temp in the sun was still only in the 40’s to start with.

Now I’m no wimp and I was prepared. My best gloves with extra cold weather liners. 4 layers on top. Wool socks and boots. Jeans and lined wind breaker pants. And, my godsend Balaclava. Plus I have a full face shield on my helmet.

Even with all that, there were lots of cold parts....nose, chin, cheeks, fingertips. Very cold parts.

Although it’s only about 35 miles across, I’d say the average speed on that wet, windy road is 30. It took me over an hour.

When I hit Fort Bragg, Lo & Behold, I bumped right into a Starbucks. Glory be!

Warmed up inside and out.

I was expecting the coast to be foggy as it had been when I last visited it in Bodega Bay. But it wasn’t. It was crystal clear with views forever.

Nothing much to say about Fort Bragg. I cruised around a little, but didn’t see anything worth exploring. Fort Bragg was an Army post (hence the name) before the Civil War but the fort only existed for a few years. There was also a big Indian reservation established before the civil war, but it was discontinued in 1886 and the land open for settlement. It became a major lumber center and has a big port, Noyo, around which the town grew. Lumber and fishing sustained the economy and still do so today. That’s now supplemented with a fair bit of tourism (during the warmer months), I expect.

Headed south along Highway 1, enjoying dry roads and awesome views. Still cold as all get out.

30 miles or so down the coast I cut back west heading toward Navarro, a town with a total population of 67, and out to the Hendy Woods. Back up, up, up a windy road through the pine forests to the coast ridge summit, then back down again on the east side of the ridge. Hendy woods is tucked back in there and you have to be looking for it. It is a virgin Redwood Forest (meaning it was never logged), majestic, silent, primeval. Took a good long hike soaking in...well, I’m not sure what, but soaking in something for sure. Maybe just the staggering piece of the place.

Then continued east out of the woods and into the heart of the Mendocino Wine Country. Miles and miles of vineyards. Now stark...bleak. The fall leaves have fallen from these Mendocino vines and they appeared naked. You’d think they were vulnerable, but, of course, they’re anything but.

Landed in Ukiah, and then north up the 101 back to Willits. Got to my place around 4:00 or 4:30.

Still freezing. It was never not freezing yesterday.

This was not a day everyone would enjoy. It was not a day for the faint of heart.

But I’m glad I did it. Glad I saw what I saw. Glad I experienced what I experienced. Glad to be alive.

I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone except the adventurous.

I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

You can always find warmth at the end of your journey.

And what might you miss if you don’t take the journey at all?