Mark 5: 19
Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.
This is my home state, afterall.
We started our final cross-state travel time in California stopping in the town of Yreka. Pronouced Y-reka, not to be confused with Eureka, out on the coast. The road to Y-reka has Mount Shasta in our view. This site brings back many memories of camping and backpacking in my twenties … oh so long ago. Y-reka looked like something in an old western, with a touch of freaky. Maybe because it is October and everyone is preparing for Halloween or maybe because this is who they are. You can make up your own decision.
We stopped for the night at Lake Solano County Park. Strangely, I have no pictures of this overnight, which is odd because we were there for quite some time. At this site, we kayaked in the lake that is formed by damming the Putah Creek. It was a bit full of algae, but we saw so many waterfowl. I don’t take my camera on my kayak adventures. Although I have a dry bag for it, I still don’t trust the person affectionately known as Klutzanne. In the evening, we were entertained by our camp neighbor who told us the history of this spot. Apparently, John Fogerty of CCR wrote about this river as one of his childhood summer memories with his family. The song is called Green River. Luckily, there was no internet at this campground, otherwise I think our camp neighbor would have talked much longer. Instead, on our way out, he flagged us down to write on a piece of paper, John Fogerty, to help us remember.
The next night was our primitive camping night. We were so high in the California coastal range that we could get reception from nearby cell towers. This adventure allowed me to see a new bird, a woodpecker, the first of our trip. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing. This night we had a lovely dinner camping. I made a lid for the discada out of aluminum foil, enjoyed the full moon, and had a lovely hike in the morning watching the fog rise from my mountain top from the two valleys below until it engulfed me, lowering the temperature by about fifteen degrees.
This campground is called William’s Hill. It is a free campground on BLM land. This is a must-stop for all those who want to be *nearly* off the grid.
After this lovely night, we headed into Paso Robles for coffee and on to Atascadero to visit our friend Vince Oles. I met Vince as part of the Gary and his Burning Doves church music group. He played drums with Michael off and on for various gigs. It was lovely to see him and learn about the Commune of Atascadero. This town was created for artists to gather. We had a lovely lunch and headed on our way.
Our next stop was nearly at the top of the Grapevine. For all those that have ever traveled I-5 in California, you know what I am talking about. It is a long stretch of highway with steep grades and many trucks. It can be slow going or just fine. It is all chance. We stayed in a very quaint town called Frazier Park. It is three miles off the highway nestled in the mountains. We stayed at the Frazier View Motel. This was a good place to rest, get a warm shower after our camping showers, and have a night’s rest in a bed. I didn’t sleep at all. I love our camping experience and I love the dinners Michael makes better than the restaurant food. I love the open air of our tent. I will miss this part of the adventure. As we are entering into the later fall months, our time in the tent will become less and less. This makes be a bit sad. But still, I am keeping my eye on the ball. I see our Spanish house keys and I cannot wait to be in my Spanish home.
Our next stop: LA to have brunch with Gillian and Bonus! Lunch with Griffin too! This part of the journey we spent the most time in the car for the least amount of mileage. It was exhausting!
We met Griffin and Gillian at a place called Urth Cafe in North Hollywood. It was nice. I thought we snapped a few photos… but I guess I was mistaken. Next, we headed south to Michael’s sister and brother-in-law’s place in Carlsbad. But first, we stopped to take a lovely hike near Oceanside. During the hike, another hiker stopped us wanting to take a picture of us to show us how happy and carefree, like teenagers, we looked. I put the photo below. I don’t see it. After that, we had dinner with Trish and Chris and headed to our very busy, but nice campsite, Guajome Regional Park.
After that night of camping we had a stretch of nice places to stay. First up, Palm Desert and my mom’s Estancia property. This place is pretty darn nice! It is a seventeen-minute walk from my mom’s house or a five-minute golf cart ride. It is close to a pool, and I was able to swim twice. Most importantly, this part of the trip, I was able to celebrate my sister’s birthday with our friends, Christine and her wife Suzann, with Lisa’s favorite meal: prime rib, au gratin potatoes, and green beans. We share a lovely bottle of Mounts Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. During this visit, I was also able to spend time with my mom. She is not doing so well, so it was great to have some good days with her. I was able to care for her and spend time with her all at the same time. I was also able to cook meals for my mother and stepfather, which to me is the greatest act of love, preparing a meal for someone you love. It was hard to say goodbye to my family here as it will be two months before I see them again.
Next Up: Kaua’i and reuniting after thirty-ish years with my college roommate, Katrina.