AWOL -- Days 64, 65, 66 and 67 -- Consorting with the Russians - 6/8-11/2020

It's not that I haven't been busy and having fun.  It's just that by the time I get back to the trailer, I am too tired to write.  So here I am in the middle of the last day of our trip.  We have had a wonderful time and I have seen and heard so much Mother Nature.  Out of the news loop too, I'm afraid (NOT).

We visited Fort Ross which is where a group of Russians set up a settlement in the 1800's.  They were hunting -- you guessed it -- sea otters for their pelts.  Here's a door knocker at the fort.

We continued on up the coast and had lunch at The Shelter Cove Inn.  We were able to order up lunch and sit outside.  The cost of lunch was high (California style) but the views made it so worth it! 

We continued up the scenic coastline and made the turnaround at Salt Point State Park.  This is the place I remember spending many weekends with Russ camping while he went abalone diving.  The place is much like I remembered it -- crashing waves, surge and lots of wind. 

Yes, it is a sport only for young.  The ability to dive down 15-20 feet and retrieve one of those animals takes a lot of physical stamina and mental illness if you ask me.  Nuts, I say, just Nuts!

Yesterday (Thursday) and today I was able to get out early in the morning, before anyone else had the chance to rough up the river, on my kayak.  The Russian River here is pretty low so it is easy to put in and paddle for hours without worry of any rapids.  Originally I planned to listen to tunes on my cell phone while paddling but I decided to treat myself to auditory heaven instead.  Listing to the early morning sounds of the river and forest.  It was so nice. At one point I was accompanied briefly by a river otter.

I saw an eagle with her babies high in their nest on a telephone pole, a blue heron, tons of ducks and their ducklings and lots of scary looking seaweed underneath my boat.  

This picture is a duck who was coming to check me out.  She swam close and then looked behind to see that one of her ducklings had followed her.  I heard her squawk at the kid and he turned around and headed back to the shore.  

Just so you know I wasn't making up the Blue Heron thing:

Not sure if I mentioned it but Elspeth came on over to visit with us on Tuesday.  Elspeth is a nurse who worked with Russ and my girlfriend Pat.  When Elspeth saw our photo on my post Sunday, she contacted me and asked if I thought it was a good idea that she come over on Monday night.  She lives in Glen Ellen  and has worked with Pat and Russ at Tahoe Forest Hospital.  We both agreed that it would be great to surprise everyone so we did!

That's her on the right and we are enjoying some of her awesome red wine from the Delaney Family Vineyard:

 

Thank you Elspeth for coming all this way, drinking very little so you could get home safely and bringing us this fabulous wine.  So good see you and re-hash so many memories.  We did you proud on the wine you left behind!

So tomorrow we head out for home.  This trip was expensive, in more ways than one (our awning got messed up) but you can never take away the incredible memories (did I tell you about the fellow camper  who gave us some pot?) and the wonderful friendships we share.  

So, looking forward to the next trip  . . . vaya con dios everyone!

June 7th, 2020 - On the Russian River. Day 63.

Made it to our campground at the Russian River and met up with our friends.  On the way down we realized that we are pretty sheltered in Nevada.  There are so many people in California!! Couldn't find a place to stop for lunch with our trailer so we chose a Walmart and noticed nobody was wearing face masks!  

We are in a whole different world here.  Russ and I usually go camping to get away from it all but this place has back to back campers.  Right now I am looking out the window watching an 8 year old boy who has been cooped up for how long -- who knows -- dancing on the grill of the fire pit.  So glad he is not my charge.  I get it.  It is just so difficult to imagine being the parent of kids who have to be confined to an enclosed space all day -- especially during this time of COVID.  This RV looks like there are quite a few kids in it too.  I hope the parents are having a cocktail. . . . or two.

Dinner tonight was in Occidental (?).  The 6 of us shared a few bottles of wine and a wonderful meal at Cape Fear.   This was their 2nd day open and they are trying so hard.  It is so difficult to talk to someone behind a facemask.  Here we are:

So tomorrow, who knows.  Hopefully a run at sea level.  

 

June 6th already -- Happy Birthday Fritz!! Day 62

Not too much going on today.  We are planning an RV trip to the coast of California -- actually the Russian River where it meets the Pacific, so we have been stocking the trailer with food and clothing.  Of course there is laundry to be done and sheets to be changed.  

In the middle of the day I took a few hours and drove down to Washoe Lake where a couple of friends are camping.  The Nevada State Campgrounds just opened up -- 50% capacity.  The weather would have been beautiful if not for the 30 mile an hour winds.  Home in Nevada means WIND! After a couple of hours of sitting outside in that, I left.  On the way to and from I was treated to a view of the wild horse herd.  They are so healthy looking.  There had to be at least 50 of them.  

I went to visit Kathy and Joye.  Kathy is a brave woman.  I am not sure how old she is but I suspect, like me, late 60's or early 70's  Quite the vagabond, she has a little 20-23 foot motorhome and circles the USA all year round.  Michigan is her home state and she returns there but not too often.  This lady really knows how to live.  She camps at BLM campgrounds where there is little or no fee.  She doesn't need water, electricity or sewer.  The last time I saw Kathy it was in Truckee last summer.  I didn't ask but I hope she keeps a diary.  I know she has met many folks along the way.  Most recently Kathy came from the southwest where she had pretty much wintered in AZ and NM.  She is turning around here and heading back to Michigan for a recharge and to help her daughter with her wedding.  More power to you Kathy!  I am sure it gets lonely at times but to see the sunrises and sunsets she has seen -- alone and with no buildings to obstruct.  Gotta be a bit jealous, huh?

Can't let this day go by without wishing my little brother Fritz a Happy Birthday!!  He and I are the closest in age in our family of 7 kids.  I think they call us Irish Twins (anything under 2 years apart).  Fritz lives in Florida with his awesome wife Rhonda who is a real estate agent.  Anyways, I had purchased a birthday card for Fritz about 2 weeks ago and guess what -- I forgot to send it.  Caught up with him on the ride home from Washoe Lake.

This is he and me at Dayton -- I know he would not be happy with me sharing this photo but too bad.  My blog, not his.  He went to Xavier College in Cincinnati and it looks like he was there with me during my graduation from Dayton -- yes, I made it!!

Anyways, wish we were closer -- we had some great times.   Love you brother!

Day 60, May 4, 2020 - What I did on my Vacation!

Being retired makes this whole thing so much easier.  I don't HAVE to be any place at a special time.  This means that I totally loose track of what day it is and start scheduling things on days and times that I already have things to do.

Today, I was supposed to host a zoom meeting with my college friends.  I woke up realizing that I had also promised a friend that I would hike a trail along the Truckee River.  Can't do both.  I texted my fellow alumni Anne in Akron, OH and asked her to carry on.  We are so fortunate to have the technology we have today.  Communication across 3 time zones instantaneously.  I could not have imagined that when I was in college.  We had to make a phone call and most definitely, we had to get an "operator" involved.  I mean a real, live person.  Think about that.  Look how the tables have turned.  When was the last time you tried to schedule a doctor's appointment?  Did you get to actually "speak" with a human?  Wow.  A few short years (50).

I digress. 

So I was able to take my hike along the Truckee River.  The stretch of the Tahoe Pyramid Bikeway that was built most recently is the piece between Hirschdale, CA and Floriston, CA.  I wanted to see what it was like and boy what a nice piece of work that is.  There was obviously a ton of work done here.  Lots of improved paths and stairways.  I almost hate to show you guys because it was also very sparsely traveled.  But, here are a few photos.  There is a lot of up and down; so it is a good workout but it is not technical at all; so leave your poles at home.  Traveling in the morning, you will be at full on sun exposure so be sure to lather up with the sunscreen.  We made it about halfway.  Next trip we will use 2 cars and start at Hirschdale.

Yes a Dodge -- didn't fall off the freeway, left there at the end of old Hwy 40

At the end of the trail, we found this piece of artwork -- crafted by a metal sculptor (unknown) out of what looked like an old piece of farm equipment.  

What it is? Anyone's guess.  A scorpion, maybe?

All in all, a good day.  Good hike.  Good company.  Lucky me!!

June 2, 2020 -- Day 58. Blackout Tuesday

Yes, today is Blackout Tuesday.  Many Facebook friends have this as their profile picture, including me:

This is in honor and remembrance of all of the Black people who have suffered at the hands of policemen and others for doing absolutely nothing besides being the color black.   I have to say once again, there but for a chance of fate go them instead of me.  I have done a lot of soul searching today and while the situation seems bleak and unresolvable, I have to go back to the one way we have all learned to correct our behavior and that is through education.  We learned how to stop smoking, how to prevent AIDS, how to not kill people while driving drunk -- all through education.

I believe it could help if schools put the subject of "race" in their curriculum early in the learning process.  I'm not talking about just a month to learn "African American" or "Hispanic American" or "Asian American" history alone.  I submit that the subject should continue from kindergarten through high school.  We as a society need to learn from each other what it is like to be Black in this country.  I think kids need to start their lives knowing what it is like to be different.  I know that forced integration didn't work but maybe they were on the right track.  Searching through my childhood memories, I don't remember ever encountering a Black person until I got to college and then there were darn few.  How could I be expected to not be a little nervous about the "unknown?"  Things haven't really changed.  Even though the government has legislated that people cannot be discriminated against with regarding to housing, people still choose to live amongst similar people. 

If our children grow up in a mixed race community -- do you think all of this would be as bad?  I think children, being children, would be more open and communicative.  

And here's the other thing.  You know how you play a game and you are loosing terribly?  You loose over and over again at that game. Well you come to believe that you can't win.  Don't you think that this principle could apply to Black people today.

I am just so ashamed and sorry.  I apologized to one Black woman at the grocery store for this situation and she said - "oh that's all right" -- I said "no, it is not okay."  

It's Not Okay!  Let's Fix It!!