Thursday (Feb 9)
I lay in my comfy bed this morning weighing whether to get my butt in gear today or wait until tomorrow. The weather is pretty crappy, but the forecast is for it be even worse tomorrow and the next few days. Today is as good as it’s going to get in my timeframe … so I make my decision and transform from sloth to a whirlwind of preparation … and hit the road around 2 pm.
Pick up my Newman’s sub, coffee at See See, and I’m ready to take on I-80 … or so I thought. It was raining quite hard all the way up the western side of the mountains, and at one point not too far west of Verdi where it’s really curvy and dangerous I startied to pass a semi on a curve and it hit a 30′ long puddie and threw up a plume of solid water about fifteen feet high. It was the same effect as driving through a carwash, I literally was driving 68 mph and could see absolutely nothing. I braked as the quickest way to get out of it and cruised in the 50’s my heartrate came down. I DID NOT like that.
It almost happened again in a few miles, but could see it coming this time and dropped back, watching the plume of water taller than the semi live a wave at a surfing competition. Next excitement was after Truckee approaching Donner Pass, when the raindrops starting getting heaver and fatter and sure enough, by the time I got to the summit it had become heavy snow, starting to accumulate on the road. I powered through and it turned back to rain pretty soon. So I was drving through a blizzard for really only about four minutes, but it was a stressful four minutes.
I had put off food till I got past the weather, so I treated myself to a burger in Grass Valley. The place was tucked away in a little shopping center and kinda hard to find, but the burger was very good and stopping and eating was very pleasant.
Then it was an easy drive to Colusa then north a few miles to:
WHUFU page for: Colusa Casino
RV parking is way in the back of the parking lot ... That part of the lot is still gravel there and quite muddy in the rain.
Casino is cozy and not unpleasant. Restaurant and bar are just fine. Wifi is terrible except close to the coffee shop.
tonight:
I can take my favorite spot at the far corner of the overnight lot and have to listen to my stupid neighbor's stupid generator all night, or I can park at the other end of the lot in relative peace and quiet. So far I am living with the generator, but I'm getting mighty tired of it.
I used to drive to my spot in the back then walk to the casino, but it’s a long, not very pleasant walk, often muddy and bathed in high intensity security lights. Much simpler I’ve found, is to park in front with the regular customers, do whatever eating and/or drinking I want to do, then drive to the back and find my spot.
This time I had just one beer and watched a little basketball, then went to my spot and ate half my Newman’s sub.
Friday
It is a breathtakingly beautiful morning in the casino parking lot. The Sacramento Valley in the winter is really quite scenic. I’m feeling pretty perky so I do my tai chi form in the shade of the van in the parking lot – nice!
Breakfast in Colusa at the nice place, then drive a few blocks to the steps up the levee to check out the swollen river. It’s pretty high and fast. There is a municipal picnic area that’s about 2/3 flooded.
After that excitement I spend the rest of the day at the Sacermento NWR, walking the Nature Walk, then driving the Auto Tour, where as always I try to time it out to get maximal sunset at the viewing platform, with ll those acres of shallow water reflecting the sunset colors back at me.
There was still a little sunset left for the drive back south to Granzella’s, so it too was bathed in beauty. I was grieved to discover that tonight’s Warrior game is only on CSNBA or whatever it’s called after the latest corporate realignment. Out here we are in CSN Kings territory, so they most definitely do NOT have the Warriors on their bar cable tv. I rally and enjoy my meal and follow the game on the internet, happy in the knowledge that I’m recording it on my home DVR.
Saturday – Thursday
Do my morning at Granzella’s thing, and finally leave at 12:20. A half hour down the road, where Route 16 intersects my road, Route 20, I do a short side trip to check out a BLM parking area called Cowboy Camp. AllStays alleges that one can camp here, and as I read the signs, this it true! It looks very pleasant. I want to try it some day, but not today.
Happily I get where Route 20 borders Clear Lake early enough in the afternoon to avoid the awful glare of the sun off the lake that I usually manage to get. MUCH better, and VERY pretty!
After that, just follow 20 past my sometimes campgrounds on Lake Mendocino, to US 101, where I power all the way through to Eureka. It’s dark by the time I get to Garberville, but I can listen to the Warriors game o their local channel so I’m happy. Straight to Grandma Gale’s (Chad’s mom) for dinner with everybody. Ah, family fun! Just what I’m here for.
Home to Martha’s to sleep in the attic.
Sunday
Wake up to Gannon’s! They have made the 4.5 hour drive from San Rafael before I even got up! Not clear why they’re here, but nice to see them. By 1pm they’ve piled back into their huge truck and have started back to San Rafael. That’s like 9-10 hours of driving on one Sunday. Not my cuppa tea, but they seemed cheerful enough about it.
Martha is having a black mold freakout, so we all go to Los Bagels to get out of the house. The Gannon’s headed back home, and the rest of us got back to a quiet Sunday. Tyler and I shot hoops at the Adorno Center
Nice evening walk with Martha and the toddlers over to the Coast Grad housing, then we cranked up the hot tub!
Monday
I decide to drive myself to Gill’s By The Bay. I love the Gill’s experience, but I had forgotten the crucial fact that they stop serving breakfast at 11. The food really isn’t very good at Gill’s. Doesn’t matter so much for breakfast because it’s hard to mess up breakfast. Lunch however is a different story. I had a very forgettable sandwich and headed back to Eureka.
Since I’m in that part of town I decided to stop at the Mall. I used to love shopping at TJ Maxx when I visited my mom in Florida, and to this day I still get a little frisson when I see one. Maybe today I will re-kindle the magic!
I did score a lightweight hoodie, and I can never get enough lightweight hoodies. I also scored a really nice disco bulb at the hippie store. My shopping trip was a success!
Home, hang out, eat, hot tub again.
Tuesday
Old Town coffee today, then off to the Library. There was a homeless dude sleeping at my table, the table next to the copier where I lay out the newspapers. I worked around him, ostentatiously rattling the papers until he eventually pulled himself together enough to re-situate himself at a reading cubby across the room. Much better! :)
6 Sundays, 5 copies, $.10 each = 6 x 5 x .10 = $3.00 I am almost caught up on the twelve-week backlog of puzzles accumulated on my summer vacation!
The rest of the afternoon I tied to be useful around the house, which mostly means drawing the attention of the little dynamo Rylan so Martha could get stuff done. Around 6 pm I drove Tyler to his basketball game. Win win for everybody. I got to watch warm-ups, and the parents got a few more minutes to get the toddlers ready. Fun!
Wednesday
Because coffee today. Pretty boring at first, then the ever-popular Olivia took over, and suddenly the place became exciting. All the old dudes love Olivia.
All this winter drama in the passes has forced my hand – I am going to Les Schwab rotate the tires and to buy snow chains for the Sprinter. They are very expensive and VERY heavy, but they are in theory relatively easy to put on. Anyway, now I’ve got ’em.
Home, eat, shoot hoops with Tyler.
Thursday
Old Town today, where there is conflict!!! When I started going to Old Town years ago, there was free refills – that was basically why it became etched in my head as preferable to Ramone’s. Ramone’s had better pastries, but no refills. Anyway … some time ago they switched to charging for refills, but I just kept getting refills like I always had, because I always had. Today the twerp called me out, when as it happened I only got an inch more coffee in my cup. Since I had ordered a Large (so I wouldn’t need much refilling) he said “that’s $1.50”. I said “But it’s only an inch of coffee”. He glanced at the manager chick who gave an imperceptible shake and said “$1.50”. Haven’t been back since. Ramone’s is my new love.
Today’s errand was to fill the propane tank at the U-Haul, then home for the afternoon.
Around 5 pm all six of us pile into the minivan to go to McKinleyville for very exciting elementary school basketball game, Tyler’s team is really very good.
Friday – Tuesday
I am taking Martha and the small kids to San Rafael today. The weather is pretty crappy – overcast to rainy, but the drive was pretty nice. They all sit in the back seat and use all three of the back seat seat belts. Martha in the middle and a car seat with a toddler on either side. She listens to her affirmation stuff on her ear buds, leaving me free to listen to my usual politics and sports up front with the back speakers turned way down – win win!
Saturday
Slept on the floor on Laura’s office again, pretty comfortable, actually.
All the other grown-ups had things to do so I was designated babysitter for about three hours. Tyler helped me handle Ry, so it went very well. Collin go the news today that he is accepted in Cal Tech – very exciting news!
Sunday
I tag along with Martha to Petaluma to check out the house and schools and stuff. We eat at a local Indian restaurant. I had a rough poop that I blamed on the food, but it turned out to be the start of getting sick again … damn!
Monday
Feel really crappy all day, don’t do much, just lay around the house.
Tuesday
Laura decided to make her mission to get me back to health, so I had a pretty nice sick-day, being pampered with tea and broth and peace and quiet. I could get used to that :)
Wednesday
Leaving day. I stay till after lunch to babysit again for an hour so, then I’m off. Pick up a sando at an odd little deli in the laundry building for a trailer park. The sandwich was pretty good when I ate it that night. Route 37 is flooded right east of 101, so I take the back way through Novato and get stuck in quite a backup. Eventually I’m on my way and have lunch at the In ‘n Out at the Nut Tree exit. Feeling pretty good now.
I want to spend one more night here in the Valley with the migratory birds before I take on the snowy mountain passes to get home. To that end, I drive up I-5 straight to the Sactramento NWR. I park and do the walk to clear my head from all the driving, then time the drive to catch sunset from the viewing platform.
As I’m leaving the beautiful sunset drive I get a call from my dear old friend Tony from college. I pull over and we talk basketball (fun!) and Trump (awful). Then is the 20 minute drive to Colusa Casino where I have my first beers (just 2) in 13 days!
After my two beers and some basketball watchin I drive out back. My favorite spot at the edge is available … and there’s no stupid RVs with stupid generators nearby … score! I really love sleeping here when its not crowded.
Thursday
Leave my happy spot and drive up front for coffee at the casino. Nice drive to Chico, although I had to forgo Llano Seco because of flooded roads. Tin Roof for a nice sandwich, then the fatal drive.
It’s fun to take a different road for a change. Instead of the usual 99 north I take 32 east out of Chico into the foothills. It was super pretty and nice, until suddenly it wasn’t. My road had been clear, with scattered storms around me, then I turned one corner and suddenly I was in the storm. It got real nasty real quick. I’m on the north side of the ridge, 30°, snowing heavily. It’s starts to stick on the road. I can feel slippage. A real white-knuckle drive.
I did make it to Route 36, which is a wider, busier, better maintained road. I still had to negotiate the 5’000′ passes before and after Chester. but there were gravel trucks and plows, so it was less fearsome than lonely, dark, narrow Route 32.
I did not stop in Susanville, just powered my way home.
Felt OK that night, but Friday afternoon I got real sick again and stayed that way for a week or so, I am over this shit.