10/1-3
10/1
Left Carla's place in Newport by mid-morning. Was intending to drive down and camp in Redwood National Park in northern California but the government shutdown curtailed those plans.
Before leaving, as we talked at the kitchen table, a Great Blue Heron flew by and landed on the roof of the house across the street. Carla said she had never seen this before.
A banner in the Nye Beach section of Newport.
The cafe where I read during the stormy weather. Good food,
great atmosphere and very supportive of the arts.
The beginning of US 20, from the west. Beneath
Corvallis should be: Boston 3365 miles.
At the docks of Newport there are Sea Lions. I was told
these are young males. They almost continually bark
out Sea Lion barks. They are a tourist attraction for Newport.
One of the views as I drove along US 101, following the Oregon
coast south toward California. It was a slow ride, with so many
amazing ocean scenes along the way.
Just before stepping into a restaurant for lunch, I got into a conversation with a couple from the Boise, ID area. Carla, the wife, is on furlough from her federal job working with EPA. A good talk about education, environment and politics.
Had lunch at The Drift In in Yachats, OR. Good food and an interesting history.
One of the many local "character" places along the coast.
Marenda, a hitchhiker I picked up and gave a 20 mile or so ride
to Florence, OR. I don't see hitchhikers much so I was pleased
to be able to give one a ride. We shared good talk. Marenda has lived
and traveled to many places in her 24 years and is looking for employment
along the Oregon coast. She would like to work on a fishing boat but
doesn't have any experience, so is doubtful she could find
that kind of work. When I dropped her off she fished out a Trader Joe
fig bar from her pack and gave it to me. A sweet gesture.
Ah, the memories!
A clear cut hillside along US 101.
The Egyptian Theatre in Coos Bay, OR. I thought this was quite
Read that Coos Bay is the only place in Oregon where a lynching took place. 1902,
a black man shot and hung from a bridge for being accused of raping a
white woman. The newspaper of the day reported the mob was "quiet and orderly."
Shortly after I left Coos Bay there was a sign on the road, "Wreck Ahead."
When I slowly passed by the site there was a motorcycle and car on the other
side of the road, the front of the motorcycle totally obliterated. Then, a few miles
further on another "wreck aghead" sign. This time a pick-up lay on its side
across the road.
One of the many wonderful views of the Pacific while driving
US 101 along the Oregon coast.
Cape Blanco lighthouse. This is the western most point of Oregon. I was told it was the most western point of the US mainland, so drove a few miles off of 101 to get there. I had already been at the most eastern point of the US mainland, West Quoddy Head, Maine, a few years ago. When I got to the lighthouse I was told this is the most western point of Oregon and California but there were a couple of places in Washington that were further west than this.
More of the coast.
Late in the day before settling in for the night in Brookings, OR.
10/2
A day driving through northern California on Highway 101, destination
my old friend Seeley's place in Oakland.
Shortly after entering California I saw my first bull Elk of the journey, standing in a field alongside 101. Off to the right was a group of about two dozen young elk.
Entering Tsunami Hazard Zone. These signs are all along the coast whenever the road gets within a certain distance of the Pacific.
View from the window while driving along 101, the Redwood Highway.
A grove of redwoods.
I didn't drive through the tree, just wanted to see it.
As I was heading back to the car a young guy asked if I could take his picture while he was standing under it. Tom was from the midwest and he has a picture of his dad standing under this same tree that was taken a couple of years before Tom was born. As we talked, he said he would have offered to put me up in Chicago if I was still heading that way as part of this journey. I'm not, but a nice offer on his part.
Where Seeley lives in Oakland, near Berkeley. A co-op house with seven residents.
Cob oven at the PLACE, People Linking Art Community and Ecology. We stopped in while on a walk around the neighborhood. Had a good talk with one of the collaborators at the PLACE, Jonathan. They are doing a lot of sustainability-living-in-the-city kinds of projects. Worth looking at their website. Also talked with a couple of other residents there who were from upstate NY.
An Aistream being used at the PLACE.
So, I've finally made it to California. All these years, all the miles I've traveled over the decades and I've never set foot in CA. I have a few days planned for the state. Later tomorrow we're heading down to Carmel area to camp overnight and then we have a 10 AM tour of Robinson Jeffers' Tor House. He was an early major influence on me, right after Robert Frost. For decades I've said that if I make it to California I need to visit Tor House. That evening I'm giving a house poetry reading here at Seeley's. Then Saturday I'll be exploring North Beach area with another friend and then Sunday visiting old friends from NY who are living in Davis. A little taste of California on this short visit.
10/3
Woke up early, as usual, and went out to Berkeley to explore the area a bit.
Homeless sleeping on University Ave in Berkeley, near 8 AM.
Fracking concerns are everywhere.
One of the buses in Berkeley.
major confrontations in the late 60s, early 70s.
East Bay Food Not Bombs provides free daily meals in the park.
One small segment of a mural on a nearby building.
Seeley.
I've known Seeley for 20 years, from back in New York. Seeley was 17 year-old when we first met at a poetry event I was hosting. We eventually became friends and have remained so. Seeley has been in the bay area for about 15 of those years. Seeley identifies as a transgendered person, with no specific gender identification. I'm one of the few current friends, maybe the only one, who first knew Seeley before the identity change. It's been a process for me to learn the right pronouns to use when referring to Seeley. Sie instead of she or he. Hir instead of her or him. I've slipped up a couple of times but Seeley appreciates the effort I've put in trying to refer to hir correctly.
After People's Park we drove down the coast to Monterey. We camped at
Monterey Veterans Memorial Park, just up the hill from the center of town. We did so
because we had a 10 AM tour appointment of Robinson Jeffers' Tor House
and Hawk Tower in Carmel, just 15 minutes away.
Night view of one of the walkways in Monterey. Quite a change
from the streets of Berkeley.
Was strange to be in the tent at 10 PM and hear Taps being played
throughout the campground. Certainly a new camping experience for me.
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