Adventure 157: Santa Rosa, California/Post A

Drying Frac out, all portals open!

And suddenly we entered another world. Traveling south, we drove through the exquisite forests of Northern California. Highway 101 changed from four lane freeway here and there to two lane twisting, winding thirty mile an hour curves through old growth groves complete with funky roadside attractions featuring wooden gnomes, Bigfoot carved in wood, and, of course, spirit infused candles. Long hair and tie dye t-shirts marked a stark contrast to the speeding autos on the four lane stretches. Just as suddenly, as if by magic, we dropped into wine country. Vines nestled right up to the road and spread like money on a casino table over the hillsides. Tasting rooms popped up like forest mushrooms, and the once grand haciendas turned wineries lorded over the landscape. Each mile we covered drew a bit of the mist away from the sky. By the time we neared Santa Rosa the sun was shining bright and the temperature neared seventy. We almost stopped to put on sun screen. We arrived at Sonoma County Fairgrounds RV Park around one-thirty. The campground host, a gregarious guy named Chip (From Washington State) checked us in, and after we set up, we walked the two miles into the bustling downtown core of Santa Rosa. As you would expect in California, flaming hot rods tooled the strip. One was an emerald green reverse low riding sixty-eight Chevrolet Impala that screeched a police siren about every fifty feet. He was followed by a parade of muscle cars, one of which was a SS Nomad that had a gleaming chrome header bulging out of the hood and a vanity plate that read: YOUDLOSE. The streets were full of walkers and noticeably absent of "old" people like us. The crowd was actually quite young: twenty to thirty I'd say. There was also a significant presence of homeless, all of whom it seemed had huge pit bulls on leashes. We haven't been here long enough to get a lay of the land, but the townsfolk seemed to coexist with the shopping carts, and both the city square and the one local park we saw had a cadre   of hapless folk milling about. We ate dinner at an Irish pub called Stout Brothers. The food was medium but the screen was big, the Giant fever pitched, the crowd oiled, and our waitress was excellent. Our table was near the door, so we had a great view of both the big screen and the big world outside.  I saw couples, singles, and young families. I saw smokers  lighting up near the curb in between innings.  I even saw a young bloke sneak a quick toke from a metal pipe, which he slipped quickly into his pocket as he walked past. What I didn't see was anyone that looked like me. We left around the fifth inning in search of an ice cream shop called 'Frozen Art' which makes all its exotic flavors in house. Judy had Mexican Chocolate, her favorite. Even though the evening had turned cool, I must tell you, the light and warmth left from the sun made it feel like summer. We stopped here because we read that this is a bicycling mecca.Tomorrow we are going to do a thirty-five mile ride out of Healdsville that rolls through the vineyards. The ride, just one of ten great rides in the area, sounds perfect. Stay tuned and always remember, life is good, especially today. 


 We learned at the Humboldt Redwoods Visitor center that the trees draw much of their water from the mist and fog that drapes them every morning.

 Soon to be the site of my next victory over the Wily Cager.

 Just another cute blond girl in California.

 I just missed the emerald green Chevy in this art shot.

 Actually, Judy's fish tacos were quite good. I was a bit disappointed in the Irish rashers.

 The Everett building at game time.

 Our table with a view.

Frac snuggled in for the night.