Date: Sun, 6 Apr 1997 14:22:03 -0400 From: Charlie Ford Subject: 4 days to Portland I announced last week in my post about leaving San Francisco that I was going to take Interstate 5 which makes its way north through the central valley and drops you off in Portland after a very long and lazy drive. On Saturday Morning when I woke I felt the urge to not live up to that announced route and instead decided on a whim that I would take Highway #1 along the coast. I am glad I did! I departed Julien and Diane Phillips home Saturday around 8:30 am after saying good-bye to my new good friend Don Kane on Friday evening. Leaving was more difficult than I originally thought it would be. I think most of the feeling was the product of the fact I was leaving so many new found friends and some re-discovered ones. Another thing that probably contributed to this was the fact that again I was jumping off the cliff to enter the abyss of the road. There is always that mystery that goes along with moving to the next place on the journey. I was anxious and afraid and happy and sad and smiling with tears in my eyes. The tears brought on by leaving the relationships. I eased onto highway 101 and headed north. I turned the radio off so I could reflect a while on my stay in San Mateo and the Bay Area. This place has been my home for the past month and has brought me good tidings. It furnished me with a warm bed, a job, food, and even some clothing. These bare necessities that bring a little more comfort to ones life had been secured in this town approximately 4000 miles from where I call home. Life is good in America! I decided to get off the 101 and go into downtown San Francisco one last time. I got on the Embarcadero and drove along the bay, through the wharf and eventually to the Golden Gate Bridge on ramp. this was the first time I had ever driven across the Golden Gate. several years ago on my first visit to this city I had pushed a nickel into a bolt hole on one of the columns on the south side of the bridge. As I passed the column I wondered, could it still be there? I got to the north side of the bridge and pulled into the park that allows you to look back on where you have just been. I pulled in, stood for about two minutes looking at my past month and then ventured onward through the rainbow tunnel. If your wondering what I mean by the "rainbow tunnel" I will explain. There is a tunnel on highway 101 that takes you into Sausalito. The tunnel heading north is a half circle entrance with a rainbow painted in the arch. The story is that an engineer, given the boring task of painting the bridge used primers the color of the rainbow just for fun. The primer was just the prep for the paint and he decided to have some fun with it. The public saw it, liked it and it stuck. I guess he got a promotion and San Fran got a new landmark of sorts. I got through the tunnel and finally came to the ramp where 101 and #1 split. I took the #1. I immediately hit the traffic of Sausalito, mostly comprised of Mercedes and Volvo's. I finally got out of town and started weaving my way through the curves of the coastal mountains. You can only drive along at about 45 on this road. That is if your in a VW bus. I guess you could go faster but it wouldn't be real safe. The view is great along this highway and it gets better the further north you go. I past through several little towns and up some pretty steep grades. The Mothership strolled along performing like a champ. I took the hills in third at half throttle and was able to steer her with ease. I drove all the way to Westport on Saturday. I found a campground and settled in for the night. Wages Creek Campground is kind of a grungy place as are most of the coast campgrounds this time of year. it was Easter weekend and they were almost full. I found a quiet secluded spot and set up for the night. After setting up I took a walk down to the beach to see if I could finally see the Hale Bopp comet. Comet watch a Pinnacles was a fine experience but the clouds didn't cooperate, so here was my chance to see this heavenly delight, although I don't believe I will be killing myself over it. I will have to admit that while looking at it and thinking about the 39 that died, I had a feeling of chills. Somehow the comet and the news sort of mixed together to make for a very mysterious cocktail. Plus it the night before Easter, a spiritual holiday. I have said ever since hearing about the suicide that these folks were so smart they were stupid. Apparently because of their on insecurities they grabbed on to the first stability straw they could and it took them to their death. I hate it for them, but I worry more about the others out there that are so vulnerable to persuasive powers of folks who are nothing more than common people. I went back to camp and went to sleep. The next morning I awoke about 8:00 and headed north. I had earlier toyed with not driving on Easter, but in the morning I felt as if I needed to be down the road, so off I went feeling guided by the same spirit that has guided me so far. maybe it is my angel that is standing here beside me and prompting me to move on, or would I be so pretentious to think something like that. That I would actually be worthy of have an angel. : ) I drove along and after stopping a couple times to adore the beautiful redwood forest that run along this road came to a place to stop and talk to a local. I rounded a curve and there sat a 1973 Westfalia with a for sale sign on it. This guy comes out of the house and heads toward me smiling like a mule eaten briars through a picket fence. We shook hands and I said that I wanted to know about the westy. He explained that he was selling the 73 and a 76 westy, both for 1000.00. I told him someone on the list might be interested and I would post it up if he would give me his number, he said he didn't have a phone but would give me his address. I took that and here it is: DOUG (no last name) 54691 N Hwy. #1 Westport, California 95488 34 miles from Garberville Both of the busses are in fair shape, but the engines need some work. I talked with him for about an hour and eased on down the road to a little town called Leggett. As I pulled in I saw a bus sitting across the parking lot at a station. I walked in and asked after starting a conversation with a guy found out that the bus was his. Jerry and his brother Aaron were tooling around the west coast swimming all the hotsprings they could find. Aaron had just gotten out of the Navy and Jerry was the younger unemployed brother that is a deadhead. A perfect recipe for a gypsy journey. We stood and talked about busses. Then Doug came up in his bus. he had mentioned that he needed to go into town and he must have left right after I left him. We all compared models and engines. We just sort have had our own little VW rally right there in Leggett with all sorts of folks passing by staring and waving and shooting peace signs. Aaron and I got to talking and he asked where I was headed. I told him I was just tooling along the coast. He asked if I wanted to caravan with them for awhile. I said sure and since they had the slower bus I would follow them. Eventually we all departed, leaving Doug fussing with his ex girlfriend who seemed to be giving him quite a fit right there in the Leggett grocery store parking lot. At least it had started to rain so he might not have to deal with the argument long. Jerry and Aaron took the lead in their 1973 transporter equipped with camper interior that had been stripped from a westy somewhere along the line. the could only get about 55 on the grades so I was forced to slow down and smell the roses. We made it along #1 till it intersected with 101 just outside Leggett. We drove through the Avenue of the Giants and then up to one of the few free campgrounds left in the State of California. This place sits right on the beach, and shows black sand beaches being rushed by waves that roll on with a ferocious roar. This is a great place to camp. The rain could be seen coming from miles away out in the ocean. The winds blew strong and then would all of a sudden drop to nothing, only to return ten minutes later with more strength than before. It was a good place to camp if you like weather. I slept like a babe! On Monday Morning we all poured out of our respective bedding and broke camp after fixing some Costa Rican Coffee that Jerry had brought up from Central America. We had taken tarps and surrounded the busses with them so the wind would not be as fierce on us. This worked well but taking it down was harder than putting it up. Finally everything stowed away we took to the highway offering yee haws along the way. We stayed in touch via CB radio. We drove through ore Redwoods along the coast then into Oregon. Instead of sticking to my original plans to take highway 199 over to Grants Pass Oregon and hitting I-5 I stayed on with Jerry and Aaron who were heading for Florence. We entered yet another string of coastal mountains and after traveling about 100 miles or so, Jerry called on the radio and announced that his red generator light came on. I asked him if he was losing any power and he said no it was just staying on. We came to a place called Coos Bay and pulled into a station. he didn't know anything about his bus engine (even less than I do about mine) and so I found a VW shop for us to visit. The problem is that they were closed. We found a parking lot across the street and set up to sleep for the night. Second Street Foreign Car Service is where I sent out the Assistance please post. Marty, the shop owner, had been looking for a part for this 73 automatic bus he was trying to repair. I told him about all of you and said that I would post up and see what I could find through the list. I also told him about Kyle Wade and gave him the number. I haven't found out yet whether anyone was bale to help him out. it was a shot in the dark anyway. Jerry fixed his own bus. He changed out his brushes and we once again headed north, but not before finding out that Marty was a great guy, and his shop mechanic Ralph was too. In fact Ralph took a bus in 75 , extended the length 8 feet, built a camper on it, and he and his wife traveled America for 17000 miles. He said they had no problems at all and in fact wanted to do it again some day. I hope he does. The three of us headed on north to Florence. Jerry and Aaron have a new step sister in the coast town of Florence. We stopped in and they met her. She and they didn't seem to gee and haw as much as one would expect, so on we went. I could tell you more but that would be talking about something that is totally not my business. We turned off Hwy. 101 and headed inland along why 126 that leads to Eugene, Oregon. This road takes you from the coast through a series of small grades and then into a valley. it winds its way along a river and through some pretty good looking farmland, it is a good road to ooze along. Eugene was the separation point. I had to go on North and Jerry and Aaron had to go on east, some hotsprings over by Cougar Dam. We shook hands, said good-byes, offered accolades, filled our tanks with gas, and departed. I enjoyed their company but it was nice to be alone once again. I drove recounting the memories and making sure I got all the details right. I drove listening to the lonely static of the CB. I drove thinking how great it was to not be encumbered by a slower lead. I drove along at 60 miles an hour, the backroads had done their job, at least enough to irritate the fast drivers that were on the interstate. I would be in Portland tomorrow (Wednesday) and I was only 50 miles away. I would camp one more night just for the dipper. More on Portland later. Thanks for tolerating my ramblings. Charlie Ford "79" Transporter, dressed for the road The Mothership The"Turning 40 Nostalgic VW Service Tour, and Search for the Beginning of Wind". http://www.armory.com/~y21cvb/charlie/charlie.html "Wider still and wider.....shall thy bounds be set"