Date: Sun, 6 Apr 1997 14:22:03 -0400
From: Charlie Ford <cford@mindspring.com>
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"