On Saturday, I was out by 11:30. I went straight to breakie at the Westside Cafe<\/strong> and a fill-up on that sweet Nevada-priced diesel at the Safeway.<\/p>\n A big meal and 2-3 cups of restaurant coffee sometimes have an explosive effect on my aging digestive system, so by the time I got to the\u00a0Gold Run Rest Area I was REALLY looking forward to the stop.<\/p>\n Up here in the mountains it’s a delightful 85\u00ba or so. Descending into the valley I watch the temp slowly climb into the high 90s.<\/p>\n WHUFU page for: Van Damme State Park<\/a><\/b><\/p> \n Always totally full and very crowded, but not tonight!\r<\/p>\n \r<\/p>\n It's another little cove, the outlet of the Little River. State Beach on the west side of the road, campground and parking for the trails on the east side.\r<\/p>\n \r<\/p>\n Up the canyon is the Fern Canyon Trail, a lovely hike with a lot of dramatic fallen redwoods and tall pines. The canyon is very steep and the soil is slippery so at some point they just have to fall.\r<\/p>\n \r<\/p>\n The beach is rocky, but it's a cool anyway. \r<\/p>\n A self contained vehicle like mine can pay the $45\/43 fee and park in the beach parking lot\r<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/p> <\/p>tonight<\/b>: \n Parking for Site 14 is at the end of a three car row. \r<\/p>\n Backing in with my door faces away from the others, it's a nice spot.\r<\/p>\n \r<\/p>\n The very nice ranger told me about the beach parking option but I decided to stick with my spot and walk to the beach, ... which I did twice, to catch the waxing moon at different places.\r<\/p>\n \r<\/p>\n My neighbor ran his fucking noisy generate a couple of times. I was really bummed, but turns out he didn't run it for very long so it wasn't too bad.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n On the other side of Sacto, I find that I am somehow hungry again, so I get off at the Dixon<\/strong> stop with the intention of going to\u00a0Habitat Burger<\/strong>. But\u00a0Burger King<\/strong> is was staring at me right\u00a0off the exit ramp. I was suddenly seized with a hankerin’ for that good old double burger special sauce. I’m not sorry! The ole double burger tasted pretty much like it did 30 years ago, which is a good thing in this case.<\/p>\n Down in the 100\u00ba flats of Fairfield I opted for the non-interstate route and got off on the big ramp for CA 12 west. CA 12 to CA 116 around Sonoma, to arrive at a delightfully deserted daughter’s house for my two day stint of house sitting. Feed the cat, feed the bunny, then get myself set up to hang out in the back yard til after sunset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s a very short walk to Stellina Pronto<\/strong>, but because I’m a good citizen I move the van out of the busy parking lot onto a shady street. Then, almond croissant at Stellina (woo \u00a0again!), then walk back to the Market, because the morning buffet of eggs benedict with the fixin’s was fixed in my mind. I got some!<\/p>\n Home all day after that. I thought I was going to walk to downtown in the afternoon, but it’s so fucking hot that the walk seemed way more like work than fun. So another pleasant night in the backyard, not walking anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coming home day for the family, means leaving day for me, sigh. They pull in around 1:30. Surprise!<\/p>\n Martha allegedly texted me coming, but did not send it, so it all happened very quickly for me. I had to get my van out of the driveway so master driver Chad could back the camping trailer in.\u00a0I hopped to it and evacuated in a minute and a half. Martha does allow me to come back and visit for 10 minutes. I’m really not into this new visiting hours thing.<\/p>\n I’m gone by 2. I stop by good ole Home Hub<\/strong> to drop off some stuff on the way out of town.<\/p>\n When I got in the van on Webster St<\/strong>\u00a0to leave, the outside temp was\u00a0109\u00ba. It was still 103\u00ba at Valley Ford<\/strong>, then finally dropped into the 80s on the last valley heading to Bodega<\/strong>. About the time the temperature got right the traffic went really wrong. It came to a complete standstill about four miles out of Bodega. \u00a0 I stuck with the jam a long time, but some people making u-turns made me check out Maps again (duh) and it turns out it had an alternate route to escape the worst of it. I stuck with it a few more minutes, then finally couldn’t take it and did my own u-turn, going back about six miles to a tiny little road I’d never even noticed before.<\/p>\n The road was rough. Barely wide enough for two cars to pass and in really poor repair. But I was moving, and I saw an interesting bit of Sonoma backcountry. After rejoining Highway 1 there was still a fair amount of stop and go traffic. Much of it was folks trying to park along the road where no parking spot existed.<\/p>\n What happened was that I got to the coast about three hours too soon. I was correct that the campgrounds would be clear tonight, but forgot that folks would REALLY want to hit the beach in the afternoon on a hellishly hot last day of summer. My bad… I may try the Russian River route next time, come out in Jenner and bypass Bodega entirely.<\/p>\n The Goat Hill beaches right before Russian River were the last of the beach insanity. Traffic immediately became the sedate thing I had thought it should be. Still a lot of twists and turns to get to Ocean Cove<\/strong>, but when I got there it was just as user friendly as ever. The store dudes agreed that it wouldn’t be a problem to go straight on to dinner at the Ocean Cove Bar and Grill, because there would still be plenty of spots from which to pick when I was done. They were right!<\/p>\n WHUFU page for: Ocean Cove<\/a><\/b><\/p> \n I came here 15 years ago with abalone-diving City friends. I'm not even sure that's a thing any more.\r<\/p>\n Anyway, the campground is still here and it's still awesome. \r<\/p>\n They have spots available when no one else does, and it's the simplest check-in ever: Pay them ($5 off for cash!), they give you a receipt for your windshield and tell you to park at any picnic table\/fire ring that's not occupied. The rest of the world seems to get more complicated and bureaucratic, but this is the easiest damn check-in I've ever experienced.\r<\/p>\n Checkout 2pm.\r<\/p>\n Ocean Cove Bar and Grille is a sweaty uphill 3\/4 mile walk away. Basic bar food, but great view of the ocean and campground.\r<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/p> <\/p>tonight<\/b>: \n Decided to camp over in the far corner where the fence meets the bluffs for a change.\r<\/p>\n There is a little gap in the fence that opens up into Stillwater Cove County Park.\r<\/p>\n I only covered a small corner of it, but it goes on for miles!\r<\/p>\n \r<\/p>\n The slight downside was that I parked right next to it, so people were walking past my door to and from it all day.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I did a walking tour of the whole rambling, shambling campground last time, and thought I might like to try camping at the far edge next time. I’m partial to edges anyway, and there’s some shade, so I tried it. Worked out great! I would not have discovered\u00a0Stillwater Cove<\/strong>\u00a0otherwise. The fact that miles of Sonoma County parkland are right in the other side if the fence makes this amazing place even more amazing.<\/p>\n Between the family weirdness and the awful traffic and the awful heat, this day has left me very lethargic. I didn’t have energy for much of a hike, but I did explore the underbrush and the bluffs for a few hundred yards. Very cool stretch of coastline.<\/p>\n It’s a waxing gibbous moon tonight, my fave! Before shutting down for the night, about 10pm I emerged from the van and did a teeny little moonlight walk, just far enough into the park to watch the moon over the surf far below for a few minutes. Wonderful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the family moved to Petaluma, this is the third time I’ve done this run in the last two years. I always stay at Ocean Cove first night, always stay Fort Bragg<\/strong> the third night, and so far, have stayed in a different place each time on that night in between. No specific plan for where that place will be tonight.<\/p>\n But first … always stop in Gualala<\/strong>. For coffee at the cute little bakery in the food court, then for the excellent deli section of the Gualala Market<\/strong>. As always, I got a great sandwich and some pre-cooked meat, and a tub of potato salad to eat with the pre-cooked meat. My basics. :)<\/p>\n Onward, Manchester State Park is closed as it always seems to be. Dunno what’s up with that. Zoomed right past this time.\u00a0<\/p>\n My first trip through here was a busy weekend last summer, so I took one of the last remaining spots at Albion River Campground<\/strong>. Very interesting place, but kinda pricey ($60!) .<\/p>\n The second trip was this spring and I lucked into an empty site at Russian Gulch State Park<\/strong>. It’s a really cool place. The usual State Park price of $35\/$33. A difficult, sketchy road getting down to the campground. Really nice beach once you get there. Too far to hike to get to the bluffs from the campground.<\/p>\n The second night on this trip\u00a0I am pulling in to the ranger kiosk at\u00a0Van Damme State Park<\/strong>. There was a stupid wait while needy Californians badgered the ranger, mindless of the line of people behind them, but I persevered and\u00a0they did indeed have sites!<\/p>\n WHUFU page for: Van Damme State Park<\/a><\/b><\/p> \n Always totally full and very crowded, but not tonight!\r<\/p>\n \r<\/p>\n It's another little cove, the outlet of the Little River. State Beach on the west side of the road, campground and parking for the trails on the east side.\r<\/p>\n \r<\/p>\n Up the canyon is the Fern Canyon Trail, a lovely hike with a lot of dramatic fallen redwoods and tall pines. The canyon is very steep and the soil is slippery so at some point they just have to fall.\r<\/p>\n \r<\/p>\n The beach is rocky, but it's a cool anyway. \r<\/p>\n A self contained vehicle like mine can pay the $45\/43 fee and park in the beach parking lot\r<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/p> <\/p>tonight<\/b>: \n Parking for Site 14 is at the end of a three car row. \r<\/p>\n Backing in with my door faces away from the others, it's a nice spot.\r<\/p>\n \r<\/p>\n The very nice ranger told me about the beach parking option but I decided to stick with my spot and walk to the beach, ... which I did twice, to catch the waxing moon at different places.\r<\/p>\n \r<\/p>\n My neighbor ran his fucking noisy generate a couple of times. I was really bummed, but turns out he didn't run it for very long so it wasn't too bad.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Ohh, I like this place! The actual campground is quite similar to Russian Gulch. A gravel road up the narrow canyon with campsites between the road and the creek. Both have a trail that continues up the canyon, and at both you can walk or drive down to the rocky beach.\u00a0<\/p>\n The canyon hike here – Fern Canyon Trail<\/strong> – is quite dramatic. We’re in redwood country, and the canyon is steep and narrow and the soil seems to be really crappy, so over time quite a few 100-200′ tall trees have had their base eroded to the point where they just fell into the canyon. And since they are redwoods, they don’t just rot away, they are there for a long time. Really cool to see. I didn’t make it to the waterfall, but I went about a mile up and back and quite enjoyed it.<\/p>\n Back to the ole van for a little while, then head off the opposite direction to the ocean, in time for sunset. The moon is getting fuller, which means it’s rising later, which meant I couldn’t really get than moonlight on the water thing I love so much. But I came back later at night and did get to see it, so I am fulfilled. :)<\/p>\n Before the first beach visit, my next door neighbor was running his generator, and since he’s parked right next to me it was distressingly loud and intrusive. I kinda worried about it the whole time I was at the beach. “Would it ruin my visit?”, that sort of thing. But they’d turned it off by the time I returned. So the good news was that it was not a problem, but I could’ve done without the stressing out I did on my relaxing beach visit.<\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The plan was to housesit for Martha over the Labor Day weekend, Friday through Monday.\u00a0But then they did not leave until Saturday, so I also did not leave till Saturday. On Saturday, I was out by 11:30. I went straight … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-september-2022-escape-the-heat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpwhu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpwhu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpwhu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpwhu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpwhu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpwhu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1402\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpwhu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpwhu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpwhu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Sunday<\/a><\/h3> It’s Sunday morning, so it’s time for my weekly\u00a0paper and pastry run for the\u00a0Sunday Chronicle and something fun to eat. I made the whole thing much more compact and efficient today. Got to the Petaluma Market<\/strong> early enough to get a paper (woo!).<\/p>\n
Monday<\/a><\/h3>\n
Tuesday<\/a><\/h3>\n