Bus Stop #22, Trinidad, California, (June 23 - 25)

Off we go, the four of us, North on Hwy 101 to a little place on the coast at Trinidad. The bus did great - the motor was strong and the smoother road, in combination with new front shocks, let us travel well.



Mary and Deb in the “salon” talked and laughed the whole way. It was great to see Deb relaxed and distracted from the terrors of the road. Willy was in vacation mode, floating his hand on the wind out the window, occasionally declaring his freedom, just in case some wildlife along the way, failed to have been informed of his terrific condition.

As the day wore on, the cross-winds increased so that we were happy but road-tense by the time we arrived at our incredible beach house. Everyone in the joyful party, fell into late afternoon naps amid crashing ocean sounds.

We were glad of the naps later. Mary’s son Matt and his girlfriend Emily, had assembled their whole musical production team for pot luck at their nearby home.  The term pot luck conjures a kind of conservative midwest or deep south image. People did bring food, but that was the end of any similarity. This is northern California and these are high-energy, young folks whose music is techy, terse and atonal. And their fellowship is all about the music.



Matt and Emily run a successful production company and put on way hip events supported by their specialized teams of friends/partners who handle lights, sound, promotions, etc. These are great kids whose energy and appetites are infectious, but us older boomers struggle to stay in their fast lane.  Thank you Matt and Emily our wonderful hosts. What great coastal experiences you gave us! The beach house - look at our deck and our view. We didn’t want to ever move!

 



 We took a little walk in Arcada at the Enchanted Forest.  The further we walked the more we heard beautiful strains of music - weird.  Finally, we could tell someone was playing a sax, way up the holler from us.  Deb and Mary, always curious, walked on up and snapped this pic of the mysterious musician.  He was visiting from New York - maybe he was just looking for the perfect spot to play....

  

The last day, we got troublesome news from home. My Dad in Tulsa has had a nagging lung infection for over six weeks now, and simple outpatient therapy does not seem to be working. We’ve got reward tickets on Southwest coming, so we are booking a flight home and leave the bus at a shop in Arcata for the week or two we’ll be gone to get the front end fixed right. We’ll rent a car here and drive down to San Francisco early in the morning to catch a noon flight home.

Now, back in Tulsa, after a heck of a day of travel, we get Dad into the hospital for tests and better care.  He's always cuttin' up - even when he doesn't feel good.  Dad and wife Wilma, don our 3D glasses for a hospital pose....

We'll hang in here with him til he gets to feeling better.  Meanwhile a shop in Arcata is looking for used parts to fix the front end of the bus.  We're all settled in now - it's an interlude for healing.