if you’re ever in albion, do stop in and say hello to the friendly man who works/owns the little grocery on the ridge road. i was about to run out of gas when i found his old fashioned 2 pump mini-station. he does all the pumping for you. he had a plethora of left-wing posters taped to all of his windows along with a giant photo of our prez. i enjoyed chatting with him for a few minutes about politics, el nino, the fires burning in this part of our dear state, and tourism. like most of the locals in this area he was a kindly peaceable fellow.
then sister and i beat a path through the redwoods on hwy 128. we were making great time per usual on roadtrips where i am the pilot. 49 miles in 3 hours.
that included stops for gas, redwood hugging, breakfast, apples & pears, cider, and much more.
if you’ve never had a french butter pear i highly recommend you sample one.
ummmm good.
we’re back in LA, but a few days ago we made the long trek home. it took us 12 hours to reach the mendo coast and 24 hours/2 days to get home. i don’t understand the particulars, but sister tells me driving speed has something to do with it.
here’s a pic of me and dear susan warder who i met unexpectedly on the headlands of mendocino.
we cruised through san fran on the way to pacific grove on hwy 1. then the next day we headed south on the big sur highway that clings to the edge of the continent.
we stopped at the henry miller library to sit a spell and soak in the ambiance.
i highly recommend a visit to see what the counter-culture movement along the coast is getting up to. they feature live music under the redwoods.
and books galore.
and plenty of old hippies who’ve been making this pilgrimage for decades.
we made a few more stops. okay, a lot more.
the scenery is holy.
sister heads back to her kansas life manana and i’m skipping off to guatemala in 2 weeks. this leave-of-absence business is splendid. see you soon.
xo
yours truly MAM
You stopped at Gowan’s Oak Tree! We stopped on the way TO Mendocino. So many goodies! Sure sweet tiny grapes, rich rich cider and Sweet 100 tomatoes , in addition to all of the apples. And lovely people working. A perfect oasis in either direction.
I vote for long, slow traveling with impulse stops whenever inspired.!
When in the redwoods or on the Mendocino coast, stopping is encouraged. Such a beautiful area, filled with wonderful sights and smells. So envious. sigh
That is the best way to road trip, nice and slow with lots of interesting stops. Looking forward to armchair traveling with you to Guatemala! Thanks for sharing your interesting life. 🙂
It’s such a special place. First time I was there we were living in our ’57 Mellow Yellow Chevy truck. Been there several times since and it never loses its magic. Thanks for letting me tag along.
You got this travel thing down girl, you really do. Toasting leave of absences in your honor. I for one am happy to follow along from here, the views are fantastic!!!!! xoxoxo
OMG! What a treat to see a pic of Wardie on your blog! Hi, Susan! Hi, MAM! Hi, Carol!
Two thumbs up for the little porthole pic. It looks like it needs its own page in a journal. 🙂
Once, many years ago before cell phones (yes children, life was primitive then), I drove down through the south to visit a friend. I wrote down the various astounding names of churches along the way. Oh to have photos of those instead. Such signs as you saw are lovely little moments of giggles.
Sounds like you need me as an on-call house sitter and cat observer. Seriously, have fun but then I know you will.
Always love your trip photos–you an sister had a great time. Love that gas station photo–a man after my own heart! Safe trip to Guatemala–look forward to lots of wonderful photos!
Thank you as always for taking us along on your explorations… slow travel is definitely the way to go. XO
I wish we still lived on the CA coast ( near Morro Bay) ~ you could have stopped and stayed a few days!
Big Sur is so majical and ethereal ~
I’m glad you had safe travels!
MORE wonderful photos! I loved the redwoods…so clean and fresh in the forest. When we went we were over run by a huge family of raccoons, It started out innocent enough until they started getting aggressive. Feisty little debils. No one was hurt:)
I try to leave politics separate from art. Actually i do art to escape politics and the woes of the world. It is my soft place to fall. I lost a best friend of 23 years over politics. Not my fault. No really! Still makes me sad.
I was a hippy once upon a time, very long ago. I am still a bit wild in my heart I suppose. So glad you had a special time with your sis, Mary Ann. Precious moments. Thank you for the grand tour of Northern CA! Eagerly awaiting your next adventure in Guatamala…
Looks fabulous! And gorgeous! And fun! I am jealous! I think I need me one of those little old leave of absences from school. Can’t wait to see Guatemala.
sounds like a great prequel to Guatemala …. you’ll be stunned by all the textile overload in that country….I predict a new class in 2016 based upon your next adventure. Be safe, be creative & bee-dare-ing. Holly