Russian River - Days 66 - 67

The short list of people who have done any form of Road Trip with me since I started this include the following: CuzJoe, Treason Pal and Mr. T, Battlestar and B-girl, Seismic, Mom and Dad, and the latest is Max. Max is the my first passenger to say, “Slow down Uncle Scotty, your giving me a tummy ache.” I know I am not a perfect driver, but I am not awful either. I attribute his complaint purely to the fact that he watched 4 Bugs Bunny cartoon in a row on his DVD player instead of enjoying the winding scenery. There were Moo cows and Baa sheep along the way, but Bugs was more entrancing. So we stopped for some PB&J and grape Nehi. It seemed to do the trick.

We were back on our way. After driving from LA to SF entirely on Route 1, it remained the most interesting option for getting to Guerneville, CA. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and headed up 101 until we caught Lucas Drive over to 1N. I’m told Skywalker Ranch is in the vicinity, but we didn’t see any signs or I’d have tried to use the force to get in.

At our rental in Guerneville on the Russian River, we were a short walk to the rocky beach. I’m not much of a beach person, but the ocean beaches have a lot of soft sand that beats the crap out of these prickly river be-aches. But the kids loved it – I think it is the difference between having 49 pounds over your feet and 180 pounds. The next morning, we went to Johnson Beach and we were the only ones there. By Friday, there are supposed to be 5,000 people here and they are going to be entertained by Little Richard. I am glad I will be long gone for many reasons.

After playing 18 holes, where I shot a 43 including a hole in one through the T-Rex’s legs (I’m not going to include it on MyScorecard), we took a drive to the California State Park’s Armstrong Woods. These are walk-in-the-trunk giant redwood woods. I remember Muir Woods as more spectacular, but the majesty and enormity of these trees is pretty awesome. We all had a great time walking through them. All but Mom loved the steep drive to the top of the forest – Mom just can’t seem to appreciate the beauty of a ride when at every turn a mistake could mean plunging to our death.

Tonight, I am sitting on the back porch under the stars, sipping a beer and composing this post. Early tomorrow I will be heading out on my own again with Tahoe in my sights and more roads untraveled to explore. I am getting back in the groove of Road Trip, so expect frequent posts for a while. At least until I get to Phoenix and can get Treason Pal to pick up the slack.

Thanks Mom and Dad. Having spent more time with you these last three weeks than I have since high school, I really appreciate how much you have done for me and continue to do…and your support of this bizarre trip of mine – well, thank you! See you in Cape May.