(Just down the CA coast from Point Arena). I’m stopping here for dinner, and there happens to be an open internet connection, so I might as well dash off a note before I head up the coast to find a camping spot.
Didn’t make it to the Alcatraz tour, which was sold out for the next week, so instead I grabbed breakfast at Red’s Java House out by the Embarcadero – damn fine coffee. And then wandered around San Francisco for a couple of hours till the afternoon Burning Man Greeter meeting. I really love the city, and I could and did just enjoy wasting time there.
I’ve been a greeter before, about two years ago I guess I did about a ten hour shift one day, and got wicked sunburn as well as burnout that lasted about a day, but had an enormously fun time doing it. Your job as greeter is to welcome people to the city, and remind them of the basic health and safety issues: video cameras must be registered (and don’t take videos of people without permission, it’s rude), don’t throw anything into the portapotties (we practiced saying “No condoms, no tampons, no baby wipes…” to which I tend to add “…no shrunken human heads, no live chickens…”), and Leave No Trace (“don’t let it hit the ground”). You’re encouraged to have a lot of fun with people and get them into the spirit of the event, and help newbies get their first orientation. Otherwise training was fun, tho of course lots of extraneous chatter and at least one incidence of spontaneous nudity (no, not by me!).
Had a good clam-and-mussle linguine dinner with Uncle Alan, Aunt Carol, and cousin Stephanie; talked about my trip so far, politics and Burning Man (Steph is also going) and so on. And breakfast of “Uncle Alan’s Waffles” (another deviation from low-carb, tho I did weigh myself this morning and I’m doing fine).
Before leaving the city this morning I made a couple of catch-up phonecalls – the phone and internet aren’t working all that consistently, but at least I can hit them when I get a signal. Here in Gualala, for example, I got three free internet signals from the gas station, but the phone is still on roam. I don’t really miss having the connections, but there are a few people back home that I’m missing (and I’m sure you know who you are!)
I also tried to visit the Bay Model in Sausalito – a giant model of the SF bay, built by the army corps of engineers to understand water patterns, etc.
After dinner – barbequed oysters and salmon, with North Coast “Old Rasputin Imperial Stout” – I’m going to find and early campsite and get some to-do list items out of the way, various things I have to write checks for and mail because they’re too primitive to have electronic billing. Tomorrow I plan to visit the Mendocino County courthouse, which I believe is in Ukiah, and try to get a copy of my Great-grandmother Helene Rickard’s birth certificate; she was born in Mendocino in 1898 after her parents sailed around South America from Ireland because of the potato famine (back when low-carb meant you starved). Then out to Artois (“Ar-toys” to the locals, I’m told) to visit Felicial, who lives there on a farm.
More pictures from today are in the camera, not sure if I’ll get around to loading them before I take off. I wasn’t expecting that the barbequed oysters would actually have barbeque sauce, which is a little gross but not enough to stop me from enjoyng the tasty bivalves. If I hadn’t found a dive restaurant I was planning on cooking in the car, but I may save that for tomorrow morning. Often when I’m dining alone I wonder how restaurant critics do their jobs – I guess they’d usually go in groups so they can sample more than one dish, and see how groups are treated; singles are always awkward. Sardine Factory, Monterey – thumbs up; Bubba Gump’s, Wherever fine tourists are served – so-so; Oceansong Pacific Grill, Gualala – not so much. The salmon with mango chutney didn’t make me physically ill, yet, tho the beer was fine out of a bottle. (Speaking of which, how am I going to visit the North Coast brewery if I’m in Fort Bragg at 10 in the morning? Hmph.)
