Redwood National Park, CA to Berkeley, CA

The "final" trek to Berkeley had more than its share of moments highlighting Maggie's inability to stick to any sort of schedule, or implement any kind of logical awareness of time and location. But produced more fantastic memories and stories! So I got that going for me...

Donna woke me up to invite me to the mouth of the Klamath River to watch the salmon run. We were joined by Paul, from the Philippines by way of southern California, and Boris, from Germany. Let me take a moment to set the stage for this mornings antics: Boris met us at 8:00am with a Budweiser in his hand because it was his last and he figured he should use it up soon. Oh Boris. At the beach, we encountered dozens of sea otters, hundreds of beach birds, and several barking sea lions. Between the barking "Aaaarpp!" of the sea lions, Boris's heavy metal lyrics (and constant response to any question with "YOP!") I laughed pretty solidly for most of the day. However, salmon remained elusive. So we got food and then returned at low tide to find the river mouth lined with fishermen. And THEN we saw some fish. Salmon are enormous. Trust me, I picked one up (ohhhh the slime!). Finally, we were fished out and headed back to the hostel. My intention had been to head south by 12:30. It was now 3:45. Oh well, I guess I can roll with the... fishing rods?

Leaving at 4:30 meant that I did not get in any quality time with the prehistoric mammoth tree-beasts in the Park. But its strange, the feeling even driving through those things urges silence and has a palpable feeling of awe. The air is thick, the ferns are from a different time. A time when cameras did not exist, I am willing to bet, based on the fact that photographing one is OUT of the question. I tried. They are too much for the camera. And I don't think it is just their size, its more than that. It is the fact that you cannot capture the feeling. Yet another unexplainable experience - those trees are more alive than any other tree I have ever come across; and they demand your attention, command your respect. And I willingly gave it. So much so that I didn't take the time to consider the fact that I am in California now, where the fog rolls in right around evening and coats EVERYTHING. So I decided that driving down Hwy 1 would be great way to see the sunset along the coast. HAH. Good joke, right? Let me describe the following hours going to Berkeley:

The road is like a snake, weaving back and forth unendingly. In order to not careen off the road on each curve, my speed never tops 20mph. This means that a "quick" 25 mile drive to the coast does not get you there by sunset. On the contrary, it assures that you are driving in thick darkness, with even thicker fog, and mammoth trees. I SINCERELY believed I would see a dinosaur around each and every corner. And though I did not see any, I probably didn't give it a fair shot. Three hours of driving 15-20mph sent me scuttling back to US 101 in order to reach my host Jacqueline at least by 1:00am. Aye.

Moment of reverence for my new housemate:
Jacqueline is a woman of fantastic energy. Beautiful, quick-witted, and unbelievably kind; she welcomed me graciously with open arms and we giggled our way into a quick friendship. Thank you, thank you, thank you.