DAY 48 - ORICK, CALIFORNIA

ORICK, CALIFORNIA HAS MORE CHAINSAW ARTISTS THAN ALL OTHER BUSINESSES PUT TOGETHER. SOME OF THE ART IS EXQUISITE.

ORICK, CALIFORNIA SCHOOL HOUSE

MARY, 85 YEAR OLD MOTHER OF JERRY, THE OWNER OF THE ORICK CAFE...MARY IS THE ONE WASHING THE WINDOWS...POWER WAS OUT BECAUSE OF STRONG WINDS LAST NIGHT AND ALL THE WINDOWS FOGGED UP. KEROSENE LANTERNS SERVED AS LIGHT FOR CLIENTS AND THE STOVES ALL RUN ON PROPANE.

INTERIOR OF JERRY'S ORICK CAFE.

A MOST CUDDLY PURE BREAD HUSKY...ABSOLUTELY LOVES ATTENTION AND ROLLS HIS EYES...I GAVE HIM FLAPPING EYELIDS AND HE RETURNED THEM BLINK FOR BLINK.

THE REDWOOD CREEK - BIGGER THAN MANY RIVERS.

CALIFORNIA NAMES MAJOR REDWOOD GROVES...THIS ONE FOR PRESIDENT JOHNSON'S WIFE, LADY BIRD...ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF ORICK.

AT DAYBREAK, I WALKED NORTH ON US 101 FOR 6 MILES BACK TO WHERE I LEFT OFF YESTERDAY...AND WALKED BACK TO SPIA - AFTER A YUMMY BREAKFAST WITH JERRY AND MOM, MARY.

RELIEVED TO SEE "SKUNK CABBAGE" ON THIS SIGN...CONFIRMS MY EARLIER POST ON THE SUBJECT.

A SERENE SPOT ALONG US 101...WATER FALLING SEEMS TO CATCH MY EYE.

YEARS AGO, I CAN ENVISION BEAVERS BUILDING THEIR DAM AT THIS SPOT.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF CHAINSAW ART...OBVIOUSLY FINISHED WITH A LOT OF HARD WORK SANDING AND DETAIL SCULPTING. THE SHOP WAS CLOSED, SO THIS PIC IS TAKEN THROUGH THE PLATE GLASS WINDOW.

AND HERE IS OUR VERY FIRST OVERNIGHT GUEST WITH SPIA.

VLADIMIR SOROKIN, FROM SAMARA, RUSSIA, ON THE BANKS OF THE VOLGA RIVER ABOUT 500 MILES NORTH OF CASPIAN SEA.

VLADIMIR IS IN HIS 16TH YEAR OF TRAVELING BY BICYCLE ON EVERY CONTINENT OF THE WORLD - EXCEPT SOUTH AMERICA. VLADIMIR IS A MOVIE PRODUCER, LIVING WITH HIS WIFE IN BULGARIA.

HE IS CURRENTLY ON HIS WAY TO JUNO, ALASKA VIA SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. HE WILL CATCH THE FERRY BOAT IN BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON, WHERE HE HAS A FRIEND.

VLADIMIR AND I HAVE SPENT MANY HOURS TALKING ABOUT HIS ELEVEN INDIVIDUAL TRIPS THROUGH 64 COUNTRIES COVERING 40,000 MILES, CURRENTLY RIDING BICYCLE # 4 AND SHOES # 10.

I AM PRETTY EXCITED TO MEET VLADIMIR AND LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING IN CLOSE COMMUNICATION. MY WALK TO BEIJING, CHINA IS BECOMING MORE PROBABLE.

VLADIMIR IS ALSO PUSHING ME TO START VIDEO AS WELL AS STILL PHOTOGRAPHS, WHICH CAN BE PRODUCED IN BULGARIA FOR A SMALL FRACTION OF THE COST OF USA PRODUCTION.

VLADIMIR IS ALSO TAKEN BY SAM...HE BELIEVES I SHOULD PURSUE THE CONSULS OF JAPAN AND CHINA, WHO WOULD HAVE KEEN INTEREST OF MY CREATION WITH POSSIBLE FUTURE ---WHO CAN GUESS.

JIM'S AUTO BUSINESS IS BEHIND THIS OLD STATION. JIM GRACIOUSLY ALLOWED SPIA TO PARK UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE ROOF.

AFTER VLADIMIR AND I SHARED LUNCH AT JERRY'S PLACE, I WALKED SOUTH ON US 101 FOR 6 MILES ... AND BACK TO SPIA, WHILE VLADIMIR DID HIS LAUNDRY.

VLADIMIR IS QUITE TAKEN BY THE COMFORTS OF SPIA...AND SEE'S ONE FOR HIMSELF IN THE FUTURE.

ANOTHER CHAINSAW ART ...WITH A LOT OF FINISHING TOUCHES. SYC JUST MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS PIECE.

A FULL-SIZE GOLDEN CALIFORNIA BEAR...CREATED BY CHAINSAW CRAFTSMAN.

ORICK, CALIFORNIA IS 2 MILES FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN...I WALKED PAST THIS BEACH ON MY AFTERNOON WALK.

SAME BEACH, LOOKING SOUTH.

FRESHWATER LAGOON WITH A NON-RETURN SIPHON UNDER US 101 TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

TWELVE - YES, TWELVE TURKEY VULTURES CIRCLED OVER MY HEAD AS I RETURNED TO SPIA. I STOOD IN PLACE, TAKING PICTURES...THEY CIRCLED LOWER AND LOWER OVER ME, UNTIL TWO BRAVE SOULS DOVE DIRECTLY AT ME, LEVELING OFF ONLY 50 FEET ABOVE MY HEAD...GUESS I LOOKED TASTY FROM A DISTANCE, BUT UP CLOSE NOT SO GREAT. THEY ROSE BACK INTO THE SKY IN TIGHT FORMATION...THEN SPREAD OUT TO RESUME CIRCLING...THEIR THERMAL MUST HAVE MOVED OVER THE HILLS, BECAUSE BEFORE LONG, THEY WERE ALL OUT OF SIGHT.

TRYING TO TAKE A PHOTO OF THE LOW-DOWN FELLOWS WAS KINDA LIKE TRYING TO SWAT A SINGLE BEE FROM A SWARM...NOT EASY WHEN THEY ARE DIVING AND SKIMMING OVER MY HEAD.

REDWOOD CHAINSAW CARVING - MERMAID AT ORICK, CALIFORNIA .

THIS EXTRAORDINARY ART WAS SITTING ON A BLOCK NEAR THE BACK OF A WORK YARD SOME 200 FEET AWAY. THIS ARTIST IS GOOD !

AMERICAN BALD EAGLE WITH A SALMON...REDWOOD CARVING.

SITTING ON DISPLAY AT THE ROADSIDE OF US 101, IN THE SAME YARD AS THE MERMAID ABOVE.

DAILY REPORT: WALKED 10 MILES THIS MORNING & 12 MILES THIS AFTERNOON.

COUNT 11 MILES FOR THE DAY.

SEE YOUR IMPACT.ORG: CREDIT 11 MILES @ $0.02 PER MILE = $0.22 FOR THE DAY.

TOMORROW, VLADIMIR PEDALS NORTH ON US 101, RETRACING MY RECENT STEPS.

TOMORROW, I DRIVE SPIA SOUTH TO PICK UP WHERE I LEFT OFF TODAY, AND HEAD FOR THE TOWN OF TRINIDAD, CALIFORNIA.