DAY 50 - SOUTH OF TRINIDAD TO ARCATA, CALIFORNIA

TO SHARE JUST HOW FAR I HAVE WALKED...WE ARE NOW AMONG THE PALM TREES OF CALIFORNIA...SPECIFICALLY, ACARTA, CALIFORNIA, A SUBURB OF EUREKA, CALIFORNIA.

US 101 HAS BECOME A "FREEWAY", WITH ALL THE RESTRICTIONS TOTALLY IGNORING WALKERS. BICYCLISTS ARE RECOGNIZED...WALKERS ARE NOT.

WALKING BACK FROM SPIA'S RESTING PLACE OF LAST NIGHT - THE FILTHY STINKY TOILETS WITH NO ELECTRICITY OR WATER - MIST LIFTED ABOVE THE WATERS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN AS I WALKED BACK TOWARDS TRINIDAD.

I PURPOSELY WALKED FOR 6 MILES ON THE "FREEWAY" WHICH PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED "PEDESTRIANS PROHIBITED" SIGNS. ON THIS WALK, I WAS PASSED BY TWO CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL CARS WITH ABSOLUTELY NO REACTION FROM THEM. AT THE LEAST, I AM SERIOUSLY CONFUSED.

ANOTHER TREE MADE TO GROW LEANING AWAY FROM THE OFF-SHORE WINDS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

MUCH OCEAN-FRONT LAND SOUTH OF TRINIDAD, CALIFORNIA IS BEING "REHABILITATED"...MEANING NO ACCESS. HERE IS A VAST ACREAGE OF REHABILITATION AT WORK.

AFTER CHALLENGING CHIPS ON THE FREEWAY, I DISCOVERED THIS WALKING PATH, "HAMMOND TRAIL". IT IS AN EXCELLENT PATH, ESSENTIALLY PARALLELING US 101 FREEWAY...

PROBLEM IS: IT EXTENDS FOR ONLY ABOUT 5 MILES AND STOPS.

HAMMOND PATH...AN EXCELLENT DESIGNED AND MAINTAINED WALKING PATH.

DEER STARING AT ME....OK, OK, JUST MOVE ON, WILL YA !

MC KINLEYVILLE, CALIFORNIA...A SMALL STRIP TOWN ABOUT 15 MILES NORTH OF EUREKA, CALIFORNIA. THIS IS MAIN STREET, WHICH PARALLELS US 101 FREEWAY. I WALKED THE FULL LENGTH OF MAIN STREET, AFTER RUNNING OUT OF HADDON PATH...

TO MY SURPRISE, A SIGN ON MAIN STREET DIRECTED "WALKERS" DOWN A SIDE STREET, STATING THAT HADDON PATH CONTINUED THAT WAY...I LOOKED FOR IT...COULD NOT FIND IT.

PRICE OF GASOLINE TODAY, MARCH 04, 2011 IN MC KINLEYVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

YES, I DID FILL UP AT THIS STATION...CREATING BLOGS IS BECOMING A BIT MORE EXPENSIVE (BECAUSE I NEED SPIA'S MOTOR TO CREATE ELECTRICITY FOR MY MINI)

ANOTHER VIEW OF MAIN STREET, MC KINLEYVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

NEXT TOWN SOUTH OF MC KINLEYVILLE IS ARCATA, CALIFONIA...ABOUT 5 MILES AWAY.

IN TOTAL FRUSTRATION, DROVE SPIA SOUTH ON THE FREEWAY TO EUREKA, CALIFORNIA TO THE "AAA". SIGNED UP TO BECOME A MEMBER SO I COULD OBTAIN DETAILED MAPS. AFTER JOINING, WALKED OUT WITH TWO PLASTIC BAGS FULL OF MAPS OF TOWNS I MUST WALK THROUGH IN CALIFORNIA.

BACK AT SPIA, POURED OVER THOSE MAPS, LOOKING FOR ALTERNATE ROUTES TO WALK AROUND THE NOW PROHIBITED US 101.

STOPPED IN AT THE CALIFORNIA STATE PATROL OFFICES OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY TO CLARIFY THE LAW REGARDING WALKERS ON CALIFORNIA HIGHWAYS.

OFFICER JACKSON PUT IT BLUNTLY: IF THERE IS A SIGN ON THE FREEWAY "PEDESTRIANS PROHIBITED", IT IS AGAINST THE LAW FOR ANYONE TO WALK THE FREEWAY.

PROBLEM IS THAT MANY SECTIONS OF US 101 FREEWAY DO NOT HAVE SUCH "PEDESTRIANS PROHIBITED" SIGNS AND NO MAPS SHOW WHERE THESE SECTIONS ARE LOCATED.

ALSO, MANY "PROHIBITED" SECTIONS HAVE NO "ALTERNATE ROUTE" FOR WALKERS.

SOLUTION: NO ONE CAN WALK ANY FURTHER IN CALIFORNIA...YOU MUST DRIVE TO FIND AN ALTERNATE ROUTE OR TO A SECTION OF FREEWAY WITHOUT THE DREADED "PEDESTRIAN PROHIBITED" SIGNS.

ASKED OFFICER JACKSON WHAT I SHOULD DO...I CANNOT GIVE YOU ANY EXEMPTION OR SUGGESTION WHAT TO DO.

I WALKED OUT OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE PATROL, HOMBOLDT DIVISION, A BIT ON THE EDGY SIDE.

I HAVE A MISSION TO WALK TO KEY WEST...AND TO DO IT THROUGH CALIFORNIA, I WILL FIND A WAY.

DOES NOT MEAN I LIKE IT, BUT I WILL NOT VIOLATE THE LAW...YOU, MY READERS ARE ENTITLED TO AN HONEST LAW ABIDING SOLUTION...I WILL FIND ONE.

ARCATA, CALIFORNIA MID-TOWN

TOWN SQUARE, ARCATA, CALIFORNIA. A VERY NICE SETTING...EVEN WITH THE DOZEN OR SO VAGRANTS ABOUT TO SPEND THE NIGHT ON THE LAWN OF MID-TOWN.

A STATUE IS IN THE CENTER OF THIS TOWN SQUARE: PRESIDENT MC KINLEY.

DID NOT ASK, BUT PRESUME THIS TO BE PRESIDENT MC KINLEY'S HOME TOWN

I.E.; THE TOWN OF MC KINLEYVILLE UP NORTH A BIT.

DAILY REPORT: HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I WALKED TODAY...BUT WALK I DID

LETS FOR THE RECORD SAY: 10 MILES - ALL DOUBLED

SEE YOUR IMPACT.ORG: CREDIT 10 MILES @ $0.02 PER MILE = $0.20 FOR THE DAY

I HAVE FOUND A SECLUDED DEAD END STREET 4 BLOCKS FROM THE TOWN SQUARE. SPIA IS PARKED THERE FOR THE NIGHT...I TRUST WE WILL BE OK.

IN THE MORNING, WILL WALK BACK 4 MILES AND THEN SOUTH, CROSSING OVER THE "FREEWAY" AND HEAD SOUTH ON SAMOA BOULEVARD - A.K.A. OLD ARCATA ROAD, WHICH MEETS UP WITH US 101 "FREEWAY" IN A SECTION ALLOWING PEDESTRIANS INTO AND SOUTH OF EUREKA FOR A FEW MILES...THEN BACK TO SQUINTING AT "AAA" MAPS TO FIND WAYS AROUND THE "PEDESTRIAN PROHIBITED" SECTIONS.

IF PUSH COME TO SHOVE, I WILL NOT HESITATE TO DRIVE SPIA ON THE FREEWAY UNTIL WE COME TO AN ALTERNATE ROUTE OR "PEDESTRIAN ALLOWED" SECTION.

WHAT,GOD, DID I DO TO EARN THIS RIDICULOUS PREDICAMENT.