Friday, March 11, 2011

DAY 57 - REDWAY - PHILLIPSVILLE-GARBERVILLE-HWY 271

JUST A FEW DAYS EARLY TO ENJOY DEAN'S MASSIVE HOT TUB AT THE RV PARK.

WALKED BACK TO PHILLIPSVILLE AND RETURN...BYPASSING SPIA, CONTINUING TO WALK TO REDWAY, CALIFORNIA AND ON TO GARBERVILLE, CALIFORNIA, WHERE FINALLY, I RETURNED TO SPIA, ARRIVING ABOUT NOON.

THE AVENUE OF THE GIANTS HAS ENDED, BUT THE REDWOOD TREES HAVE NOT. THE REDWAY "LOOP" AS THE ROAD IS CALLED, IS LINED WITH THE SAME MAJESTIC TREES AS THE AVENUE...WITH THE SAME HOLES IN THEM...WITH THE SAME "DOUBLE" TREES FROM A SINGLE ROOT.



STOPPED IN AT THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL...THE OFFICER ON DUTY TOLD ME TO GO AHEAD AND DRIVE SAM ON THE FREEWAY. SAM IS A MOTOR VEHICLE. BICYCLES ARE ALLOWED - EVEN WHEN PUSHED -. SAM IS CERTAINLY A "GREY" AREA BECAUSE NO ONE HAS SEEN SUCH A VEHICLE BEFORE...BUT HE WOULD DO IT AND WOULD NOT GIVE A CITATION IF I ACCOMPANIED SAM ON THE FREEWAYS.
JUST IN CASE A "NEWBIE" HAD OTHER INTENTIONS, HE GAVE ME HIS PERSONAL CELL # AND HIS PERSONAL E-MAIL...GIVE ME A CALL IF YOU NEED HELP EXPLAINING SAM.


YES, AND THE SAME BABBLING BROOKS APPEAR ALONG SIDE THE REDWOOD TREES.



THIS IS REDWAY, CALIFORNIA "LOOP"...RUNS FROM US 101 NORTH OF REDWAY TO GARBERVILLE, ABOUT 8 MILES SOUTH, WHERE IT REJOINS US 101. OTHERWISE, THERE IS NO ROAD EXCEPT US 101 TO GET AROUND IN THESE PARTS.




GARBERVILLE, CALIFORNIA.




RANCH ON THE REDWAY "LOOP" NEAR THE RV PARK AND ON THE BANKS OF THE EEL RIVER.



A "SQUATTER" HOME...ACROSS THE ROAD FROM THE RANCH ABOVE AND BORDERS THE RV PARK PROPERTY...LOOKS LIKE IT HAS BEEN INHABITED FOR QUITE A WHILE.



PLEASE MEET "TIG". TIG IS FROM THE SOUTHEAST AND HAS BEEN WALKING AND MOSTLY HITCH HIKING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. TIG IS NOW ON HIS WAY TO MEXICO...HIS GIRL TO JOIN HIM SHORTLY FROM HAWAII.




AND PLEASE MEET "CHICO" AND HIS TWO PUPPIES. CHICO HAS A CAR TO GET AROUND IN. CHICO IS DISCOURAGED BY THE LONG LINES OF UNEMPLOYED IN SAN FRANCISCO - SO MANY HE HAD DIFFICULTY DRIVING ON US 101 NEAR COW HOLLOW.

CHICO HAS DREAMS OF GOING TO CANADA TO FIND A BETTER LIFE.



THESE TWO FELLOWS ARE ALSO WALKING AND HITCH HIKING...
IN ALL, I ENCOUNTERED OVER 12 MEN AND 1 WOMEN ON THE ROADWAYS AROUND REDWAY AND GARBERSVILLE, CALIFORNIA...ALL GOING SOMEPLACE ELSE...ALL WITH BACKPACKS TORN CLOTHING, NEEDING A GOOD SHOWER, AND DISPLAYING THE FAMOUS "V" FROM THE 1960'S...AND WINSTON CHURCHILL IN 1940.



REDWOOD TREE HOLES APPEAR TO BE LARGER DOWN HERE.




THIS IS THE MAIN HIGHWAY US 101 - NOT A SIDE ROAD LIKE THE AVENUE OF THE GIANTS.
WALKED 8 MILES ON THIS SECTION OF HIGHWAY...NOT EVEN AN INCH FOR ME TO WALK AS TRAFFIC WHIZZED BY.
THE ENTIRE SCENARIO IS BECAUSE OF A STATE PARK, THROUGH WHICH US 101 WANTS TO GO...BUT THE TREE HUGGERS ARE FIGHTING TO SAVE "THEIR" AND "YOUR" REDWOOD TREES OF RICHARDSON GROVE.
OF COURSE THE BUSINESSES ALONG THE "OLD" US 101 WOULD BE OUT OF BUSINESS IF US 101 WERE TO BECOME A FREEWAY THROUGH RICHARDSON GROVE STATE PARK


ABOUT 3 MILES LONG, RICHARDSON GROVE STATE PARK KEEPS US 101 AS IT HAS BEEN SINCE THE 1930'S...A WAGON AND STAGECOACH TRACK THROUGH 2,000 YEAR OLD REDWOOD TREES.
I NOTICED THAT NOT 100 YARDS AWAY RUNS THE EEL RIVER...AN ALREADY CLEARED LAND SEEMINGLY QUITE READY FOR FREEWAY STATUS - AFTER ADDING A MILE OR SO OF BRIDGES. THEN EVERYBODY WINS.



HOPE THE FREEWAY DOES NOT TAKE OUT THE FLOWING WATERS.




ONE OF THE BUSINESSES FIGHTING TO KEEP "THEIR" AND "YOUR" REDWOOD TREES

CHAINSAW ART CONTINUES.
DAILY REPORT: WALKED 28 MILES TODAY: COUNT 14 MILES
SEE YOUR IMPACT: CREDIT 14 MILES @ $0.02 PER MILE = $0.28 FOR THE DAY.


SPIA IS PARKED AT THE HIGHWAY 271 EXIT FROM US 101 WHERE IT AGAIN BECOMES A "FREEWAY"...AM TEMPTED TO GET SAM ROLLING...
BUT, WILL WALK HIGHWAY 271 FOR ABOUT 30 MILES UNTIL IT REJOINS US 101 ...FROM THAT POINT (NO TOWN NEARBY), US 101 IS NO LONGER A FREEWAY, AND WE CAN WALK NEARLY TO THE NAPA VALLEY EXIT....
BUT, THAT IS A FEW DAYS AHEAD OF US.

No comments:

Post a Comment