Scribble World Travel Blog

Redwoods National Park

Of all the places to get locked out of our van, it happened to us in the middle of the 131,983 acres that make up the Redwoods National Park! With the nearest lockout service hours away, things were not looking good. I had only gone to put on my coat (The temps average just 40-60 degrees year round in Redwoods National Park) when the car door suddenly swung shut-with both sets of keys sitting inside…Oops…

Resisting the urge to panic, Chris walked around the van searching for a way in while I went into the visitor center to find out what our prospects were. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any tools and with the bad economy, the nearest business that would’ve been able to help had been forced to close.

The ladies who worked in the visitor center were very nice, there just wasn’t a whole lot they could do-she wrote down a couple phone numbers to service stations, which posed another dilemma-everything was long distance meaning we would need change to use the public payphone.

Though I’m sure borrowing some change would have been the least of our problems, I wasn’t too eager for the estimate either which probably would have been in the hundreds. Stalling, I decided to go check on Chris first.

So besides kick yourself in the bum, what do you do when you get locked out of your vehicle in the wilderness and you don’t have AAA or a hidden spare key? In our case, we got lucky.

The one other family at the visitor center, (who were at the Redwoods to camp) followed me out to our van curious to see what our situation was. The Dad never goes anywhere without his handy leatherman multi-tool pocket knife and asked if he could tinker with the window. “By all means, what have we got to lose?”

It took quite a while, but using the leatherman he skillfully managed to get the spring contraption off one of our very back windows, the one that only opens an inch. Hopefully there aren’t any car thieves present, but having watched the delicate and time consuming procedure-I’m sure there are much easier ways to break into a car- at least for those unburdened with the expense and inconveniene of having to replace the window afterwards.

Once the window was loosened, it opened another couple inches and although still too small to fit a child through, Chris had found a long skinny stick measuring about 8 feet which snugly reached all the way to the front seat to unlock the door. It was like winning the lottery in a way and probably saved our vacation. I wanted to give them some money for their help and patience, but they point blank refused all offerings and said we should watch the movie, “Pay It Forward,” and help someone else in need someday. How cool is that?

Happy vacationers once again (with keys safe in hand) we set out to explore some of the most massive trees on Earth!

Drive Thru Tree and World Famous Gravity House

About 185 miles North of San Francisco following the scenic 101 Hwy, 10 miles South of Leggett, CA we followed the Drive Thru Tree Road Exit to get to Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree Park.. Drive-thru tree?? That certainly was enough to get our attention. The 6′ wide by 6’9″ space carved through this towering redwood back in the 1930′s really is large enough to fit a vehicle through. Admittedly, it’s going to be a tight squeeze for a van but when we folded our side mirrors inward, our Honda Odyssey had just enough room to squeeze through.

There are a total of three Redwood drive through trees in Northern, CA along highway 101. All 3 are on private property and charge a fee for admission.

Another fun little detour is Campbell Bros World Famous Confusion Hill, built back in 1949, where you can experience odd and confusing optical contradictions in the World Famous Gravity House. “Seeing is Believing,” is their slogan and when you see this crooked little shack off the side of the hill and struggle to walk around inside, you can experience the mystery of why gravity is not what it would appear.

Alcatraz Highlights-The Escape of June 11, 1962

Alcatraz Quick Facts
*More than a million people visit Alcatraz Island every year
*The cost is currently $26/adult
*The Ferry to Alcatraz leaves from Pier 33 and takes approximately 15 minutes to reach “The Rock.”
*It’s best to purchase tickets in advance as they do get busy
*Find Departure Schedules & Prices at Alcatraz Cruises

Highlight #1 of our Alcatraz tour today—seeing the escape route chiseled into the concrete walls of Cell Block B where on the night of June 11th, 1962 three Alcatraz inmates carried out an elaborate escape mission—something that was attempted only 14 times during Alcatraz’s 29 year history as a federal penitentiary, and the only one that may have been a success. In the photos from Cell Block B, you can see where the prisoners Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin chiseled their way through the concrete walls of their cells using rudimentary tools like a spoon with silver from a dime soldered onto it and an electric drill using a stolen vacuum motor. Apparently, the noise was disguised by accordions played during “music hour.”

The escape plan, which took months of planning, entailed sneaking out of their cells into the adjacent utility corridor and then escaping through the fan vent. First, they needed to remove some of the grilles on the fan, which they managed by stealing a carborundum cord out of the prison workshop. They then replaced the rivets with soap to make for a quick escape when the time was right. I could really use a visual about now—soap rivets?

To say the least, it was a complex and clever escape plan that required many months of patience to work out all the details. They even made an escape raft using dozens of prisoner issued rubber rain jackets which they inflated with a musical instrument called a concertina. They also created likenesses of their heads using papier-mache, real hair and paint brush bristles to look like hair and eyebrows and put those in their beds to fool the guards.

The FBI closed the case after a 17 year investigation concluding, “no credible evidence emerged to suggest the men were still alive.” That said, they were never proven dead either. I just find it interesting. My guess, and I can’t help pondering these things, is that they had outside help. Some of their personal items were found on Angel Island, which the investigators thought indicated they had drowned, I suspect this was part of the elaborate escape plot. Allen West, another cell mate, supposedly in on the escape, but who found his fake wall had solidified and he was unable to chip away at it fast enough– was left behind—he later told the FBI that their plan had been to paddle to Angel Island, then swim the Raccoon Straits to the Marin Headlands where they would steal a car, rob a clothing store and split up. I think Frank Morris, the one with the estimated I.Q. of 133 and the mastermind behind the escape plan, probably factored Allen West into their escape-leaving him behind could have been part of his plan from the start-perhaps assuming West woud cooperate with the FBI, Morris wanted them to believe that since the “plan” of stealing a car and robbing a clothing store hadn’t been carried through, they must not have succeeded-thus ensuring their real escape-which involved meeting an accomplice in a boat and heading for South America or some other locale where they wouldn’t be recognized and could start fresh. That’s my theory anyway

Highlight #2 would have to be the colony of Western Gulls we saw on Alcatraz Island. Certain pathways were blocked off so the birds had lots of room to make the island their own. Up to 1,100 lifelong mating pairs come to the island every winter. They are territorial birds and will fight for the right to nest in the same place year after year. April and May (in other words, now) is when they incubate their eggs for 28 days. Then in June, two or three thousand chicks will hatch and there will be quite a bit of screeching through July or August. Typically, only one of the three hatchling’s per mating pair will survive to fledgling. Sometimes, a baby chick will wander into another pairs territory and be killed, though occasionally an orphan chick has also been adopted by another pair. Western gulls can survive 15 to 25 years if they are lucky. It was pretty neat seeing them all spread out across the concrete grounds sitting in their nests-unlike most other birds, their nests are right there in the open and makes for an impressive sight.

The Love of Ganesha, The Winding Road

We walked around 3 different parks today-the Golden Gate, Alamo Square, and Buena Vista Park..

Also made time for a little shopping. I fell in love with a shop on 1310 Haight St.(between Central Ave & Masonic Ave) called The Love of Ganesha. I bought a necklace and 3 unusual silk skirts for less than $85. The employees were so nice too, they offered us a little cup of tea as soon as we entered and gave me a little bird ornament “for luck,” as we were leaving. The incense smell of the store is welcoming and I like that a portion of sales will help support orphans around the world.

Afterwards, we took a bus over to Pier 39 and worked our way uphill all the way to the top of the windy road on Lombard St, to see the one way section of Russian Hill more commonly known as the “crookedest street in the world.” This 1/4 mile stretch is a 27% steep grade and the speed limit is just 5 m.p.h-which is ok because you’ll have plenty of pretty plants and scenery to admire as well as giddy pedestrians to look out for as they snap photos as you slowly make your way down the eight sharp turns.

I’ll pass along what someone told us: “avoid the Tenderloin at night-where people are doing crack and looking for opportunity.”

Santa Cruz to San Francisco

Upon checking out, we stopped at Bad Ass Coffee in downtown Santa Cruz located at 1207 Pacific Ave, for a quick treat-and suddenly realized neither of us had paid the meter—-so, even though it had only been 2 minutes, Chris went back to the van and was surprised to find a meter lady already trying to write us a ticket– but she had just run out of tickets, so he left with the van and drove around the block until I came out. Close call. We went for a very pretty cliffside beach walk off of Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz to admire the steep cliff edges and got a closer look at the sea lions out on a big rock.

The drive to San Francisco was leisurely along Hwy 1. We stopped at a roadside store selling strawberries among other things. We sampled various spreads and bought some olallieberry jam and strawberry lemonade. Really like the jam.

In San Francisco, we had a room at the Rodeway Inn on Eddy St just west of Van Ness waiting for us, which unlike some of the downtown hotels offered free parking. We snacked at the Thirsty Bear Brewery. Chris tried a sampler-among the more unusual was a vanilla beer. I thought the rootbeer was pretty good. The scallops were great, but the portions were tiny.

Later on, we checked out a Hookah Lounge just for fun-it was called Cairo Nights on 829 Geary St, San Francisco, 94109.
We went out for some late night pizza, then checked out Biscuits and Blues on 401 Mason St. which we enjoyed a lot but unfortunately, by the time we got there the band, Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, were already on their last few songs of the night. We finally crashed back at our room sometime after 1 A.M.

Things to do on your way to Santa Cruz-Garlic icecream anyone?

We spent the first night of our roadtrip vacation at a Flying J truckstop near Wheeler, CA. I guess it’s been a while since we’ve slept in the van and it was an uncomfortable first night–the memory foam didn’t seem nearly thick enough-which makes me wonder how we survived all those months when we were traveling around the U.S! I’m thinking about getting an air mattress. Maybe sleeping down below, instead of on top of the wood platform, would be more comfotable.
Meanwhile, we’ve been trying to find a spot with wireless internet to book a room in Santa Cruz, but the McDonald’s in Wheeler didn’t have it. Chris did manage to hitch-hike a wireless connection outside a Wendy’s in Gilroy, CA but it was taking too long to make a reservation so we eventually gave up.

Of greater interest, perhaps, we stopped at a wonderful fruit stand called Murray Fruit Stand off the 5 North located at 9557 Copus Rd, Mettler, CA 93313. I got half a bag of cherries, 2 oranges, a container of blueberries, and 2 kinds of fudge for a little over $13, and a wee little spider tried to hitchhike a ride in my blueberries for free. All in all, it made for a delicious drive!

For those seeking a different kind of adventure, we passed a small little shop on the left as we started down CA Hwy 152W advertising Garlic Icecream for sale. This soon prompted our philosophical curiosities–why do different people notice different smells in varying intensities? To Chris, there was an almost overpowering garlic aroma as we drove by that area-one that, to me, was so faint, I wouldn’t have noticed had he not mentioned it. But earlier, as we drove past a stinky cowfarm, it was Chris who hadn’t noticed. Why is that? Is it a gender difference? Or maybe it varies person to person, or even day to day. It would be an interesting study. Maybe that explains why a dirty kitty litter box seems to annoy me more than him-he just doesn’t smell it!

Anyway, getting a room in Santa Cruz for less than $60 was an adventure in itself. Chris finally gave up on that notion and got one at the Ocean Gate Inn for $74.14 after tax using hotels.com. The “ocean view” wasn’t much to write home about, but we didn’t spend much time in the room anyway, so it worked out ok for us. We left our stuff and walked down to the boardwalk by the beach. Most of the vendors and rides were closed, but it was a lively atmosphere with many colorful things to look at.

We had a fabulous sunset supper out on the Wharf at the Gilbert Seafood Grill. The special-the stuffed salmon, was excellent.

Around 9:30 we headed out to explore the downtown nightlife scene. We parked the van and walked around Pacific Ave. enjoying the Afro-Brazilian street performers, the artistic layout, and finally some frozen yogurt at the modern looking Froyo establishment.

scary homeless guy in Los Angeles, CA

Last Friday,  Chris & I were kicking it in downtown L.A. and trying to find a jazz club.  After leaving one club, we were stopped by a talkative homeless guy wanting us to help him out. I offered him a Starbucks card for a free drink and he acted insulted and said homeless people need money too and it’s tough living on the streets and he’s not out to rob or hurt anyone. He just kept talking and talking-trying to find out our political views, what we were up to, what kind of music we liked…..you know, basically trying to be our buddy.  He told us if we liked jazz we should go to a certain place which turned out to be a bar with a juke box that stunk like a locker room.  The people in there were nice though and one guy bought a round for everyone, so we decided to stick around for a while. After we gave the homeless guy five bucks he left saying he had to go do something but would be back.

He returned after a few minutes and we wound up buying him a drink.  He wanted us to go with him, and looking back I’m not sure why we did. I guess because we’d been drinking and maybe we felt just a tad sorry for him because the lady behind the bar was trying to shoe him out.
Anyway, we were walking along following him even though he wouldn’t say where he was taking us.  He kept saying we were the coolest “white” people he’d ever met. I asked why we couldn’t just be cool people, why’d we have to be cool “white” people?  And he was all fixated on race saying we come from different cultures.
We came to a spot and he asked us to sit down. We were both hesitating…like why here? Of all the places to sit down, why this secluded dirty looking place?  He said he just wanted to talk.  He was very disarming.

We sat down. I was on the end and Chris in the middle-the homeless guy gets up and wants Chris to move down so he can sit by me-what the heck? And he says I’m fine and does that offend Chris and have we ever thought about having a 3-some with a black man? I’m looking at him in shock, but luckily Chris sees a piece of cardboard right behind us moving and realizes there’s someone underneath it…..we both jump up, and the guy hiding under it tries to act real still.  It was great camouflage.  Rob, the homeless guy is still talking trying to convince us to sit down again, but no way, we’re ready to get the heck out of there. We just walk away ignoring all his pleas for us to come back.
Kind of scary looking back-what was the guy under the cardboard going to do? He could have had a knife or something-who knows….but makes me a little less trusting. I want to think that people are basically good. Chris says that all people are bad until they prove themselves good. It bothers me to find out someone has ulterior motives….and since ultimately a homeless guy doesn’t really care what our political views are, what our taste in music is, and certainly not what zodiac signs we are-we shouldn’t feel bad next time we see a homeless person and just walk away….walk away…

Holiday in San Francisco

We had a jam packed holiday vacation beginning Friday around noon-we left as soon as I got out of work. I drove the whole way-it was a 13 hour drive from Phoenix, and having been up since 5 A.M. I felt it too. The last stretch was through a very dense fog. It was a relief to finally make it to our hotel, The Adante, around 1 AM. I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer and fell asleep pretty much the moment my head hit the pillow. Chris, however, party animal that he is, went out on his own for a couple hours. I woke him up at 5 A.M. with me to drink our Dr. Natura Colonix Cleanse together and hear about his night out.

He had a couple drinks at one bar, then hung out at another til 2 A.M. when he was surprised to learn the bartender was going around collecting everyone’s beer bottles, so people were drinking in a hurry, which he thought was bizarre. He called his friend, Eric, in Michigan to vent about this injustice. He left the bar and wandered around for a while. A homeless guy approached him for money. Chris asked what he wanted to do with the money, and so they walked around discussing life for a while, and he eventually gave him 3 bucks. Chris realized he was lost and had to ask directions back to Geary Street.

After drinking our fiber sludge and hearing his adventures, we went back to sleep for a couple more hours, until we were fully awake at 8 on Christmas morning.

We walked around, took a crap load of pictures, explored Chinatown, browsed through shops-we each bought 10 postcards for $1 in one, and some nice smelling fruit soap in another for 49 cents. We were lured into a Chinese restaurant where new dishes were brought before us in hopes of tempting us to buy even more than we had ordered. Our egg rolls, sweet buns with meat inside, and meat puffs came to over $14 so it’s a good thing we had some restraint, but it was all good.

We walked down a pier-sat down and just enjoyed being together for a few minutes, and watched the water. We took a trolley for $1.25/person to Pier 39 and browsed through shops and saws lots of interesting things going on. We saw a bunch of wild sea lions lounging on wooden piers, and making quite a bit of raucous. That was really something-we had never seen them in the wild like that before.

It was on the cold side and we were a bit under dressed, so in Chinatown, we each bought a souvenir sweatshirt for $11.95. It came in handy. There were some neat novelty items and gag gifts. A realistic looking squishy donut would have made a good one for the cop in the family.

We sat down while I nibbled on a crab cake, and watched a street performer juggle and do other tricks to entertain the audience. For his last act he said he needed 4 skinny guys and pulled Chris up on stage to sit in one of the 4 chairs-while leaning against the other 3 guys. Slowly, all 4 chairs were pulled out from under them and they maintained their positions. It was fun to watch and Chris came back with rosy cheeks and a big ol’ smile. Meanwhile, after Chris went up, an older lady sat next to me and asked where I was from. She couldn’t believe I wasn’t a foreigner. I wonder why? Now I’m perplexed…hmm…

For $20 the two of us went on a cruise under the Golden Gate bridge and by Alcatraz. Cold, but neat. Chris raced around the ship taking picture after picture. We probably have around 400 pictures from just one day.

We took another trolley back the way we came and walked up a steep hill-stopped by Walgreen’s to buy a couple gallons of water. Went back to our room for a bit, then went out again to find somewhere that was still open for Christmas dinner.

We waited in line at an under-staffed cafe, but the wait was worth it. My lemon butter chicken with mushrooms was excellent and Chris enjoyed his steak. We shared a calamari appetizer. Afterward. we stopped at Swiggy’s, a blues jazz club, but turned in early, with a long drive ahead of us.

We got up at 4 and quickly set out on our long drive back to Phoenix. It was still dark and took a long time for the sun to come up. Once it was light I stopped several places to take more pictures. We spent a little extra time at a beach with sea lions laying down nearby and took some closeups.

Drove drove drove drove drove drove drove…….then we drove some more only stopping for gas, food, and occasional picture breaks…

We got stuck in traffic outside LA and in half an hour found we had moved less than half a mile. It took 2 or more hours to get back up to highway speeds. How do people mentally survive having to do that everyday?! I would go crazy. Finally after our long day of driving, we made it home at 1AM which was 7 hours longer than we expected the drive to take. I didn’t have much opportunity for sleep or reflection because I had to work in the morning.