Honey I'm home

Did we get to where we were going? Did we find a place to stay or rot on the beach with the seaweed?
And so we were off to the races-- zooming for nearly four hours when I decided hmm? Things just didn’t look right. Where is the ocean? Where are the redwoods?
I was planning on staying at Navarro Beach or at Paul Dimmit Campground both of which are first come first served-- perfect for non planners like myself. When I arrived in Willits, I stopped in at a convenience store and just for grins asked where it was.

I swear I heard evil-sounding music playing in the background as the clerk smiled and said “it’s about a two-hour drive, but don’t worry it doesn’t get dark until nine o’clock.”

It was close to 6 p.m.

So I drive down the windy road from hell and swung in at every campground and asked for lodging. I now know how Joseph and Mary felt-- only I wasn’t in labor and I wasn’t riding on a donkey. No, I just had three hungry kids in the backseat who’d been riding for five hours. Such rejection.

One campground host gave me new directions, adding “Just don’t go over the bridge. Whatever you do don’t go over the bridge and stay on this side of the river.”

Now if you have ever been to Mendocino, you will know the two things it is not lacking in are bridges and rivers, so when I came to a bridge a half a mile up the road, I obediently turned around, drove for a while and then decided to try out every street on the right hand side.

I saw homes, woods, air ports, but no campgrounds with vacancies.

Then after saying some very unladylike words, I crossed the bridge. On the other side of the bridge was the answer to my prayers-- the street the campground was on (grrrr).

I got there just as the sun went down and promptly forgot how to set up my husband’s easier dome tent. I was used to doing construction when I set up my tent and he gave me something that just pops up. Finally I broke down and asked for help-- to which I heard “Where is her husband? What kind of woman goes camping without her husband?”

GRRRR! But they helped. There is a God and He heard my prayers.

And so I wiped up some oatmeal and sent the kids to bed.

It was a cold and balmy night on the Mendocino Coast-- so cold in fact that my children tried to use me for an extra blanket. Damn! Nobody told me it was cold here. I thought the coast-- warm in the day; chilly at night. Not-- must bring sweatshirts and real shoes. We are flip-flop and tank top kind of people during the summer. And so I must admit day one amounted to clothes shopping.

I think they should rename the area Spendocino because even the most basic sweatshirt costs $50 which I refuse to pay just so my kids could smear wet sand and marshmallows all over it.

Fortunately I found a Mexican imports store and bought the little ones sweat suits. My older kid wouldn’t go for it. Apparently the tween superficial enforcement agency has brainwashed her into name brand world of cool. She was destined for many chilly nights as I refused to bend to her ridiculous desire to wear O’Neil.

Three chilly days later she found an acceptable sweatshirt at a hip-looking souvenir shop-- either that or she was broken by the chill of night.

They wore those shirts until the shirts practically stood up on their own. Then I got a tip and went to Longs where we stocked up on sweatshirts and blankets-- does everyone in Fort Bragg shop at the pharmacy?

BTW Longs is apparently an acceptable clothing store for tweens because she didn’t even smirk when I threw the clothes, socks and underwear into the basket.

Underwear? You ask. Didn’t you bring underwear?

Yes, of course I did. But you see, nothing dries here in Fort Bragg either and I -- silly me-- left the spout open on the ice chest and it leaked all over my laundry (yes, mother I did laundry while on vacation-- it’s shocking).

Now Mendocino/Fort Bragg is known for its redwood forest, ocean and-- wine tasting? There are vineyards everywhere and I didn’t get a drop-- and boy did I need a drop.

The kids were too crispy for civilized people. We stayed near other crispy campers-- the ones I used to be afraid of when I went into downtown because I swore they were going to ask me for my spare change. Word to the wise-- they are just campers, poor shower-less campers and they all have soot on their faces and marshmallows in their hair.


Anyway you all didn’t come to hear about the pharmacy or weather habits of Fort Bragg/ Mendocino-- and quite frankly I don’t want to relive the weather, so I’ll break this up a little and will post more on Tuesday-- as well as catch up on reading blogs.

As soon as I get pictures I will post them too. I'm horrible historian. My digital battery was DOA and I couldn't recharge it, so I took some pictures with my cellphone and bought a disposable camera (which died with seven pictures left to go. I think I got sand in it). If anything comes out alive, I'll post it.

It was a fantastic adventure. I had a great time-- promise. It’s mostly hugs and kisses from here on out.