I set out on Monday morning to loop up to Clearlake, down to Napa and back over to Davis. This was a route filled primarily with nice two lane country roads. The 29 down into Napa valley was nice and windy, but at this point I was feeling spoiled by highway 1. Had I seen this at the start of the trip I would’ve written paragraphs singing its praises. Now it was the expectation.
Jason’s place was looking pretty spartan, so when I saw the antique shop in Clearlake I had to see if I could find him something. It was a pretty quirky shop. I had also been looking for another sticker for my helmet, and the lady at the counter bluntly told me they didn’t have anything like that, almost seeming offended that I’d asked. This was not some gimmicky shop selling mass-produced junk, I imagined her thinking.
Over time she relaxed as I wandered around the shop amused by the stuff in there. When I eventually picked out a wooden carving of an antelope, small enough to fit in my day pack, she told me about the B Bryan Preserve which apparently has a bunch of zebras. This is in Point Arena, which was right where I’d stopped to charge my phone on the way down the 1. Shame I’d already passed through.
I got to thinking about all the places I wasn’t gonna see and got sad.
But no time to dwell, I was hungry and still needed to make my way down to Napa, which was farther south than I’d initially realized. I stopped by the local grocery store for a quick sandwich.
There was no seating outside, so I wandered around the strip mall looking for some. The only spots I found were in direct sun, so I snuck down a small dirt alley behind some trash cans. At this point I was too hungry to care about fine dining.
What followed was probably the low point of the trip so far. I opened my sandwich and to my surprise it was just white bread, mayo and turkey. What the fuck? Were they messing with me?
I looked back at the ordering slip I had filled out and realized I had only selected my meat and condiments. No veggies were checked. I still don’t know how I missed everything, it was right there in plain English. I was so mad at myself, and ate my dry flavorless sandwich right there seated on the dirt as penance. I slipped the guy on the side of the street a 20 so that he may enjoy a similar experience, and hit the road again.
I’d thought I’d try a wine tasting or something, but after seeing the difference between Clearlake and Napa, I decided I didn’t really care to be another tourist here. I just cruised through after getting my oil topped off at a local bike shop. It was pretty country and a nice day out. The 121 and 128 back to Davis were great roads.
Just like my stay in San Francisco, the second day in Davis was a bit unstructured for some rest and relaxation off the bike. I did a lot of walking around town. It was super hot out. They had a climbing gym that had just opened, so I got a day pass.
Afterwards I sat for nearly an hour in the shade of some utility boxes on the side of the road waiting for Jason to come snag me for our campus tour. A few people gave me some funny looks for my place of leisure, but nobody bothered me. Eventually Jason showed up.
We toured campus and talked about childhood and what you lose as you become an adult. We romanticized being a kid in school and all the friends you would make and maintain without having to schedule things. After a certain age you need to schedule stuff to see a lot of people. It’s less common to just show up and hang out without a plan these days. Everyone’s just more busy.
Jason remarked how much more he likes law school and school in general compared to the working world, because in school it seems they care about learning for the joy of learning, not as some sort of return on investment or means to an end. We searched for ideas on how to deal with this as we age. His solution is to have a wife and kids. I guess that makes sense.
We got home and I had a rewarding conversation with Jason’s roommate Parsa. Parsa is only 21 and he’s seen more of the greater Bay Area than probably 95% of residents. His photos app map was littered with pictures from basically anywhere and everywhere you could go within a hundred mile radius.
He told stories of his adventures and showed me snake skins from snakes he’d killed and the hook he’d used to do it. He explained how and where to find snakes and how to clean and cook them.
We talked about how it’s way more rewarding to go somewhere where few people go. You feel like more of an individual in the world as opposed to a robot being channeled through it.
I told Parsa it was overwhelming how much there is to see, even just in California. He said “that’s the best part about it, bro.” What a better way to look at it.
On that note, Jason and I headed up to Lassen National Park on Wednesday for a night of camping.
We drove up the 5 in his Honda fit and discussed political issues. Jason’s claim is that he’s able to evaluate things nearly objectively without letting initial biases or knee-jerk reactions significantly alter his opinions. I tried my best to probe him and see how true this was. It’s hard to tell, but he does have a lot of information and will concede things that go against his case.
It also feels weird to use some of these topics as a playground for debate and theories of human reason. Like if I really cared I could donate or something. But I suppose it’s better to at least think about the world than listen to music or gossip or whatever. In any case I learned a lot.
We arrived after dark since Jason had had classes in the morning and we took some stops along the way. We only had my one person tent, but it worked fine for two people.
I feel a lot more analytical even after just a few days with Jason. You really do become more like the people you surround yourself with. And it happens fast. Maybe it’s also that this pattern of thinking is in there and just hasn’t been activated for a while. It feels like everything in the world is a puzzle to think about. A problem to solve.
I’ve even found myself with more of an urge to plan further ahead in my trip so that I don’t miss anything. A feeling that I need to optimize it.
I think it’s time to continue down the coast.
Miles Ridden: 250
Total Miles: 2051
Camp: Butte Lake Campground, Old Station, CA