Thursday 11/8
Cold last night. My little thermometer said 28F. My little buddy heater has been getting a workout. Foggy to boot. I don’t use any heaters at night and, in fact, if I’m leaving the campsite i shut it down. Kinda like boiling water and leaving the schooner, that’s a no-no Mr. Forgetful. A 1# bottle is lasting 2 days.
Wore gloves to get Bill and the schooner ready to go. Brrrr. I try to be a polite neighbor when i leave and not let Bill sit there and warm up disturbing the neighbor’s sleep. Just as i start to pull out the park ranger stops in front of my site to check a late arrival from last night has paid their fees. I know he can hear Bill-everybody can hear Bill, i can hear Bill. He starts to rouse the other site and i give Bill a blimp of the throttle and it finally dawns on him. Duh. Just ‘cause they’re packing a gun doesn’t mean they’re smart.
Off we go into the wild foggy yonder. I programmed Bruce Hunter’s address in last night and will just follow it today. The GPS does a excellent job of keeping me to the backroads and Bruce lives on a backroad, so all’s good. I’m about 80 miles from his place and it takes me till 11 to get there. His road is narrow with few turn-arounds. But I’m trusting GPS. There is a gate across the road. Hmmm. There were a couple of overgrown gates a hundred yards back. Hmmm. The road isn’t any wider then Bill. Road isn’t really a good description. Uncle D had given me Bruce’s cell number but the coverage is spotty. I also know Bruce is like me, he ain’t going to answer any number he doesn’t know. Maybe a phone call to Uncle D is in order. I start to backup to see if i can get coverage. It is tight with barrow pits on both sides. Brush is touching both sides of the schooner. Hmmm. Move enough i get 1 bar. Try Bruce, leave voice mail. Call Uncle D, tell him where I’m at, he says if you crossed the bridge you went to far. I remember a small, narrow, no guardrails, (did i say narrow?) back a 100 yards. So i walk back and decide if i keep tabs on the driver’s side the other side will take care of itself. Back up a couple of hundred yards and there is a spot if i multiple forward-backwards i think i can get turned around. As I’m inspecting the area i see Bruce’s driveway. No way to get down it, too overgrown. Hmmm, get Bill off the side of the road, grab a trekking pole and start up the driveway. A house! Rap on the house with my pole and stand where Bruce can see me clearly. If he answers the door with a gun in his hand I’m far enough away to not be a immediate threat.
Bruce’s hair is a little grayer and he walk’s with a limp but it’s still Bruce! We have a nice visit. He is the classic hippy. Still a dreamer. Still anti-establishment. Interesting guy. The Hunter brothers, everything I’m not.
Off to the coast after a couple of hours of reminiscing. Next stop the Pacific Ocean.
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.’a
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