Friday

We spent the night at Garberville, CA last night and tonight we are at a very nice inn at Bodega Bay thanks to Noah's recommendation via phone.  Thanks Noah.

This morning brought us $100 surprise!  After leaving the hotel, we pulled in for gas at Garberville.  Peter had just paid inside the station when another man inside told Peter he had dropped something.  Well, it was a hundred dollar bill.  Once back in our vehicle, Peter told me that, after thinking about it and reviewing how much money he had in his wallet, he was sure the hundred dollar bill was not his.  The man who had told Peter he dropped it had gone into a store across the street, so Peter decided to go give it to that guy since he was the one who found it.  Peter also told the guy that another man just before Peter had paid and was in a green pickup.
The finder said, 'oh great, now what am I suppose to do with it.'  Peter said, 'well, you were the finder and I just know it doesn't belong to me, so do whatever you think,'   We could have kept it.  We could have given it to the gas station attendant.  Or, we could have put it in the basket at church on Sunday, but Peter thought perhaps the person who really lost it might really need it and would be back to the gas station, sooooooooooooooo now it's up to the finder! 

Speaking of gas, the prices out here are somewhat higher than in Illinois.  California prices are running $3.22 to $3.47 a gallon.  Oregon prices were about $3.20 a gallon.

So back down the road, Hwy 101, we went; winding and hairpin-turning our way back to Leggett to finally get on Hwy or Route 1.  It was prettier in daylight, and not quite so scary driving winding roads.  The clouds were lingering in the high pines so it reminded me a lot of the Smoky Mountains.   Just at the start of Route 1 we took an off-road to drive through a Redwood Tree.  You have probably seen pictures of that famous scene.  Well, we DID it.  It was COOL!  Surreal!  That is how it feels being in the huge Redwoods, surreal.
Peter said this morning driving around in the forests that 'it feels like we're driving in a movie.'   We did take pictures of the drive-thru tree to show later.

California Route 1 is forever bobbing and winding up and down.  Sometimes it gets to be a little much, but the beauty of the trees, cliffs and ocean keep it from manotomy.  There were a few hair-raising turns over steep cliffs that had my foot again pushing the floorboard, but Peter safely drove on.  We stopped at the city of Fort Bragg for lunch which is where today's picture post was taken.  We drove down into the harbor there and ate right along the mouth of the river.  I had fish and chips again, but the "chips" were sweet potatoe & white fries mixed.  And the slaw was made with julienne carrots, sliced purple cabbage, yellow pepper strips and I think just lemon juice.  It was good!  Peter had a Big Meat sandwich which he said was also very good.  We then walked out to the harbor and talked a little bit with a "local yokal" (where did that come from anyway?) about the sights in the area and mostly about animals . . . deer, elk, turkeys . . . we think he was a hunter.

Back on the route again after lunch going through various towns and forests we came upon a beautiful and quaint looking place named Mendocino.  The place had many old Victorian style houses and an old-fashioned shopping area.  They also had a really neat looking jetty which we drove out on.  At least I think that's what it is called.  It is an area that jets out into the ocean.  This one was flat, treeless and high up from the ocean edge making for a cliff-like edge all around.  There were a couple of paths to walk, but we didn't.  In hindsight, we wished that we had stayed at Mendocino for a night or two, but we thought there would be more neat towns to come.  So far, there hasn't been one quite like that.

Somewhere, up high on a winding road we made a curve and there on the side of the road were two peacocks.  We stopped to give them a couple of crackers which they seem happy to devour, but they didn't treat us to their open tail fan.  We could see how beautiful the coloring was though, and it was a little surprise to see them.  Also, along the way, we saw many large ranches with cows and sheep.  Cows, sheep and the ocean don't seem to belong in the same sentence, but it made for interesting viewing.  In some places that were high elevation it looked strange to see the cows standing at ocean edge, but I guess they know enough not to fall off.

Well, here we are in Bodega tucked in for the night.  We have a view of the bay off the balcony.  Thanks again Noah for looking up a place for us when we were "in limbo."
And a special thanks to Timber and Wylie for visiting Missy and taking her for a little walk today.  xoxoxoxo

LOVE AND HUGS AND PRAYERS TO ALL
MOM xoxoxoxo