Quite Curious

Mike looked around and said, “Let’s get out of here. Now.” The RV park we were staying at didn’t have a good vibe. Contrary to what I think most RV vacationers are like (see left), they were, at least for the majority, very cold.

When we first pulled up to the RV Park, everyone paused mid-bite and stared at us through the diner window. They didn’t wave back whenever Mike waved at them. They eyed me suspiciously when I went to the bathroom. The barista at the cafe looked like terrified of me (me, of all people…come on)

Maybe it was because we were young, or (I hate to say it) the only non-whites, or the fact that we were driving a teeny tiny bus instead of a two bedroom house on wheels. Maybe it was because I was taking photos of everything, or maybe we reeked after not being able to take a shower after camping at a no-water campsite the night before. Maybe we just weren’t part of the tight-knit RV Crowd. Who knows.

(Photo from away.com)

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Roadtrip: Day One »
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Bodega Bay is cold but I woke up nice and warm in the bus. Reading wired + gourmet magazine until it’s time to get coffee at the diner.
- Twitter status #3647438908 posted on 8:30 AM, Aug 30th.

Feeling refreshed and ready to start the day.

The RV Park

The sign was welcoming, but the attitude was anything but.

The Bodega Bay RV Park.

We called (and called) this place to see if they had vacancy, but no one answered the phone. We went there anyway to see what it was like, and we were able to find several spots, but still no one in the office.

There was a bulletin board at the front office with a myriad of warning notices, and empty payment envelopes. The instructions were to find an open spot, and drop off the payment in the envelope at the front mailbox in the morning before leaving the RV campsite.

It was a very strange system: 1) anyone could have stayed there for free without anyone knowing and 2) they did not include the password for the keypad to enter the bathroom facilities (which were included in the package). We ended up getting the password from (the only) friendly neighbors.

“No Sleeping in Motor Vehicles”? Isn’t this an RV park?

The place was a bit run down. There was deer poop all over the place, and a not-so-promising sign for a putting green.

We had parking spot #204. The bus only took up a fourth of the parking space.

Some people had enormous RVs. This is bigger than the one bedroom house I used to live in Palo Alto.

Some vacationers stay for a long time. This RV owner brought house plants.

I didn’t know this - that most RVs come with sides that pop open, to create more space.

The basic amenities were parking and bathroom facilities, but there were other options available such as running water, electricity, waste removal, even television. This is a pipe that connects the RV to the sewage line.

“Thanks for coming…don’t forget your spouse and kids.” Yeah, that would be bad.

Breakfast at Bodega Bay

Here’s the story: A guy couldn’t pay rent on his boat dock, so the owner let his boat drift into the waters (I mean, that’s how eviction works in the waters, right?). The boat eventually floated into a shallow part of the water and got stuck in the sand. Now no one knows what to do with it.

Saying hello to a seagull.

Heading Home

After breakfast, we were back on the road again, this time going south towards home. I was glad to leave Bodega Bay. The area is nice, but the people were strange, there was nothing to do if you didn’t own big toys like boats and RVs, and everything was overpriced. I don’t think I would come back.

The drive back was gorgeous, and it was another reminder about how lucky I am to live in California. I rarely leave the state because there’s still so much left to see and do.

We passed a lot of dairy farms on the way. As Mike was looking up directions back home on his iPhone, I hopped out of the car to moo at the cows. Yes, I moo at the cows. They don’t moo back, but I think they like it.

We passed by Point Reyes Winery, which had a sign outside for wine tasting. We had 5 tastes for $5. They had a yummy Pinot Noir and Viognier.

Fairfax

Paula is somewhere called Fairfax. It kind of sucks but the weather is great.
- Twitter status #3654456025 posted on 3:35 PM, Aug 30th.

Ok, I take that back. Fairfax was actually pretty cool the more I walked around. It’s a small town in Marin County, with lots of character, lots of great food, and lots of hippies. And I mean, big time hippie-town. I usually fit into hippie-towns, but this was beyond just organic, free-trade coffee stuff. We’re talking about new age boutiques selling all sorts of middle eastern tchotchkes and Bob Marley bamboo shirts, organic dry cleaning, all natural hair salon (what does that mean, anyway?), organic car wash, an Ace hardware store with green cleaning products in the window displays, way too many yoga studios, even something called pet therapy. It’s more hippie than Berkeley and San Francisco combined. I even saw a guy walking around barefoot. Nice.

We stopped by this cute cafe. I really liked it, they had a great menu and friendly staff. I wish I could remember the name of this place.

Fairfax is the Mecca for all hippies. I had hemp milk today.
- Twitter status #3655568915 posted on 4:38 PM, Aug 30th.

Most of the coffee extras were basic: cream, soymilk, an extra shot of espresso. But one made me do a double take - hemp milk! I had to try it. It was surprisingly good. I was expecting something that tasted like wheat, but it tasted more like vanilla soymilk. Woodsy and sweet (there’s added sugar). I would order it again.

Mike bought a disco ball for the bus.

All the gas stations in hippie land are out of gas. Are the hippies on strike?
- Twitter status #3655905475 posted on 4:57 PM, Aug 30th.

We ended up finding a gas station with gas, but it was just about the strangest gas station I’ve ever been to. I’m not sure what happened, but when Mike went to the front desk to pay, a group of three guys walked up to my side of the bus and stared at me. Mike ran out of the front office, freaked out about what he saw in there (something about a tabletop display of plastic hands), and worried about the guys who were staring at me. He peeled out of the parking lot, honking the horn as he left.

Conclusion

Our three day roadtrip was so much fun! It was the first time camping in the bus, and it turned out great. The best part was not knowing what we were going to do next, but always knowing we had a place to stay for the night. I can’t wait for the next roadtrip.

Paula is back home :)
- Twitter status #3661263422 posted on 10:51 PM, Aug 30th.

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Roadtrip: Day One »
Roadtrip: Day Two »