Wednesday, March 19, 2003

 

Travelogue: A day with the Brahma

The Brahma let you all down today…by not taking his camera along for the ride while on his appointed rounds.
Yesterday, I mentioned the short journey that must be made today…a round trip to Mill Valley, where routes 1 and 101 meet in Marin County. I arrived at the home of D2 in the early afternoon. It was one fine f’n day…close to 70 degrees, crystal clear with an occasional brisk wind. Upon completion of our agenda, I thought how nice it would be to take the scenic route back…up Rt. 1, The Coast Highway. It was just 2:20…beautiful day…been under some stress lately, without the threat of the looming war…what do YOU think I did?

Yes…my primeval forces took over. A trip up or down the coast takes me back to those thrilling days of yesteryear. Like spending two months living out of a hot U-Haul truck, the back compartment set up like a sheik’s whorehouse, as we barreled up & down the coast, sleeping under the redwoods off the side of a road. Or the impromptu hoot-n-anny held at a cabin overlooking the ocean in the then wild section of California known as “The Lost Coast”... 10 miles from the nearest paved road…where even Rt.1 veers inland.

I left D2’s house, made a left instead of a right and began to work my way up the twisty road that goes over Mt. Tamalpais to reveal spectacular stretches of coastline. That first view of ocean after cresting the top is heart stopping, but just a taste of the road ahead. The twisting and turning is just beginning!
The road splits only to meet about 10 miles later, with the high road skirting around the west side of the mountain through the stately, Muir Woods, the lower twisting down to the coast. I wanted to drive as much coastline as possible. So I headed down past Muir Beach, where the road climbs again to an overlook perhaps 400 feet above the beach, where I got out of the car to stare at the ocean. I took a giant hit of fresh air with shades of salt water vapors and felt a rush equivalent to the effect of a fine tropical herb. It was one of those mini-moments of perfect bliss that you try to hold on to as long as possible. I stood at the vista point for a few minutes. The fragrance of the early spring blooms were wafting in and out of the sea air, making it hard to tear myself away.

I vowed to return soon, easing my departure. I almost ignited my lone soldier at that point, but I remembered the “Flagman Ahead” sign I had passed before stopping, so I delayed that action. A fortunate move, as the “Flagman” was a CHP, (Calif. Highway Patrol) sitting in his car until it was time to stop my lone car coming down the road. After a lone car came from the opposite direction I was allowed to proceed. There were orange cones blocking off the coast side, with a fancy looking car parked diagonal, half on the shoulder, while half a dozen people moved about the area. I had noticed an orange bird shaped kite flying in the area too. Then I noticed an equipment truck parked 200 feet ahead and a guy walking back toward the car. I stopped to ask him what they were filming. Answer: Lexus commercial. Should’ve figured…many of the commercials featuring automobiles cruising across rolling hills or by the ocean are filmed in Marin & Sonoma counties. I’ll have to watch the Lexus commercials next month and look for an orange kite.

Giant turkey vultures circled overhead as I coasted down the other side to the town of Stinson Beach. There’s a little place there that group member Smokie used to work at called The Sand Dollar that has a bar and a relaxed feeling, not to mention 5 kinds of local brews on tap. I soaked in the atmosphere as I soaked up the Boone’s pale ale, including the obligatory family of central state tourists having a late lunch… turned down the offer to buy myself another one, drained the vein and hit the road.

Three or four miles out of town, my lone paper wrapped companion made it’s expected sacrifice to the cause. I decided against taking the side trip out the peninsular to the hippie hideaway town of Bolinas. The road is unmarked and most often passed by for that reason. Every time the State sends a crew out to erect a directional sign, the good people of Bolinas see fit to tear it down…keeping it a secret to those passing by in order to continue their lives unabated.

Traveling through a town I’ve long admired, called Dogtown, I noticed someone had painted a white X across the population number in the sign in order to correct it by one…apparently it’s now home to thirty ONE people. Congratulations, whoever you are! Soon I was at the crossroad that is the town of Olema…original home to the Youngbloods, an all too often forgotten group when it comes to discussions of the S.F. 60’s music scene, despite the fact that “Get Together” has to be mentioned in any top 10 list of songs that defined the era. I was blasting a fantastic live tape of Steve Kimock (KVHW) as I went through Point Reyes Station to the Petaluma turnoff, past the Nicasio reservoir and miles of dairy farms. All too soon I was in downtown Petaluma trying to figure out which way would be the fastest home.

The Coast Highway is the only road that (A- cars pull behind me waiting to pass because I'm going too slow, and (B- I'm more than happy to pull over and let them pass. Even though my trip was unplanned, I’m very disappointed to miss enough photo-ops to supply the Sonoma County photo of the moment for a month. I posted instead, a beach in San Francisco taken last November. A very poor substitute. As I said before...my deepest apologies...I'll make it up to you.

posted by ~Brahma 2:07 AM