Fun beaches and friends drew me to Santa Cruz for Independence Day
My decision to spend my 4th of July in Santa Cruz ended up being a very good one as I had a great time, and the weather was spectacular! Before I get into my experience down there, though, I feel I should touch on my interesting drive there from Humboldt County.
Having a very little income, and a million ideas how to spend the little cash I have saved, I am somewhat forced to look for money in creative ways (which usually end up working somehow). I have had some expediences posting in Craigslist's "rideshare" section so I decided up offer a ride to anyone needing to get anywhere between Redway and Santa Cruz. A woman ended up offering me twenty dollars to take her and her young child from Redway to the Oakland Coliseum Bart Station right off of Interstate 880.
I picked up the woman, two years older than me, and her son at 8AM at the Dean Creek Resort. She was very much what one might describe as a "hippie" with her very long dreadlocks and sarong-like attire. She and her son were very clean, which made me happy as I had just vacuumed my car.
At first we started taking about the lack of any public transportation in Humboldt County, including Greyhound. She mentioned that she takes Greyhound a lot, and that once in Oakland she would be taking it to Sacramento This prompted me to say, "Anyone who takes Greyhound a lot must have some wild stories." To which she quickly responded, "Yeah, I once was kicked off of Greyhound for having intercourse." I laughed and said something to prevent an awkward silence. She then continued to describe a story where on a bus from LA to Oakland the driver got lost for multiple hours on a detour as Interstate 5 was closed and everybody was really mad at the driver so he was afraid to stop the bus because they were threatening to kick him off. Passengers "needing" cigarette/marijuana breaks started even started smoking in the bus! (Which got me wondering how kids in high school were able to constantly get away with smoking weed on the school buses.)
This lady also talked a lot about how she is a recovered heroin addict. She also mentioned around five times that "they don't let me on planes." Hmmm.... Another awkward moment came when she mentioned how her son was conceived in the back of a semi truck! However, the one statement of hers that really blew my mind came as we crossed the Richmond Bridge and she said "This really reminds me of one of the times I was kidnapped..." She went on to tell me a story of how when she was a transient in Berkeley she was taken by some men. Anyway, we finally arrived in Oakland and I dropped them off so they could catch BART. I then got back on 880 and exited towards Santa Clara to go to a place to get my car smogged that I found a coupon for online.
Hiep in Santa Clara
The only place here in Southern Humboldt to get your car smogged at, Redwood Towing, wanted to charge seventy dollars to smog my Audi sedan. The place I went to in Santa Clara, a small business called Hiep, cost me only thirty dollars and it wasn't even out of my way at all. I was in and out in 20 minutes without an appointment, and my car passed!
My brother-in-law, Bret, is to thank for most of the great time I had camping along the Trinity River. He used to work around there so he had some connections and, of course, knew all of the nice spots to go.
Day One: The Swimming Hole
My sister, Sami, and I drove to Trinity together and arrived to find Elly, Bret, and some of their friends having a fun time at a beach off of a branch of the river. Bret and other brought river kayaks and were practicing rolls. Some of the small children even got to try the kayaks.
Bret looking like a seasoned veteran
Deveney, Jim, and one of the many little ones
We camped the first two nights at Deveney's family's place right along the Trinity River. The following day we were comped a big raft to go down the river in by some friends of Bret. We put it atop Elly and Bret's van/home/raft trailer, took it to be launched.The raft was bigger than the van!
So much fun!
Once again, Bret's expertise made this experience so great! He knew the names of all the rapids,
had a keen eye for wildlife, explained to us about the gold mining that still goes on, pointed out places where the old highway used to run, and much more. He kept us antsy about when the infamous "Hell Hole" would come about, and actually kept it a bit of a secret until we had completed it. It was probably the most exhilerating thing I have done since climbing Mt Fuji last year.
Dev' and Jim took a kayak down the river
The most dangerous rapid we hit, known as "Hell Hole"
An eel
Day 3: The Amazing Hike
Bret led us on a beautiful, unforgettable trip up towards the peaks of the alps. The hike started in the trees, and eventually the ecosystem changed to more of a rocky terrain. Our goal was to go up for five miles, where were were to find a nice swimming hole. Do you think we made it?Elly crossing a creek
A view of the alps from one of the slopes we hiked along
Goal accomplished!
We finally arrived at a breathtakingly beautiful pool of chilly water where we rested, ate the lunches we packed, and went for swims.I spent the most time in the water
Look how clear that water is!
Very, very clear water
Let me out!
Lounging legs
Like iguanas on a heat-rock
Sisters and I on the way back down
That night we camped by the first swimming hole I mentioned
Although the trip was somewhat short, we did a lot, and I had so much fun. I highly recommend you all get out and enjoy California's spectacular Trinity River and its surroundings. Oh ya, that night we saw a beautiful bald eagle as we sat around the fire-pit at dusk.
MJ was "out of this world"
Being a loyal listener of Michael Jackson for my entire life, I am pretty sad to see him go. I know that he was not likely going to be able to put out any new music worth listening to, though I secretly hoped his upcoming shows in England would jump-start his career. I even remember reading last year that the Jackson 5 were going on tour, but obviously that didn't ever happen. I guess since we all die, there should really be no surprise, or shock in what happened, so I will take a little time to reflect by going over my MJ-favorites and memories.The Videos
The video that I distinctly remember of MJ's was "Thriller". As a young child it seemed like a full-on movie, and definitely scared me! I was a fan of most of MJ's videos though, and some that really stand out in my mind are "Leave Me Alone", "Black or White", "Scream", and"Earth Song".
Leave Me Alone
My Favorite Songs
Just a few weeks ago a couple friends and I were singing some MJ at a karaoke establishment in Tokyo. According to my Ipod, my most listened to Michael Jackson song is "Billie Jean", followed by "Somebody's Watching Me", "Leave Me Alone", and "Scream". I think that I have to say that "Leave Me Alone" is probably the song I would choose as my favorite right now. I love "Black or White", but the rap in it is so corny that it can't be my favorite. I do think it is hilarious how Macaulay Culkin does the rap in the video, though.
The Truckee River in mid-June
A couple days ago, with temperatures reaching around 74 degrees here in Truckee, I convinced my sister to take a walk with me down to the Truckee river for a dip. The local mountains still have some snow left on them, making for a beautiful setting for a refreshing swim.The cold water takes some time to get used to
My first submersion was accomplished by falling backwards
Sami went head first
Heaven
This was the first time I wore my watch in water since I bought it in late January. Stupidly, I used to wear my last watch all the time, even while showering. I somehow didn't think the soap-scum stuck to it was that bad. I can't believe I used to think that way just a few months ago!
On the walk home, a freight train got between us and our neighborhood 
Sami contemplating the free ride to Reno
Too bad, you missed it! 
My decision to spend my 4th of July in Santa Cruz ended up being a very good one as I had a great time, and the weather was spectacular! Before I get into my experience down there, though, I feel I should touch on my interesting drive there from Humboldt County.
