Freedom Cache
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu
“Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.”
These quotes capture the spirit of our travel venture which is guided by intentions . . . to capture expressions of beauty and joy, have fun, be mindful and present in each moment. A search for parks and geocaching provide a rich supply of places to explore. In the process we discovered, Sequoia Park in Eureka, CA. We chose to drive the Redwood Hwy. (101) rather than I-5. The interstate is destination travel, the Redwood Hwy. is for intentional travel where your vehicle brushes past massive Sequoia’s that make my F-250 truck looks like a matchbox toy. It also offers places to pull over. We stopped at the California border and captured the moment before crossing into the state . . . Linda’s first time. We met a lone bicyclist from Switzerland named Victor. Upon inquiry, we found that he his trip started at the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC and will end at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The odometer on his bike revealed he had just traveled over 5,000 Km! I asked if I could take his picture and he shared his email for a copy. When I start to feel fatigued from driving, I remember Victor and wonder how he fared on the narrow, windy mountain passes.
The 1997 pick-up with 223,000 miles we bought for the trip is holding up well. Although I had a new tune-up, rear differential, shocks, tires, and radiator installed, we provide encouragement and affirmation to, “Catalina” every day. The tri-fold Tanno cover is working well as we haul everything we need for our two months in remote Baja mountain country where a 4x4 with high clearance is needed to access the property.
We arrived at Howarth Park in Santa Rosa just in time to take a paddle boat out on Lake Ralphine. It was the perfect way to get some exercise while soaking in the sun-rays in the middle of the lake. From there we looked for a nearby geocache which led us to an old cemetery where local luminaries are buried beside a past we don’t read much about in history books. 36 Japanese are buried there, many of them in unmarked graves, likely from those who came to work in the vineyards. Like Oregon and Washington, we learned that California’s Alien Land Laws were an attempt to stem the tide of Asian immigration by prohibiting non-citizens from owning land. Since only white and black people could be citizens at that time in history, Asians were the clear target of discrimination.
We drove from Santa Rosa to an Airbnb in Richmond an hour away this morning. The fact that we brought some diversity to the neighborhood just made the trip a little more interesting. We have used this site countless times to find some of the best affordable accommodations around the world. This is an entire apartment unit with off-street parking just 30 minutes from downtown SF for $60/night. We spent the afternoon geocaching among aromatic eucalyptus woods at Point Pinole on the San Pablo Bay. Linda was about to climb into a grove of trees for a photo, but I had a burr in my shoe that was killing me so asked her to wait while I pulled it out. Just as she moved away she panicked at the site of a large snake nested in the trees where she had nearly stepped. She was so glad I didn’t want to take her picture in that moment!
As we celebrate Independence Day today, I am grateful for the freedom I have to live and move as I choose. On this day, we plan to explore the city of San Francisco with the intention of capturing free expressions of joy and beauty. Wishing all of you a Happy 4th of July with a cache full of love and playfulness.
