Redcrest, walking South to Berkeley, CA!
Saturday July 26, 2003
5:35am I woke up in the little camping shelter. It's cold. I'm going to go take a shit in the bathroom that's out here.
6:28am I am walking away from the RV park.
6:39am I just jumped the fence between the access road and the highway. I jumped it in the same place where I jumped it last time, five months ago. Where the tree was. Now, I'm going to walk the highway. I had a can of pineapple chunks for breakfast.
7:20am I've been walking and I'm going to stop at this sign here. The sign says, "Redcrest 6 miles, Ukiah 125 miles, San Francisco 234 miles." I remember Redcrest. That's where that Eternal Tree House is at. I'm going to sit down and rest. Oh, I've been finding these snipe cigarettes on the ground. I found me one third of an American Spirit and one third of a Marlboro Red. Cool.
7:30am I finished smoking my little snipes. I'm going to keep walking. Oh yeah, I'm making sure to put the cigarette butts in my pocket.
7:32am Let's see how long it takes me to get to Redcrest six miles away.
I'm stopping at the sign that says, "Holmes and Redcrest, right lane." Hmm, I don't think I've gone six miles yet. It should still be a while. I think Redcrest is that place where they had that Eternal Tree House Cafe, where I got hooked up last time. I'm going to get hooked up again, I'm sure. Just watch.
8:08am I'm going to open up a can of green beans and eat 'em. I'm hungry.
8:17am I finished up my green beans. They're only like twenty calories per ½ cup serving. There's about 3½ serving in that can. Hmm, twenty times 3.5. Shit. I'll figure it out later.
8:21am Leaving.
Turning left at the underpass at the sign pointing to Holmes, Redcrest and Pepperwood.
8:35am Just found me two pennies and a little bit of a Camel Wide.
8:42am I'm standing in front of the Bernard Willett and Mary Willett Grove in Humboldt State Park.
9:05am I'm all relaxed here, sitting under this big tree, waiting to get up. Just thinkin'.
9:12am I'm leaving my spot in the grove.
9:18am Now passing over Bear Creek. Something on the bridge says 1949. It was built in 1949, I assume.
9:42am I just took off my army pants and thermal. I'm all packed up and walking again. I'm taking my sweet ass time. Man, this is a beautiful walk. It's gorgeous. Something tells me I'm going the wrong way, but I hate backtracking. I'll just go where I end up.
I keep passing all these groves with peoples' names on it. I'm in Humboldt Redwood State Park right now. This place is awesome. These Redwoods are humungous.
9:59am These bikers just rode by and I asked them, "Hey, is Redcrest this way?" They told me yeah, but that I am off the highway. They told me the state park road ran parallel to the highway. So, cool. I'm headed South, like I should be. I'm taking the scenic route. The guy on the bike went, "Wait, let me check my GPS." He had his shit all decked out.
10:03am I'm coming up to a sign that says, "Immortal Tree." It has a big arrow pointing to the left. What the hell is an immortal tree? Let me go find out.
10:04am I came up to the Immortal Tree. It's an ancient Redwood aged 950-1,000 years. Original height is 298 feet. Current height is 248 feet. Survived lightning, which ruined its top, Loggers' Axe, forest fires in 1908. Flood of 1964. Trunk diameter is 14.5 feet. Top diameter is 3 feet. Total volume of board footage is 104, 380, enough to build several homes. Please do not climb tree, hehe. Thank you.
Okay, I went into the Immortal Tree Gift Shop. They have all this redwood stuff in there. It smells really good. I just asked this guy for a cigarette and he said he would give me one when he returns from the restroom. Cool. And, I'm only a mile away from Redcrest. Cool.
10:15am Arpad has agreed to give me a cigarette. I appreciate it, brother. That's very generous of you.
10:16am I'm going to sit down in this chair made of redwood tree and smoke this cigarette. Man, this place is really cool. I'm glad I came this way instead this time. Whoa, this salamander right here is all camouflaged with the same color of the concrete. Awesome.
10:26am Leaving the Immortal Tree.
10:53am Just found me half of an American Spirit cigarette. That's my cue for breaktime.
11:12am Now entering the town of Redcrest. Population 112. Elevation 350.
11:14am This guy in an old antique tractor(that works!) just passed me by.
11:17am When I entered the Eternal Tree House Cafe I asked the girl, Rachel if she remembered me. I asked her if she worked there five months ago and she told me no. I told her, "My name is Victor. I'm a long-distance walker/journalist coming from San Antonio, TX. I'm writing a book on generosity the entire world is going to read. I don't suppose you would care to donate any gasoline for my stomach?" She asked me what I wanted and I told her to surprise me. She told me they would be serving lunch pretty soon and to just wait a bit and she would take care of me. Cool, I'm going to go check out the Eternal Tree House.
11:20am I'm in the treehouse and I'm going to read you the sign: "A fascinating history lies behind the Eternal Tree House. This one-time giant of nature has endured for over 2500 years. The main portion of the tree was felled in the early 1800's by loggers and became railway ties for the new railway to Eureka. The remaining stump contained a huge cavern caused by fire centuries ago and had been used first by Indians and then by trappers, hunters, travelers and their livestock for shelter. In 1910, Harry Mcleod, an expert wood splitter hewed out the interior with an axe and adze. The 20 foot room was refined in 1950 and a gift shop was started in it. The walls still bare the marks of the work. Mementos of an all but lost art. Although the original trunk of the tree is gone, it continued living living as the parent of more than a dozen redwoods which issue from its roots and are now more than 40 feet high. A visit to the gift shop will enable you to see the many different products made from Redwoods, plus t-shirts, gifts and souvenirs. Also available are the "live" buds, seedlings and seed kits to grow your own Redwood tree. Stop by the Cafe and see what's cooking for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Don't forget dessert. Thank you for coming by. Please sign our guestbook and have a safe journey."
11:32am I just came back out to the cafe and noticed there was a wishing well close by. I had just found two pennies on the highway not too long ago. I dropped one in and wished for world peace and another one for my way home safely. Oh, and in the treehouse I signed the guestbook with my left hand. My tremor was acting up in my right hand. I put, "Victor Antonio, San Antonio, TX and left my email address, too.
Right now I am 36 miles away from Eureka.
There goes the old guy on the tractor again.
11:42am Larry was nice enough to give me a cigarette. That's very generous of you, brother.
I just got hooked up with a fat vegetable omelet by Rachel at the cafe. Badass.
12:03pm Sharon was generous enough to hook me up with a after-meal smoke.
12:04pm Got my tailor-made after-meal smoke.
12:17pm I was just sitting there and this guy who told me his god-given name was Lauren hooked me up with like half a pack of cigarettes. He said they were given to him. That's awesome, man. Thanks.
12:33pm I'm back on the highway, 101. There's that sign that says, "Pedestrians Prohibited."
12:35pm Mile marker 39.50, I think. Let me go read that sign again. I think that's a mile marker. Umm, I think that's marking something else. I'm guessing. It doesn't look like any of the other mile markers.
Ukiah, 199 miles. San Francisco, 227 miles.
12:42pm I'm going to stop and take a piss.
12:43pm Leaving.
I just found a little 5/16th wrench. I'm going to hold onto it.
12:48pm Found another penny.
1:00pm Found another penny.
Mile marker 3818.
1:05pm 3804.
1:06pm 3793
1:11pm Stopping to rest, and smoke. I'll do my Tai-Chi stretches, also.
1:25pm Leaving.
1:28pm 3750
1:38pm 3700 That's how long it took me to walk half a mile.
1:46pm 3654
1:47pm 3650
1:50pm Southfork, Honeydew right lane.
1:54pm Guess what just happened to me. Aaron, the guy who I was talking to last night drove by in his VW bus and pulled over. He's giving me a ride a little past Willits, I think. He's going to Lake County over by Ukiah. Cool, cool. That was awesome.
2:53pm Man, that was fucking awesome, that guy Aaron just picked me up. Hahaha, I've made myself known. People know me. Awesome. Oh yeah, we just stopped to check his oil in his VW bus that he's selling for $1500. There's a big for-sale sign on it.
2:57pm 175 miles to San Francisco. Almost.
Oh yeah, today is Saturday the 26th of July.
3:21pm Going to Laytonville.
3:45pm Driving through Willits.
4:06pm Aaron just dropped me off. Cool, I'm a lot closer, now. About a hundred miles to San Francisco, now.
4:08pm I'm in Mendocino County. Mile marker 30.22.
4:17pm Five miles to Ukiah, 63 miles to Santa Rosa and 114 miles to San Francisco.
4:24pm I just got done taking a shit under the bridge. Behind the bushes. My stomach was feeling kind of weird. Maybe it was that Spanish omelet in Redcrest this morning. Maybe it was all the raisins I ate. I don't know. Good thing I had toilet paper.
4:54pm I'm leaving. I had a big break. I ate a Ramen. Cigarette, too.
5:02pm A car just pulled over!
5:03pm John in his 1977 Datsun 280zx pulled over. I didn't have my thumb out or anything. I was just walking. Generosity picked me up.
5:54pm Sixty miles to San Fran.
6:13pm John suggested I read Bartelby by Herman Melville, the guy who wrote Moby Dick. I'll be sure to download that book.
6:46pm John had to slam the brakes on so we wouldn't his this car. The traffic is all backed up right here. We are nearing the Golden Gate Bridge. They're charging $5 per car to get over the bridge. Man, this is fucking America. What a thriving business. All these cars are backed up waiting to pay their dues. That's messed up. And this big fog is rolling in. One would guess it was smog, being in San Francisco. There's a cool little breeze.
6:50pm John and I were able to hold our breath all the way through this one tunnel. Ooh, the fog feels cool. No pun intended, hehe.
7:00pm Just crossed the Golden Gate Bridge.
7:15pm John just dropped me off and I am in San Francisco! On the corner of 21st Avenue and Irving. I'm going to go see if I can get me a courtesy ride to Berkeley.
7:34pm I got on the MUNI going to downtown San Francisco where I'll catch the BART(Bay Area Rapid Transit) to Berkeley.
8:00pm I just walked into the BART thing, without paying. Let's see what happens. I'm trying to get to Berkeley. I just walked in. It's funny, when I was walking through, the thing popped out and hit my leg and I had to jump it.
8:37pm I had a big conversation with Alisha. She was going to Berkeley too, so I just followed her. She's the coolest. She agreed with a lot of stuff I said.
Now I am walking down Center Street passing Shattuck. Hehe, I remember this place. Oh yeah, Alisha was thirty years old.
8:52pm I was walking down Fulton, turning left on Bancroft. Bancroft Way.
9:03pm Huckleberry Finn was nice enough to give me a cigarette. Thanks, Huck.
9:09pm I'm back on Telegraph! There are all the people asking for spare change everywhere. This place hasn't changed a bit. There's a guy playing the trumpet. Man, I can't believe I got all the way back to Telegraph with no money! Free BART, free MUNI, free everything! I just passed by this kid who told me, "Give me marijuana!"
I'm over at the corner of Haste and Telegraph by Amoeba Music. I'm going to go into Cody's Bookstore and take a piss. Ahh, memories.
9:38pm I went to the Fat Slice pizza place and asked if they had any mistakes they could spare. The guy told me, "No, the manager's here. Come back at ten." I had some time to kill, so I walked over and tried to find Sammie's apartment. Sammie was the chick who stopped and read my sign last time, who's apartment I went to and met Kate who took me to Arcata. I wasn't sure exactly where it was, but found it eventually. I walked up to the third floor and knocked on the door. No one was home. I was kind of hoping I would be able to crash there for the night, but I'll just go crash in front of the Lutheran church I used to last time. I got like twenty minutes to walk over to Fat Slice and get some food. Or else I'll open a can of, I don't know what I got. Chili or something.
9:55pm Christian was gracious enough to give me a cigarette. I appreciate it, brother. That's cool, I got a light.
10:25pm Alfonso was cool enough to hook me up with a fat slice of pizza. He told me he was only going to hook me up once.
11:58pm Man, I'm having a good time on Telegraph. I'm just sitting on the sidewalk and people are walking by recognizing me from when I was here five months ago. I was going to go crash in front of the Lutheran church, but now I have a place to squat for sure. I was invited somewhere else. Cool.
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