Being a 1 car family has it’s disadvantages.

Since we only brought one car to Petaluma, and we only have a 1-car garage, I decided to return to Nipomo to pick up a motorcycle and ride it back to Petaluma and squish it into the garage.

So last Tuesday, I flew from Seattle to San Francisco, then caught the Airporter Bus to Petaluma, and spent the night with Brenda.  Then Wednesday morning, I rode with her to her school in Berkeley, caught the BART into Oakland, walked the 8 blocks to the Amtrak Station, and by 9:55AM, I was on the TrainBus headed for Nipomo. 

The TrainBus looks a lot like a real bus.  The difference is only that it is operated by the Federally subsidized Amtrak.  As such, it is not allowed to compete with regular bus companies like Greyhound & Bertha’s Bus Company, etc…..the bus routes are only allowed to be an “extension of a rail route”.  While this is a semi-bogus deal….it worked for me. (I had to include a purchase of a $4.75 train ride that I will never take   )

When we left Oakland, there were only 3 passengers on the 53 seat Bus.  The guy who knew Everything sat directly in front of me - just to the right of the driver. The Flaming 20-something young man who mithed hith traaaaaiin, and NOWww had to take the buth to theee hith booyyyfriend in Than Luith Obith-po was about midway back .

And me.

After a grueling 9 minute ride, our first stop was San Francisco.  All the way across the Bay Bridge in light traffic & a 25 minute stop at the Ferry Building.  I bought a sandwich.  2 or 3 college age ladies and a couple guys boarded.  (note: reflections in the TrainBus can be confusing.)

And we were off to San Jose.  The man who knew everything enlightened the Driver & I for most of that hour-long segment.  At first we thought it was a conversation, but the windows of opportunity to contribute to the conversation kept getting smaller and smaller.

In San Jose close to 20 more folks got on.  We all tried to make the seats right next to us look as uninviting as possible. This was supposed to be a 5 minute stop and we were a few minutes behind schedule by the time we left here.  I looked around and saw no Mexican family with live chickens in a wooden cage.   So far so good.   But there were very few pairs of open seats left. 

Next stop Salinas – Steinbeck country.  Here, if many more got on, it would be passenger roulette.  Who will get to keep the seat next to them open…….?  And this is an agricultural area…and a TrainBus.  I cluttered up the seat next to me with my bag.  A couple got off in Salinas, but many more – maybe a dozen got on.  Ethnics!  The attractive 20-something college girl across the aisle from me got hit!.....a non-speaking 70-something Asian lady wobbled into the seat next to her & parked it.

Whew, I thought.        Close.

Well, to cut to the chase, we stopped in Paso Robles, Atascadero, and 2 times in San Luis Obispo, and each time the TrainBus got lighter.  Those windows of opportunity for conversation turned into portholes, then peepholes as the man who knew everything droned on….turns out, he actually built all the houses between San Jose & Paso Robles, too.  Then on we went into Grover Beach where I got off.  My fears of sitting next to a 700# sweaty guy or a package of living poultry or a lady with a snake were all for naught…..this time.

I caught a ride from the station to the house from a kindly neighbor, Stacy.  Poor woman…thinking I was on Amtrak, a train would be involved, she was waiting for me facing the place where the train arrives when I walked up behind her from the TrainBus platform a half a block away & said “woo woo.”  Kind of startled her.  She was expecting something larger to arrive, I guess.

Once I got to the house I visited with Bill & Stacy and the next day got my new tire installed on one of the motorcycles - ILEAN.  The weather was beautiful: clear, high 70’s calm.  I had dinner with Karen & Brian – surprised to see them at Trilogy.  Brian’s new (old) Jaguar is alive and home from the Jag Hospital.

The next morning, I packed up the Viffer & Bill & I headed up some back road twisties north about 60 miles to Lake Nacimiento.  When Brenda & I last visited – maybe 18 months ago - the lake had fallen to 13% of its total volume…later got as low as 9%. This lake is part of the local water supply system.  It was down like Sixty Feet!  When we stopped yesterday, it was over 100% of capacity & they were flowing the spillway.  What a dramatic change.

       

Bill & I split up at the lake – he returned to Nipomo, I headed up some back roads as far as King City; the hills are alive with GREEN right now.  From King City, up the 101 / 85 / 280 / 1 to the Golden Gate Bridge then up the 101 to the house….well apartment.

According to the ambient temperature gauge on the bike, it was 88 degrees most of the way up the valley.  Saw 90 once, but a steady 88.  I was using the airconditioner most of the way (open water bottle / take drink / pour 3 drinks worth down the front & back of my shirt / ride on).  The last application of airconditioner occurred about 15 minutes before I got into SF - @ 87 degrees.  15 minutes after that I was on the Bridge & the temp was 63. 

Lesson learned – again. 

Cold On Bridge.

The last 100 miles was on a rear tire that had started to wear through the tread layer & was well into the base compound of the tire and the wires.  A little added exhilaration.   […ulp…] 

Not sure when the wrinkles will come out of my underwear……..

It was a good ride.  A slower start than I wanted, but I got in by 5PM – 300 – 320 miles total.

Brenda has looked up from her studies and, frankly, I’m not sure she noticed that I was gone…..ok, that is a bit overstated, but she has been pretty consumed with the study of consumables.  Her classes are 3 times a week & her homework is the rest of the time.  At least we get to eat her homework.  She just finished doing a nutritional analysis of her new recipe for Minestrone Soop.  Turns out it’s good AND good for you!   Pfffft.  Who needs school – she already knows this stuff    …. Ask her tho, and she will tell you that she is a cooking neophyte….and that this is the tip of the Kombu. (I don’t know – some kind of seaweed, I think)   Knife skills start next week.  Pretty sure that includes chopping, cutting & throwing.  She will be in the Kitchen (at school) starting next week, so there will be academia & actual cooking for the rest of the 6 month school.

I’m off today to see if I can get a replacement tire, then tomorrow Kipper & I may head over to Sonoma for some Organic Herb plant starts.  A small garden in a box for the balcony.  May hit the Sunflower Café as well.

I’m back to SEA on Tuesday for about 10 days.

All for now……!