A New Adventure

Back whenever the trip was booked, it had seemed like an adventure. I must admit though, that as the time came closer, it changed for me - it seemed, if not a chore, then something scary. I don't for one minute believe that this had anything to do with the organisation, Barbara or the rally. I had a house guest just before the trip, which made it rushed; I had also really not noticed how inside myself I had become over the last couple of years, how unwilling to go out and do stuff on my own. Even something so simple as getting on an aeroplane for an hour and being met at the other side.

As time went on, I started to have a bad feeling about leaving behind certain things, as well. As I sit and write this halfway through my trip, I realise that this was my mind playing games with me. Whatever I leave behind, I will handle when I get back. Don has feeding JR under control; Ravensmeet is in the capable hands of its Villagers. The longer you go without adventure and fun in your life, the less you feel inclined to welcome it back - and the harder it becomes to make the effort. You end up kind of stuck in a deep rut. I do not feel like the person who rode over a thousand miles solo in 1997; I am still that person, but her spirit has been buried in a sea of boring details and unpleasant troubles. I accuse my husband of being a workaholic, but in my own way, I am as well. I intend to become a bikeaholic again - perhaps not today, perhaps not this year - alas, the fact of money is a fact we can't get around easily just now - but soon. Soon!

Monday 2nd July

Don gave me a lift up to San Francisco airport in the van. He just dropped me off the side, he had to go back to work. I was there by eleven thirty. It was a bit of a hike to check-in, but my bags were manageable, unlike the monstrosities they became on the way home from Vegas. I had one large travel bag, and a laptop to write on. I left my modem at home quite deliberately. Even though there was a data jack in the hotel, I do not for one minute regret not being online. I've found that reverting to home based as I am, I don't get away from online anywhere near as much as I should. I find it hard to maintain a separation of work and play.

I went into the lounge, got a drink at the water fountain, bought postcard stamps at a handy USPS machine. I was more than an hour early, and sat by the window watching them load what I thought was a small United aeroplane with baggage and mail. I read a few articles in a paper someone had abandoned, then went to the actual gate. As it turned out, I had to be bussed to another terminal from there, so I'm glad I checked a little earlier. There is a special commuter terminal with planes to local destinations - smaller towns in California like Sacramento, Redding, Monterey... places I didn't even know had plane service.

The only view here was of three toddlers having a blast chasing each other up and down the terminal. Rather that than them tied in a corner fidgeting and whining - they were having fun and were fun to watch. They had mastered the idea of "fast" and "straight line" but not "steering". When a commuter stepped in their way, they had to brake hard; the idea of veering to one side just didn't occur to them. Fun.

Finally it was time to board. I had become calm; travel nerves go away after all the baggage is sorted and I have the boading pass in my hand. We were taken out to the plane. If I thought the one I saw before was small... this was tiny! It was a Brasilia 120 or something like that, a 30-seater and by far the smallest plane I have ever been in. There was one single seat on the left, which was good, and two on the right after a tiny aisle fit only for a skinny person. The overhead bins were too tiny for my regular sized bag, and the bag would not fit under the seat either. However, the attendant was prepared and so was the airline; there was additional space somewhere close by to shove my bag into. I picked it up as I got off the plane an hour later.

The flight was lovely - not as bouncy as I expected, and I think we flew quite low. I was right next to the propellers, which at first was a disappointment - until they started turning and became next to invisible, giving me a fine and clear view. It was awfully loud though! Pretty cool that I could see into the cockpit and watch the pilots and all their gadgetry through the open door, too. We went right over San Francisco and got a great view of the Golden Gate bridge, then north over Marin and norther still. We got our snacks and drinks and then suddenly we were there. It was 97° F, about 35°C in Redding and the heat hit with a blast when we got off. Everyone was going whooff...

Got into the tiny airport at Redding; it was greener on the ground than it looked from the air. There was Barb, waiting for me as promised. Big hugs, warm welcomes - no ice to break. A three or more year old conversation will do that for you.

We went to the hotel first - it was a very short distance away and I needed to change and unpack. Our room was huge, pretty much the same size of available space we have in our home in Sunnyvale. I was hungry, so we went and got pizza at the Hut - a cute place with old records hanging off the ceiling and an old fashioned juke box with tunes from different decades. The pizza was the usual hot and yummy fare and did the trick just fine. We later drove round Redding until we found something vaguely resembling a supermarket, and stocked up on fruit and drinks and a few other usefuls (like a replacement for my AWOL hairbrush).

Later on, I went down with Barb to the Hospitality Room which was being set up downstairs. The Californian chapters were organising it - I believe my former chapter, Wind Dancers, is the host group this year but the other chapters are helping... or something. I met a few people and was drafted into helping with folding t-shirts and putting up direction signs. Gave me something to do and helped me meet a few others.

Later in the evening we took a drive round the hotel to check out the bikes. This became a regular detour each day, as more and more beautiful riders and their beautiful bikes showed up. There was a frog attached to the Red Lion's lion statue - a Women on Wheels tradition, I'm told - and lots of frogs and toys attached to people's bikes. There was a bit of a buzz, but not as much as there would be in a day or so.

Barb drove us towards Shasta Lake, where we drove through trees and pretty little suburbs and towns as the sun went down. We ended up at Shasta Dam just at sundown, with the sky still pink and the deer coming out - one of them very close by. Neither of us wanted to walk far, so we just took in the view. The dam is impressive - very high and creating the biggest reservoir (Shasta Lake) in the USA. It was relaxing though, and a good thing to do on a first day out.

Barb's flight had been longer and weirdly timed, and I was tired too. We called family and I went to sleep quickly. I will be a day person while I am here :-)

Tuesday 3rd July

We arrived just in time for the ten-thirty tour. First we had to go on a flat-bottomed boat - essentially a raft with a few seats bolted to it. This takes you across the lake and keeps you cool for a while. You also get great views of the lake which is home to anything that floats - including people being towed behind a speed boat on what looks like a rubber tyre but is in fact a bizarre kind of inflatable dinghy with handles. All around you the banks are steep and mountainous, and everything is dominated by the snowy Mount Shasta in the distance - a volcano.

At the far side, we slogged up a slope which was nothing when set against what was to come. As we did, a large eagle drifted by not too far above us; after some discussion, it was determined that we had seen a golden eagle. We clambered into school bus like things and went on a ten minute ride on a single track road eight hundred feet into the mountain. There we came to rest by a small display centre which thankfully had toilets and a water fountain. The view over the lake, including the bridge, was superb. The water and sky were so very blue and there was no industry - no ugliness to marr it.

The door to the caves is green, and you go up a slope behind your tour guide and into the first of a series of rooms, or open caverns. It is a good tour, and there is a lot of information, and the guide was good enough to wait for everyone before speaking. We saw a lot of stalectites and stalagmites, were dripped upon, and gawped at the narrow ladder used by the original explorers. It was humid in there, making the ambient temperature a comfortable 70°F (21°C) or so. Much, much better than outside.

Alas, though, the steps were a struggle - a great many of them, and then two huge flights at the end. The guide did say that those of us who could not manage could escape early and not do the last 130 or so steps; we did get fair warning. But it was a true slog, and my legs were leaden by the time I got to the top. But the cathedral room was well worth the view. Beautiful cascades of cave formations. A guy with a mouth organ tried to make it reverberate as the guide promised it would, but you would need something louder I believe.

And then we were done - coming out into bright sunshine and walking down 250 steps alongside the limestone rock. I could not get a sense of the scale of it with my camera, so I shall just leave it to your imagination or invite you to visit. It's a good trip - but I don't think it's suitable for small children, and if your knees are done for - forget it.

We got back up to the visitor centre after another boat ride; bought keyrings for Barb's sister and postcards for my family. They don't even need to ask me anymore ;-)

We were hungry and after a rest and snack in the picnic area, went in search of good food. This we found by taking a late lunch at Chevys, a Tex-Mex type restaurant we both liked because a friend's dog is named Chevy... and which I already knew would be a treat. I have a pretty good appetite, but was still gobsmacked when the huge plate came my way. I made a good dent, but knew when I was beaten. Neither of us needed to eat again at all the rest of the day.

By the time we got back to the hotel, leg muscles were starting to ache and the heat added to that, beating down. There would be no respite from it all week. We wandered around a little, met a few bikers, but settled in for an early night. I am, once again, a day person.