Saturday, 7th July

Barb gave me the form to rejoin Women on Wheels. It's got her referral ID on it, I just have to fill it out and send money. As I write this, on the Tuesday after, I've already had an invitation to join a meeting in Mountain View.

We decided to do the Three-D tour which had been set up for the bikers. This would take us past and over three of the local dams and into some beautiful scenery. The first stretch took us out of the city of Redding and to Old Shasta, where we visited the museum and discovered that the town had once been a gold rush mecca, but now lay in ruins. The old buildings were going to die forever but were preserved by making the town into a state park - if it had been less hot, we would have explored more, but I was wilting and we spent the time in the shade and not moving much. The museum was interesting with some unusual fun hands-on stuff, and a bargain at one dollar, too. Recommended.

After this, we went up the road to the Whiskeytown visitor centre and dam. Whiskeytown lake was deep blue and beautiful; at the dam, we heard a recording of the dedication speech from Kennedy himself. As dams go, it looked more like a pile of rubble, but the huge hole for overspill - like a big plughole in a big bath - was weird and impressive. We drove on for a while until we ran out of road; the way goes through pretty deciduous forest and past the lake, but comes out at a reservations-only campground where we turned about.

We had to backtrack, then headed towards a town called Keswick, which gave me a smile. (Keswick in the English Lake District was a favourite destination for me and my ex in the past, and I still have fond memories of the place and beautiful area.) There we crossed another, more traditional dam, and moved through the little village to the main road again - noting the sign which said that the local WOW chapter, California Sunblazers, had committed to clearing a two mile stretch of road of litter. You go, girls!

The final "D", or Dam, was Shasta Dam. We had already been there, but not in daylight, so we drove down the twisty road to the bottom and looked up at the impressive huge critter. On the way up, I was startled to notice a big pile of sticks formed into a nest on the cross bar of a pylon; more startled still to see the ospreys nesting in them! When I was a child, we would go to Scotland, and at Boat of Garten there is an observatory so we can see some of the few remaining ospreys in Scotland; I haven't seen any since I was maybe twelve or so, and it was quite an excitement. In the visitor centre up top, we saw that there was a live camera feed on the birds, but I got to see the live birds, sans camera. Woo-hoo!

We pootled around some, then decided to go back to the hotel, as we were both tired and very hot. Barbara had some laundry to do, and I fell asleep for a couple of hours in a very quiet and bikeless hotel. When I was awake and Barbara was done, we went to browse through some department stores and take the mickey out of the more dreadful styles. I don't like shops that don't acknowledge plus sizes; whether I like it or not I'm a Plus to the core right now. So I won't go in boutiques. But I did enjoy looking through the travel section of Barnes and Noble, and came out with a new map of California and a new map of Kentucky. And so the dream begins - with no guarantee of success, and no way to physically do it (I am not strong enough, and fit enough, to do a 5000 mile solo trip right now)... at least I can fit my mind into the idea. Bit by bit. I like maps, and they help.

Outside, we spotted Outback, and as I'd never been there I suggested we went in. It's pseudo-Australian steakhouse style; quite lively and fun, and the food was great. For once I chose something light enough that I could fit in dessert, and I guess you might say that was the culinary highlight of the week. Back to normal eating next week ;-)

So, that was our last evening. Barb and I sat out on the balcony as I stretched some of my more tight muscles and we talked, just talked, for several hours. It will probably be a long time before we once again meet in real life, but it was good, very good, while it lasted. For the rest, there is the Internet.

Sunday, 8th July

We killed time in the department stores and malls, and spent a lot of time browsing through the book stores. I bought a book about the Pilates method - something that seemed that it would strengthen my body without wrecking it for the rest of the day. It seemed the right thing to do; in wyrd fashion, the books kept catching my eye, in at least two different locations, without my looking for them. I never heard of it before, but it clicked on brief acquaintance, and so I got out the money and will see where I go with it, or it with me.

We took a wild goose chase round Redding until the airport was rediscovered, but my wild goose chase didn't end there. The last we saw of Redding was the emus in the fields near the airport - a comical last image to take with me. Then, we just waited for the hour to arrive where I would board my plane, and I guess that's really where the holiday ended. With a sigh, but a sense of peace, I handled being ousted from the plane seat I'd chosen in March because a couple with young baby had been poorly seated in the emergency exit aisle; I was now at the back of the plane, but as the flight was mostly cloudy the views were limited. And, I got to see a 360° rainbow in the clouds, too. I'm not sure that anyone else, sitting anywhere else, would have.

It was pretty special.

An hour later I was in dirty, smoggy San Francisco Airport, and Don was not waiting at the gate. I called and he said he had forgotten to pick up the flight info, so went back, and was about ten minutes away. I said I would lug my stuff to the front entrance and wait there. Several cell calls later, I was indeed there, but Don had done a loop and missed me. It was only on the second loop that we determined that he was waiting for me in... San Jose. Sixty or so miles south.

GAH!

I sat in a corner and read for an hour. In due course Don let me know that he was near SFO. I waited, and once again we missed each other. This time it was my turn to have stuffed up; I was waiting in departures, unaware that there was a lower level for arrivals. I never saw it because I never needed to pick up my gear from a carrousel; I just left the airport terminal where the upper level spat me out.

Don and I found each other at 10:30 pm - three or so hours after I had touched down. Fortunately, our senses of humour had reasserted themselves and we were giggling about it. I saw more traffic in the 45 minutes it took us to get home than I did in the previous week all put together. It just didn't feel good to be going home. Once again I am aware that I don't belong here, in Silly Con Valley; there is a better place in America for me. But not yet. Not yet.

It was nice to see Don, and nice to snuggle the cats. They tolerated it. Arnie has a new front tyre, and I know the name of the part that Max needs to run again. All I have to do is figure out the how and when. The wyrdling is planted. I will ride again.