Raven's Roads
Living an interesting life: the travels and musings
of motorcycling author Linda R. Moore

17 July

Normally, a day on which I am woken up at five, and then again at seven, would not be a good day. I need my sleep, but after I realized that I'd had as much as I was getting I got up and wandered outside to join Don who was doing some tinkering on the van. I spotted some boxes outside the empty house next door…and went to peek. Oh my goodness! Books! They were throwing out books!

I rescued the one that was full of paperback novels, aware that even though I don't myself need them I do know a bunch of Book Crossers and other book-mad loonies wonderful intelligent people who would love them.

That was the first of today's treasures.

Recently, Don and I have not been playing much. We had been riding–just not for fun. It had been a long time since the both of us just got on the bikes “just because” and hung out together. I suggested that we go and get fish and chips on the wharf at Santa Cruz. By 9:30 we were on the road, planning to take the freeway until we saw that northbound 101 was one solid mess. With one mind we re-routed. We hopped onto 17, the wiggly waggly two-lane freeway “over the hill” and at half past ten were parked near the log ride at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on a warm summer's day. The cool wind blowing off the ocean was fresh with ozone and the smell of excitement and fun.

I'm fond of Santa Cruz. I would live there if I could. While I'm not a crowds person in general, the crowds at Santa Cruz are always happy and out to have a fun time with their wad of 75c tickets. We got lucky one year and wandered in on a promotion where if you bought a can of Pepsi you could turn in the empty can for a $5 all-day wrist band–about an eighth of the normal ride. We got to try out (almost) everything. (Not for anyone will I go on a ride that turns me upside-down.) The town has an energy to it that seems to leave me with a pleasant, creative buzz, and besides, one of my all-time favorite movies was filmed there. Look at the picture and see if you can';t figure out which one.

I gathered up my jacket–if any fellow rider could possibly give me some tips on carrying one's jacket in some convenient way that is not over one arm I would appreciate it–and we wandered up to the nearest entrance. This year the boardwalk has its 100th anniversary and we'd barely been there five minutes when I started jumping up and down with glee. To celebrate the anniversary there was a new historical walking tour, with a whole new bunch of plaques to snarf! Books and snarfs in the same day…I was glad I'd brought Mr. Penguin along!

Walkway 3 was right alongside the Giant Dipper, the only kind of coaster that I like. The metal twisty ones scare the willies out of me; as previously noted I hate being tipped upside down and the only time I did the metal coaster at Santa Cruz I opened my eyes once–found myself way up high with no crash barriers, no nothing–and kept them closed for the rest of the ride. The old coasters are bumpier, but they stay upright, and this one, opened in 1924, happens to be a National Historic Landmark, the USA's highest “grade” of historic site. The mural made me giggle–two of the riders looking seasick, and the other one going, Dude! and quite possibly on something.

The Giant Dipper even had a brand new plaque to say that it had been awarded landmark status by the American Coaster Enthusiasts, opening up a second new world of historical markers to explore. Don patiently watched as I rushed from side to side, photographing all the plaques, sometimes with a penguin. On the beach side the larger plaques gave more of a background to the kinds of activities that were held there–movies, sports, and even beauty pageants. Smaller ones told stories of the original businesses. It surprised me to see that many of the little stands and shops were still owned by the same families who had started them.

Just down the way was the Looff carrousel, the other half of the National Historic Landmark and absolutely my favorite attraction of the whole boardwalk. Riding it instantly transports me back to being a carefree kid and, judging from how busy it is, I'm not the only one. Delivered in 1911, this is the oldest ride on the boardwalk. There are 73 horses, all with real horsehair tails, one of the few remaining brass ring dispensers, and the chariots mixed in with the horses were designed to let the ladies of the early 20th century preserve their modesty!

Back then, it wasn't permitted to go on the beach in one's bathing suits. California wasn't always the land of Babe Watch. Gradually, though, the laws loosened up and the outfits got skimpier. Now, if you are so inclined, you can watch people in bikinis and shorts playing volleyball in the sand.

We caught the Redwood train coming in and took a peek. Two trains–a steam train and one that about all I can tell you is that it's not a steam train–leave from Santa Cruz for a nice ride out in the redwood forests. Your tickets will cost between about $19 and about $21, so it was definitely not on the agenda for today. They even do a night ride, though I'd be more inclined to see the forests during the day.

The covered area that leads into Neptune's World, where there used to be a swimming pool and dancing (not necessarily at the same time, though you just never know) now has new square tables with two seats. At least one was marked with checks so that you can play chess or checkers–or maybe just enjoy some goodies from the nearby candy emporium, full of lollipops, caramel apples and pink-scented cotton candy. I was on a quest, though, and we ducked through the amusement hall–most notable for its set of aged amusements such as original PacMan and Space Invaders–and then went out into the sunlight again.

I was disappointed to see that the wonderful railroad crossing sign had been taken down. It used to depict a little guy sitting on the ground, rubbing his head, with a crumpled bicycle next to him. Over the years a surfboard and skateboard were stickered on (no wonder the poor guy crashed). I don't think Santa Cruz has lost its sense of humor, so I can only think that somebody stole it. How sad! This sign was one of the first things I remember from my first trip to California, eleven years ago.

It was hot out there! I was glad for my hat, though it wouldn't stay on my head once we got out onto the wharf. Several sea lions played in the water for the amusement of the tourists. You're supposed not to feed them, but I suspect that's the reason why they are so close to the wharf. There were several booths with information about the area (new marker system number three), but it was lunchtime and I knew where to get the best fish and chips in Santa Cruz. Right at the end of the wharf is a tiny little bait and tackle shack that sells food for humans. The service is indifferent, but the chips are thick and salty, and you get two tasty fillets of fish. After chasing wind-borne napkins halfway across the universe, we split a portion and it was plenty.

Seagulls made seagull noises and flipped lazily in the air, the sunlight catching them and making them appear to glow. The sea breeze was fresh and welcome, and the company was good.

We returned at a faster pace to make sure we beat the meter maid in her little meter maid mobile (sort of like a golf cart, only scarier). At $1.50 an hour the meters were expensive enough without adding a hefty parking ticket to the mix. After a tricky exit from the town, playing dodge the tourist and spot the 3″ tall road sign, we made it onto Cliff Drive which, as the name suggests, hugs the coastline almost exactly, looping round in urban switchbacks in a way that the Pacific Coast Highway mostly doesn't.

I had always wanted to see the Surfer Dude monument, thinking that it was a monument to a famous Surfer Dude, but it turned out to be a monument to all surfer dudes in general. I stood there and watched the surflings paddle their little short boards out into the ocean and remembered that at some point I actually wanted to learn how to surf. Meanwhile, a guy moseyed on by on the biggest monocycle I'd ever seen. It looked like a penny farthing without the farthing.

Even though I already knew the museum would be closed, we stopped at the Surfing Museum anyway. There were plaques from yet another new system–the fourth today–would the marker goodness never end? I read the two plaques from the Sanctuary Scenic Trail, part of an ongoing effort by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and many different partners, and learned a little about the wildlife around this area. The trail is still incomplete, but sections are added here and there and eventually it will stretch along the entire coastline of the sanctuary.

The lighthouse was donated by the parents of Mark Abbott, a kid who was drowned while surfing in 1965, and is dedicated to all youth and their particular flavor of vision. The lighthouse might help save lives, but there was still a sad testimonial to a badly hurt friend there. Lying against a sign warning “Don't be the next (to die) was a cross scribbled over with messages and requests to pray for a 15-year old boy. The cliff area was entirely fenced off, but he (like many others) had jumped off the cliff to get to the water–and the sea had won. He nearly drowned, and at the time of writing was still in a coma.

We stood and watched the surfers for a while; everybody down there seemed to be a relative newbie and nobody was getting upright, but that was all right. They were still better at it than me. We got on the bikes, relaxed, and rode home along the coast and then through deep woodlands with curving roads and the smell of eucalyptus and rich earth. Getting stung for the first time while riding was not fun, but didn't put a dampener on things at all. We stood at the view point on highway 35 and picked out the landmarks, seeing our home valley from way above…just being.

This was officially a Very Good Day.

As the sky started to pink, the moon started to set. I caught my first glimpse of the Eastern coast, something I’ll reach on my own two wheels some day.

So, I’m back. My talk went well, though I’m going to have to learn to do more eye contact. It’s very nerve-wracking to face 70+ people, but nice when they laugh. :-)

Not going to be late to bed today. I was up until 2 preparing the speech, and I’m very tired indeed. We have to figure out what we are doing tomorrow, and then I’ll call Don, and that’ll be the end of it.

It was an amazing convention, and I got to see Blue Man Group. :-)

It seems that I may have fried a memory chip while passing my laptop through secrity at the airport. At least, given my descriptions, that is what Don thinks, and it would explain a lot. So, no laptop for the time being.

Good news is that the fix is easy, and there is TV internet, which is a little odd and seems to randomly eat letters. But at least it lets me contact the world.

What I’mgoing to do update-wise is post something short and sweet when I can, then come bac afterwards and do photo post. It is the bst I can do.

The days are long and full from beginin to end. I managed to leave my show and tell pics at MissE’s house, so now must rush about and get them redone, which is a very interetsing thing given that I don’t have a laptop or the file I need, so Don is emaling it to me (if he can find it) and then I have to borrow Skyring’s laptop to download it, he will burn me a disk, then I haveto run about and get a copy. Luckily I kno where there are several copy shops.

(I havestopped editing out the missin letters. please deal, and smile.)

I feel loved ad cherishd here. Have enjoyed meetng new people and old. Skyring is someone I can laugh with until Icry. Thebiblioholic and family are lovely. Caffcaff is a hoot and I didn’t realise that anothe BCUKer came too, ozone-nut, was here, too. Ottawabill is soooo cool. Have spoken briefly with other lovely people: Tzuriz, Jfroebe…many others. There is such a sense of warmth in this group. I realy love it. :)

More later…it’s lte, I have a brekkie date with Caffcaff for the morning, and must sleep.

I’m too tired to think, and more than a little sun-touched too. Seven of us spent a glorious day at, and around, Niagara Falls. To be honest, I’m too tired to write a real entry, and I’m bummed that I can’t get wireless to work. I’m going to try it at the hotel and see if that is any better, but since the box to get wireless with takes roughly an hour to come up, I think that something, somewhere, is corrupted.

Very pleased to see a nice write-up about “A Little Twist of Texas” on the Book Crossing home page. It added icing to an already wonderful, happy day.

I’ll try to write something more coherent later. I’m going to attempt to get the missing piece of hardware from a computer shop tomorrow, so that if I do ever get online I could possibly upload some pictures to show you.

;)

So, it’s been a very very long couple of days. Have yet to manage a connection with my laptop, despite many hours in the runup to the trip spent getting it working (and it did work). So, I don’t know how well that will go. I have at least one entry that should be posted by email, so they may well be a bit higgledy piggledy. ;-)

Summary: Monday: ran around like headless chicken getting business things done. Stayed up until 5 in the morning with the wireless. Got woken up 7 am Tuesday by shipping company. Half an hour later, proofs were delivered. Ran around like headless chicken some more, dealing with the proofs. Don was a champ and stayed at home to help me with things. Left at 7pm (thanks ) for airport–after replacing bag that split just as we were about to leave. Got to airport, had dinner, started chuckling as I noticed the SFO Hall of Fame–at least a dozen markers commemorating sports figures. I took a few pics. Went to my exit, they changed the gate, walked back, chuckled to find myself back where I’d just been getting funny looks, taking pictures.

Took four and a half hour flight to Washington Dulles; long, mostly sleepless, but not too bad. Moved to new gate to pick up flight to Toronto. Flight was two hours delayed, and eventually we went on a tiny little plane — they actually had to move a few people from the front to the back to balance it out!

Did the whole customs, immigration thing; the staff at Toronto airport were as nice and friendly as at SFO, which is to say, Very. Eventually took a friend’s hint and took a limo to MissE’s house, where I am right now, updating you, fed, watered and enjoying the cat and a bit of interweb.

I’m too tired to compose anything elegant, and I can’t post photos either. But hey, the adventures are beginning. I knew I was in the right place when I peered through the door and saw a pile of goodie bags ;-)

Well, I’m sitting in Terminal 3 of SFO [??]. I’m on my way to Washington Dulles, and I had lunch, well…actually it was breakfast in the evening at some little diner in the food court, at which point I looked over to the gate where I would be and started chuckling because it would appear that there are roughly 8 or 9 different snarfs because there appears to be an aviator’s hall of fame here. So I’m going to spend the next 10 minutes or so taking some pictures because, you know, these things obviously follow me around, and then I’m going to find my gate, and I guess I’ll be boarding in roughly an hour, so I’ll see you on the flipside!

After Hitchin, I hopped on a train and went to Ipswich. I had to change at Cambridge. At Cambridge, the train filled up with teenaged school children. One of the girls decided that emitting bloodcurdling screams was a really fun way to pass the time, until a woman got up, tracked her down to her lair, gave her a severe telling-off, and got a round of applause.

Yay for British people.

In the meantime, reading a Book Crossing book (i.e. covered in stickers), I was discovered by another Book Crosser (bookgroupman) and we chatted on and off for the whole journey. I got a kick out of that.

I spent the next few days meeting with my friends in Ipswich: I stayed with and her beloved, and also got to play with , who came over on his new motorcycle and positively glows because he’s like me, the helmet comes with a smile attachment.

There were many hugs and lots of laughs and conversations and wonderfulnesses. SG gave me a guided tour of Ipswich where we did snarfing and Book Crossing. It was a wonderful few days.

I am now safely in Ipswich, and now know that I must indeed write a Book Crossing article about this entire trip, which has been very BX-a-licious. However I will wait until the frenzy in London, and try to recount the stuff in vague order. Anyway, I’m safe, full of soup and chocolate. Life is very good.

I’m in the living room of my friend Talitha’s house, “borrowing” someone’s free wireless, and in a little over an hour should be setting out to Ipswich. My bags are packed (more or less) and I need to shut down my laptop and make sure it fits in my backpack, as it’s easier to carry that way. I finally succumbed and expanded my suitcase so that I could decant more things into it from my backpack. It’ll be heavy for the few moments I have to haul it into trains and stuff, but easier overall (I hope) when I tug it along on wheels.

I guess I’ll be in Ipswich sometime after sunset.

I’ll be staying with and meeting some dear friends who are not LJers, and a lot of London Renegades. Shortly, there will be pictures of me wearing a tiara, princess that I am. ;-)

I’m tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired.

Hm, I need better icons for this journal.