Favorite places: 2024.06 FORT BRAGG California

Leaving

Before heading out to FortBragg, gotta look at this hydrophobic action in this plant. The water is bowed up. It does not soak in. And before the pot was filled, the water ran around as beads on the pot dirt. Water droplets will not soak in. However, in contrast, the water is attracted to the plant base and tries to wick up the stalk.


This all indicates my Aspergers, and I must be carefull to let no one see me playing with the water. It does not look "normal". I am old now, and hide it well. No one can tell. Only my relatives know of my ND, NeuroDivergent condition. That is because most have it too.


Sometimes it is a strain on our marriage, but Linda understands and the understanding mitigates the emotional effects on her. Her world is emotional and social, and mine is technical. But both worlds very "bright" and satisfying, and complete in their own right. Both are equally justified as "Human".

And besides...
From my perspective, I am not the one different. Everyone else is different!
Normal is somehow defined as Average. Or Normal is defined as the Majority. But I claim that this is a fallacy. The false assumption is that the loudness of the "Vote" determines "Right". But the practice only darkens the aspirations of humanity.

The majority of Christian people in the US think that stealing is OK if you can get away with it. And that this is the Norm. Everyone does it.
A subset of Christian people believe that stealing is wrong - without qualification - on Sundays. Asperger people, in either case, think this is wrong. Terribly wrong! Absolutely wrong! And does not technically serve humanity. This debate goes back to Athenia and Sparta, involving Morality and Social Standards and Evolution. The Evolution argument was added in the 19th century. Historically, on the other hand, Asperger people advance civilization with Engineering, Physics, and Mathematics. I might also point out that those three disciplines are founded on Honesty and Accuracy. Its in the blood, or actually in the wiring of the brain.

The majority of people lie. This is the Norm; Everyone does it, to one extent or another. On the other hand, Asperger people find it physically difficult, if not impossible. The majority of people consider truthful people as not sophisticated, nieve, simple, and not socially skillful. A good example is the "Honest Engin" expression, as applied to someone stupid. The masses live quite well in a world of incessant deception, manipulation, and noise. And some relish it. But an Asperger person can not be lied to, not even once, without being scarred for life. Actually traumatized! Personally, I can not forgive a crafted lie. Ever!

For me, insincerity, crowds, parties, and small talk are a source of great stress. It can take me hours to recover in a quite place.




Taffie has been crying in the bathroom. She can not get down. She actually could if she could think and backtrack with how she got up there. As cute as she is, she is kinda stupid.


She could have gotten down:
You see on the right a bathtub. She got up with the bathtub, and she could get down via the bathtub.

But I will save her again. This goes on about every week. Same stunt, same result. She does not have to worry one bit; Parents love their kids...


Taffie is standing on her hind legs. She comes to me standing up and wanting to chew on my thumb. She is bored and needs to see, or suck, on some seagulls.


I brought around the Travel Trailer. Linda loaded in gobs of clothes, and still needed more. But girls always think that way. So, I brought in several more plastic totes, and she easily filled them too. She has an insatiable appetite for bringing stuff. But she stays married to me, so that is OK.

After we get loaded up, our first stop will be the Sizzler in Yuba City.

On our way

All abord...


This is outside the door of the sizzler: A married couple with two children. At the same time, inside, there are dead clucker bodies inside on platters; How can that be? I can not explain the "inside and outside" thing. It is a conflict. It hurts.


About 12 miles from Clear Lake, this happened...
It had already gotten dark. In fact, it was 21:36, or 9:36PM. We heard a loud "Pop". I felt the trailer flinch ever so slightly. My fingers were ready to squeeze the trailer brakes. But no, changed my mind. The trailer was stable! Straight and easy. No brakes. That's the plan. I decelerated to the side of the road, and resigned to a crawl. But I could not get completely off the road. A dangerous situation! I could not even get out and look. All I could do was put the hazards on, and crawl down the highway, hoping not to get hit from behind. Finally, after about 200 hundred feet, I found some dirt wide enough to fit the truck and trailer. We could breathe again.

After stopping and hopping out, for the first time I could actually see the damage. The right front tire had blown. Thank God for dual axils, and that the back right was holding. The tread had wrapped itself around the axil. No damage to the finder or under carriage. Half the steel rim of the wheel was riding on rubber. But about half the rim was touching the ground, but looked OK, and only scratched. The rim of the wheel was good.

I quickly discovered that the hydraulic jack could not lift the wheel high enough. There was about a 10 degree slant to the road. The road was slanted, causing the weight of the trailer to be more on the right side. With all my strength, I could not lift the tire. So, I got out one of my blocks, and drove the one good tire up on the ramp. The trailer was still not level, but I could easily lift the tire now.

The spare was in good shape. It had never been used. It still had the little rubber strands from the factory mold. Installed the spare. I was so anxious; I could not go fast enough. The goal was almost in hand: I was going to be good shape. A good samaritan stopped with a maintenance truck. He had an impact wrench to further tighten the bolts. Really speeded things up. I thanked him, as the wind from passing cars was rocking the trailer, so we waisted no time in getting back on the road.

We traveled carefully the 12 miles to the beginning of ClearLake, where soon there were buildings and signs of civilization. Up ahead, there was as a big Chevron open all night - on the right. I backed the trailer in along side of the building, and we slept there all night, happy that we made it and were safe. First thing in the morning I started calling around looking for tires. I could not travel on, without a spare. And more importantly, I could not travel on, not knowing the status of the remaining tires. All tires had worn tread, sure enough. I could see the tread was half gone. But if they were car tires, I would judge that I had a few more miles left. Evidently not so! And now, after this, I was scared to go another mile with these tires.


I was at the Big O Tires before they opened. It was Saturday, and they were going to be open! I got 4 new tires, pumped to 65 lbs. And retired the spare back to its old position as "spare". The tires on the ground were new. Brand spanking new!


Well, maybe not too new...
Two of the tires had this date code:
4123, Oct 2023, 2023.09
Todays date is 2024.06. 2024.06-2023.09= 3+6 mo
The tires are already 9 months old.
But I am lucky to get them...


First set replaced in 2015.04.27 at 8 years old.
This set replaced in 2024.06.22 at 9 years old.
I guess the criteria has to be time. The criteria has to be age. And can not be only visible Cracking or wear.



Back on our way to FortBragg...


Got my socks on to protect the floor. I did Epoxy pours on the stove cover, sink cover, counter tops. Looks good, but can yellow slightly were the sun comes in. OK hardness.

Two insulating styrofoam panels in the big window. We can see out, and no one can see below our waist. If sitting at the table, we can see out, and only our heads show. They also serve as insulation: one side IR reflective, and the other side flat black. Every single window in this RV has dedicated Fitted Insulation, set for either Hot or Cold.

We thought we would try out a new cushioned matt at the sink. Feels good on the feet. And looks similar to the marble design of the floor.



The bathroom door, just right of my socks, is open. And is held back open with a big super strong magnet. The door is glossy shiny. Has no handles as they could catch clothing. The door is also held shut with magnets.

The only better solution is a pocket door. But difficult to implement because I have electronics in the wall. The TV series StarTrek had the most advanced PocketDoors ever invented. They were for Asperger people, and opened automatically. They also made a nice sound, when opening and closing, that only Aspies and Trekies could hear.


Getting gas at the Casino. Not staying, just getting gas.

This bug was at the pump. Never seen one of these before.
CoPilot says it is a Banded alder borer (Rosalia funebris)
Pacific NorthWest Native, Eats decombosing wood.
BabyBlue legs.

Next stop is the Donkey Park.




Stopping at the Donkey Park in the shade. The Babies gotta pee.

We have arrived in Fort Bragg

Played around in Fort Bragg all afternoon with the trailer.

Stayed the night at Safeway on our new tires.
Love the cool temperatures. From 60 to 70 degrees. Fun temperatures in the day, good sleeping at night.


The next day, we got a place on the Bluffs for several days.
We had a reservation, but asked for an additional day. She said sure!

I can run off of my own internal power or from the parks pedestal outside.
Here, I am running off Shore Power, from the Pedestal. It is 119vac.



Linda is getting a shower. And Taffie wants in to the bathroom too. She is laying on the floor, waving her hand under the door, much like a cat.

Dirty clothes in a bag under the bed. More dirty clothes have been transferred to the truck.

Callie is not ready to get up yet. Although both dogs have already been out to pee early this morning.


Taffie


Gumweed


Some kind of Clover (Trifolium).



Lake Cleone
The wooden walk path is still destroyed. So, we could not walk around the lake, like we used too.


I think this is Wild Radish (Brassica family)
The most proliphic plant on the bluffs.
Mom used to cook one or all of these: wild Raddish Greens, wild Mustard Greens, wild Turnip Greens?
I remember us kids picking something for her: Turnip Greens?
All I remember, is the taste was delishious, similar to these Wild Radishes.
Spinich was good too, but it came from the store. These were free.


This is MacKerricher. This is space 99, and that tree makes me nervious. But I have the RV well blocked. It is not going to roll backwards. Last time I was at this site (99), I used some park tree branch wood for additional wheel chucks.


2024.06.24
Moved the trailer from the bluffs to MacKerricher State Park.
Nothing wrong with the Buffs. Both wonderful, just different. The Bluffs are above the water, and MacKerricher is on the water. Staying a few days at both gives variety, and a more complete experiance.

Normal price is $45. We get half off when I register the space to Linda. She has a disability, and a pretty blue plastic card.
Otherwise, full price would be a problem. We could not do it. We would have to spend more time at Safeway, which is free.

At 23 feet, we fit anywhere in most State Parks.
It is a good length, untill you go inside.





Picture taken at 9 in the morning.
Using a total 12 amps. All batteries are 100% charged.
Does not seem to matter if we have Shore Power, or on our own, BoonDocking, this is normal for all is well. I believe that I am the only RVer in the world that has a hierarchy of users. If there is fog or rain, priority is given to different devices commensurate to power available. For example, highest priority is given to batteries, and lowest to heating and cooling and hot water. I can override, and give priority to RV Utilities at any moment for computers or lighting.


Under the frig is a Filter and two water pumps and a lot of water tubing. The switch on the left has three positions for lighting of this compartment:
I can select Reject Power for lighting. Cosmetic lighting during the day. Present selection.
Reject Power is not directly a function of hierarchy consumption. But rather benifits of Regulator Effeciency.
Sort of like free energy.
I can select no lighting.
I can select Manual 12v power for lighting. This is available at all times.




The compartment has a clear plastic face, held on with magnets. A glass nob at the top allows me to remove the intire plastic piece. It is not on hinges, and I have to set it somewhere. But I have a convenient, immediate clear access to all my water stuff. Unlike all other RVs, my water systems are all pressurized. My water systems work like in a house. Pressure is accurately monitored. And this is great for leak detection.


2024.06.28 13:55
MacKerricher Overlook





Bugle-lily (Wild Watsonia)
A stand of these are growing in the woods in back of our rig.


Some kind of Iris. Marin iris?





I think a Sidalcea.


Callie has a chronic chough which the doc says is an allergy. She does not have a cough on the bluffs. And her cough is diminished near the ocean in general.


There is quite a story behind this crow. Or perhaps it is a raven. It is a big bird.
This bird moves the door, reaches in and grabs garbage. Pulls it out and dumps it all on the ground. At the birds convienents, on the ground, rips open bags, and shreds papers. To the average observer, it looks like ass hole slobs high on drugs. Real ass hole animals! The garbage is all over the place. And no one, in a million years, would believe a bird is doing it all.

I thought it was the homeless doing it all. But no, this black type bird was doing it, and the homeless have been getting the blame.








Normally, the fog lifts up over your head. Perhaps a thousand feet above. Tuesday June 25 2024. The fog was on the ground. And was foggy all day. Loved it! The fog is a wonderful sight, and refreshing when it is 100 degrees in the valley. Fort Bragg does not get much better than this!


This may be a different bird.


This fog layer is not on the ground. You can see it in the distance. But still pretty.





Women know that men are simple creatures, and only have a few basic needs. There are two things that make a happy man. The second is fog. Fog makes a happy man.


This is from the opposite side of Noyo inlet, the North side. Our trailer is in the middle vertical, the very first trailer on the end.


Out to sea on the Right. Boat is headed to Noyo inlet, to the Left.


30 gallon Black tank was 100%. Grey 30 gallon tank, shown flowing, is also 100%. In the same time period, over a week, we have used 60 gallons of Fresh. We have lasted 14 days before, so this may be short. Nevertheless of the time frame, our Fresh Water Tank is 60 gallons, and this is a perfect ratio.


This is our spot. We had four choices without reservations.


We had been coming to Fort Bragg for years, and only a few years ago did we discover this mall.


We were the only RV in this mall, and now, seeing us, they are all over. The Airstream had to park on the outer edge. We are on the Left.

Heading back

Stayed and slept at the Casino. Parked the big rear window towards the Casino. Nice night light. We both got some good peaceful sleep.


Can't decide what is the most popular grade.


Amazing build! This man is not only skillful, but probably worked for the Rail Road. My Dad worked for the Wester Pacific RR. With this fill up, we will be heading home, and I can't help but feel someone is saying Hi. Sure has been a wonderful trip.


The eagle on the left just carried a fish up on the tower 5 seconds before I took the picture. The fish is still visible in this picture under the feet.


Arrived back home, but it is nothing to write about.