Pacificapocalypse

Ah man, back from camping at Richardson Grove, up past Fort Bragg on the coast. Big tree country. Had an outstanding time but too short of course. Court and I drove up on Sunday evening after meeting my dad for Father’s Day dinner at the Italian Society Hall in Menlo Park. Totally old school place; a bartender that looked like he’d served drinks at the last supper, traditional anti pasti plates and overcooked pasta, and a crowd that looked like a bunch of extras from the opening scene of the Godfather, but we had a good time.
Then the drive north.
CAMPING!
There’s no better breakfast than camping breakfast.
Great weather; just cold enough at night to make the campfire and the sleeping bags appreciated and pretty warm during the day. Got up there around 11pm on Sunday evening and were grateful that Court’s family were able to put up our tent and air mattress for us beforehand. Setting up camp in the dark sucks. And hey, I love the hardcore, no amenities, dig a hole to poop in, type of camping, but there’s something to be said for running water and bathrooms with flush toilets.
Monday we hung out by the river and in beautiful downtown Garberville. You can really tell that you’re in NorCal hippie country by the number of smokeshops, hydroponic grow stores and crystal emporiums in that town. It’s like all the old hippies that moved out of the Haight set up town here. Dinner was pork loin roasted on the fire and I don’t care what anyone says, 140° internal temp is not fit to serve. Sorry Bob, but I draw the line at 160°. The smashed potatoes were very good.
Tuesday was all day at Shelter Cove and man what a sorry little… hm.. not sure what you’d call it. Tourist spot? Coastal community? Whatever it was a little bleak. Great beach and ocean views but Archie mentioned how he thought it would be pretty miserable place to spend the winter – miles of switchback road, possibly washed out and blocked. No way in or out, storms from the Gulf of Alaska smacking you straight in the face. Pass. You know what it reminded me of? A setting for a Stephen King novel. Something about little isolated communities like that creep me out. Total “Storm of the Century” fodder. Court and I cooked dinner Tuesday night; grilled coulette steaky steak and caramelized onion sammies were tasty. Wednesday we broke camp and hit the road. A short trip but I would not have missed it for the world.

More pictures here.

We Watch Movies: The Happening.
Thursday we went and checked out M. Night’s newest.
Wow, well, first and foremost it wasn’t as bad as all the reviews said it would be, I mean, yeah I never really developed any sort of sympathy for any of the characters and I sort of like all the actors involved. And you *really* have to buy into the premise for the whole movie to even have a chance (dude… it’s the plants!). Ok some of the set scenes were sufficiently disturbing; and they don’t waste any time starting with the weirdness. But why was it only effecting the North East? I didn’t buy the explanation they provided. Whatever.
AND! Betty Buckley gets the nod for Most Disturbingly Creepy Old Lady Living in An Isolated Farmhouse award. They have that, right?

Overall it was entertaining but not fantastic. Worth seeing at matinée pricing.