Introduction

Nancy called me in the middle of the week to tell me that she and her friends were going to the Russian River to go canoeing and camping. They were going to drive up there Thursday night, leaving on Sunday afternoon. She suggested that it would be a fun trip for me to go on, given that I like meeting new people and camping. After thinking about it for a day or so, I decided to go. Because of work, I decided to drive up on Saturday morning and stay through the evening to Sunday.

I packed up much of my gear on Friday night before 8:00 pm. Instead of continuing to pack, I worked on a new People section of my web site. As of July 17, 2001, the link still points to my old People In My Life page, but that will change in a week's time, as I apply the finishing touches to the new page.

I worked nonstop on the web site until 2:00 in the morning, whereupon I went to sleep with the intention of waking up at 5:00 am to finish packing, shower, and head out to the Russian River, a two-hour drive from the South Bay.

For some reason, I have an easier time getting up in the morning of weekends than I do during the weekdays. Perhaps it's the fact that the weekends are open-ended and I want to enjoy as many hours as I can which helps me wake up early in the morning. Regardless, I awoke to the sound of my AlarmClock buzzing at around 5:05 am. I dragged myself out of bed, took a shower, and moved my stuff to my car. I was gone by 5:45 am, heading up Highway 101 before making the change to 280 at the 380 interchange. Shown to the right is a map of my route from the South Bay to Guerneville, where the Russian River is located:

The Open Road

Traffic was most definitely not a problem driving up to Guerneville through San Francisco. I reached the Golden Gate Bridge in 42 miles and about 40 minutes. The rest of the drive up 101 was uneventful. I stopped by the roadside about 10 miles away from Guerneville to take my first picture.

Alone along the open road

The open road mirrors the unknown road that we walk along in our lives. When you're driving along a new highway, you don't know what's just around the corner. There could be a rest stop or another turn. Or, there might be a stop sign. We don't always know what's around the next bend, even with map in hand. I think about the adventures that I've gone on and the adventures that are yet to be experienced and I smile. Life's about driving on the open road, the wind whipping by our faces, tossing our hair in all directions. In order to understand life, you've got to be behind the wheel. Many people are content being passengers in the drive of life. That's the wrong way to go about life. Get out, explore, drive!

Nancy and gang were camped out next to Bull Frog Pond in the Austin Creek State Recreation Area, which was nestled next to the Armstrong Redwoods State Park, an 805-acre redwood forest reserve. Driving through the reserve, I was struck by the awesome beauty of these giant trees. If you've never been to an ancient redwood or sequoia forest, plan for it on your next trip!

Above the treeline

The Austin Creek State Recreation Area is a 5,683-acre park with elevations ranging from 150 feet above sea level to 1900 feet. Bull Frog Pond is located at the top of a steep 2.5 mile climb (which I guesstimated to be about 2000 feet). While driving up to the campsite, I thought constantly about biking up this monstrous climb. The Tour de France is happening right now, and at the time of this writing, the cyclists are enduring grueling hours on some of France's most storied climbs, such as L'Alpe d'Huez and le Col du Madeleine. This road was tough enough on my car... I can't believe how bad it would have been for a cyclist!

Car Camping

I reached Campsite #13 around 8:00 am, about 2 hours after I had left the comfy confines of my world in Mountain View. Nancy and the others were still asleep, so I made sure that I didn't make too much noise to wake them up. There were a lot of campers at Bull Frog Pond. Welcome to car camping land.

Car camping is very different from my idea of camping. In my mind, camping is all about hiking 5-10 miles to a campsite, with all your worldly possessions strapped to your back. Car camping, on the other hand, is practically like staying at an outdoor hotel. There's bathroom facilities, running water, trash cans, and heck, even telephones! I saw families with huge palatial tents that would never be considered for a backpacking trip. Although I might laugh at the idea of car camping, I realize that it does serve it purpose to bring access to nature to the masses. It's convenient for people to go car camping. So, I guess anything that encourages and helps people get in touch with nature is a good thing. As I like to say, "Car camping, it's all good." Yes, but wilderness backpacking is better!

Campsite #13

Telephones in Nature

Around 9:00 am, everyone started to rustle from their sleeping slumber. It was then where my Russian River Adventure began in earnest.

NEXT: Meeting New People