The 1000 Day Holiday

During our last errand before departure from Ukiah we spotted the locals setting up for the 10th annual Chili Cookoff. We had to stay. Events of this calibre only happen once a year.

Chili gets taken very seriously in these parts. Most of the town was in attendance. 33 stalls were competing for the grand title.

The full spectrum of chili had to be tasted. Beef, Vegetarian, Elk, Bison, not spicy right through to 95% hot chilli. We even were bribed to vote for a stall with beer vouchers. Unfortunately the voting was rigged and they closed the voting early, so our bribed votes were wasted.

While we were discussing the chili in front of the New Age church stand,25 stalls done, our bellies full, I mentioned that we should drink the Kool-Aid and try it out.

Alex and his friend both gave me a very funny look and asked why I said to drink the Kool-aid.

It turns out Jim Jones (Peoples temple) was based in Ukiah and had a church and many local followers.

So the next morning on the way out of town, we stopped in for some pictures.

I headed for Ukiah, CA where I was meeting Alex, a fellow CS’er whos road tripping around Oregon and Washington.

Packed and out the door, I’m totally looking forward to hitch hiking again. The last time was in South Africa in 2006!

RIDE 1 It took me 45 mins to get a ride offer at the on ramp to the Golden Gate Bridge. I didn’t realise the town he mentioned was not far over the bridge. But I was still glad to get off the mark.

He dropped me at a really nasty on ramp in Marin County. This is where all the affluent grandmas and their BMW’s live just north of the bridge. A bad bad place to hitch from.

45 Minutes, and I’m getting a little hot. 2 asian ladys stop in the middle of the on ramp to ask me where I’m going, almost causing an accident. Their English isn’t very good so I cant get much out of them about where they would drop me. So I decide to stay at the worlds worst hitching spot.

RIDE 1.a 60 minutes to the second and the guy who dropped me off pulls up and says he realised he dropped me in a really bad spot and he’ll take me further up the highway.

40 Miles later! He drops me at the Santa Rosa junction. We were having a great chat about kitesurfing & he was procrastinating on the other things he was supposed to do.

45 Mins waiting in the beating sun….

RIDE 2 A woman pulls up and offers me a ride to Windsor, its only 12 miles up the highway but its still on route, so I jump in. Quickly into conversation about her hitching trips across the states, she mentions shes on her way to Walmart for some clothing. Then checks the time and says Ukiah will have a bigger one so she’ll drive me all the way. An extra 120 Miles to her intended trip!

She drops me off at the corner where Alex’s house is supposed to be. But I cant find it. 3990 to the right, 4011 to the left. I spot a guy coming out of his garage, so approach up the driveway to ask if he knows… He comes out towards me and says

“I dont wan none of what youre selling, get outa ere”

“go on, get”

I explain I’m not selling anything, and that I’m looking for house #4001. He has no idea (hes 4020), So I walk back around the corner. In this process a F350 truck stops in the middle of the road, backs up to me and the guy leans out the window and asks me what I’m looking for with a lot of suspicion.

I say I’m looking for 4001, its not up there, its not back there, so it must be down this side street.

He looks at me and says “its not up there, thats my neighbour the browns.”

I walk up there anyway and find his house. next to the Browns

It turns out Alex’s place is in an area the locals call Oakey Flats. As in full of Oakland immigrants (‘rednecks’), and Ukiah is in the Green triangle of Northern California where all the marijuana is grown…

So all in all a strange but great day hitching. And after this story about greyhound, and my experience last year I had no desire to get back on a greyhound bus.

a 32 hour commute and Im here in San Francisco.
It would have been around 22 hours if I had booked a cheap flight from LAX-SFO. But instead I got to enjoy the comfort and excitement of the Greyhound.

The excitement being provided by one of the other passengers breaking an arm rest and threatening to kill another passenger with it. I guess its good that everyone gets patted down, pass a metal detector and carry on bags are searched when boarding. I suppose theyve had gun or knife fights break out! hah

Within minutes of leaving the greyhound station in SFC, I love it. Feels like Wellington, or maybe Vancouver.
Time to go explore.