A Living Magazine - Day 5 - Hot and Loose

Morning came quickly, pack up was a 5 minute affair and I was on the road by 5:30 am. I actually got a good amount of sleep (5 hours). The trip was a matter of simply staying on Santa Rosa Avenue until I reached the Cotati proper. And, it was made much easier by my long walk the night before.

Plenty of Blackberries to Eat Along the Way

Seen Along Route 116

Along the way, I saw another unfortunate carcass in the breakdown lane. It seemed to be a bird, but when standing over it, I noticed its head, feet and feathers were missing. It turned out to be a whole fried chicken. I laughed out loud! And, the inevitable and profound question then became: Why did the fried chicken cross the road?

Cotati was a tiny town, based around a hexagonal center. It was named after an Indian chief named, Kotani...

In the Center Hexagonal Park

Sculpture of Athena in Cotati - Donated by a Local Artist

There was no library in town (I asked at the Town Hall). The Town Manager told me the closest one was in Rohnert Park--Cotati's sister town, which was on my way to Santa Rosa. I went looking for it. But, after a while the day began to get late. Unfortunately, I had - yet again - taken the wrong road. I was too far to the east. Somehow I had worked my way away from Route 101.

Then, after stopping by a local Peet's Coffee I looked up a route to get me back on track. I was very hot. The sun was blazing and the temperature was 90º F. I found a road called Snyder Lane. And, it was refreshing to see dozens of fruit trees. I was out of liquid, so I stopped every chance I got at a different tree and filled my pockets with fruit. First, red cherries, then white cherries, tiny plums and more blackberries. My pockets were bulging. I simply couldn't help myself from reaching in and grabbing another piece of fruit, continuously. Finally, I reached Santa Rosa Avenue, via the lucky discovery of a perpendicular street called Mountain View Avenue.

I was finally in Santa Rosa. All that fruit (maybe 3 pounds of it!) was quickly working its way through me... I'm very sensitive to ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), which can loosen the lower digestive tract. Now I was paying the price for my over indulgence. I had to find a bathroom--and fast! There was a Friedman's Home Improvement Store right there in front of me. 

Even with the impending digestive disaster looming, I HAD to drink some water. Thankfully, there was a food and drink vendor right in the parking lot. They charged $0.35 for a 16 oz. ice water. I bought two and drank them as quickly as I could, keeping the ice so I could pour my now-hot mango juice over it for later. My body temperature dropped quickly, with the cold liquid doing its job from the inside. Then it was a mad dash to the restroom.

Having made my "deposit" at Friedman's, and completely re-hydrated myself, I felt 100% again and continued up Santa Rosa Avenue. My destination was a McDonald's I saw on the map there. And, sure enough, I was led right to it. I ordered a large Sprite and then sat to rest and touch base at Facebook, before finding a nesting spot. 

At about 9:30 pm I stepped out into the darkness of the night. Taking Yolanda Street, running right next to McDonald's, I saw a truck company with a large field/parking lot and went in. It wasn't bad, but the spots I liked were too exposed. Then I went down the street further and took a left. Immediately, I saw a road with a gate, and next to it a field, with no fence (rare). I slipped into it and made my way to it's middle.

The grass was really nice. It wasn't the barbed seed kind. It was thin, soft and clumped around a certain spot, next to a small, gnarly oak tree. I laid out the tarp and then the sleeping bag. Then, I laid on my back for a while before turning over and falling asleep.

The next day would be frustrating and require a complete change of plans back to my original scheme for getting to Oregon, and a second night in Santa Rosa. I'd been having real doubts about whether people even cared about this new journey. I hadn't had even one single donation since leaving Livermore. However, that next night I would have a very edifying intuition--bringing me a new kind of confidence; one that will redefine my reliance on other people.

The Santa Rosa Sleeping Place