A Living Magazine - Day 41 - Salem and No Sleep

I wanted to sleep longer, but I forced myself up, packed the stuff and headed to the Albany Public Library to print off my Amtrak Thruway bus eTicket. It didn't open until 10:00 am, so I had a good long time to get a coffee and explore the town a bit...

Ha!!

Interesting architecture.

A sign for the Applegate Trail again, just as I'd seen in  Monroe.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora).

A "strawberry tree". Hadn't seen one since hiking through Sonoma, California.

Strange sculpture outside the Albany Public Library.

I loved the colors of this rose. I would call it "Tequila Sunrise."

A wall mural.

When I felt I'd exhausted all the picture-worthy opportunities around that part of town, it was about 10:00. I was the very first one into the library and immediately asked the librarian if I could get a guest pass for the computers. Unlike in Grants Pass, she didn't ask me for an ID or anything. She was very helpful and got me signed in right away. It took all of three minutes to print the ticket, but I had to wait to pay for it, while some guy told her his entire life story. It was all good though. The bus didn't leave until 12:30 so I had time to get back to Amtrak.

The bus was basically right on time...

It only took a little more than a half hour to reach Salem. It was going to be another scorcher, and I wanted to find  place where I could buy myself a nice lunch for a change. I'd saved a bit of money for this. The walk into town was interesting...

Normally, I'm not overly attracted to Mexican food taquerias. But, Sheryl and David Sixsmith, in Livermore, had introduced me to the joys of this kind of food and I figured it might be a nice change of pace. I found a place along Liberty Avenue, called La Tolteca, that had a menu right out front on the sidewalk, with a Friday special combo.

I went in and sat down, ordered a Corona and the special...

I wanted to work on the post for the day, but I just wasn't into it. so, I decided to do more exploring around Riverfront City Park first...

"Saggy" my constant companion.

Kids made these tiles. There were dozens.

This ("the living water") reminded me of the subject in my dream on Day 4 of this new journey.

The covered picnic area had a nice bathroom and even an outdoor sink to wash items in...

And here - The Big Belly - is something that highlights the idea of micro solar power usage.

It falls into line with a supplemental I wrote in Napa. They have these in Maine too.

The World War II Memorial.

Because Salem has Xfinity hot spots just about everywhere, I was frequently able to get online. I checked for a McDonald's and the library. I found both, but it was getting too late for the library, so I went to McDonald's to get a drink and find the most likely nest spot I could.

I was immediately attracted to the Minto Island Park. It is 300 acres of fields and paths. I thought that surely there would be something there. When the hour approached 7:30 pm, I started hiking my convoluted route of city streets that would bring me to Owens Road, which led to the River Road, and the entrance to the park. Although the park gates close for cars at 10:00 pm, there are plenty of trails all around for hikers to get in their. Technically, guests aren't allowed there between 10:00 pm and 5:00 am. Yet - since those matched my sleeping hours perfectly, I could get in before 10:00 and out after 5:00. So, anyone seeing me hiking on the property would be observing me during regular hours.

There were a few unique historic sites to see along the way, and also some pretty cool architecture. It is much more like New England, than California. Very much so, in fact...

Here is the kind of thing that makes hiking on a highway dangerous and nerve wracking...

No break down lane and no shoulder.

I walked down the road leading to the park entrance at around 9:30 pm. there was a trail that skirted the park, without going into it. So, I checked that out first. It wasn't bad, and there was no one around. I saw a very small hole in the bushes, maybe three feet wide, that seemed to have a path leading away from the main trail. So, I ducked in and took it.

I couldn't tell if it was made by people or animals, but it led to a small field, surrounded by very tall grass, and matted down areas. Now, when I was in the Midwest, a matted down area usually meant that deer had rested there. I wasn't so sure in this case, because the entire island itself seemed not big enough to support any kind of significant population deer. I thought it more likely that people had camped there, or that it was a series of mountain bike rough trails. I would find out which, in the morning.

I was sweating profusely from the four mile walk. And, the air was quite humid, so I wasn't drying off very quickly. Thankfully - or so I thought - the temperature was dropping quickly. It seemed I was in a low-lying spot and the denser evening air was settling down into it. This was nice because it meant the possibility of good sleeping temperatures.

I laid out the tarp and sat down, not completely convinced I would be staying there. And, then it began... High whining mosquitoes began to fly sorties around my legs, arms and face. I nearly, packed up right then, but was just too tired. As the sky grew darker and the air grew colder, the biting lessened, but it really did continue about every five minutes for the rest of the night.

I tried to completely cover myself with the sleeping bag, which has a hood and Velcro to allow the whole head end to be partially sealed. But, I was just to hot, and the sweating made the inside of the bag quite uncomfortable. Even the tiny spaces I left for my mouth and nose would get bombarded by mosquitoes. It was extremely frustrating. I resolved then and there to make getting a bug net a major priority. I have an idea about how to attach it to the sleeping bag so when I get a bit more money, that can be taken care of.

At about 2:00 am I heard some guy talking loudly to himself, angry about something. He'd yell, then swear, and then jump into the brush around my little field. I was almost sure he come stumbling in at some point. Later, at around 4:00, just when I began to get sleepy (remember, I have to get up at 5:30 am), I heard two guys walking by on the outer trail talking about how strange everything looked. If I were to guess, I'd say that they had been tripping on something. They acted exactly like they were discussing the visions of LSD.

By that time, I'd given up hope for sleep. I think I may have gotten about an hour's worth, total. But I can't remember actually falling asleep, only turning over from right side to left side to right side, etc., being bitten and anticipating unwanted and mentally unstable visitors.