Date: 2014-07-09
From: Kinsman Pond Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Day 119: Wednesday, 9 July 2014 In Search of the PCT!Besides hearing from Buffalo yesterday, our friends Richard and Diana called from Ohio, just before we left. "How's Michael doing? We heard that someone had fallen on the AT and just checking in.""We just got off the phone with him and he's in New Hampshire!" They were relieved, and I told them that we were on our way out and where we were headed. "We'll call you when we get back!"The drive south was uneventful, got through Portland with ease. Cars and trucks seemed to be heading slowly north while we were going south at speed. We worked on engaging On Point into conversation! He's not averse to talking; we just have to ask the questions! Having the two dogs helps! An hour after Portland, we were in Salem for the night.On the road now from Salem, OR to Red Bluff, CA.We were on the road for maybe 15-20 minutes when Buffalo called On Point. I didn't get any inkling of the conversation since On Point's end was a lot of "Yeah", "Uh huh", "Better", and "We'll see". I don't even know where Buffalo was! When they hung up, On Point commented, "There's a lot of awkward silence when Michael and I talk!"For family and friends who are not from this neck of the woods, there's produce check points set up before entering California. Because California grows a lot of produce, it doesn't want fresh fruit & veggies to be brought in, carrying pests that could destroy the California crops. We always have to eat all our fruit and veggies before crossing the California state line.Had I thought about it, I would have saved the organic grapes we had: produce from California, to see if we'd have to surrender them! But we finished them and the cherries that came in last Saturday's CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box. The woman at the check point asked about any fruit - "We ate it all." She saw the cup of cherry pits and asked where the cherries were from. She then proceeded to ask for the cup of pits! Hey, not a problem if you're willing to dispose of our waste!These check points are pretty random. The last two or three time we've gone into California, we were waved on, and today, the lane next to us, the woman was just waving cars on! I KNEW we should not have gotten in the lane with the woman holding a clipboard! Watch next time!When On Point and I were texting back and forth about the upcoming trip, I told him that the way he could "pay us back" was to help with the dogs! And he did. MacGyver tends to be a back seat dog so On Point did a great job of hitching him up when we stopped and taking him on the leash. He also was a huge help when we needed to carry our things up 2 flights of stairs at the hotel in Red Bluff! Thanks, On Point!We got down to Castella, CA and Marty asked On Point if he'd be interested in finding where the place is that he'd be sending a box."Sure! It helps to see how to get from the trail to these places and back again."So we got off the highway and found Ammirati's Market. The Post Office shares the same parking lot.Now for those of you who followed Guy on a Buffalo last year on the PCT, Ammirati's Market is where he, Scones, and Doodles got whisked north by Doodles' family because of the smoke in northern California and southern Oregon. I don't know about FAHthur, but this place has special significance for me - once Buffalo and the group jumped north and hiked south in Oregon, I couldn't keep track of them! I knew he was fine, probably BETTER than fine since they were staying with Doodles' family members all throughout Oregon! It's just that the schedule was all crazy. Even Buffalo said that he could hardly keep track of where he was, but he was having fun and he ate well!!!We took On Point down to where the trail passes so he could see the lay of the land. That's one thing Buffalo does like about the guide book he's using for the AT. It has little maps of the towns and areas that hikers would most likely be using.We got to Red Bluff - near 100 degrees! Good thing the room's air conditioned! We went into Red Bluff looking for a place to eat. Not a whole lot of restaurants around. We did find a Mexican place and had a great meal there. On the drive back to the hotel, I commented, "So, I'm trying to figure out where the red bluffs are!" On Point concurred, "I was wondering that too!" It looked like some hills to, I think, the west, of town but they didn't impress me as being "red". Oh well, maybe some oxidation has happened over the decades.On to Sierra City tomorrow!