It's been a while (February) since we last blogged from the Coachella Valley. For whatever reason, we just haven't been in very positive states of mind since then. Go figure. But life goes on.
We returned to Jackson this week after spending the last six months volunteering at Point Cabrillo Lighthouse in Mendocino, California, just as we did last year.
We enjoyed our time in Mendocino once again. We did and saw a lot of the same things as last year, so we won't bore you with a repeat. There were some new stories, however, we thought we’d share to entertain you.
Rocky and Apollo Go to Work
Directly across the road from our campsite is a homestead with a couple of horses and cows. After we arrived, we spotted a new addition to their menagerie: two beautiful Great Pyrenees dogs. We figured out pretty quickly that these dogs were not family pets. They were brought in as working livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) to protect our neighbor's livestock from predators (coyotes, mountain lions, bear) in the area. These dogs live outside 24x7. Unlike herding dogs, which control the movement of livestock, LGDs blend in with them, roaming the property, watching for intruders, and using vocal intimidation (aka barking) to detract nearby predators.
And boy did Rocky and Apollo take to their jobs as they barked and barked and barked. Between the large den of coyotes that resides in the park, our neighbor’s two dogs, and our two dogs, Anne Marie took to wearing her earbuds to bed with Pandora's Spa Radio channel playing to mask the nightly racket. We were happy to leave animal kingdom behind.
Visitors
We had a few friends and relatives visit us. Cliff's cousin Dana and his significant other Judy, drove up from southern California and spent a week camping and kayaking in the area. Our Bay Area friends Steven and his partner, Michael, also happened to be visiting at the same time. The six of us hiked the Pygmy Forest Trail and Fern Canyon Loop in Van Damme State in Mendocino one morning and then went out to lunch afterwards.
Our friends Jim and B Gorman stopped into Mendocino for a few days on their way home to Mexico after visiting Alaska. We visited the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden with them and B cooked us a lovely meal in their RV one evening.
We also got together several times with Jackson friends Mike and Sharon who have a place in Fort Bragg.
Peaceful Protesting
We attended two No Kings protests while there. Surprisingly, for a relatively sparsely populated county, approximately 2,000 peaceful protesters lined up on Highway 1 across the Noyo Harbor Bridge for two hours.
During the October protest, Cliff sported a taco costume and Anne Marie wore her Foxglove Daisy Tulip t-shirt in honor of the event.
While we got a few middle fingers and shouted insults, we mostly were greeted by thumbs up and honking horns. It was gratifying to be with like-minded folks advocating for our embattled democracy.
Thieves, Trespassers, and a Demanding Old Lady
Unfortunately, it seems that this year Anne Marie was a bad behavior magnet...
Robbery at the Lighthouse
One foggy Sunday, she was working a shift in the gift shop. At the end of the day, as visitor traffic slowed, a sole man came in and stood in the doorway between the foyer and the gift shop. For some background, a donation box mounted in a very heavy base of cement is located in the foyer. On a Sunday in the summer, we typically get about $125 in donations. These donations go to the non-profit that operates and maintains the lighthouse.
So the guy starts chatting and telling Anne Marie that he used to come to the area when he was a kid, memories, blah, blah, blah. Then he leaves.
At 5 p.m., Anne Marie begins the closing process. She walks out to the foyer to unlock the donation box and pull the cash out. No donation box in sight. What the heck? She went outside and walked around the perimeter of the lighthouse and saw the donation box lying on the ground, smashed open, money gone and the man and his accomplices nowhere in sight.
How incredibly pathetic to steal from a non-profit.
Teenage Trespasser
One Saturday afternoon, a very, very large group (40 or 50) of mostly teenagers with a couple of chaperones descended on the lighthouse. They were from a school in the Bay Area. With that many people in the lighthouse at once, the scene became loud and fairly chaotic.
After the crowd left the lighthouse, Anne Marie heard footsteps above her. Again. What the heck? She called up the from the foyer. "Who is up there?" No answer. Hmm. Maybe she was imagining things. More footsteps. So she called up again. Still no answer.
Eventually, she heard the door between the third floor and fourth floor where the Fresnel lens is located slam. Then a minute later a young lady came down the ladder. She had crept up there amidst the bedlam, past the U.S. Coast Guard Only sign. She broke both a state and federal law by trespassing.
Anne Marie called for one of the chaperones and, once she arrived, began telling the girl off. She told the girl that if anything happened to that lens, it could never be replaced. She looked at me and (with out an ounce of repentance in her voice) said, "My bad." At that point, Anne Marie's brain nearly burst out of the top her head. "Your bad? What you actually should be saying is, 'I am so very sorry and will never do that again.'" Then she stared at the girl in silence until the girl mumbled those words out.
Bike Bell Lady
Last summer, when Anne Marie was riding her bike to the lighthouse for a shift, she passed an older woman. The woman yelled out at her to "Use your bike bell." About ten minutes later, the same woman comes into the lighthouse and yelled at Anne Marie again.
Anne Marie responded, "I am very careful, ma'am. I go very slowly and am always very aware of people on the road." "I don't care, she said. You must always use your bike bell." Okaaayyy, lady.
Forward to this summer...
Bike Bell Lady strikes again, twice. The first time, after getting off her shift, Anne Marie was riding her bike back to the RV and passed Bike Bell Lady on the opposite side of the road. She began yelling at her again and then screamed, "I am going to report you." Anne Marie received a text about 15 minutes later from Cliff, who was working the afternoon shift. It said, "Bike Bell Lady reported you to me."
The last encounter was about a week ago. Bike Bell Lady was cruising down the road to the lighthouse and Anne Marie passed her very slowly. The woman screamed out, "BIKE BELL!" After six months of bad behavior incidents, that one tipped Anne Marie over the edge. She screamed back, "NO!" The woman ended up not coming into lighthouse, most likely because there were several other people in there, so there was no ugly confrontation, thankfully.
See ya, Bike Bell Lady.
Upcoming Travel
We will spend about five weeks in Jackson before heading to the Coachella Valley for the winter again. While there, we will do nothing but relax and enjoy the weather.
Then, next spring we will make our way slowly up the coast to start our next volunteer gig at, wait for it...a lighthouse. For two months (July/August), we will be docents at the Admiralty Head Lighthouse, located in Fort Casey State Historical Park on Whidbey Island in Washington state. Whidbey Island is one a several islands considered collectively as the San Juan Islands and the area has been on our bucket list for many years.
We are super excited for this next adventure and hope it's as wonderful of an experience as working at Point Cabrillo lighthouse was.
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Love your adventures. Should I get a bike bell? I would think of AMS everytime I “rang” it.
Looking forward to seeing you in 3 D.
Great update!
You should use an air horn for your bike bell!
After the bell lady, did you punish Anne Marie?
I docked her one week of pay. 😉
I say go with the air horn and scare the hell out of her
Sure was fun spending some more time together up there, and we’ll really miss you next summer. But, glad you share your adventures this way. Keep on traveling!
Wow. You’ve had some really interesting encounters this year. I think it’s a good thing you are moving on! But Point Cabrillo is going to miss you.
If you ever get the urge to hang around nice people, come to Bend. We have nice people there. But you never know! Someone may yell about a bike bell there too.
No worries, for your upcoming winter stay here I’ll remind you of your bell use! Daily
Jim, good thing we are not bringing our bikes with us to Coachella.
Great update! I so love reading about your adventures! Anne Marie where do I get a Tshirt like yours?
Jan, I bought the t-shirt on teepublic.com. I also bought one that says Frog Dragonfly Turtle.
I love to read about your adventures.
Welcome home!!! I very much missed your blogs. I always enjoy your writing and I live vicariously through your adventures. (I really miss having the opportunities for fun adventures). One question re: the Bell Lady reporting Anne Marie -- Cliff, did you ring Anne Marie's bell for her reprimand?
Robert's restaurant is now open in Plymouth (at the old InCahoots location). I would love to see you. You know the pizza is good. :-)
Michelle
So great to catch up with you this summer! Love your updates. Enjoy the winter and perhaps we'll find our way to the PNW next summer.
Thank you, very entertaining
Ding Dong The Witch is dead. No more bell Lady in your Head. ;-)
Oh my! Maybe use a bell that barks🤪. Definitely time for SoCal break. I look forward to your new Light house adventures.