Mendecino Trip Report
By Bill Pugh
The Ocean by Jane Driver ...
As I sit here, the sun glistening
and shimmering over your skin
a graceful dance like a silk ribbon
floating, rhythmically through the air.
Your fragrance but a hint of you
as you shower me with your warm breath.
I feel your power, your energy
like a sleeping dragon, smouldering and simmering.
Your soothing rhythm sings to me a gentle lullaby
which rocks me to sleep on cold, dark nights.
I'm in awe of you, your vastness engulfs me,
fascinates me, swallows me whole.
And when you awake, no longer dormant,
you display your strength to me like a god
and you show me just how small and insignificant
I am in this vast existence.
As you rise up, your lungs spitting,
bellowing through my hair with a force that can only be of this
world
and your voice thunders through my empty head,
I bow to you, my mortality renewed,
and if there is a god in this unholy wilderness,
sitting hereŠ.
talking to youŠ
I'm as close as I'll ever be.
This pretty much sums up the feelings by the UBSCC (Touring
Group), as we made our way up to Mendecino on April 16, our
group was made up by Ted and Janis Bloxham (Triumph TR8), Tom
and Marge Fennessey (Triumph TR4), Jim and Marjorie Grace (Austin-Healy
100-6), AnnaBelle and Bill Pugh (Triumph TR6), Dennis and Pat
Rainey (MGB), Smokey and Nancy Reed (Triumph TR6) and Dave and
Barbara Yamamoto (Chevy S-10) ... well someone had to haul the
luggage ...
The trip up Highway 128 went very well with stops at the Lake
Berryessa overview, and another stop at {I will send this when
I can remember it}------- for a "relief" break, this
is when we first noticed that the Grace's and the Yamamoto's
were "missing" it turns out they were OK , had just
missed a turn and decided to head up to the Hamburger Ranch
at Cloverdale to meet us for lunch, it was an ominous hint however
of things to come.
After lunch we all started off again, continuing on Highway
128 towards the coast, as we got closer it got colder and we
were all hoping that Tom Fennessy (leader of the pack) would
stop so we could put on more layers. Finally about 15 miles
from our destination he did ... much to our relief ... all the
top down cars broke out sweaters and jackets and we continued
our trek ... then it happened ... the Dreaded Golden Chicken
swooped down and attacked Jim and Marjorie Grace causing them
to run out of gasoline ... luckily the Yamamoto's were able
to procure some gasoline and got them going again ... which
brings up a question for the Grand Poobah ... the Yamamoto's
only procured the gasoline, Jim put it in the Healy ... does
that constitute a true violation?? (like we don't know what
he will say) ... <G>
After we all were settled in our rooms at the Hill House there
was a Happy Hour catered by Fennessy and Fennessy, consisting
of Slough House wine (and few other lesser known labels) ...
sundry cheeses and snacks much to the delight of all.
The next day Sunday April 17, dawned Bright, Blue, and Beautiful
and we all enjoyed a great breakfast in Downtown Mendecino,
followed by a walk along the beautiful beach cliffs, when suddenly
a roar came from the North and we all looked and were amazed
to see a WW II type P-51 Mustang making a low, hi speed pass
over the area, he then turned and made another pass, beautiful
machine even to the "D-Day" stripes on the wings and
fuselage, really made our day.
5:00 PM saw another "Happy Hour" again by Fennessy
and Fennessy (they needed to get rid of the leftovers) and a
short trek up to Fort Bragg for dinner at "The Wharf"
which had some great sea-food. Tom Fennessy spotted Richard
Widmark at one of the other tables and was very anxious to get
his autograph until Tom was politely informed by Smokey Reed
that Richard Widmark had died two year ago, this only made Tom
even more determined to get that autograph ...<G>
Monday morning the UBSCC (Touring Group) split up and went our
own separate ways back home, AnnaBelle, Rosey and I finally
made it home around 5:00PM after dawdling a bit along the way
with lunch at Cache Creek, and a slight "adventure"
but that is another story ...
 
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