musings

We called his bluff, and won. No Commandant came round for 2 x $7.50 in the morning. Saw him shouting at two Mexican workers for not turning up at 7am. Bet they were illegal immigrant cheap labour “wetbacks” as they are called. Glad we jipped him.

We had the choice of seeing Fort Worth or going on to Dallas and looking round there. We opted for the latter and so drove through Ft Worth. Stopped in Dallas and walked to the place where JFK was assassinated in 1963. It was completely different from my memory of the scene they showed on TV. I thought it was in the middle of the city, but it was more like the entrance to the freeway. Anyway, nothing much to see except a memorial plaque describing the killing.

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Unfortunately, in the morning we realised we’d pitched the tent in a conspicuous place and sure enough the manager came over. John paid him the money we should have put in the nite registration letterbox the previous evening. Can’t win ‘em all.

Visited Carlsbad National Park to see the famed caverns. At the visitor centre we paid $2 for the car-load and got our radio guides which we had to clip round our necks. These picked up recorded notes from wires buried in the trial we walked on, and as we entered a new area the message changed to describe it. Clever.

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Again the sun conflagrated our tent early in the morning – so early, in fact, that we were able to catch a McDonald’s breakfast. Motive: to obtain a McDonald’s Good Morning coffee mug as a souvenir. The sausage and egg breakfast was just like an airline breakfast and the sausages were like hamburger patties in shape! Still, I got the mug and might even get it back to England in one piece.

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Today we returned to Tijuana to have a look round in the daylight with all the shops open. There were hundreds of souvenir shops/arcades selling leather goods, cheap jewellery and similar junk, like in Acapulco. Shopkeepers were very pushy trying to get you in their particular shop.

Obviously competition was stiff, and as each shop sold the same things they had to rely on hard-sell techniques. “Yes! Hey guy! Come here. Bargains!” or even “Beerded man – over heer!” However we refrained from buying anything in any of the shops. I nearly got a pair of leather sandals with soles made out of old tyre treads.

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Great discussions about where to go next. We had arranged to be back in Cleveland on the 20th, and at the moment we are as far away as possible from Ohio. The choice was between heading back today, or spending another day on the west coast, in order to see San Diego. Decided in the end that we may as well check it out.

The City is noted for two things: its zoo and its beaches, so we headed for the beach. It was a bit cold and I was only just over the ‘flu so I didn’t go into the water. In fact Shôn was the only one who did. We were content to lie on the fine sand and watch the beach boys (and girls). They obviously hung around the beach as Liverpool teenagers hang around street corners. Some cruised along the “prom” on bikes, some played pool in the beach cafe, and some sat on the wall drinking from bottles wrapped in brown paper bags. A few were actually in the water.

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Landlady tried to get in this morning but the door chain defeated her. Ten minutes before checkout time we made a move. I picked up my sleeping bag, opened the door, stepped out, saw the cleaning lady and shot back in again. Wonder if she saw me?

We waited until she was in the next chalet and then jumped in the car and drove off. A mile down the road we heard the wail of a police car behind us. Our hearts raced. We did not need jail sentences for defrauding a landlord. The car raced past and we relaxed. Drove on towards LA and Disneyland.

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Woke late but no KOA official bothered us. Left the restroom key on a picnic table and left for downtown. Found nowhere to eat at the university so we had a McDonald’s and then headed for the Mystery Spot mentioned in the Moneywise. I decided $1.75 was too much but DB, Shôn and Joe went up the hill to the circle where everything defies gravity. They came back mystified.

Decided to replace the gas cap Shôn had lost. One gas station gave Joe a cap left by another motorist. The fool put it on our filler and there it locked. Of course there was no key for it and everyone had a go with a screwdriver. In the end I got it off and we bought a proper one. Bought some lozenges for my sore throat.

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Went to Berkeley again and I bought one of those hooded tank-tops with the University of California crest on ($12). Had a sandwich in the snack bar and watched two guys playing incredibly good frisbee.

Drove to Fisherman’s Wharf and checked out the trendy shops there. Found those seafood places where people go at night to eat freshly cooked crab etc sold from the street. Saw the replica Golden Hinde docked in the bay and I was amazed at its small size – only a hundred feet long.

We decided to go to the movies in the evening. Unfortunately Deep Throat was $5 so we settled for The Omen. Had lousy chilli and crackers at a Doggie Diner beforehand.

Midnight we set off for Santa Cruz. I felt the first signs of flu – sore throat, aches and shivering. Drove 70 miles to Santa Cruz and pitched the tent at the KOA there. Didn’t bother paying in the night envelope.

By the morning, most of the rides and stalls had gone and the fairground was a sorry mess of litter, broken dishes and ashtrays (prizes on the dime pitches); and one or two wooden stall skeletons, stripped of fancy material and the rows of giant St Bernard’s offered as prizes.

At last we were paid – a measly $64. The guys who had sloughed last night were either drunk or asleep on the floor. They were paid the same as us.

We washed the car from a hose we found and then, free once more, we set off for the great free city, San Francisco. We drove over the Golden Gate, which I still don’t think is as impressive as the Bay Bridge, and parked in the city. Had some delicious ice-cream which was home-made and full of real strawberries. We went to a lousy beach with dogs and debris and jellyfish, and I didn’t even go in the water. Couple of nude bathers. People would never feel free enough to do that in England.

Returned to Petaluma KOA (where we stayed last time we were in San Francisco) and ate a meal at Henny Penny’s.

Bit of drama today. Amos the Ferris wheel bloke flew off the handle and started ranting and raving and swearing at everybody. Ten policemen were there within minutes trying to calm him down. More squad cruisers screeched to a halt and then the boss arrived in his golf cart. Amos was stuttering with rage about nothing at all. Obviously he suffered brain damage in Korea. Anyway I left as the boss was putting his arm round Amos’s shoulder and saying “you’re a good man, Amos.”

I had the large merry-go-round today which was quite pleasant; lots of shade and plenty of time. Business was very slack – the last day of the fair. I gave away loads of free rides. Lots of the kids who had been working the rides had returned to school, so at one point I was working the carousel, the bombers, the tugboats and the trains. I learned later in the day that Amos had bitten a cop whilst being taken into custody.

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