trip to sequoia -ch. 36 cont.

Ch.36 (cont.)

   Darla sat over in the passenger seat and just enjoyed the trip, we could talk but at times when I was moving along we would almost have to yell to talk to each other due to wind noise. A problem with a jeep or motorcycle at the upper speed limits  If there was something she wanted me to see or I for her to see, then I would either slow down or she would grab my arm so slightly to get my attention . Usually I was already leaning towards her as I couldn’t quite keep my eyes off her and would sense before she touched me what she was up to. The coast up Highway 101 from this point on up into Oregon was breathtaking for a couple of folks from Ohio having saw little or none of this before. We were oohing and awing as we went along. the amount of driftwood along the coast was amazing , huge trees ripped out of their moorings and pummeled down a stream bed then swept out to sea dotted the coastline as often as the rocky crags.

     I remembered that I had my chainsaws as well as Lee’s stashed in one of the Road Warriors compartments and had brought them along to carve. I was in a hurry to get across the United States after we had been broke into a couple of times, and had an idea someone was chasing us. So I hurried and spent most of our time on the interstate not seeing too much, but instead trying to put some distance between us and who was following us. I passed on seeing my friend in Idaho but after seeing all this driftwood along the coast decided I was going to find me a place where I could carve.

      Darla and I would stop at various overlooks and would gaze out into the ocean and each time I would learn a little something about her previous life whether it be working at Gunnite or as wife and a mom. As most women and men assuming she was close to  my age and myself included we have usually been married at one point or another and big warning signs go up if someone hasn’t been married at our age. Could be a whole list of reasons why that may be so. She had been in a few failed relationships after her marriage, and was still reeling a little from the last one. Guess we had that in common as I was still not over Leann to some degree. She had decided to come out and work with me and accept Ann’s offer as Darla needed time to see if she had feelings for the guy left behind as she put it. Ironically that was my name and I kind of grimaced when she said that even though it wasn’t me. It just dredged up old memories. She saw it as new start and besides the money was good, in fact great, her and Ann were always great friends and as I am, would do anything for her and Lee.

   As we drove along I would just give assessments of the lands potential based on what I saw from an agricultural point of view. Some areas seemed to be rocky coastal areas that were better left alone as they are unfit for agricultural practice, areas flat and in flood plains like outside of Crescent City, California were subject to tsunami rollover where if a tsunami were to hit the coast unfortunately areas like Crescent City would soon be a disaster area. This is where some of the most fertile areas were unfortunately. I didn’t see a lot of agriculture anywhere in our travels that day along the coast outside this area as we took Highway 101 north along the coast for about sixty miles and then headed back the way we came.  As you travelled more to the interior most of the land was forested and roads in our direction back to the campgrounds were few making Highway 101 the easiest route for us this day.

      After looking at the land and assessing its potential as agricultural land I could see little in this area besides maybe the potential of using some seaside areas or possibly a fresh water source for aqua culture. Possibly raising fish in domes over fresh water tanks where they could be fed or kept. Then if a tsunami washed ashore you would lose fish and maybe some facilities but would still be providing sustainable food source.

    Most farming has to do with a single plane type of farming in two dimensions of width and length of fields. Whereas about the first foot of soil in depth is where most agricultural activity is occurring. With aqua culture you enter a three dimensional world where not only length and width of a pond or enclosure is important, but also depth, allowing aqua culture to have less environmental impact for agriculture than any other food source. We can grow more pounds of fish than we can anything in less space due to the fact it is three dimensional form of agriculture.

      The abundance of water is important to agriculture and I need to check on restrictions as to how much water may be used in a growing operation like this, and also if you can access streams or other sources for this water before settling on aqua culture and a piece of land to buy and attempt a farming scenario as this.

      I explained all this to Darla as we were sitting in a seaside diner where tourists frequent when travelling the coastal highway. The view was fantastic and as much as I like my little river fishing cabin I would much rather wake up to this every day and feel after viewing this I may have to include some reason to buy some property along the coast to make sure I have all bases covered when considering potential uses of land preserved for future generations. A source of seafood would definitely be within the realm of what we are trying to accomplish. Or at least in my mind it should be.

      This is all new to Darla as she was looking at land use from a different perspective. When Gunnite would buy a piece of property, drillers reports and engineers estimates  would indicate below ground reserves of certain ores or minerals, or whatever they were looking for in natural resources they were going to strip or mine. The potential of these reserves would b weighed against the profit potential of the finished product including environmental regulations that would require extra effort to reclaim these lands afterward. The rest of the mining and blasting was normal procedure and costs for the most part were average, per ton of material removed. But all in all they only looked at short term potential of a site, and not whether it would substantially produce food. She only worked in numbers and what it meant to profit. We are now throwing profit out the window temporarily and looking at the future and what are the needs in say thirty years for people to eat a substantial meal with home grown or locally grown products.

    In thirty years we may be eating more processed food slop similar to what we feed our animals like beef cattle and hogs, or even dogs and cats. Adore your little kitty cat and remember what the price of cat food was twenty years ago and what it will be like in another thirty years and soon you will see we will not be feeding pets but instead probably eating them,  if current trends continue. The Chinese are one of the largest producers of dog food and cat food for the United States now and must surely wonder as they sit down to a meal of noodles and dog and wonder why us silly rich Americans can spend so much on little Pooh, the kitty, or Fido the dog . When all they really are is just one good meal for them. We need to rethink what we do and how we do it in the future.

    Darla grimaced at the thought of eating cat or dog when I mentioned it and said to me there  are some things she would never do. I reminded her that synthetic foods would become more prevalent and that the days of the movie where everyone was fed Solyent Green are not that far away with genetically engineered foods becoming a staple in our modern agriculture today, with Monsanto being one of the largest corporate holders of agriculture with their patent on soybean genetics having a stranglehold on soybean production in the United States. This is also not considering what we are doing to ourselves by eating their products and possibly ingesting the same triggers that make the soybeans genetic’s so special, and what this could possibly be doing to alter human genetics. We do not understand the science totally and have no business implementing changes on a mass scale to satisfy someone’s profit margin. It is wrong.

    We had a nice talk as we walked back to the Jeep. Soon we passed a roadside beach park and I stopped and we walked along the beach for a while, till I was tired and figured she was too. We returned back down the Redwood Highway and back to the Road Warrior and I pulled out a couple of lawn chairs from the sliding compartment under the Road Warrior and we sat and talked till dark. She mentioned that she needed to head back to town and that we would try again tomorrow only heading south. We decided that by just looking around at the potential of these areas it would give us a better idea of which properties we were looking for.

    I walked Darla to her car and she thanked me for a wonderful day and I reminded her it was all in a day’s work. I watched as she drove away through the tall redwoods and wished she could have stayed but I sorely needed a joint to just relax.  At the same time didn’t really want her to know just yet about my recreational drug use and what I was up to. I started a fire and just sat there in the camp light and reflected on the day’s events trying to remember all I had seen including the beauty of Darla’s smile. I must forget Darla I said to myself as I still couldn’t tell if she was even interested in me besides our working arrangement and  I tried to remember instead Leans face and images of her riding on her motorcycle came back to me when I saw her outside Oklahoma City if it was her. I went in and checked the security system and the cameras and found nothing out of the ordinary. Apparently whoever is following us has now lost us.

trip to sequoia -ch. 36 tilt and whirl -i am dizzy

Ch. 36

Tilt and Whirl. I Am Dizzy

    So I remember as I am driving along in the CJ-7 up the Redwood Highway and thinking about Darla and the reasons why I am here in the first place. Partially because of my friendship with Lee and Ann and suddenly it all seemed to make my head spin. Is this destiny that brings me to this point as changes make you take different paths, yet in reality it is who you are that leads the path destiny takes?  Is Ann playing cupid again begging out and with Lee and giving me space at the same time Darla comes in. Or am i just blowing everything out of proportion and if I don’t produce then all this including a chance at love will be stripped away as fast as I received it or faster.

     Love was so much simpler when we were kids as I knew some girls in my second grade class would fall in love with just a simple piece of paper secretly slipped along by a group of friends privy to what you had planned and who were willing participants in your scheme.  A simple do you like me on a piece of paper would get you a smile across the room and gather you attention all day long from the red haired girl. Then the next day she would ignore you as yet another so called friend gave her a new note and then would steal her affection away from you. Can’t really remember getting so upset over the red haired girl and our lost love, yet now in my old age I can’t seem to get over Leann, and now it seems as if Ann is playing cupid as well while  she is playing an anonymous donor to save the farm land for future generations.  Only she is going to make me work for any of this, when I am at that point I thought I was retired. I guess destiny brought me to this point, and it’s up to me to figure everything out and make it work. I always like a challenge. Now my challenge is going to be working with Darla and try to make this foundation, charity or tax write off work for the good of man. It isn’t about me or Leann or Darla or even Ann only because she makes it possible that I am doing this. It is going to be about leaving something for the future. Something to say we were not all screwed up back then.

     I arrived at the Road Warrior and powered up Ann’s laptop and booted the satellite. I installed surveillance cameras on all four corners of the Road Warrior and quickly checked the video to see if anyone tripped the motion detectors lighting up the outside and it looked as if a bear had visited Road Warrior while I was gone, but couldn’t really find much to tear up or mess with as I keep everything closed when I am not there. Other than that there was nothing. Next I did a search for northern California property for sale, and picked five within a close proximity to look at and discuss with Darla. We need to see twenty properties a week and make up a list of eligible properties based on certain values I have yet to determine. Well it sounds like I know what I am doing. And we need to just do it and get our feet wet. Need to make it work.

      I need to keep my relationship with Darla on a professional basis, I have no idea if she is even looking for anyone. We both accepted to do Ann’s work and by chance we have to work with each other. It is work and nothing more. I must remind myself of that. Well I have a list and if history is anything imagine Darla would be out here early again in the morning. I needed to sleep and soon fell asleep but before I did,   I still had Darla and Leann running through my mind. And I thought before drifting off, maybe by morning it will all work itself out, or won’t make a damn I say to myself, as I tried to fall asleep.

     Again the next morning I get a phone call a little earlier from Darla saying she will pick up some breakfast or make something if I like. She missed having breakfast yesterday as I offered her none , I just forgot , what a way to impress a lady I thought to myself , so today I guess she is going to one up me and offer me breakfast. I usually don’t get up and grab breakfast instead drink coffee eat my meds and write in my blog. Sometimes I will smoke a joint before breakfast as I hear the, oh no’s, from the crowd as he really does that? And yes I do. I am more of a brunch kind of guy, so this getting moving stuff is getting old already. But then again , I imagine Darla is a driven woman who rises early has everything in place the night before and is out the door by eight  for a half hour commute to Gunnite if that and is at her desk rearing to go by eight  thirty at the latest. I’m still scratching, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, sitting in front of the puter in my undies typing aimlessly. Not as pretty a sight as one can imagine,  as it was years ago but still a sight none the less .

    I do have a list of properties in a basin north of Crescent City , and will just take her for a ride up the coast. Maybe head up into the mountains and just get a feel for this area. One of the updated features of my CJ 7 is a Garvin GPS I added from Wal-Mart. It works well and gets me there, and it may help me if I’m lost as I like to be at times.

     So after Darla fixes breakfast or brings it we will heading out, and check out some properties. I checked my messages on the puter and on my phone, and forgot about my neighbor Clyde calling as once again he left another message saying it was urgent he talked to me.  He was telling me I had a package delivered to my house and the Fed Ex man just dumped it on the front step and since I wasn’t home he took it inside my house along with my mail.

      I called Clyde and reached his voice mail and I was glad as I could hear that slow drawl of Clyde saying h-h-h-h-e-e-e-l-l-l—o—o—o this isss C-l-y-d-e-. Clyde is a slow talker, not that he is dumb. Just in no hurry to get on with conversing. I am a fast talker in comparison  and when I lived around the Marietta area before couldn’t beg, borrow, or work for free, as soon as I opened my mouth and started talking. I lacked a southern drawl and at the same time the patience these people in this area seem to have as they become accustomed to slow talkers . They would pride themselves in their ability to slow talk sometimes taking hours to say what I just did in seconds. I don’t have all damn day to sit and listen to these people form words and sounds and I tend to finish sentences for them. They would say I –went-  to  - the, and by now I  have  list of options like park , grocery store , amusement park and morgue  as to how to finish their sentence. I would go on a job interview and say to myself, ‘sorry we are  not hiring’, soon after the the interviewer would start their slow parade of words , just to alleviate my mind from the terrible guessing of the inevitable . The only slow talking I could stand was from those southern gals when you asked them for a favor and by the time they got around to saying no you already had your way with them . Ah yes the good old days.

     So in my best slow voice I told Clyde he needed to take my package and my mail to a UPS shipping center and they can put it in a larger box and send it to me here at the Crescent City RV park. that I will be here till I get the package. I provided him with a street address and a lot number where I was at. I told him to overnight the package and I was sending him a check and expenses for doing it. I dug his address out of my address book and found an envelope and would stop and pick up a money order today while Darla and I are out.

    After taking care of Clyde I heard a door slam on a car and again Darla must have been buying groceries at the RV campground grocery store as it was no time till she was here and I heard the doorbell ring and I was still in my underwear three quarters to seven eights naked and she was outside the door. I Rushed to the bedroom and found my shorts and slipped them on and hurried back and opened the door and said.

     “Hi Darla we have got to quit meeting like this.”

     She laughed as she stood there with a bag of groceries in her hand and  I said.

     “Come on in , can I help  you with that?”                                               

      She says to me “No Guy, I can get it.”

       As I stood there bare chested and my paunch of middle age spread out before me. Hardly the sight I hoped to impress her with but she didn’t seem to mind and she came on in and soon was putting stuff in the frig as if it was her own place, making herself at home. I ran back to the bedroom and grabbed a loose shirt and slipped it on and came back and talked to her a few seconds before heading off to a shower.

    “So did you find everything you needed for breakfast?” I asked .

    Darla returned with.  “Yes but forgot the cream cheese.”

   “ I would hate to ask what it was for but I am sure it was good if It had cream cheese in it. It was probably too good.” I added with a smile.

   Darla looked at me and smiled and said, “Why yes, Guy everything I make is good , and no I don’t eat cream cheese all the time, just on special occasions.”

    I asked. “Why is this so special, never been to California before? Or you are celebrating something?  Or is it that it is Monday and that is good enough?”

   She laughed. “It is because you took me out to dinner and I enjoyed your company so thought I would reciprocate.”

    I laughed and said. “Wow there you are using those big words again surely you must be from up north Dear.”  As I let a word of endearment slip out. I should have thought more before using that one.

    Darla laughed sensing what I said but not responding to it, but instead pushed on with the breakfast thing, and asked if it was OK to just go ahead.

    I said.  “Go for it. In fact I am headed to the shower and get ready, and you can have at it. Ann stocked the Road Warrior and had things like corkscrews and cheese graters I would never use even though I like to cook. I would have never thought to bring them along. Anyhow we did have some cream cheese in the frig so Darla you can go ahead with what you are fixing.

  She said. “ I thought a veggie omelet with cream cheese sounded great.”

   I agreed as  I sat and watched Darla go to work and soon she ushered me off as I was making her nervous watching her, so I took my shower .

     I came out of the bathroom and some country music was playing on the stereo and Darla was singing to it. As soon as she saw me she became quiet and just watched her omelet frying in the pan.

     I said to her, as I seemed to have caught her in a moment, “You can go ahead and sing if you want I do whenever no one is around.”

     She said. “Of course not silly, maybe someday when I know you better.”

     I laughed at the thought of her wanting to know me better. Heck by that time, I thought in my mind you will be running as fast as you can away from me like the rest , and will be to wind busted to even think about singing. She looked back at the frying pan and just hummed the words.

     She fixed my omelet and then told me to go ahead and eat,  I said no I was going to wait for her . She explained there was only one pan so she could only cook one omelet at a time and mine was getting cold. I told her to hurry as I was waiting she laughed and went on with hers. We ate and I did the dishes as she looked over my list of properties I had found.

     I found one farm in the area for around 750000 for 100 acres or 7500 /acre. And then in the same ad saw one farm of 80 acres for 39000 dollars , quite a difference in price . One was coastal California and the other was desert in Nevada. At 75oo per acre for coastal flat land, one would have to really justify that purchase .We need to see this land for ourselves.

     Darla asked if we should contact the realtor and I said I prefer to look at the land first and see if it is one we would want. I set the alarm on the Road Warrior and made sure the security cameras were working and set out to begin looking at properties with Darla in the Jeep. I left the top up but took the doors off and threw them in the back of the jeep. Darla produced a ball cap and a pair of sunglasses and had jeans with a jean jacket over a nice white lacy looking blouse and was looking the part of an explorer today we set out for our first property having put the coordinates in my Garmin GPS.

trip to sequoia - ch. 35 cont.

Ch.35 (cont.)

  I left the Road Warrior behind as I climbed behind the wheel of the CJ -7 Jeep and fired it up. It had a nice throaty sound not loud but mellow letting you know it was there, but not being rude or offend the senses. I still had the top down and the fresh air was good for my soul as I drove down the Redwood Highway into Crescent City and son I was pulling into the parking lot of the Crescent City Sheraton. I parked the Jeep and grabbed my cell phone out of my blazer and dialed Darla’s number and said I would meet her in the lobby of the hotel , she said she would be down in a few minutes after all I was a few minutes early. I found a comfortable chair and checked my messages as I had one from the guy who is watching my house , I would call him but it may spoil my dinner so I just postponed till after I ate. He probably just wanted some more beer money for watching my house. In fact I may just wait till tomorrow as I could care less about anything except having a good time with Darla.

    I was paying attention to my cell when I looked up and Darla was standing there looking like a million bucks and I knew she was worth it as she had the same privileged information about me. She was way too pretty for me to be accompanying me anywhere, but I was the best she had tonight. She was a tall woman I would say 5’10” in a raised sandal, her tan legs earlier hidden by dark stockings, sported a nice tan. She had on a comfortable sand colored dress and wore a square turquoise necklace that looked like it cost a fortune and with the matching ear rings framed her young looking face. A slight gray at the temples wasn’t hid , but added  touch of elegance to her blond curly hair, and embraced her overall appearance as someone who wore a smile and proudly so because she was confident of her looks and should surely be. So business like this morning and now so gorgeous, it was hard to believe it was the same woman as I greeted her, and I asked her if she would like to walk to where we were going to eat . She said sure and took my chair as I stood up, she sat down and produced a pair of comfortable flats from a bag she carried with her.

    She says.  “Excuse me while I slip into some more comfortable walking shoes.” She seemed always organized as she slipped off the sandals and put on the flats. I regretted asking her to walk after seeing how gorgeous she looked, but thought she might like to see a bit of downtown life and Crescent City Sheraton was in the heart of it all. The flats looked nice but I liked those sandals better. Besides why was I worried as I needed to work with this woman so I needed to keep my distance from her as if I had any chance of being someone she would be interested in. We headed out the door of the hotel and were soon walking down the main street heading for the waterfront where I was sure they had a strip of restaurants.  

     Small talk revealed that she was fond of seafood and I found the place where I had seafood dinner takeout when I was there with the Jeep after I bought it. It wasn’t a deli but it did offer outside dining and a gorgeous sunset from the table where we were seated. We shared a huge marinated seafood platter that was brought to the table and set on flame. We had a salad and she enjoyed a white wine from a local vineyard, and I just had apple juice.

     We talked some shop and I repeatedly dabbed at the corners of my mouth to make sure I left no traces of food and tried my best to avoid dropping anything in my lap and felt that for an old man I was doing good at being mannerly. It had been a long time since I had a chance to eat with someone so pretty and her beauty was intimidating me and making me very self-conscious. She adored the fact she had my total attention and played it by drawing attention to herself by running a finger in the neckline of her dress, fumbling with her earrings, sitting erect and then stretching at times. Our conversation was business at first but turned more personal as we went along. Soon the sun had set and we decided to pay the bill and walk on the beach for a while.

      Darla offered to pay and I said no it was my treat. She reminded me that since we discussed business it was all tax deductible and that we would let Ann and Lee pick up the tab. After all we had only a million apiece and Ann had so much more. I liked her style and I laughed and heartily agreed. Why not?  They were the reason I was here in the first place and the same went for Darla, besides from the sounds of things it looked as if Ann needed all the tax deductions she could get.

    We walked up the coast for awhile till it was really dark and then we decided we had better return and call it a night. We returned to the restaurant where we had started and there was a bonfire on the beach by a younger crowd. We paused sat on a park bench and watched them for a while not really ready to end the night so soon ,  and talked some more of our lives back home in Ohio, our past failed marriages and our failed attempts at dating since, with no success. I refused to discuss Leann with her instead avoided that conversation for now. Besides I had about as much a chance with Darla as I do with Leann at this moment.  Darla and my self’s little get together allowed each of us to learn more about each other. In fact I felt more at ease with Darla after this night and looked forward to seeing her again. I avoided any of my rants about the environment and planting trees as I didn’t want her to get any preconceived notions about me.

     At last I helped her up off the bench by offering her my hand and we soon walked up the street to the hotel and I left her with a thank you for the company, and she hugged me briefly and awkwardly for a few seconds, and we parted in the lobby of the hotel and within minutes the cold night air was revealing stars and blowing through my hair as I drove the Jeep along the Redwood Highway back to the Road Warrior. I spent little time thinking of Leann instead my thoughts were with Darla, and how strange it was that I had to drive over thirty five hundred miles to have dinner with a woman who was practically in my backyard. As I went to sleep I just hoped and planned to have more dinners with Darla and was looking forward to it. In fact we had plans in the morning to look for property and hash out more details of what we were looking for in terms of property. As I settled to sleep I was looking forward to it.

trip to sequoia ch. 35 cont.

Ch. 35(cont.)

      I awoke to my cell phone going off as I had a phone call coming in it was Ms. Goins and she said she was on her way out to the campsite and that she would be there soon . She was giving me a heads up .

       I said fine that i would put some coffee on. I looked at my cell after hanging up and it was seven thirty two. I thought to myself I hardly get up at eight , and she is a woman, surely she must have started at five thirty to be out here this early in the morning . I hate those people, as they are always trying to steal a few more hours out of the day.

I slipped into my shorts I had on yesterday and grabbed a t-shirt and then headed for the sink. I took out the coffee and dumped yesterday’s grounds as I never remember to dump the old grounds out as I should and then grabbed a new filter and poured in the water needed. Coffee was done , on to cleaning up the Road Warrior . I just needed to pick up a few things as I let things slip since I knew I wasn’t going to see Ann and lee for a few weeks .i expected Ms. Goins but not quite so early. It seemed like no time till I heard the doorbell ring on the Road Warrior. It was her already I said to myself as I was hurrying around. She must have been driving through the gates to the campground when she called me. I looked and saw she had a young ageless appearance to herself. She looked quite business like in a dark gray skirt with hose , hardly see any woman with age on in hose anymore and she had a matching  blazer and was carrying a laptop case. She also looked bored as she waited on me. I said what the heck she is to pretty for me to worry about might as well be myself. So I just went ahead and let her in.

      I said. Come on in Ms Goins I just woke up when the phone rang you will; have to excuse me I haven’t had a chance to shower and had no idea you would be so early.

   She said.  “Sorry Guy but I had a room next to couple who yelled at each other all night about petty stuff. Now I remember why I am divorced. Anyhow that is the reason I am early just couldn’t relax s I thought I might as well just get moving ”

    I smiled and said come on in and have a cup of coffee while I finish getting ready. I had shorts and a t-shirt on and grabbed my clothes and headed for the bathroom, and on my way I said to her. Help yourself to the coffee the cups are in the cupboard and the milk is in the frig. Ann has some of those hazelnut creamers women like and sugar is in the canister on the counter. Feel free to look around and find what you want.

     Ms. Goins headed to the counter and started searching through the cupboard the coffee pot was steaming belches indicating it as finished brewing. I just headed to the bathroom to shower and wash my hair. My hair is never right till I wash it daily. Soon I emerged all fresh and my hair slicked back and drying as I could comb through it. I saw a cup of coffee for me and thanked her and said “Sorry excuse my manners I was supposed get a cup for you Ms Goins.”

    She smiled and said “That’s ok Guy and my first name is Darla, feel free to call me by my first name. We will be working together for a while I hope.”  

    “Oh you mean it isn’t Ms.?” I laughed as I said it.

    She smiled and took a sip of coffee as she offered no reaction.

    I thought tough audience. Then I asked her how her flights were, and what she thought of the area so far, mainly small talk she engaged in lightly, and then as a matter of fact dived into business where undoubtedly she was more comfortable at spilling out the truth as she saw it. She said to me.

    “Guy we need to talk, about why I am here. I am here to work with you. Ann called me and asked me to handle her money since she left Gunnite. This is what I do and have been doing for Gunnite per Ann’s orders I have been spreading the money out in various accounts all over the country. Also I have invested to a limited extent in the stock market leveraging her money we allocated to new high profit returns, yielding her even more money. The problem is she is taking a hit on her taxes since she still has a lot of income being generated and we need to find a tax loophole and you are it so to speak. 200 million is available to you on a limited basis. And I need time between purchases to arrange a smooth transfer of money to allow you to purchase the property you are supposed to according to Ann’s expectations.”

      “We are going to set you up as a not for profit and you need to come up with a catchy name to for your endeavor and a business statement allowing everyone to know your full extent in say a sentence of about 10 words or so. This will allow other donators to also jump in for a tax write off. Also this will be set up as trust and two hundred million will eventually end up in the coffers but only when I see fit to allow the money to go there and protect Ann’s investment. More or less we intend to fund it with money we would normally pay in taxes had she had no tax shelter at all. People will be helped and as I understand it your ideas about setting aside land for agriculture will be realized and you yourself will be better off. It’s a win-win for everyone except the taxman. But this is what business is for, to provide jobs and fill needs.the necessity for moving so quick, is that this has to be done the same year she receives her money or in the same tax year. ”

    I said. “Whew that was a mouthful and only hope I live up to your expectations. So basically I am involved in the acquisition of properties and you are responsible for the money part making available financing when I need it.”

    Darla said “Yes,” and then reminded me, “you also have 1 million in your own account and it is available to you anytime for whatever purpose you desire. Also I have an equal amount in my account as Ann saw fit to make us equal in pay for making this not for profit happen . If we let her money go to taxes then it will be used for senators pet projects in their states or to finance a war. The only way to really control government is to limit its resources and avoiding taxes is one of them. It’s the American way unfortunately. It is hard to get patriotic about our country when Senators and Representatives seem to care less about doing their job than polishing their image. I put everything but what I need to exist in a 401 k for now and suggest you do the same within the next tax year.”

      Wow this woman knows too much I thought and way too much about me already. I said I would take it under advisement and left the subject at that. I still have not checked my balance or anything since my cards were stolen in the first break-in of the Road Warrior. Ann was paying for everything.  I looked at the expensive suit Darla wore,and realized she  surely was  trying to make  good impression and here I was half asleep dressed in shorts and a t-shirt when she arrived and now, not a lot better, but clean anyhow . She never seemed to relax and was very businesslike even after we went on with talk of how things should work. She asked of my ideas of what Ann wanted, and how I could implement them.

     I had come to the conclusion we would have to take time to try and assess the properties on their agricultural value based on future expectations. First we look for bargain land usually in large tracts as it is harder to find buyers that are willing or capable of offering the kind of money it takes to sway a potential landowner into signing. Second we have to look at conservation of the land versus continued farming. Some land that is being farmed would much better be used as recreational or park land set aside for leisurely activities. Third the land if it is capable of being farmed could be kept in continuous farming with the current operators or someone who would cash rent the land and abide by our environmental and conservation practices. Fourth the land should have an assessment as to how much conservation practices are going to cost to permanently preserve the land and reduce soil and water runoff. Some parcels will just be suitable for tree planting and should be treated that way due to topographical concerns. Hills to steep, resulting in too much soil loss etc., this type of land will be forever forest and will be put into a regular cycle of forest management in an effort to reduce global warming. Trees are the only known and proven method of locking up carbon in our atmosphere. This should be our primary focus as the trend seems to be to increase planting and people are willing to do their part. We need to give them a place they can do it. We should invest in areas where the average citizen can come plant their worth in trees; this is determined by their use of commercially available products such as toilet paper, paper products, land cleared for developments, etc.  used to keep them in the last year with commercially available products. We can never have too many trees only to the point it affects our agriculture.

     So we need to take into account all these four items and more as we go along in our assessment of the properties. As I started reeling off my thoughts to her she slipped her hand into her valise  and pulled out a notebook and asked if I minded I said no but I still felt unease as she would make faces as I was talking and she was writing. Occasionally she would stop me and ask me to clarify a position but for the most part she seemed intent on listening to my every word. Imagine that, a woman that listens to me I thought. And even more, takes notes, be still my ticker. But then again Ann was paying her the same as me and she had a vested interest, as I did to get along. So in reality it was the money she was listening to.  Typical woman I thought. And I thought she was here for me, and then I laughed to myself at that thought.

    She seemed awful stiff at times and hardly smiled no matter how much I would jest, instead she would just ignore the jest and just prod me along as we had work to do. After about five hours of her picking my brain and the Road Warrior getting smaller by the minute I had to tell her enough for the first day. She asked of tomorrows plans and I told her we would look at properties and told her I would have a list,. I asked if she was hungry and she said she was, so we agreed to meet at her hotel and then grab a bite downtown at a deli somewhere. I told her I would meet her at five. It was three already and doubted it would give me enough time from the grilling I got today to put up with her over dinner tonight. I was surprised when I went to pick her up. She seemed like a new woman having reinvented herself in such a short time.

trip to sequoia ch. 35 a new twist

Ch. 35

A New Twist 

        I stopped at a roadside stand selling vegetables and bought a melon and some apples from Oregon and oranges from southern California and before I climbed into the Road Warrior I stuck the GPS unit that was part of my tail on a dump truck headed in the opposite direction .The steel bed of the truck made a perfect place to get a good grip, so that the GPS unit would stay on till somebody found it or whatever may happen to it. At least it won’t be on the Road Warrior any longer and maybe I might lose my tail.

       I headed down interstate 5 out of Oregon and then took St. Rt .199 to Crescent City as I drove through the mountains down to the coast to the Jedediah Smith Redwood Campgrounds outside Crescent City. This was a long harrowing route and I was glad to have lost the Escape when travelling down this route into Northern California. It reminded me of Lucille Ball  and Desi Arnez as they tried to haul this long travel trailer all over the place with a Cadillac in one of their movies . My driving wasn’t quite so bad but some of the hills I encountered surely must be the ones where they filmed that movie. After about 5 hours of driving I ended up at my campground and soon set up camp. I had about 4 weeks to go till I saw Ann and Lee unless they decided to appear sooner. I just hoped they were having a good time and I would leave them alone per their request.

      I booted the satellite and internet and was soon surfing on the internet for craigslist where I was looking for a vehicle I could tow behind the Road Warrior so I could travel around without pulling up stakes daily.

    After scouring the ads I found me a 1980 Jeep Cj7 in mint condition with mudder tires and a Warn winch on the front. It was painted black and had diamond plate accessories around the doors and in the back floor. They said it had a recent engine rebuild an was a small block v-8. It was a soft top meaning I could pull the top down and off and use it as a convertible and it also had custom seats and had actually won a couple of car shows . I called the guy and he was local so I asked if he could bring it to the campground so I could check it out. He did and soon we were headed into town to find me a bank where I could cash a check, and soon I was taking him home with a pocket full of cash and a shit eating grin as I paid him a nice bonus for his jeep.

    The Cj 7 ran great. I pulled the doors off and threw them in the back and stopped at a U-Haul dealership and bought me a tow bar I could mount it on the front of the Jeep so I could tow it behind the Road Warrior and soon I was driving around Crescent City and soon caught my first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. It was fantastic and with the breeze coming from hinterland across the ocean, you could smell tropical aromas coming from far off lands. I stopped at a public park where I had access to the beach and just walked in the surf till nearly dark, then as I returned home I  stopped  and bought me a  seafood supper and then returned to the Road Warrior. I had a hearty meal in the dark sitting in front of a campfire pondering my next move.

     I had planned on getting up in the morning and would begin to search real estate ads and see what land  was available on the internet. Although I like the tall trees in this park, residential and just land in particular in California is to damn expensive. I will look and see if there is anything available at a bargain rate but feel that my search would be in vain. But who knows. Maybe I can find an old factory site with buildings on it that can be torn down or even better set up a vegetable growing business inside them at a later date. A portfolio of land acquisitions to help the future should surely include land where seasonal changes don’t affect the growing of certain crops. Admittedly I am out of my field when I comes to growing anything in California and will have to do some research. Maybe a place by the coast or a bay somewhere were someone could eventually do some aqua culture would be nice.

    Aqua culture is the science of raising seafood and fresh water fish from sea and freshwater sources. This area would have both fresh water and sea water to take advantage of. Shrimp can be raised in barrels or tanks of seawater as well as clams and mussels and a variety of fishes. The other problem with California is that they have some of the strictest environmental standards of any of the United States and sometimes favor grandfathered industries’ making it hard to start a new business. I just need to be vigilant and think of the future and what people will need in terms of land for growing food in the future. Surely somewhere in California there is a deal waiting to happen and I intend to start here looking.

     I checked my phone for messages and had one from Ann’s secretary which no doubt has to deal with the money transfer and what Ann would expect from the both of us to accomplish what she had set out to do. I decided it was too late to call her tonight and would call her in the morning after I stirred. The park where I was at has tall redwoods and it acted like a canopy, trapping and insulating the sounds of the night as well the aromas of campfire smoke and food being grilled as I opened the windows on the Road Warrior to let my senses go to work as I lay in bed wondering what to do next. My mind was busy but soon relented to sleep I sorely needed to revive my soul. I thought of Babe and wished I had brought her with me if I knew I was going to be gone and alone for so long. I miss her company. She is a good dog.

     I called Ms. Goins the next day and soon found out there was more to Ann’s request of me as I went along with her wishes. That Ms.Goins, Ann’s personal secretary had planned on coming to California and was planning on meeting me so that we could work together on this land acquisition project we had started. She was planning on flying in and would soon meet me here at the campsite and go over the process we would have to undertake to acquire the land we wanted to put in trust. She planned on flying into Sacramento and would then take a commuter flight to Crescent City, then rent a car and meet me here at the campsite after finding a hotel or motel to stay at. I told her I looked forward to meeting and working with her and that hopefully we could have a good working relationship. I wished her a safe trip and hung up the phone and awaited her arrival.

     I began scouring the internet and real-estate rags as I was beginning to make up a list of potential properties in northern California I wanted to see and visit. Also I looked at the demographics of this area as a means of determining what kind of agricultural products are produced around there. After all we are thinking of utilizing this land for food for the future so we must be vigilant in acquiring the right land to serve our purpose. When Ms. Goins arrives maybe she will accompany me to some of these sites. I soon came up with a list of potential sites and decided to take a break and go for a hike in the redwoods. I found this place where they offered baths in individual rooms where you could soak in these huge hollowed out redwood  tubs longer than me and totally immerse yourself in hot water created by wood fired heaters and relax and enjoy for an hour . The water was scented, it smelled of jasmine or possibly some other exotic fragrance. I broke into my stash before I came to this place and brought me a joint along since I had no woman to share this experience with I decided to smoke one and just relax. It was good for the soul. The water must have been mineralized as it would effervesce around you and send air bubbles to the surface. It was a very relaxing experience to have a tub I could fully stretch out my long body in and just kind of float at times. With the pot I as flying high, but to soon my time was up and the curtains around my tub flung open and I was brought back to reality .Surely I would have to find me a woman to share this experience with again.

      All the time I knew Ann I had never met Ms. Goins  but had heard about her from Ann as she was a reliable trustworthy person Ann had full confidence in . Ann must have offered Ms. Goins a pretty good compensation package to get her away from the Gunnite Corporation. Ms. Goins was Ann’s secretary y for years and she was pretty well planted with high respect from all she worked with. So losing her surely was a setback to the Gunnite Corporation. I looked forward to meeting her but at same time had reservations about how this was all going to turn out. It appeared Ann was going to push this investment thing the same way she pushed Gunnite for years, so bringing in the big guns was inevitable. Ms. Goins was part of that.

    Ms. Goins soon called me and said her flight to Crescent City arrived on time and that she needed time to rest but would meet me at my campsite in the morning. For some reason I was nervous to an extent. Why I didn’t know. Just felt as if my world was going to change and Ms. Goins was part of that change. Again I fell to sleep that night my mind racing looking at all possibilities until I finally relented to forget it all and drifted off to sleep.

 )

trip to sequoia -ch. 34 cont.

    Ch.34 (cont.)

    I stopped at the entrance to the RV Park and told them I was leaving and then headed down the road to the interstate looking to see if I saw Ann and Lee anywhere along the road. They hid themselves well. I climbed on the interstate after fueling up and headed for Crescent City, California. I enjoyed driving along by myself and would look occasionally in the rear view mirror for another camper or perhaps Ann and Lee , and I even caught myself looking for Leann  on her motorcycle but surprisingly it was just me and a bunch of motorists all heading in the same direction.

    I had traveled for a couple of hours and then my cell phone rang. The Road Warrior answered it as I had my Bluetooth settings finally right,  and it was Ann . Her voice came over the radio system perfectly clear and she says.

     “Hi Guy, how are you moving along there?”

     I said. “Great Ann find anyone heading out after me.”

    Ann says. “No we sat here a couple of hours and still none of the vehicles that we thought were the ones, left the RV park.”

    I asked. “Do you want me to stop or what is it you want to do.”

    Ann said. “Lee and I are going to escape in the Escape.”

    I said. “What?” incredulously.

    She said. “We are going to escape, we are going to drive closer to the coast and with all my grubby money we are going to escape. Give them two paths to follow. You head for Crescent City and we will head for a place where Lee and I can overlook the Pacific and spend the night in a hotel with full service. Maybe lounge in the pool and we will catch up with you in say maybe 2-3 weeks around Labor Day weekend in Sequoia National park.”

     I hesitantly said, “OK sounds like a plan.” I said trying to understand all she was telling me. “So you want me to hang out with Road Warrior and eventually make it to Sequoia National park around Labor Day. Anything else?”

   Ann says ‘Plenty else.’ over the speakers as she went on talking. She says. “Guy you are Lee and my self’s most trusted friend and I said I was donating more than half my fortune to a good cause. You are the good cause. I have deposited 200 million in accounts in your name and have contacted my old secretary back home to help you start buying up farm land to preserve it. Look around in the papers and on the internet and find the best bargains across the country as you are driving.  Buy to your heart’s content. If you run out of money then I have another 100 million you can go through. It will leave me with roughly 36 million but I am sure I can get by on that. So now Guy your mission if you accept it is to get me the most bang for my buck. Find me some property. I want all the mineral rights and the land must sustain agriculture and be able to produce crops or livestock. Will leave it up to you as to the details, and will let you go from there.”

     I about drove off the road on that one , instead I headed for an off ramp and pulled over on to  the shoulder , and said to Ann “Did I here you right you are giving me 200 million dollars to just go buy land ,  and I am supposed to meet you in Sequoia around Labor Day.”

    Ann says.  “Sounds about right Guy. We will be only be  a phone call away if you need me for anything. Just think Lee and myself need to get away.  We are stopping at Wal-Mart and buying us some clothes and so we won’t need much for a few days then we will contact you after we have this out of our system. You have come this far why don’t you just head on down to Sequoia and just camp out there in the tall trees and wait for us. In the meantime maybe you can figure out who is following us. The detective is still working on it, and it seems that Dealing Dan may be the culprit but we still don’t know if it is him for sure or he is acting under someone else. The detective suggested that you place that GPS locating unit on another vehicle and send it somewhere else. Hopefully they will spend some time looking for it .”

     I asked. “Can Lee hear me?”

     Ann said.  “Sure we are on speakerphone go ahead. He has been listening to everything said.”

     I said.  “Lee you are one lucky son of a whatever. Congrats on getting away.  Hope you ate your Wheaties and a couple Viagra’s sounds like someone has the hots for you. You lucky fool. You won’t be worth anything next time I see you.”

      Lee says. “ Ohhh bring it on. Couldn’t have it any better. Hope you like your new job.

    I said “Don’t know yet, would have been nice to have some advance warning besides I am already retired and didn’t need a job but this one sounds like it is right down my alley. Spending someone else’s money is always nice. It’s a good thing. You guys are suffering from spontaneous combustion that always happens when you are canned up with an old fart like me.”

    Ann says, “Guy, we could have come without you and I could have drove but we wanted you to come . The accident and Lee’s leg being injured gave us a perfect excuse to get you this far. Now you have 200 million in your accounts, and oh yes by the way when you had your debit card stolen and I replaced it, it gave me full access to your accounts. The laptop has a file with all your information you need. But the passwords are on a USB stick I left in the computer for you to use. Take it with you everywhere. Also my secretary is monitoring the money I made available to you as she has access to it also. So use what you need to do what I want and by no means do I expect you to live cheaply so I put a million in your own bank account for your expenses. So get started when you can Guy and think about how you are going to qualify the land you are buying. The purpose is to preserve farm land for later use say fifty years down the road. This will halt urbanization of our farmlands and make people become more self-conscious about land utilization earlier, as well provide much needed resources to a later generation. Just like paying it forward. How you pick which land to buy and where is entirely up to you. We have full trust in your selection.”

     “Mainly you are looking for farmland that will someday be eaten up with urbanization and is capable of sustaining agricultural growth. And you will meet me in Sequoia around Labor Day at the big trees. Sounds good. Anything else?” I asked  

    “Let’s not be hasty and just buy anything but instead take time to plan it all out. Head for the big trees and we will see you later, my secretary will call you. Later Guy it’s time to escape.”

       I said. “Later Ann be careful you and Lee, and I will see you soon.” and with that the line hung up and the radio returned automatically in the Road Warrior.

      Wow I thought to myself, a big old Road Warrior and 200 Mil and somewhere to go. What have I got myself into? I just needed some time to digest all of this. So I eased the Road Warrior on to the off ramp and crossed at the light at the intersection at the bottom of the ramp and climbed back on the interstate and was soon driving towards Crescent City alone and lot better well off than before.

    I drove along and thought of my immediate needs as I didn’t need much but still once I was in an RV park it would be hard to get anything I needed unless I unhooked the utilities and drove the Road Warrior to get it. It sure would be nice to have a vehicle to get around in since they stole off in the Escape. Maybe I will look online once I get to Crescent City. Would like to find a mint old CJ5 or CJ7 jeep, jacked up four wheel drive with a small V-8 in it to tool around in. Yeah might need it to check out some land. Having the four wheel drive will allow me to get all over the land and make sure there are no dumps or anything like that, and this can be very important when considering land. Right now I just needed some more food so I will stop when I can before heading to the RV Park. Then I can figure out what I am doing. I just drove along as my thoughts filled my mind with things I needed to do. It wasn’t long till all thoughts of Leann and the trouble with the break-ins were left behind.

    

trip to sequoia ch.34 the next move.

Ch.34

The Next Move

     It had come to a point where I began to watch everyone and everything close to us. And the people on the other side of the United States didn't help much. Maybe seeing the Ohio plates on the Road Warrior sent out signals to people to be wary. Mostly I think it was in my imagination. Lee and Ann seemed to be having the time of their life. Ann didn't seem to worry much after all she was in the company of two men who would have done anything to protect her. She also had a detective working trying to figure out what is going on and who if anyone was behind the robberies. As well the police departments of two different localities were supposedly looking into why we were getting ripped off.

   Lee was worried but not so much that he was going to let it interfere with Ann and his happiness as they set out to do something he would have never thought about doing in such a grand fashion as he is now. And through it all he was building memories with Ann she would never forget or he would either. This is where being in a relationship and having someone to share those times is all worth it. If the only memories you have of a life event is yours, it just isn't the same as when you share it with someone. You can have all of everything you want and still not be happy if you have no one to share anything with. Lee was happy to spend the time unabated with Ann and this trip was sealing their love for each other. Lee felt this was the tip of the iceberg and as soon as they were home, he was sure there would be another trip on the horizon. The world was theirs.

     Me I felt like I am driving Miss Daisy. I was reluctant to come along but on their insistence I subscribed to help them out. I hate being the third wheel and yet I enjoy seeing the sights, the splendor of Yellowstone was breath taking, and seeing Mt. Rushmore also was something I had on my bucket list a long time. So in part this trip originally was my idea and although things have changed and Leann isn't in my life I still am able to experience this part of my dream. Just wish I could have done it with Leann. I have looked repeatedly for Leann’s motorcycle as we would drive along and I am always searching for a glimpse of her. Knowing in my heart it wasn't her I saw on that motorcycle but instead some other woman who looked like her.

    Since we were robbed a couple of times and seeing here I wondered if she could have been up to the robberies but know Leann well enough to know she would never go to such extreme measures . So if it wasn't her and wasn't Tom then who in the hell is making our lives so miserable by making me look over my shoulder and protect Ann and Lee and won’t let me have any peace till I figure out who or what is going on.

     While in Oregon and at an RV park , I found what appeared to be some sort of magnetized transponder attached to the roof of the propane bottle compartment on the side of the  Road Warrior. I had found it by chance while changing the propane bottle out for another one. It was a small device and it was firmly attached and at first looked like a bomb with a small antennae attached and a red diode light blinking on and off. I saw it had no charges and removed it from where it was and brought it in the Road Warrior and placed it on the table. I looked at it curiously and went over every feature trying to figure out what it was. I booted the satellite and internet, and searched on the internet and found a similar model as a GPS unit you attach to a vehicle that rental places use to prevent someone from renting an excavator or a dozer and running away with it. The GPS locator attaches to an unseen part of the frame and will send a signal out that can be tracked. This is how they have been able to follow us all the way across the country.

       Lee and Ann were at a climbing class hoisting themselves into trees as Lee’s leg was getting better and stronger daily. All the walking we had to do visiting all the parks we did as we crossed the northern tier of the United States, was beginning to pay off for Lee. Ann was hopeful he would be soon be over from all that had went on with him. When they returned, we all looked at the transponder and wondered what someone was up to as it lay there on the table.

      Ann says. “Maybe we should just bust it up so it doesn’t send a signal out, or maybe turn it over to the police.”

    “But the police may never be able to do anything about someone putting this thing on us. Are you sure it’s a GPS transponder Guy?” Lee asked

    “Pretty sure the name and model number come up as one they use at rental places to track rental equipment, just wonder who would do this to us.?” I said

    “This is all a little 007-ish for me.” Said Ann. “Someone went to a great extent to track us wonder how long it has been there?”

    “Well this is the first time I had to change the propane bottle since I left Dealing Dan’s place in Marietta when we picked up the Road Warrior. So they could have been following us since there.”

     “Wonder if Dealing Dan has something to do with this.” Ann said. “After all he knows of my financial history having sold me the Road Warrior and all. Also it has been him I have called every time I had to have the door replaced, seems to me he has some explaining to do.”

     Lee says. “ Yes it does make sense but why didn't he just use a key?  Surely he had all kinds of keys and knew and actually owned a set for this vehicle why would he do that when he could just unlock the Road Warrior and walk in? And why would he do it in the first place? None of this makes sense.”

    “How about we head out for northern California and on the way out the door of the RV Park we slap this device on a park ranger’s bumper and let them deal with it. We need to leave to make it work but once they realize the signal isn’t chasing us instead a park ranger’s bumper then they will be forced to come out in the open and either tag us with another GPS unit or just dog us till we see who is behind this. If we give it to the police we may never know. And Ann I think it is to get your access numbers to your accounts for your money is the reason this is all going down.  It’s hard to tell how far these idiots will go to get what they want so Ann don’t ever go anywhere where Lee and I can’t get to you quickly. Be careful.” I said.

     “This is fucking crazy.” said Ann, “Just don’t believe that some idiot would invade my privacy to try and take away something they have no right to. And that they would go so far as to commit a felony to do it. Already whoever it is, has two breaking and entering charges against them. It pisses me off to think that someone would try this. Do they think I am so stupid I didn't try and protect that money in my accounts? None of it can be with drawled without seeing me in person as per my orders to each individual bank I have accounts with. I have play money in an account I can access easily but that is limited to fifty thousand dollars, plenty enough for us to have a good time. I want to know who is behind this.”

     Lee said. “Ann this could get worse if we take it in our own hands to find out what is going on. You do need to be more vigilant and let us watch over you from now on. We have proof positive that someone is out to get us. Please dear, be careful and watch all that goes on around you.

    Ann said. “ I like Guys idea as we can find out who is after us if we force them out into the open . I am sure they are probably here in the park. How about if we put it back in the compartment and act like no one found it and then Guy you take the motor home and head for Northern California and Lee and I will take the Escape and stay here incognito till we see someone hurry up and move out at same time. Then we will know or have an idea who it may be. Chances are they have Ohio or eastern plates on their cars or RV’s so we should be able to narrow down who is following us. Once we see them on the move we will follow them and call you on the cell phone.”

      “Wow Ann have you been reading some mystery novels or what? Good idea. Thankfully we have the other car. And they won’t even know or could tell what we were up to. I like that idea better than mine.” I said. “Just have to watch these people they are capable of anything.”

       Lee says.  “Yes Ann watch out we don’t know who we are dealing with. First sign of trouble we call the police and let them deal with it. But I agree with both of you if we just dump this thing on the police then we still won’t know who is doing what I like trying to figure this out for once and for all. Ann I never heard you cuss.”

      Ann looked at Lee and smiled a big smile and said. “ Fuck off Big Boy.”

     Lee returned with. “Good thing you smiled . I like it when you talk dirty. You must be all riled up.”

    Ann says. “I am. Let’s get moving. Lee and I will run around the RV Park and look for suspicious vehicles in the Escape. Guy you get ready to move as we are going to figure this one out as soon as possible I want to know who the son of a bitch is that is messing with us. Excuse the language but I am pissed. Come on Lee.” and with that Ann was out the door and Lee was following her like a puppy dog. As I sat there and wondered about the whole situation, I myself saw a side to Ann that I never saw before, a confidence that prevailed in the face of danger. Wow what a woman. Too bad I couldn't find me one like that.

       I searched the internet and found a location in northern California to head to and finally figure this thing out . I set my sights on  Crescent City, California and the Redwoods RV Resort as my next destination. This RV Park is all we want it to be. They say it is nestled in among the redwoods in Northern California and this will serve as a place for Ann and Lee to experience climbing in the tall trees before heading to Sequoia National park. I started closing up shop at where we were and soon was headed for Crescent City . Ann called and said they had found three RV’s with out of state plates and one with Ohio plates on it . They were sitting down the road from the entrance to the RV campground waiting for me to leave . I started the Road Warrior and began to move.

       

trip to sequoia ch. 33 cont.

Ch.33 (cont.) 

     We had decided to spend the day catching up on our sleep and the next morning set out for Mt. Rushmore national park. This was part of our effort to get Lee’s leg to heal. There was a lot of walking to do after we reached the memorial. The size of the sculptures of the presidents made it hard for me as a sculptor myself to comprehend how you would go about a carving of that size in a material that fractures so easily. My understanding is that most of the excess rock is drilled and blasted down to the last three to four inches and then they honeycomb the face with many more holes to a precise depth and these holes are jack hammered off leaving a rough outline and this they finish fine by hand. All of this work is done hanging over the edge in wire cages where the workers would be hanging in midair at times with their equipment. Their pay for this work was eight dollars a day at that time during the depression.

    Another disappointment was that the film North by North west was never actually filmed on the face of Mount Rushmore but instead done in a movie studio. Also the house where part of the movie was filmed was not on the back side of the monuments but instead exists somewhere else. Never found out where but would have liked to. It looked to have been designed by Frank Lloyd Wright but I was never sure of that. It was a gorgeous house though. Apparently the park service wasn't too fond of the idea of someone dying on the face of the monument so they nixed that idea but they did film part of the movie as they could in that area under the monument and in the visitors center.

     We would walk for a while and sit for a while as Lee struggled to keep up. His leg was healing fine on the outside, inside he had torn a ligament in the wreck and this is what was causing him the most pain. By the time we made it back to the car he was all in. We returned to the RV park where we had the Road warrior and called it a day after that trip. We had planned to see Custer’s Memorial due to the fact he was from my original area of Ohio near Scio, Ohio. I had seen the memorial there and they respected him as a hero and were proud of him and his service to the army during the Indian strife’s.

     Lee’s leg was better the next morning and we made haste for Custer’s Memorial; and the battlefield , visited the town of Custer, South Dakota , and ended up spending a week in this area visiting Yellowstone National park as we stayed the nights in Glendo RV park at Glendo Lake. Each day Lee’s leg would improve as he grew stronger. We spent little time on the internet, just turning the satellite on long enough to do some research daily on our next area we wanted to see as we went along. We would eat out in local touristy restaurants enjoying the wide range of foods they offered. We thoroughly enjoyed this region but soon it was time to move on.

    We spent days exploring around the Rocky Mountains using the Escape as we would visit one RV park after another as we headed to the west coast along the northern edge of the United States . So much beautiful country and so many things to see and it makes me wonder why anyone would want to fly when there are so many things to see. Even Ann an advocate of flying most everywhere was having a good time seeing all there was to see from the ground as we went along on the trips to here and there and was soon leading us to places she wanted to see.

    Ann had withdrawn about two thousand in cash and we took to paying in cash as often as possible to avoid a paper trail, or in our days an electronic trail of purchases , preventing anyone from being able to follow the so called money trail left behind from debit cards or credit cards. I just let Ann pick up the tab on everything as fighting with her was useless. We had mail delivered overnight to the RV park we were staying at through UPS or whoever serviced that area. We soon had all our credit and debit cards replaced . Ann said there had been no activity on any accounts she had or for that matter on any accounts we had also. It looked as if we appeared to be left alone. Till we returned to the Road Warrior again one night to find that same door pried open in the exact same way and again we were robbed in the exact same fashion as before.

     This time though we had installed a video camera and we were able to watch the robber as he entered the Road Warrior walked to the security system disable the security settings and set about with his crime spree of stealing everything he could get his hands on quick. We reviewed the video and didn’t recognize the face of the person stealing our stuff. We had also installed a magnetic lockbox on the underside of a storage shelf that contained all of the personal things we really didn’t want anyone to have, it was still there  This worked as the robber ended up grabbing a bunch of decoy items thinking they were the same thing. Also we had talked to Ann’s detective and the new laptop she had bought at Wal-Mart had a feature that emailed Ann when anyone besides her would attempt to use it sending the coordinates and location of the laptop to her at her email address, so if they hooked the laptop up and tried to use it they wouldn't realize it was a homing beacon for authorities to track the robber. That worked well on a limited basis.

    Even with the surveillance video and the coordinates of where the computer was last used on the internet we still had no idea who was doing all this. The local authorities there could give us no leads either. When the computer was logged on to the internet It was found to be held by a woman who found it in the trash at her apartments in a trash bin.she hooked it up to see if it would work . as soon as the ip address came on authorities rushed to the address and confiscated the laptop .  It could have come from anywhere and this woman had no ties to anyone we knew of, and as well she was in the process of trying to sell it at a flea market for a fraction of its cost. Her story seemed legit. She regularly bought and sold electronic equipment. This was the only thing electronic we had lost or was stolen as we had our phones and our cameras with us when we were robbed. Again we had to use the bungee and again we had to call Dealing Dan who then sent us to another RV repair place he had ties with to fix the door.

    This was getting to be too routine for our blood to be constantly plagued by someone wanting to rip us off, that I insisted Lee and Ann go on their own and I would stay and watch our things. One day while travelling through the RV park I noticed a set of Ohio plates on an RV parked somewhat close to us. I am sure that it may be possible for other Ohioans to be visiting the same areas as us but we were baffled by the constant pilfering’s of our belongings. We knew it wasn't Tom, Ann’s ex as he wasn't the person in the video but he may have an accomplice. We didn't really know anything but being robbed twice on one trip seemed a bit out of ordinary to us and the police. So suspecting Ohio plates this far away made me wonder so I write down the license plate number just in case.

     We were determined all three of us to find out who was doing this and for what reason. When Ann and Lee would leave for some destination I would also leave the Road Warrior and head for a part of the RV Park and wait for someone to come snooping around. Hoping to catch someone in the act, that for over a week I stayed with the Road Warrior babysitting until finally we reached the Oregon coast and then I relented to going with Ann and Lee and seeing the coast as much as we could. I loved seeing the massive forests and noticed Lee’s leg was getting better daily and Ann and Lee were talking of finding an instructor for tree climbing again to refresh what they knew and to experience the tall trees along the Oregon coast.

         We had also stopped and visited my carving friend in Idaho as went through there and spent some time carving with him and left him a couple of pieces of artwork both Lee and I created while there and in turn he sent us home a piece he cherished as well .Though I was looking forward to getting to Oregon and finding me a large piece of wood to carve on. I just thought it would be nice if someone would happen by it someday  and find it enjoyable as we would  have  no way to take it home with me. I could find large pieces of wood in Ohio but I just wanted one from that area to carve on just for the fun of it. Whether we did this or not depended on if we could find a hunk of good pine. I was planning on visiting sawmills and the like and figured they may have a hunk of wood they would sell me and a place to carve it. This was all I needed. Lee and I were planning on tag teaming the log when we found it; making it a culmination of both of our efforts and this would be a memento for us to leave to commemorate our trip.  Now that we were in Oregon, I needed to find that log and do my carving I wanted to do.

   We tried to not let the worry of who was after us bother us t much , instead we went full steam ahead with our plans to visit Sequoia National Park and the home of the giant trees. I couldn't wait.