Tooleing Around: Day 27

Time to turn left.

As my dear old Mum pointed out , yesterday was day 26. I was suffereing from damp, got saturated walking back from dinner.

Started the day with screaming kids and a bun. The breakfast space is by the swimming pool, I had a muffin with a hint of chlorine . Coffee was decent.

Shout out for my Depeche Mode t-shirt at checkout. Excellent taste from Fernandez on the front desk.

You can get a contact high driving around this Redwood region – skunk central.

I asked at Redwood National Park information where to find the biggest, oldest trees and they directed me to Lady Bird Johnston Grove, high up a rutted road. Today is sunny, cool and clear, perfect for the woods. Those ancient giant redwoods are something to behold.

I hit conversation paydirt in the forest. Once again, my Depeche Mode shirt drew comment and that started an hour long chat, trekking through the woods. Tiffany and Mackenzie , living in Las Angeles , are both in arts and media. He’s a successful composer and she’s a writer. Mackenzie had recently worked with Katherine Bigelow on a project (she’s an Oscar winning director for best film The Hurt Locker), he’s also composed for a documentary up for an Emmy. Tiffany is shopping around her series screenplay, Deadfoot. We shared a lot of the same favorite composers, Ennio Morricone & John Barry, they’d been listening to on their drive. We also swapped podcast recommendations; my Dirty John for their Slow Burn, book recommendations and a common love of Better Call Saul.

Leaving Redwood, I took a notion and drove 365 miles, 7 hours to Reno. It was time to turn left an head East.

Speaking of podcasts, I binged The Butterfly Effect, an examination of the wide effect of PornHub, the free internet Porn site, has had Globally. It’s produced, written and presented by Jon Ronson (The Pdychopath Test). It’s an excellent 3.5 hour listen.

I was also gleeful every time porn Star Tommy Gunn was mentioned. One of my colleagues is named Tom Gunn.

Does all of Northern California smell like a giant doobie or is it something else?

Hours of pitch dark cross state driving later I’m in Reno. I got a fab, dirt cheap room at the Grand Sierra Resort. Showered and midnight dinner at the Casino. The restaurant was playing all my Euro Trash favorites. It’s a quiet night but I must say it’s a remarkably clean hotel. I gather Casinos are the one place you can still smoke.

I talked to some dude, all dressed in black , at the bar. He said he shot a man in this very town, just to watch him die .

Not the most active date.

Hotel: $50! Best room of the trip.

Gas: $85

Dinner : $23

Forgot to provide Oregon movie and book recommendations .

Movies: One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest (and book); Animal House (though probably considered toxic these days); Drugstore Cowboy

Books: The Sisters Brothers; Sometimes a Great Notion