Soul Salvation

Back home after a successful Route 66 trip, though not one I enjoyed much for reasons already mentioned, plus the challenges that come along every now and then:  national parks closed due to political shenanigans, one client hospitalised and not covered by his insurance and a driver who was unhappy with his lot under the tour company's new regime and who told me how unhappy he was frequently and at great length. I sympathise with him and his colleagues but Christ, I got sick of hearing about it.

The group's timekeeping was hopeless, which is unusual for Brits. At almost every stop someone was late, including the sulky driver on more than one occasion. At Calico Ghost Town, a Disneyfied old silver mining community, sixteen of them were half an hour late and I lost my rag with them, resulting in quite a few ruffled feathers. It probably affected my tips and cost me Brownie points but fuck it - I was sick of telling them.

At Long Beach, I got my much needed free day and my rental car and took off for Huntington Beach. It was bliss to be on the pier, watching the world go by and taking photos of the surfers. The  photos came out much better this time around, despite me using exactly the same equipment as last time and the weather being pretty much the same too.

The California Coast never fails to lift my spirits - I can explore anywhere from San Diego to San Francisco (and no doubt all the way to Oregon), have a really great time and come back feeling refreshed. And so it was this time: I returned to Long Beach feeling much better about the way the trip had gone. There may be better ways to spend a sunny Sunday in Southern California but none come to mind.  Shame I couldn't have had another day to drive the coast.

Para-surfing at Huntington Beach as the sun goes down.

Surfing near Huntington Beach Pier

Ragged Glory

Sunday 8 May 2011

Faded, peeling, but still there - like many things on Route 66.
We stopped in Erick, Oklahoma, to visit Annabelle & Harley, aka The Mediocre Music Makers, something of a Route 66 institution. I found out earlier in the week that Annabelle is being treated for cancer and thankfully is doing well. I knew they wouldn't be at home but we stopped for pics anyway. This is on the wall across the lot from their place.
If you want to see them in action, just look for them on Youtube. You may never be the same again.
Erick also produced Roger Miller (King of the Road) and Sheb Wooley (Purple People Eater). He also acted in Rawhide but he's better known for the song. Not bad for a town that is basically a crossroads and a couple of blocks. Nowadays, it's a fairly typical Route 66 town - a near ghost town.