Today’s post will bring you adventures from the towns of Santa Rosa and Arcata and everything in between, featuring redwoods, parking tickets, parades, and tire replacements.
Santa Rosa
On September 18th we hastily left Davis to get to Santa Rosa. We were late, which is becoming an unfortunate trend we are trying to avoid. We met with a woman named Kelley, a UCSB Environmental Studies Alumni, who chatted with us in a cooperative office space. She emphasized the importance of the “local” movement and explained the Made Local Marketplace project that she and Molly’s Aunt Pam founded. |
She believes a localized economy is resilient because people in a close community can depend on each other for resources during hard times.
Arcata
Our next big destination was Arcata, CA where we met friends from the California Student Sustainability Coalition-aka sustainabilibuddies. Amazingly the North County Fair was happening while we were there so we were able to see a great example of community joy and celebration. People in Arcata are very kind and the community vibe is strong. (We even found Molly's shoes after accidentally leaving them on a sidewalk for 24 hours!) |
Our main hub was at a cooperative space called The Farmhouse- a home that boasts great proximity to the main town but also lots of space for chickens, tool sheds, and a “Biker Bar” bike workspace. We learned the history of the space and were able to get a good interview plus interview tips from a Farmhouse dweller and friend, Eric. Eric believes a resilient community is one that follows natures example of being diverse and interconnected.
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From here, the story should be easy, right? Our rental company, Relay Rides, agreed that the owner should replace all four tires because they were unsafe when the rental started and it is his responsibility to keep the vehicle safe and operational. Unfortunately, the owner met this idea with a lot of resistance, and we spent the entire next day debating with him over paying for four new tires. It was emotionally exhausting, and we finally had to relinquish communication with him to Relay Rides, who convinced him to buy the new set. So the happy ending to a very difficult 24 hours (most of which we spent in the tire shop lobby, making friends with the staff and friendly strangers) is a new set of tires on our van. We set off for Eugene at once, and were happy on the rainy drive up here to have a safe vehicle. |
The very last not so great thing is our gas mileage. We’ve been calculating it to be somewhere between 10.9 and 13 mpg…. Pretty awful. We strongly resent that our only option in the system we live in with our budget and the time frame we had was a gas guzzler with bad gas mileage. We are more than a little concerned about our financial situation, but feel confident that we will work something out.
Luckily, there have been many, MANY great moments:
We watched the sunset from on top of the van in a state park in Fort Bragg.
Going to the North County Fair was fantastic. Some highlights were the Samba Parade, traveling Estonian acroyogis, and witnessing a someone getting proposed to (she said yes!)
Relaxing in enclosed outdoor hot tubs at Café Mokka in Arcata was a beautiful break from our computer work.
That's all for now- we so appreciate all of you and are always glad to hear from you! Leave us a comment or send a note to [email protected] if you'd like to say hello!
Remember- we are all part of the same world and Pancho says we are the expression of Mother Earth's love... How much love can you emit to the other earth-dwellers today? Cassie and Molly are sending lots your way.
Remember- we are all part of the same world and Pancho says we are the expression of Mother Earth's love... How much love can you emit to the other earth-dwellers today? Cassie and Molly are sending lots your way.