Adventures and Kizmet

I had spent the day exploring the redwoods, riding my mountain bike and then hiking to the Grove of Titans.  During the day, I also drove down a trail I was told was closed so I could see what a fallen redwood looked like. It was cleaned up but managed to crush a small bathroom building on its way down. I knew I had to be back early to have an experience at dinner but I had no idea where it would actually lead. 

Earlier that day, when I checked into the hotel, I spent about 30 mins in the lobby talking to the two women working there and the guy painting the ceiling. They told me if I wanted to eat at local restaurants, they all close early so be there by 6.  They also told me the "lighthouse beach" and "Trees of Mystery" were worth seeing. Thanks to them, I planned my evening to be in the right place at the right time.

I had decided to go to the Chart Room. I was next to the ocean and seafood, although not my favorite, was appropriate. I had breakfast at a diner in Klamath and it was awesome to get to know locals and the food was really good.  I was hoping dinner would be the same. 

It turned out she was heading to the same restaurant but was not aware of their early closing. After a long day of driving, she was hungry.  She asked if I wanted to go grab food with her and we jumped in my car...after she made me promise not to kill her. 

Dinner was amazing. They allowed Maggie in and everyone loved her. The people were so friendly and the conversation was amazing. We joined a raffle and had fun watching people with the kids and parents who were all hanging out in the bar.  We talked about our adventures, histories, both recently getting tattoos (mine would be the next day), the parable of the zen master, religious childhoods, and pain from friends and jobs lost. She was heading north to Portland and I was heading south to San Francisco, this moment and resonance was magical. 

She told me about the previous night she slept out of her car and had problematic neighbors. I was going to offer to get her a room but she clarified that tonight she had already booked a room. It was at the same hotel where I was staying. 

 We drove back to our hotel and I asked her if she was up for breakfast in the morning. I got her cell phone. In the morning I researched places to eat and we again went to a local breakfast spot.   

 The family that ran the restaurant told us about their need to shift hours due to a family member's illness.  They were friendly and the food was amazing.  Once again the conversation was amazing and we decided to head to the beach to keep it going.  

Walking on the beach, we talked about civilizations, power sources, science and living forever.  We also talked about her dog eating drug filled human feces. The walk and conversation was beautiful.  We had discussed going to Trees of Mystery together but we spent so much time on the beach talking and looking in the tide pools (looking for her glasses) it was time to hit the road.

We drove back to the hotel. She gave me 3 small oranges and we parted ways.  Before saying goodbye, I told her if she came through Utah, she had a place to stay. I thought about her my entire trip, thinking it was too good to be true. I liked her a lot.  I did not know how much I was going to fall in love with her.