The Transit Traveller: July 2012

After a good breakfast at Best Western, we headed out to the Greyhound stop. The Greyhound stop is marked only by a sign saying "Amtrak Bus Stop". It was just on the side of Redwood Drive (the "Main Street of Garberville), and looked like this:

After waiting for about half an hour, it was time for the bus to arrive. But, the bus didn't arrive until 10 minutes later, and I was very stressed by then. But, finally, the Greyhound bus arrived, and we flagged it down without any trouble. It was one of those new Greyhound vehicles, with fake leather seats, legroom, outlets, and WiFi. It was a lot nicer than the average Greyhound bus.

Greyhound bus in Willits

About 45 minutes of riding the (new) Greyhound, we arrived in Willits. The first thing we saw was a McDonald's, and we were very hungry, so we popped in for some fries and an apple from my backpack. Once we were done, we had a more substantial lunch at Taco Bell right across the street. It was only a short walk to the Super 8, where we checked in, and dropped off our stuff. Then we relaxed, and I watched the "Chowdown Countdown" on the Travel Channel. Around dinner time we explored Willits, and all of its interesting shops. The town had a lot of Wild West themed stores, and even a "Skunk Train" to the coast! When dinner time arrived, Appa got something from a Mexican place, and I got a burrito from Taco Bell. We didn't take many pictures that day.

Me and Appa at Super 8 Willits

After packing all our things, me and Appa had some breakfast in the hotel. I always just have instant oatmeal at hotels, and as I ate the oatmeal, me and Appa talked about the "Obamacare" law, and why republicans hate it. About 10 minutes later, we walked over to the bus stop. The Coos Bay bus stop was very strange, because it is completely unmarked, without any bus stop sign or shelter! Here is a picture of us at the bus stop .

Once the bus got there (a few minutes late), we got on, paid $24, then sat down in the plush seats. Here are some pictures of the Coastal Express.

As we cruised down the coast, we talked to the bus driver about the local schools. The bus driver drives school buses every day except Friday. This is because the local school district only has 4 day school weeks!!! The bus driver said that the kids really like it, but that 4 day weeks will seriously affect their education.

Soon afterwards, we were rolling along the coast. The driver said that in this area there are rough roads, but fantastic views!

I read the Hardy Boys on my Nook for the rest of the drive to Brookings. When we arrived in Brookings, both me and Appa were famished. So, we went to the Fred Meyer across the street for a bite to eat.

That was the largest Fred Meyer I have ever been in. Once we got in, we immediately bought a bag of whole, raw almonds for a snack on the bus. We also got some apples and an orange from the huge produce section. Finally, we each got a very satisfying Smokin' Stampede Chili Soup, then headed out to the bus stop across the street.

Me in front of a fountain next to the bus stop. Perfect temperature in Brookings, OR.

Just then, a family with one young girl and one young boy walked up to the bus stop. The boy had a toy gun, with a real-looking knife at the end. The boy was sucking on the knife, and making the gun emit shooting noises. His parents were lugging a giant cart of groceries, and seemed tired and worn down from the 2 kids. Once the bus arrived, the driver tried to lower the wheelchair lift to get the groceries on, but there was some problem. Luckily, after 15 minutes, the driver got it to work. She told us to not worry, because the next bus we were taking was also running late.

The most noticeable change going across the California boarder is the sign which says "$1000 FINE FOR LITTERING". Those signs are all over the Californian highways, and not anywhere in Oregon or Washington. Soon after crossing the boarder, we arrived at the Lucky 7 Casino. The bus stop is marked only by a "SW POINT" sign, and is in the middle of nowhere. But, luckily, the 20 showed up very quickly, and I paid $50 to a skeptical bus driver. We rode the 20 all the way to Arcata. It took a few hours of riding through the redwoods to get there. Once we got to Arcata, the bus to Eureka showed up quickly, and dropped us off at Bayshore Mall. After a dinner of pizza and a burrito, we took the bus to Garberville. Our hotel in Garberville gave us a wonderful view right from our balcony, and we ended the day with a drink of juice on the balcony.

Here are some photos: