CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA 1986

"I'm not saying it's hot outside, but two hobbits just threw a ring at me..." -Unknown

Camping at Carmel-By-The-Sea. 1986.  I really dislike camping. Ugh. But I still went  along. I wanted to see the place that voted Clint Eastwood as mayor. We all did. We were hoping for free ice cream hand outs. Autographs. Maybe hear him say " Go  ahead, make my day". He was voted in  on a platform of ice cream. We weren't sure what that was. But sounded good. Unfortunately, the two ice cream places in town were shut down. The campground was packed to the gills. Some sort of seniors' convention.  We could only afford  three nights. Right near the water, right near the boardwalks.  It should have been cooler by the ocean. 

It was hot. Hot. Hot. HOT. For that time of year.  The cobblestones streets were toasty, the museums plentiful. None of which we could afford. And the sun was like a furnace. We were melting.

First, we tried to find Mayor Clint Eastwoods house. We followed all the other tourists and stood in a row looking at his pretty house. They took pics.  I had forgotten my camera in the tent. We all hoped he'd come outside. He never did. Security guards came and went. Sweltering heat.

  After a while, our plastic shoes stuck to the hot pavement. Then we were asked to leave, since our time there was up. Next group was coming in. We wondered where he kept the ice cream......

Day Two  at Carmel dawned as hot as the rest. We decided it would be a neat  idea to take a dip in the ocean.  So we wandered down to the ocean edge. It was already hot by eight am. Tossy turny  surf was smacking away at the shore. "Travel  booklet says  to scan for sharks," my friends said. So we scanned. The day was light. The water dark.

We saw an elderly couple come up to the ocean edge. They must have been about a hundred  years old, we figured. All wrinkly, wearing blue bathing costumes,  they  headed straight for the water. As well, she wore a frilly bathing cap on her head.  "Do you think sharks eat bathing caps?" one of my friends asked. Hand in hand, they shuffled in, up to their waists.

"We should see if they get eaten by a shark," said my friends. " Then we'll know if it's safe." So we intently watched. The old couple   swam up and down the shore. Once or twice they went under the water. We held our breath. Eaten or not eaten? No. They surfaced.  Done for the day. 

They walked hand in hand, out of sight.  The next day we saw them again. Fearlessly swimming in the dark shallows. We still stood on the edge  of the water. Trying to summon the courage. We kept scanning. Watching to see if the old couple got eaten first.

 The sun shifted. We decided to see if we could  visit Doris Day. She should be around.Animal lover, singer, pretty chill actress. Maybe she would have ice cream to hand out.

We took the bus, and found her nice yellow house, as did a lot of other people. I think they were all the same ones who were at Clint Eastwood's house. We all stood in a row. Again. Some with cameras. Mine, still lost in the tent. We  desperately hoped  she would show and sing something for us. Ice cream, maybe, since it was hotter than the day before.

By the better part of the morning  our  plastic shoes started sticking to the cobblestones. It was time to move on.  We thought the beach would be the best bet.  Didn't cost to go there. So off we tramped to find the main beach. So did everyone else ......we seemed to move in packs.

Hordes  of people crammed on sandy hillsides. Sun worshipping masses,  with umbrellas, mats, and coolers. Teams of Volleyball players, surfers,  kids and more kids, families, elderly people all about a hundred years old......

We found a little nook and  squished ourselves into a triangle on the sand. Right up against a wet golden retriever, and a family of seven, all eating peanut butter sandwiches and Hawaiin punch. They offered us  a sandwich . We must have looked hungry. The dog  kept trying to steal bites. The kids screamed a lot running back and forth to the water. They weren't worried about sharks. 

 The other family on the other side, squashed against us as well, handed out jam sandwiches. So we were full of bread and jam and peanut butter.  We all ended up with massive sunburns over our bare feet and ankles. So bad that the next day, which was our last day,  we  sought out ice from the Campground  and spent the day  packing our feet . The campers next to us played music till the wee hours.  They invited us over, but we could barely walk. It turned out they were the very elderly couple, who swam every morning in the ocean. 

Camping across California, they said. Earlier in the day they managed to get  autographed photos from Clint Eastwood and Doris Day. For their great grandchildren. And there were ice cream cups.  Next day they were headed next to Death Valley.  Meanwhile, our feet  swelled up like hams. More ice. Ugh. I  really hated camping, a lot,  right about then.

Next morning, burned feet and all, we decided to  head for Death Valley, like our elderly friends. Driving the car took great effort ,  and we had to take turns at the wheel.  We packed up the car with as much ice as we could get from the ice machine.  Death Valley bound. We wanted to find where Star Wars was filmed. Maybe get some ice cream......

Photographs 2023 Fire in Strathcona Park viewed from our hill