I had to go to Redding this evening. I had hoped to leave mid-afternoon for the 3+ hour drive but things got slow and I left about 5pm. It was already getting dark. Luckily thanks to global warming it was still too warm to worry about ice on Rt 36, but there were dozens of deer between Alderpoint and Route 36 at the Van Duzen road. No moon, so a very dark drive and difficult to keep up any speed. The road is narrow and winds around alot, and of course the deer were popping up. I had to grab a bowl of beans from Mary Alice and a sandwich at the store because there is nowhere to stop and eat on this route until you get out in the valley, and that's the best part of 3 hours. Redding is a funny town to try and eat in anyway. I have the feeling that every restaurant here is on the verge of going out of business, and liable to close for the day early. Secret route: Alderpoint Road to Zenia Bluffs Road, to Van Duzen road, to Rt 36 to the second Redding cut off (Cottonwood) to Rt 5 to Redding. Mapquest likes the Hayfork to Rt 299 route but I don't. I can't see that the road to 299 and 299 east of Weaverville is any better than 36.

Another way to put that title is: I left at 3 pm to drive from Alderpoint to Quincy, which is a 5+ hour drive on mountain roads, with one pass over 5500 feet. It was chilly and raining when I left. For starters I had to climb out of the Eel River valley and over Pratt Mountain to get to Route 36. Route 36 can be a very scary road in the winter because it has fairly steep downhill stretches, shaded by the forest, with turns near the bottom. Black ice is a real worry. Beyond Red Bluff Route 36 climbs into the Sierras and just past the Lassen turnoff it is over 5500 feet. There was no real way to know what the road would be like, so I relied on the Volvo's temperature of the road gauge. It gives you a nice reading of current temperatures just above the road surface, complete to the 1/10th of a degree. There is a red light that comes on at 36 degrees outside, which is the highest temperature at which the Volvo makers thought there could be ice on the road. It said 52 or so as I left, dropped to 41 on parts of Route 36, and as night fell I became doubtful of the road East of Red Bluff. Stopped at Perko's in Red Bluff for a suprizingly good beef stir fry dinner, and then off into the unknown. I'm typing this from the motel in Quincy so that takes the suspense out of the rest of the trip I suppose. Even at the highest point the readings never dropped below 40 degrees. One more trip made safely.

I'm still sorry to have missed Yosemite, but the Hempfest was quite nice. Dr. Mikuriya spoke, possibly for the last time, giving a strong and reasoned discussion of official bias against not just marijuana, but the medical marijuana law. I understand that the speeches were recorded, and I hope so, because the Hempfest speakers are in the daylight hours and the Hempfest audience really starts to come as the sun goes down. Many more people saw the Plywood Sisters do their excellent clogging than saw the Doctor. I was on a panel mid-afternoon and gave some advice to people considering medical marijuana options. Chris Conrad gave his usual fiery speech, which allowed him to override a particularly annoying and very loud audience member who was commenting on each phrase uttered on the stage. Nice to hear Jack Herrer speaking too. I don't know what it says about the Hemp movement that several of its major figures are seriously ill. Perhaps what it says is it is time for a younger generation to step up and take the banner forward.

Question of the day: What policies will Jerry Brown follow as Attorney General - the State's leading law enforcement officer. Will he cooperate with the Feds, will he sue them, will he recognize the 420 limits are floors and not ceilings? Stay tuned.

I wanted to go to the Lawyers meeting in Yosemite this year. I went twice, missed it twice, and thought this year I could do it. A trial canceled opening up the weekend, and it looked great. It looked great until I checked with Amtrack. Once I could go from nearby Garberville right to the door of the Yosemite Lodge via Amtrack busses and trains. No more. This year I can only do it by staying over in Martinez, or Merced, and even then I get there in the early afternoon- missing some of the classes. So I thought, I'm a resourceful atty, I'll get a cab from Merced. Nope. Its 70 miles and about $140. Ok, I'll rent a car. Sure, but they don't take Sunday returns so I'd have to stay over an extra day. The car costs about $80. Perhaps I'll drive. Its about 8 hours each way, and I guess I'm getting old because that daunts me in a way that driving all day did not use to. So the bottom line is I'm going to see some old friends at the local Hempfest and Yosemite will have to await another opportunity. BTW the Ahwannee is up in the hundreds of dollars per night now - the ordinary rooms at the Yosemite Lodge are about $140 a weekend night. Everytime I think I'm really making some money now, I find out that prices went up without me noticing and I'm treading water. Oh well.

I mean I was only gone 5 weeks. Yet when I return not only has Dikeman been fired and Vroman died, but all of these strangers have come into the court system. I went to Eureka Court today. A DA I never heard of called me about a case, a former private attorney is now a DA, and then I got to court and saw a DA I didn't know facing a PD I didn't know while a bailiff I didn't know ran the courtroom. At least the judges stayed the same. The Humboldt turnover has been huge during these 5 weeks. I'm not sure Mendocino has been as changed, but that's because I don't know everyone there as well, I think.

The older I get the less I favor everything changing all the time. I know Buddha said that change is the problem but I always figured he meant change over the decades, not over 5 weeks. And prices. Just when I learn what things cost, prices change and I no longer know what's a deal and what's a steal. Perhaps its better in China where you bargain for everything anyway so the prices are never fixed.

Ok, enough geezerness.