Ghost of Ocean Cove

by R. David Anderson

“We need to find a campground that is not too far away,” Natalie suggested. She pointed at the map. “These pine tree symbols on the map show where the state parks are located.”

  “Oh look! There’s a bunch of ‘em over here!” Observed Logan, pointing to the coastal areas above San Francisco.

  Their eyes followed Logan’s finger as he pointed to several State Parks which dotted the map along the coast between Bodega Bay and Fort Bragg.

  Natalie’s face lit up. “This would be a nice place to go, and with all of these parks, we should be able to find a campground.” She studied the map more closely, zooming in and figuring such details as distance, proximity to the ocean, and accessibility. “The great thing is that all of these campgrounds are right off Highway One. We probably could see the ocean from our campsite.”

  “All right!” Logan quipped. “Let’s go to the ocean! I’ve never seen the ocean before!”

  Natalie looked at Logan, saying, “We were at the ocean when you kids were young…you just don’t remember it, though.”

  Annie looked bewildered. “We were, mom? So, when did we go, and where?”

  “We were on the beach at Santa Cruz. We went there a few times when your father was still living. You were only about four, and Logan was still a baby.”

  “What was the ocean like?” Annie asked.

  “Well, it was warm and there were lots of people, mostly tourists. We went to the Boardwalk.”

  “What’s the Boardwalk?” asked Logan.

  “It’s an amusement park with coasters and all sorts of other rides,” Natalie explained.

  Logan looked excited. “Let’s go there!” He yelled, jumping up and down.

  Natalie shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. That’s too far away, and with the cost of gas and the ticket prices at the Boardwalk, that would just be too expensive for us. I think that camping somewhere above Bodega Bay would be nice, though….and I have heard that it is very scenic up Highway One north of San Francisco.”

  “Well, anything is better that sitting at home bored all summer long, and putting up with that Steven Taylor!” Annie added.

  Logan looked a little disappointed, but the thought of camping at the ocean was also very appealing to him. “When are we gonna go?” He asked.

  Natalie thought for a moment. “Hmm… I think that we could go tomorrow if we start packing tonight!”

  Annie and Logan began to dance around the living room, slapping high fives. All of this excitement wore Natalie out, so she decided to lay down for a nap. She had put in a long day at work.

  As she lay down in the master bedroom she saw the time on the clock radio: 6:42. She closed her eyes and wondered if they really could afford a trip right now. She had just deposited her check…

  Natalie slept. When she awoke the clock on the nightstand read 7:25. She lay there for about ten minutes thinking about the camping trip. She was beginning to wonder if they would be able to leave as soon as she had told the children. A camping trip would require hours of preparation…. Another trip to the grocery store for food, picking up the camping gear from the Karamans, packing…

  Natalie got up and went into the master restroom. She splashed some water on her face and then toweled off. Walking over to the bedroom door she could hear the T.V. and Annie yelling “Stop it, Logan!”

  She opened the bedroom door and went down the hall towards the living room. Entering, she saw Annie and Logan fighting for the T.V. remote.

  “Okay, what’s going on here!” Natalie demanded.

  “Logan wants to see Sonic Rangers and I want to watch Jessie!”

  “Annie, Logan, if you two don’t stop right now the T.V. is going to be turned off!”

  “Oh, watch your Jessie then,” Logan quipped. “I’ll go outside and shoot some hoops.”

  Natalie looked content with this compromise. “Okay, Logan. Good idea. Annie, please turn that T.V. down. It’s too loud.”

  Annie turned down the T.V. volume with the remote. Natalie sat down on the couch; Annie was sitting on a huge bean bag chair in front of the T.V.

  Annie looked over at her mom anxiously. As their eyes met, Annie asked, “Mom, when are we going to get ready for the camping trip?”

  Natalie thought for a moment. “We can start packing anytime now…You and Logan can each use your backpacks, and I have a big suitcase that we can take. After your show, let’s sit down and make a list of everything we need to pack and what we need to buy at the grocery store. Mrs. Karaman said that they’ll let us use their camping stove so we can cook our meals.”

  “Let’s start packing now!” Annie said enthusiastically, turning off the television.

  They sat down together at the kitchen table and wrote out a long list of all the items they decided were important to take. The list included blankets, towels, lotion, sun block, insect repellant, first aid kit, swimming suits, flashlights, clothing, scooters, radio, games…and then there was the grocery list: hamburger meat, hot dogs, buns, pork n’ beans, beef stew, chips, sodas, hot chocolate, marshmallows…

  Logan came into the house just as they were finishing the list. The mid July sun was beginning to set in the west. Annie glanced up as Logan was closing the sliding glass door, and she admired the beauty of a splendid sunset that was making a splash of crimson and orange on the distant horizon.

  “I need to get something to drink! Oh man, it’s hot out there!” Logan said as he went to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of lemonade.

  Annie glanced over at her brother as he was pouring some lemonade into a tall glass. “Logan,” she said. “Mom and I made out a list of things to take with us on our camping trip, and we’re going to start packing now!”

  “Well, we should start packing if we are going to leave by tomorrow.” Natalie added. “We need to remember to pack enough clothes for about three days of roughing it.”

  Annie and Logan began to scurry about the house, gathering items on the list and placing them into boxes. Natalie brought out a large suitcase while the children pulled their backpacks out and started packing them full of clothing and other necessities. They packed for at least an hour, until the suitcase and backpacks were almost impossible to shut because they were beginning to split at the seams.

  “We’re going to have to get up early tomorrow morning,” Natalie said as she leaned all of her weight on the suitcase and latched it shut. “If we leave here by 11 o’clock, we should be able to get to a campground at the ocean by 2 o’clock….at least I hope so….”

  Natalie set the alarm on the clock radio for 7:30 am. Lights were out in the O’brien household by 10 pm. Tomorrow would be a very busy day.

  Chapter Five

  The Camping Trip

  Annie was awakened by the sound of the clock radio in her mother’s room. The light rock music station was playing “Wang Chung’s Everybody Have Fun Tonight”. She could hear her mother washing in the master bathroom. The toilet flush signaled that it was time to get up and get moving!

  Natalie came out of her bedroom and knocked loudly on Logan’s door.

  “Logan!” She yelled. “It’s time to roll sonny boy! Out of bed! Annie, let’s go! It’s time to get up now! Both of you make your beds while I get breakfast ready!”

  Annie rolled out of bed and quickly made it. She put on white shorts and a peach tone blouse. She anticipated the hot day ahead in the sweltering July California heat. She headed for the hall restroom, but Logan had already beat her to it.

  “Mom, I’m going to use your bathroom, Logan’s in there!”

  “Okay, Annie. Go ahead!” Natalie shouted from the kitchen.

  By the time Annie walked into the kitchen Logan was already sitting at the counter bar stool devouring some toaster waffles. Out of the toaster popped two more waffles and Natalie slapped some margarine on them. Annie grabbed the waffles and sat down next to her brother.

  The waffles tasted good smothered under layers of syrup. Natalie joined them with her own plate.

 
They ate breakfast and cleared the table, and then set about completing the packing that they had begun last night. They gathered all those last-minute items like toothbrushes, soap, deodorant, paper towels, can opener…

  Natalie looked over towards the entryway as Annie and Logan were squeezing some spur of the moment “stuff” into an overflowing box. Annie was tucking a tablet into one box while Logan was tossing in a hand-held video game. Natalie immediately warned them about taking too many unnecessary things.

  They loaded the suitcases and boxes into the SUV, and then they went to the nearest supermarket where they purchased all the food that they needed for about three days of camping. It was about 9:30 in the morning by the time they pulled into the Karaman’s driveway.

  Mrs. Karaman greeted them at the door with a smile. “Well good morning!” She exclaimed. “So, you are going camping? That sounds like a lot of fun! I bet you will have a blast!”

  “Oh, it was a spur of the moment thing, Annie persuaded me to go. I guess it would do us all a world of good to get out of the house. I have a week off from work.” Natalie explained. “We are going up the Coast Highway and camping up north of Bodega Bay.”

  “I hear that the scenery is spectacular up there, you’ll have to tell me all about it when you get back.”

  Just then, Brian Karaman, Logan’s friend, suddenly burst through the screen door. “Hey, Logan! What’s up? So, you guys are going camping? That’s cool, dude!”

  “Yea, we’re going to camp near the ocean.”

  “The ocean? Wow, cool. You might see some sharks there!”

  “Sharks? I don’t know,” Logan gasped. “I don’t really want to get bit by one…. I think I’ll pass on the sharks…”

  Mrs. Karaman and Natalie talked a bit about the hot weather and the problems with bees that they were having this summer. As the conversation ended, Mrs. Karaman said “Well I bet that you are anxious to get going. Brian, go and show Natalie where the camping gear is in the garage. Please help them load it into their SUV, too.”

  “Sure thing!” Brian answered. He opened the garage door. There on the garage floor were all sorts of boxes that were packed full of camping gear. There was a large six-man dome tent, a camp stove, a lantern, a hatchet, some tarps, and a variety of other supplies. Mr. Karaman had been very generous when he had set out the equipment. Everything that would be needed to make a wonderful camping experience was there.

  Brian helped them to load the gear. Mrs. Karaman walked over to the SUV as they were placing the last few items into the back. “We haven’t used that tent very much.” She said. “It’s a large tent, it should be comfy, it says that it will hold six men!”

  Natalie laughed and nodded. “That should have plenty of room for us, then. Thanks so much for letting us borrow all of this equipment.”

  “Oh, no problem at all, that’s what good neighbors are for, aren’t they? What’s the name of the campground where you’re going?”

  Natalie looked puzzled. “We really have no clue as to what campground we’re staying at…just one that’s on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.”

  “Well, I hope that you can find a campsite.” Mrs. Karaman replied. “They fill up early this time of year.”

  Natalie glanced at her watch, it was 9:42. “We better get going! We need to get there early enough so that we can find a camp site,” she said.

  Logan and Annie climbed into the SUV. Annie sat in the back and Logan took his place in the front passenger seat. Natalie sat behind the wheel and started the motor. “Okay, we’re ready to roll! Thanks, again, Joanne.”

  Mrs. Karaman waved as they backed out of the driveway. “All right, you guys have a great time…we’ll see you in a few days!” She shouted, waving.

  Natalie and the children waved back as they drove off. They were on their way to the ocean!

  They made good time on the interstate heading towards the North Bay. But then Natalie missed an exit.

  She looked a bit flustered. “Oh, no! We were supposed to turn off on route 37 back there! Now we’re going to have to drive through San Francisco and take the Golden Gate Bridge up to Highway 101.”

  Annie and Logan didn’t seem to mind at all. They had never been on the Golden Gate Bridge, so they were excited by the sudden change in plans.

  Natalie drove across the Oakland Bay Bridge into the city. She veered off on one of the exits that took them towards the business district. After driving on a one way stretch, they turned onto Market Street.

  Natalie had the feeling that they were going the wrong way. She needed directions. She pulled to the side of the street, and studied the detailed map of the city on the GPS. She studied it for what seemed like an eternity.

  “Mom, are we lost?” Annie asked.

  “No, dear, I think that we just need to go the other way on Market Street. Okay, we need to go left on Market, take a right on Turk Street, then a right on Van Ness. North on Van Ness to Lombard Street…. okay, Lombard Street takes us to the bridge….no, we’re not lost, Annie…. that’s why we have GPS.”

  “The GPS can tell you where to go mom,” Logan said.

  “I know, but it’s not too reliable.”

  Once Natalie got on Turk Street, the city traffic moved at a brisk pace.

  Annie was enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. Many of the residences in this part of San Francisco had high profile bay windows incorporated into the 19th century architecture.

  Soon they were on Lombard Street headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Annie and Logan clapped when they saw the famous bridge up ahead.

  The traffic was fairly light headed northbound on The Golden Gate. Annie and Logan looked at the spectacular scenery. There were several sailboats and a ship out in the Bay. Towards their right, they could see the skyline of San Francisco, tall buildings of glass and steel reaching down towards the waterfront. On their left, they saw the Pacific Ocean, with its endless waves glistening in the sunlight.

  The city became smaller in the background as they neared the Marin side of the bridge. Their visit to San Francisco had been short, but pleasant. Their destination lay farther north up the rugged coastline.

  Once across the Golden Gate Bridge they continued north on California Highway 101. Near the town of Petaluma, they began to look for a place to get lunch and fill up the gas tank. There were many fast food places here, so they decided to dine at one of the popular burger joints.

  “How long until we get to the campground?” Annie whined, as they chomped on some Big Burgers. She glanced at her watch. “It’s already 1:30 and we still are not there yet, mom!”

  Natalie brushed the hair from her face. “Don’t worry, Annie,” she replied. “We’ll get there soon. It’s taking a little longer than I thought it would, honey.”

  They finished up their lunch and were standing by the SUV, ready to resume their trip. Natalie began to look frantically through her purse for her keys. Her face suddenly took on a look of panic.

  Annie noticed her mom’s look of desperation. “What’s wrong, mom?” she asked.

  “I’ve lost my keys! I thought that I had them in my purse but they are not here!”

  They retraced their steps back to the restaurant, looking everywhere for the lost keys. Natalie asked the restaurant manager if anyone had found them. The manager went and looked behind the counter. They watched him anxiously as he shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, no keys have been turned in,” he said solemnly.

  “What are we going to do, mom!” Logan shouted in alarm. “Now we’re stranded here over a hundred miles from home. We’ll never get to go camping now!”

  Natalie looked through her purse again. Still no keys. “If I didn’t put the keys in my purse, then I might have put them on the food tray. You don’t suppose that I put them on the tray and accidently threw them in the garbage as we were leaving?”

  She began to suspect that this is what had happened, and she told the manager. He ordered one of his crew members to search the garba
ge for the keys. The teenage boy did not seem too pleased to have to sort through smelly, runny garbage. He examined the garbage bag contents very carefully, pulling one item at a time out of the bag.

  “There they are, I found them!” the boy exclaimed.

  “Way to go, Travis, I knew that I could count on you!” the manager yelled from behind the counter.

  The keys were at the bottom of the plastic bag, having sunk down past the lighter paper trash. Travis pulled them out and held them up. The keys were dripping with ketchup and mayonnaise. He grabbed a handful of napkins and wiped them off.

  Natalie and the kids were very happy that the keys were found. Relieved and laughing, they thanked Travis for his valiant efforts and gave him a five-dollar tip.

  “Hey, no problem,” the teen shot back with a half grin. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve lost my own keys….so I know that feeling!”

  It felt good to be on their way again. Natalie planned to take a county road that ran out of Petaluma towards the west, connecting them to CA Highway 1.

  They ended up lost in Petaluma for what seemed like an eternity. The GPS was giving them bad directions. They took the wrong turn and found themselves on a narrow winding road that went nowhere. Natalie turned around and headed back to Petaluma frustrated and angry that there were no road signs. She stopped at a service station to get directions.

  They were finally able to get some directions from a service station attendant. But by the time they were out of Petaluma Natalie felt like she needed an aspirin.

  The narrow county road took them through rich farming country. There were many dairy farms with huge red barns and white painted fences. Black and white milk cows were munching green grass at every bend in the road.

  It began to feel cooler as they got closer to the coast. The sky became hazy. Annie and Logan felt the cool air immediately. They were still wearing their summer clothing. Annie began to shiver. “Mom, I’m getting cold!” she complained.

  “It’s cooler as you get closer to the ocean,” Natalie said as she turned on the SUV’s heater.