515 - China Camp
Two weeks into the Bay Area and something already got stolen from me. TWO WEEKS.
You realize I drove through Central America for 6 months and didn’t have a single problem, right? RIGHT?
It all started after a lovely drive from Colorado that took me approximately three days and three nights. I even caught a quick Cirque du Soleil show when I popped through Vegas.
So naturally, I rolled into San Francisco with a smile on my face- ready to conquer the Bay Area and all of its intricacies. The first step was to find a place to set up camp. And by this I mean find a general region that I could call home.
My plan was to live out of the Prius here for the next couple of months, using beautiful backdrops to finish filming the photography course. In between all this, I’d Doordash to fund the time.
I pulled up a crime map of the area. I’ll admit I was nervous about settling out here for a while, mainly because this town is notorious for car break-ins. And when everything you own is in your car, that hits a little harder.
But the reality is that this area has access to some of the most gorgeous scenery in the entire country, which made it a risk I was willing to take.
As I browsed the map, I looked for the wealthiest area around. That’s one of the perks of living in a Prius- it blends into its surroundings like some kind of robot chameleon.
I ended up settling on Mill Valley in Marin County, which is a tad north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Driving in, I saw a Porsche with a Christmas tree strapped to its roof, followed by two Teslas. At that moment I knew I’d chosen well.
The whole area was an absolute gold mine of wealth. It also had quick access to the best beaches, Mt. Tamalpais, and several state parks. Perfect. I could deliver food to a 10 million dollar house, then pop over to a state park to film the course a half hour later.
And that’s exactly what I did. For a glorious two weeks. I even managed to snag this picture at China Camp state park between filming videos:
“Cotton Candy”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Zeiss 24-70mm f/4
[ISO 320 ~ 70mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/160s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
What a beauty. The whole park is marshlands, and that boat was stuck in the middle of it all because the water level was low. And that cloud… Don’t even get me started.
See, the problem was that one of my good buddies lived in Oakland. Which meant I was going to hobo land every so often to hang out. It also meant that when I went to go see Avatar 2 one faithful evening, I came back to a stolen catalytic converter on my car.
If you’re like me and have absolutely no idea what that is, I’ll explain it to you like you’re 5. It’s a pipe under the Prius that happens to be worth thousands of dollars because it’s made from expensive metal.
Thieves can saw the thing off in under 90 seconds, leaving you with a car that sounds like a hot rod and dispenses exhaust freely into the cabin. Apparently this kind of theft is a major problem in the Bay Area, and it’s recommended that you weld a cage over it to hinder bandits.
I didn’t know this until now. My mind slowly devolved into overdrive mode as I tried to contemplate solutions to the problem. But I was high out of my mind after watching Avatar and I couldn’t think rationally.
Well, I thought to myself, I mind as well sleep it off.
The next day I woke up and the catalytic converter was still stolen. Fuck.
Begrudgingly, I started my research and figured out that I could buy a new converter for $150 on Amazon, then get it welded on for another $150 at a muffler shop. Alright. That’s not so bad, eh? I added it to my Amazon cart, and clicked “Check Out.”
Suddenly I was hit with a red notice from Amazon. “The part cannot be legally shipped to California.” What…?
As it turns out, California happens to have some law where you can only buy and install “special” catalytic converters that are $3,000+. These “special” converters are “extra” environmentally friendly, apparently.
Now this was a real problem. The converter is more than the current value of my 250,000 mile Prius. And it’s not like I could drive to another state with my car in this condition…
Then I thought of it. I’ll buy a cheap converter out of state, mail it to my sister, then have her mail it to me, then find some rogue mechanic that’ll weld it on for me under the table. DEAL.
Two days of overnight shipping later, and the converter was in my hands. I ran through about 7 mechanics until I finally found one willing to break the law in the name of cold, hard cash.
Also I ran out of gas that day.
And that folks, is my story of these first two weeks in San Francisco. Welcome to Cali, eh?
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
*Please note this page contains affiliate links.
