Five Thallo Street

The weather had finally cleared! The last few weeks here in Pacific Grove had been rainy with only a couple days where the sun peaked out. The rain had varied between a light mist and a torrential downpour.

Today though was bright and sunny. Those dark clouds that leave the ocean grey had moved on. The local weather did mention a chance of fog and maybe light rain later in the day so I figured it was time to get outside for a walk, while the getting was good!

I was looking forward to the predicted high surf today as well as it gives me a sense of awe to feel the power of the ocean as the huge waves crash against the rocky shore. I love to feel the rush of air just as the waves crest, fold over, and hit the shore. It can sound and feel like thunder!

It was only 11am and I typically keep my walks under two hours so I thought I’d be home before any weather rolled in. My four plus mile route tends to vary but it usually involves walking through neighborhoods, a park or two and maybe the golf course. Typically it ends by following the path along the ocean back to the house.

Today I decided to walk it in reverse and start along the ocean. That way I could catch the biggest waves and then work my way into the neighborhoods and home from there. My grand plan was to end up at my favorite downtown coffee shop and grab a cup of coffee and a small bite to eat before heading home. It had been a cool, wet spring so coffee sounded especially good!

Due to the cool, wet weather, there weren’t many tourists which made the trail along the ocean free of the typical crowd. That mixed with the midday sun, clear blue sky and deep blue ocean made for a beautiful start to my walk!

My favorite section along the coast, comes up just after Lover’s Point. The path goes from a paved bike trail to dirt single track. This time of year the area is filled with many colorful wild flowers. Plus, this is one of the best areas to enjoy the crashing waves as they hit fifteen or so feet below you as you walk along the rocky cliffs and stone retaining walls. Perfect!

I was nearing my turn off from the ocean when I noticed a huge fog bank forming off the end of the peninsula. What made this unusual was how quickly this dense fog was forming. Typically the fog rolls in slowly but this was different. This fog was quickly shaping up to be one of the oddest fog banks I think I’d seen. It looked more like a wall of dark grey storm clouds instead of a soft, fog bank. There just wasn’t any wind and the fog wasn’t churning like storm clouds do.

Typically I walk down to where the local golf course meets the ocean before I turn off into the neighborhood but today I thought it would be prudent to turn back sooner rather than later. I decided to make a left at the little park that has the tall eucalyptus trees. From here, I could walk up to the golf course and follow it back towards downtown and home. Coffee was sounding extra good right about now!

Fittingly, by the time I got to the golf course, I was enveloped in fog. Hmmm, which way do I want to go? I decided to head down the road on the side of the course. That seemed the best decision at this juncture. On the right was the golf course lined with large eucalyptus trees. On the left were houses.

Following the “straight line” strategy (mostly), I decided to make a left on Crest and follow the golf course around to 17th where I could take a right and then hit the path, that was the old railroad bed, that runs through the middle of the golf course. This would lead me directly back to Lover’s point and the bike path home. It sounded good.

What I wasn’t planning on was the how thick the fog had become after turning on Crest. Visibility had shrunk to a couple of feet at best.

I can barely see the tree trunks on the right and I’m only a few feet away from them! I’m starting to rethink the path and maybe stick to the roads as I can just follow the edge of the road. I worry about being seen by cars, but where are the cars? I haven’t seen one since I turned away from the ocean.

Finally, 17th. I think. It should be the next street I get to but I don’t see a sign and the houses look off from what I remember. I decide to go right and stick with my initial plan. It is only a hundred or so feet to the path from the corner where I just turned.

But where’s the path? Where’s the golf course? This is getting just a little weird. Erie in fact. This fog “feels” different. Not scary per se, just different. Walking in the clouds or maybe pea soup would be a good description. And then there’s the odd feeling of anticipation…

The mist has started. I put on my light jacket that had been tied around my waist, Did I mention the fog wasn’t all that cold? Maybe that is why it feels different.

Still no path. I’m about ready to turn around when the fog lifts slightly and I can finally make out a street sign up ahead. It feels like I am all turned around at this point, even though I’ve walked this way a hundred times.

Thallo Street! That’s what the sign says but I just can’t believe it! That street name is from a book I read years ago named “The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet”. It was a “kids” book about two boys who travel to a planet “just their size”. There is a person that initiated and helps them with their journey and he lives on Thallo Street, in Pacific Grove.

I always thought it would be fun to see if that street actually existed. I’ve walked all over this town and spent hours examining maps and have never found it. A boy’s dream, like thinking Star Trek may be true, that sort of thing. A boy’s dream. Meaning, something fun to search for on a walk around the neighborhood knowing it is just fiction. But, here it was in front of me. Wow.

Well, I’ll just pull out my trusty iPhone and see where I’m at so I finally know where this street is! Why I hadn’t thought about doing this before, I have no idea. I’ve been told the mind is the first thing to go…

Well this is interesting, no bars. Not only that, the map is empty. Nothing. I’ve made calls along this walk before and always had a good signal. Maybe the fog?

So much for technology. Phone back in the pocket.

Now the big decision, do I go down Thallo Street and see where it leads or do I retrace my steps and try a different route home? Can I retrace my steps? I’m starting to wonder if there is more to this fog than just fog. This might just be a boyish dream getting the best of me but there is only one way to find out.

I decide to explore. Life is a journey, isn’t it?

Thallo Street. If I go by the book, it is a short, dead end street. The character (Mr. Bass) that lived on the street lives at 5 Thallo Street which is at the end of the block. He was described in the book as small and thin, with a large head, liquid eyes and a wisp of hair. The boys in the book (David and Chuck) thought he would blow away in a high wind. He also always wore a grey garden coat that whipped around him in the wind.

His house looked like a small observatory or mushroom as that is what he raised for a living. The yard should be overgrown. At least that is how it was described in the book. The book was written almost 70 years ago so I wouldn’t expect any of it to be the same. Heck, I wouldn’t expect any of it to be there in the first place.

Still no cars.

Left on Thallo street. The fog is still the same so I can see images of houses. Damn. There it is, a mail box with a 5 on it. I can’t see the house as the yard is overgrown. Just like in the book. There is a fence with a gate by the mailbox. Do I go through the gate? Is the gate a metaphor? This is getting more than a little interesting, scary, exciting.

I’m still deciding if I walk through the gate or not when I notice the fog has lifted even more. I can now make out the shape of the house at 5 Thallo street. It looks like a mushroom. Damn. Just like the book, again. The top part of the home is supposed to be an observatory which is why it looks like a mushroom. I do see what looks like a panel on the roof that could open.

Am I dreaming? Have I been knocked out by a car and didn’t realize it and I’m in some sort of psychotic state? I don’t think so. I feel this is all real but I’m just not sure how it could be all real.

Well, I need to move forward to find out. I walk through the gate. Nothing. I look around as best I can as the fog has started to thicken again (oddly). I decide to walk up to the house and knock on the door. I mean, why not! At this point, what do I have to lose.

Knock, knock. Nothing. I knock again, I think I hear something and then the door opens. Mr. Bass! Shit. It looks just like Mr. Bass!

“Hello!”, he says. “Hi”, I say, “Are you Mr. Bass?”

“Why yes I am, come in and let’s talk!” It’s like he knows who I am and has been expecting me. I walk through the door and what the heck was that? I look around and it appears I’m no longer in Pacific Grove or in the home of Mr. Bass.