Day twelve: Eureka, CA

As the gifted are wont to do, the group of groups wakes up late and gets an even later start on the six-hour-plus trek up to lovely Eureka, CA. Tonight’s venue is Auntie Mo’s: in the heart of downtown, Humboldt County’s only gay bar. The drive is gorgeous but demanding; our boys are, of course, up to the task. The Golden Gate comes and goes, as do the rolling hills and vineyards of Sonoma and Mendocino, and our luscious lads soon enter Redwood Country. Brown mans the wheel most of the way, awed by the size of the trees and their proximity to the van’s mirrors.

Eureka! comes earlier than expected, and His Mis stop in at Auntie Mo’s to survey the scene and load in equipment. Given the town’s proximity to the ocean and its history as a fishing outpost, our bento boys decide on sushi for dinner and end up at the Art Deco-inflected Ritz. Though the food is top-notch, our unpredictable ufologists, perhaps channeling last night’s whiskey and beer, spice things up a bit by depositing unidentified upchucked objects into the toilet (Fox) and a cloth napkin (Quinn).

Returning to the bar, The Band begins a fantastic set for the enjoyment of all of 20 people (packed) in a space the fire marshal has deemed suitable for 580. Fox’s fascination with the sound-sensitive stage lighting endures throughout the show.





Local band Tanuki goes on next. Extremely gracious, one of their number offers His Mis a place to hang their hats for the night.

After the show, Quinn does his best monkey-on-the-lam-from-the-municipal-zoo imitation:



Loads of beer and lots of talking keep our superstars warm as the rain falls outside. Thanking the heavens for the plush carpeting underfoot, our boys fall asleep, that same carpet now undercheek.

-Miles