Riding the Bus

My latest experiment!

I began seeing a retina specialist in Santa Rosa, CA in June 2022, to get my monthly eye injection, as I was unable to get in to see either of the two doctors who give the injections in the Eureka area. It’s a four hour drive each way, and after one trip, we decided not to drive both ways in a single day.

For the next year and a half, Jonathan and I drove to Santa Rosa every 4-6 weeks for my treatment, staying overnight in a hotel and returning home the next day. Finally, in January, 2024, I was able to see a Dr. Mastroni in Eureka, and spent the next two years without making the long drive. In December, 2026, Dr. Mastroni and his partner Dr. Gibb, both retired and were unable to find anyone to take over their practice, and it closed.

By January 2026, however, Jonathan had stopped driving. That means that I would drive to Santa Rosa and have an eye appointment and injection on one day, rest over night, and drive home the next day. I looked for alternatives. I have a friend whose husband goes to the same doctor in Santa Rosa. We could drive together! No, he is on a different schedule than I am, and the dates don’t work out.

Next up was the bus. I wondered whether it would even be possible. When I looked into the Amtrak bus (!), I could leave Eureka at 7:40 am and arrive in Santa Rosa at 12:55 pm. It took some planning to get an appointment that started between 1:30 and 2:30 pm, but that was necessary in order to get home in a single day. The morning bus arrives at 12:55 pm and the afternoon return leaves Santa Rosa at 4:15 pm. There’s not a big window to do things if you are going to make the trip in a single day.

(On the Bus: Flashing past groves of redwoods, state and national parks, souvenir stops)

The day arrived and I left for the bus stop at 7:20 am, found street parking nearby, and waited with a couple other passengers. The Amtrak bus stop is just a metal sign above the sign “Bus Stop” beside a metal/glass shelter, like many other bus stops. The bus pulled up right on time at 7:40 am. The drive through the redwoods is lovely if all you have to do is look out the window. I looked at the scenery, finished up some sewing, and read my book. The bus made its way south, stopping in Fortuna and a few other small towns along the route. We pulled into Ukiah where the bus stops for 30 minutes, enough time to visit the McDonalds or take a short walk, but not much else. The final leg crosses wine country, Hopland, Cloverdale, and Healdsburg, arriving at the Coddington Mall in Santa Rosa right on time at 12:55 pm.

It was a cool, sunny day in Santa Rosa, so I chose to walk to the doctor’s office. I doubt I will be able to do that again, because Santa Rosa gets 90 degree heat pretty soon and the walk would become unbearable.

My appointment was at 1:50 pm and I arrived with time to spare, checked in and waited. I was completely finished by 3:15 pm. I called an Uber and got back to the Coddington Mall bus stop, then visited the Whole Foods at the mall to get something to eat on the ride home. The northbound bus pulled up at about 4:10 and left at 4:15 pm. It’s not a long drive to Ukiah, and there we had another 30 minute break. I was anxious to get home, but we got going again on time. There were only 3 other passengers on this trip. The driver explained that north of Ukiah, the bus only stops where people are getting off, so there would be no more stops until Eureka. We arrived a few minutes early, at about 8:40 rather than 8:50 pm. I was home by 9 pm.

It’s a long day of riding the bus, but much preferable to driving that same eight hours. On the ride home, I was able to rest, take a nap, listen to a book, and eat my dinner. I was not exhausted from the trip, and plan to do it again next time, another five weeks from now.

The biggest problem is getting my appointment at the correct time. The doctor recommended I return in five weeks, but there was no appropriate open appointment until six weeks will have elapsed. I hope my eye stays stable, and plan to talk to the eye doctor about my scheduling issue at my next visit.

Riding the bus was a worthwhile adventure.