Whose spot is it?

I checked Google Maps street view and drove around Arcata yesterday until I found a good streetdocking spot. On one side of the street was a self-storage facility, a small house with a box truck parked in front, and some apartments. Opposite was the windowless side of a two story commercial building. And the street ended at a T intersection. 

The street was level lengthwise and the gutter wasn’t much lower, so I wouldn’t be tilting too much. It was quiet until sunrise when people started arriving for work in the big building. But I was ready to get up anyway.

I left this morning to hike in the forest again, and on the way back I stopped to get some hot lunch items — egg rolls and samosas — at a locally owned grocery. That happened to put me on the same street as last night’s parking spot. I was about three blocks away, a little bit on a hill, so I could see the spot and watch as a Class C motorhome pulled into “my” spot.

I didn’t own the spot, of course, but you know how it is. When you find a place that’s not mentioned in one of the several online guides, one you discovered while cruising around, you feel a little bit of ownership.

Of course, it’s possible — maybe likely — I had taken a spot the Class C driver considered his/hers. No tragedy, though. I like to change parking spots after a couple of days. I’m just doing it a day sooner. And there are plenty of options. 

Tonight I’m on a street of warehouses, offices, a health center, and a Montessori school. There’s a mural on the wall next to me. The cross street has been busy but the whole town quiets down at night. This is “my” spot tonight. We’ll see whose it is tomorrow.