No, I heard about the hermit from a newspaper article my parents saved for me after the guy died. What an interesting character he must have been...

Cloverdale when I grew up was less isolated - Highway 101 ran right up the main drag in town. Years after I left, they rerouted the freeway; better for travelers and quality of life, worse for the local businesses that thrived on the tourist traffic. I remember having a hard time getting uptown on holiday weekends, especially summertime, when there was a huge backup of cars in one direction or another (the one stoplight in town slowed them all down!).