Okay, some observations by a local skeptic.
When the three travelers left the hospital, they passed a coffee shop restaurant in half a mile. It's on the grounds of the Super 8 motel at the north end of Noyo Bridge, readily visible. Also, there are a number of restaurants under the bridge, on the Noyo Harbor waterfront. Yet, Jamai says they not only passed those eateries and their Albion home to go to the Rollerville Cafe for breakfast. He also says he had never been that far south on Hwy 1 before. I doubt that. Let me explain my dubiety.
It beggars belief that they had never driven south to Flumeville and Point Arena. Jamai has San Francisco connections. The handiest commute between Albion and San Francisco is south along Route 1. You can cut inland south of Santa Rosa, thus avoiding its incredible traffic jam on Route 101. Northern alternatives run you south on 101 right into Santa Rosa.
Also, roads are scarce enough around here that you simply end up driving on them sooner or later. With the spreadout geography, northern Californians routinely drive distances that seem outrageous to an East Coaster. (Disclosure: I am a refugee from said coast.)