Thursday (Feb 19)
I slept better, and my refrigerator seems to have cured itself. That makes no sense, but it seems to be back to running (relatively) quietly, turning off then back on at tasteful intervals as it as done all it’s useful life. I will maybe get it looked at in Reno, but for now my trusty little Norcold is off death watch – woo!
The road noise really is a problem here. There’s very little traffic at night, so that’s cool, but now at 10:30 am, the times I can hear the creek are increasingly rare. Other than that, a real gem of a place, AND the tent site price is $2 less than the fancier state parks ($13/$15).
As always, drive through Gold Beach with its beautiful bridge over the Rogue River and its friendly harbor restaurants, and as always, don’t stop. Going south, I seem to always saving myself for Brookings so I never quite end up stopping here.
In Brookings I eat at the Vista Grill, highly recommended by Martha – best burger ever she says. It was a good burger, and the wifi and general ambience were very nice – more of a bar than restaurant, but that works for me.
Seamless transition from Oregon to California :) Drove straight through Crescent City and the beautiful Redwood Coast south of there. Martha texts that they are out and about, so I decide to finally visit Aimee’s pub to kill a few hours. Richard’s Goat Tavern is the fancy name – don’t ask me to explain the name. Not sure what I expected, but it’s way more of a happening concern than I thought it would be.
Friday – Sunday
Highlights of this visit: watched a couple of 9 year-old basketball games – very fun! Went to one practice, maybe even more fun. Ate at the Hangar Cafe at the airport, maybe for the last time, since the service is so crummy. Multiple coffees at Because Coffee, also, multiple coffees at Old Town. Two successful Sunday paper searches – got the first at Starbucks and the second from the box in front of Denny’s. Three stints at The Goat, and one big night on the town in Arcata!
The most memorable experience was hanging with the Troubadours (CD&TDVT) at the Van Duzen Grange Hall. I didn’t quite relish is at the time as much as I do looking back, but what an interesting little adventure that was – way out in the boonies by a bridge over the Van Duzen River, a birthday party for the guitarist’s girlfriend.
The final sunday afternoon hung out with the boys at Sequoia Park. A very interesting dog training group, and an out of control game of Capture the Flag in the well-used redwood forest.
Monday
Finally leavin day. I schlep all my stuff out of the attic. Going down is a lot easier, just throw stuff downstairs. It’s harder to throw stuff upstairs. Martha is still gone, so Chad and I go to Gills By The Sea, an excellent little locals right on the bay south of town. Then home, finish packing, and I’m outta here!
Stop at Hayden Flats, ready to press on to Pigeon Point, but afraid it will be closed. Happily there are Forest Service dudes there doing winter stuff, and they said it is open, so I’m going on to there – another 1/2 hour basically. Tomorrow will be a way longer day than today, and this will take half an hour off of it.
WHUFU page for: Pigeon Point Campground
On a bend in the Trinity River. The main deal here is the heavily used boat ramp, I think the campground was built as an adjunct to it. Just seven sites, a couple of which are really nice.
Busy Route 299 is only 30 yards away, so when a truck passes you hear it. Fortunately, the road is not busy after dark.
Not quite as torrid as Redding, but still pretty darned hot until the sun goes down.
tonight:
As always in my experience, the primo spot on the little knoll is taken, I decide modest little #1 will meet my needs better than secluded #6. I enjoy my private bench and view of the bend of the river until after dark.
Had a delightful time here tonight! Now that I’ve figured it out, poor neglected Site 1 turns out to be the best site of all. My own personal bathroom plus river viewing party platform, a mere 40 paces away. I must of had some pent-up stuff about visiting the family (also it’s very dry out here :), but I drank all three cold beers in swift succession, then despite clearly thinking I wouldn’t, I cracked a new wine bottle to eat my sando. That’s way more partying that I am used to doing on a night on the road. pretty fun though… :)
Tuesday
Slept a little poorly, but that was the only known negative consequence of my night of thirst quenching. Hung out and read on my river bench and Tai Chi’d till 12:30. My jaunt from Hayden Flats to here meant that the fancy coffee place on the river is behind me, so the waaay less fancy place Mama Llama looms in my future. It got the job done.
It’s a very good thing I did stop, because ahead was maybe the longest road work stoppage I’ve even been involved in that was not the aftermath of a natural disaster. The stretch of mountain highway that was under traffic control had to have been 5-6 miles. There were TWO parades of vehicles going the other direction of 60 cars each, I counted. I think they were creating really big firebreaks – denuding steep stretchs of hillside along the road
Then, cherry on the sundae of a very annoying 30 miles was that I got pulled over by the effing National Park police! Over 40 minutes and 30 miles ago, the vehicle that pulled up immdeiately behind me for the work stoppage was a Park police pickup, cherry lights on top and all. I thought nothing of it, those dudes are the good guys, or so I thought. The lead car switched us from right lane to left lane to right lane a few times, somewhat arbitrarily I thought. On my own I kind of wandered around, there was nobody else on the road and I slowed to watch the equipment. Then finally we were past all that crap, back on the “open road”, past Oak Bottom and the entire length of the reservoir. I’d totally forgotten that dude was on my tail. At the VERY LAST pull-off before the end of his jurisdiction the sucker puts on his cherry lights. I pull to the shoulder figuring he has somewhere to go. He doesn’t go, so I turn off at the Vis Cen parking lot, since I was planning to use the bathroom anyway. The dude was hassling me!
At the time I was just glad it was over and him and his creepy little kevlar-vested friend with the nasty stare were out of my life. But the more I think about it the madder I get. Here were his two choices:
- stop me for weaving after the work area
- follow me for a while and see if I drive erratically on the main road. If so, stop me, if not, let me go on my merry way.
It is NOT COOL to follow me for 20 miles, then stop me on a hunch that I might be your big bust of the day. In retrospect, he must have radioed kevlar-boy because I passed him on the roadside then he was magically there to glare at me in case I was al Queda.
WHUFU page for: Cave Campground
Smack on the way from Reno to Eureka, where CA 44 meets CA 89.
A geologically interesting valley. A giant, recent lava flow that feels like the recovering disaster area it is. The Lava Cave is a short walk across the highway.
The Forest Service keeps one campground open all winter, and it is this one.
A deep blanket of pine needles makes it quiet except for the occasional truck on 89.
tonight:
Even the winter part of the campground closed for tree cleanup!
I barreled into the left turn for the campground, ready to not be driving any more, when AAARGH!, the campground is closed! There is one site outside the barrier, but it is already taken, so it's the parking lot for me. The full moon helps.
So far I'm having a pretty nice time.
Made lemonade our of the lemon life handed me – took a nice long walk along soothing Hat Creek, and my spot in the parking lot, if you’re a half-full kind of guy, gives me way more exposure to the full effect of the full moon, and it’s so f—ing cold here that I am shut tight in the van all night anyway, so all good here.
Wednesday
It occurred to me walking along the creek last night that the only other humans I’ve seen near my camping places were trout fishermen, who were fishing in streams that people book vacations to be near, and am sleeping next to these streams! Kind of fits with the “whither me?” discussion I am having with myself AGAIN. Maybe I should get myself into fishing, since I live next to a trout stream and seem to gravitate towards them and they run parallel to quite a lot of the road between Reno and Eureka.
I slept well last night, large semis rocketing past 80 yards away notwithstanding. The drive to Reno and the inevitable Starbucks stop in Susanville were uneventful, and I am happy to be home.