Oregon

What a difference a day makes.  On the 30th of May we spent the second of our two nights in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State & National Park.  It was quiet, serene, spiritual, with soft lighting and sounds.  The surroundings of the Stout Redwood Grove were in control and I felt humbled to be there.  Only 22 miles later we find ourselves driving along the Oregon Coast, which was sunny, salty, thunderous and wide open.  A few photos are added here.  It is a different type of spectacle, but equally moving.  One key difference for me was to just listen to the waves pounding the shore and the rock.

What really struck me was the difference in the composition of the folks in the campground.   In the Redwoods, we had lots of folks stop by and chat.  That said, it felt like a place where strangers from all corners had found themselves sharing a space.   This town in Oregon, Brookings, feels more like a local spot.  There are groups of friends and family camping together.  There are dogs, babies, groups of teens.  It feels like a cross between Michigan and the South.  Not sure why Michigan, but some of the visuals (rural housing, political signage, commercial structures) definitely remind me of the Southeast.  I guess Michigan because of the green and the people who seem to have worked hard, done well and who love the water and the outdoors.  This is not something I and can describe, it is just an intuition.

We are now starting our third month, which will soon lead us to the half way point of our "planned trip".  Things continue to go better than expected.  I had one of the hydraulic lifts for the galley hatch fail, but I was able to find a replacement at a NAPA store in Crescent City.  We used the solar panels for something like 27 out of 30 days, and managed to keep the fridge going and all our gadgets charged.  It was not until the dense foliage of the Redwoods that they could not provide the needed juice. 

After a few days on the coast, we are heading to Crater Lake.  The Lake is at elevation, and the rim road is not yet open.  I'm hoping to bicycle around the rim, but that may not work out.  After that, we are intent on visiting Jack Beck in central Oregon.  Jack, we are thinking next weekend, 10th/11th.  We'll check in with you mid-week and see this this still works for you.

The weather has been great.  I think we've had rain twice since we left Austin back in early April.  Other than Death Valley and Tucson, we've had no hot weather either.  Eagle Lake, outside of Susanville, CA was unbearable due to mosquitoes, but that is about the extent of any environmental factors that we've had to deal with.  Oh, the wind is Lone Pine is not be be discounted.

After Oregon we move toward central and western Washington, avoid the SEATAC area entirely and then off into Canada.