Carpe Dory (2)

Our second stay at Priest Lake was not quite as enthusiastic as the first one. We still had a good time mind you, but it could be that part of the initial dazzle from four years ago had a lot to do with getting a break from rain, paired with an electrical system that was working properly. There is also the fact that since I’ve gotten my e-bike, I am less motivated to get my boat out of the roof box and put it together. So lake stays become more about hiking and biking than water sports for us. As such, there seem to be a lot more nice trails around the other side, plus cell service, so that might be where we try to stay next time.

The drive up from CDA was pleasant, with a stop in Coeur d’Alene for groceries at Safeway. Duford Road was just as pretty as we remembered, as it follows the southern bank of the Pend Oreille River until you cross at Priest River. We then took 57 all the way to Dickensheet Road, which turns into Cavanaugh Bay Road, and finally East Shore Road. It’s a long drive, but at the end of it, you are treated to a real lakeside spectacle until the road bends back away into the trees. The state park staff are very friendly and the campground roads look newly paved. In fact, the whole place seems to have gotten a sprucing up. We checked out the cute little campground store and tried to get onto the wifi. No luck there, but that was ok.

The next day we rode to a little known trail and treated it as a treasure hunt. As it was a Sunday, there were not many cars on East Shore Road heading north to the end of the lake, so it was a nice ride. I should mention that it was quite hilly. Not an issue for my battery powered legs, but Richard got a workout. The trail description said to go 8.3 miles from the campground entrance and that is spot on. There is a nice big sign saying “Moose Lake” at that location, so the treasure hunt was easy. We turned down a short dirt road and locked our bikes at the trailhead, which was also nicely signed. Getting to the lake is an easy hike. We had our lunch and tried to circumnavigate the lake. We could have done it, but there was a pondy spot with a dodgy looking log we didn’t feel like risking. Instead, we went back around the other direction and made it all the way to that log. All told, the hike was just over a mile, even with messing around at the lake.

We had some time left on the day and decided to hang out at the beach and get caught up with service things. There were tons of families hanging out, playing in the sand and enjoying various water sports. It’s a crowded campground on the weekends, but there was a noticeable difference on Monday. We weighed a couple of options and chose to explore the west side of the lake and see if we could maybe bike along West Lakeshore Road. The answer to that question is: no. That road is not paved. It’s a dirt road in good condition, but it’s not really suited for bikes. In fact, most of the roads around the lake are not paved. I suppose you could mountain bike some of them, but really the main focus of the area is to get in the water. Makes sense.

We did stop at a museum parking area and walked the Beach Trail from Luby Bay to Kalispell Bay. That was a very nice walk. We sat at what used to be a marina cafe and tried to find more information on other trails. Richard discovered that the Lakeshore Trail he was thinking of was further to the north. That is a seven mile hike that hugs the shoreline all the way up to Beaver Creek Campground. It was getting to be the afternoon, so no one was going to do 14 miles out and back. Richard wanted to check it out and I had some internet research I was interested in, so I dropped him at the trailhead in Reeder Bay and he just went as far as he could get in a half an hour, and came back. He returned with impressive pictures, which makes us both want to try to do more of that trail in the future.

As far as future visits go, there are pros and cons to staying at the state park. On the one hand, it’s pretty far from some of the longer hikes, and it doesn’t have cell service (and wifi may or may not work, even if you go to the office). On the other hand, ice cream at the cute little camp store, and hookups. There are several forest service campgrounds on the other side. I did not go look at the sites to see which ones would be the most trailer friendly. There are no hookups of course, no dump stations, etc. but oddly it might feel less rustic simply because of hitting the 5g cell tower.

So here are the things we want to remember to investigate on any future stays. We could consider staying at the forest service campgrounds on the west side (Outlet, Osprey, Luby Bay, Reeder Bay, Beaver Creek). We could try to figure out how to hike the Lakeshore Trail. We could see if we can maybe ride to Hunt Creek Falls. There’s a very long trail up to North Priest Lake that we could maybe do part of. No matter where we stay, there is always ice cream to be had in Coolin at the Moose Knuckle or scoop ice cream at the Leonard Paul grocery store. Priest Lake a very family friendly place with all manner of lake activities and worth coming back to.

Total miles from CDA: 109.9, 16.9 mpg, 4 hours 28 min. Site A11 hookups. Cell and Wifi were both disappointing. No cell from campground, but could hit it from the beach. Most places along west side of lake could hit cell, but the state park appears to be in a little cell blocking valley. Wifi went down frequently. Electricity shut down on third day for maintenance, but otherwise worked fine before that. Dump would have been good and $10 but it was closed because of the power shut down.

This was a bucket list stay for us. Last time we came, we were battling rain and electrical issues, but remained undeterred in our quest to get Richard on his bike to do the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. I dropped him at the starting point in Plummer and towed Dory from there to the campground at CDA Resort. He got beautiful blue skies and a 43 mile day on a paved rails to trails bike path that skirts the Coeur d’Alene lake and runs through some of the prettiest scenery you can imagine. Now that I have an e-bike, it was my turn to join him. Richard was able to find a private shuttle service that will bring you and your bikes to the starting point of the trail, and he got that scheduled months ago.

On arrival, we had some time left in the day, so we got our bikes out and did a short out and back, taking the eastern part of the trail, as far as the town of Pinehurst. There wasn’t any particular goal, besides me looking for moose and Richard checking out the little grocery store to see if they had milk. No moose were spotted on this outing, but the store checks out for having half gallons of milk. We did spot an unexpected pack of coyote pups across the river. I didn’t know coyotes hung out this far north, but it seems they are becoming a local nuisance. They were pretty cute though and it was a fun sighting. Back we rolled to Dory and got ourselves ready for an early morning shuttle pickup.

I highly recommend Rich’s Bicycle Shuttle Service if you are interesting in doing this. They not only get you and your bikes where you want to go, but provide an in depth history lesson of the area. Rich and Susan are both native to the area (from Harrison and Wallace), with vast knowledge of how the silver mining and logging industry has shaped and transformed the region over time. The very trail we were going to spend our day appreciating was the product of a once booming silver mining industry. Legend has it that Noah Kellogg discovered the first motherlode of silver because his jackass dislodged a large rock. Accordingly, many of the businesses are named, not only for Kellogg, but for his jackass. Over time, the silver mining companies had to change their ways, or shut down, because the methods they used to extract the metals produced highly toxic byproducts. This sledge was used to form the foundations of the rail line. The land and waterways were becoming deadly to wildlife and hazardous to people, so a monumental cleanup project was negotiated with the railroad. They agreed to remove the rails and ties, but rather than remove miles of contaminated foundation, they covered it all over with clean dirt and paved it. There are still signs warning visitors not to eat or drink from the ground or water, and to stay on the trail. It’s likely for liability purposes, but it does remind one of the lasting impact man can have on nature. 

The drive from Cataldo took about an hour, but it was time well passed, listening to all of the local history. From the start of the trail, we just headed east and spent the whole day gawking at the view. When you get to Heyburn State Park, the trail goes up and over an old bridge to cross the St. Joe River. The surface looks wavy, and this apparently is for accessibility. You skirt the eastern side of the river until you get to Harrison. 

We took a side jaunt off the trail to enjoy the historic little town of Harrison. There are bike cafes and little stores, and most importantly, a creamery. The Harrison Creamery and Fudge Factory served us up a couple of ridiculously huge scoops and topped mine abundant hot fudge. It was an indulgence my calorie app said I could not afford, but I didn’t care. It was delicious. 

You are never far from water on this section of the trail, sometimes riding on a raised dike that splits two bodies of water right down the middle. There are not many services or places to get ice cream (which is probably for the best), so my advice is to definitely stop in Harrison. There are however, plentiful vault toilets along the way. We never worried about needing to find a bathroom. The trail is flat and meandering the whole way, with marshes, rivers, a few houses. There is a place Rich told us about where a local woman has set up a food and water cooler for bikers on the trail. Donations are welcome, but all she really asks if you take something is to sign her book. She has a Facebook page and posts regular updates. That’s pretty cool. 

My moose pursuit was satisfied with a single grazer, way out in a marshy meadow. We stared at her(?) for a long time before she disappeared into the bushes. We also saw numerous turtles. One of them was slowly making his way across the bike trail and would have been run over if we hadn’t spotted him. We tried to verbally coax him to hurry up, but he responded instead by freezing and retreating into his shell. We scooted him to the edge of the path, just to be sure he wouldn’t get squished. 

There were water Lillies everywhere, some pink and some yellow. There were also yellow irises along the shores. The skies were blue and the temperatures perfect. We could not possibly have asked for a better day. We rolled up to Dory, just sitting there waiting for us along the trail, at around 3. We got to bask in the joy of the day and I got to grill at night. Five stars.

The next day we headed in the other direction, not intending to go all the way to the end in Mullan. That would have been a very long day and it is not nearly as scenic. This section of the trail begins pleasantly, following the Coeur d’Alenes River to Pinehurst, the section we had done previously. Then, it changes to a much more urban experience. Highway 90 joins up and follows the same valley, all the way to the end. There are bigger towns here, with stores and services, even a Walmart, just to your left. They do a good job of getting the trail away from the highway as much as possible, but it’s nothing like the other side, where there are long sections with no other cars or people visible. The upside of this is that you can stop and find food or bicycle repair places if needed. 

We pushed on until we got the historic town of Wallace. This is where Susan, our shuttle host, is from. We heard lots of fun stories about the town, like how the Oasis Bordello stayed in business all the way up to 1988. Eventually, the governor told them they had to shut down, but Ginger Murphy, the madam, got all the girls evacuated before they were raided. Apparently she was quite a character and a much beloved business woman. The town is incredibly well preserved, thanks in part to the cleverness of the town leadership when plans were being made for the interstate to get built, running right through the middle of town. Immediately, most of the buildings got officially declared historic sites so they could not just be bulldozed. The post office got moved a half a block to make room for the highway support pillars, but they were able to preserve the town and run the roadway above it and as far along the outskirts as possible. It was a worthwhile fight, because the town is delightful and draws a considerable number of tourists. It also sounds like the town is full of characters. In 2004 the mayor Ron Garitone called the press together for an important official ceremony. He showed up in a top hat and tails and declared the town to be the Center of the Universe. There is an official marker right in the middle of 6th and Bank Street where countless tourists, us included, take their pictures. The story goes that the justification used for such a claim included: “Why not?” and “Prove it isn’t.”

We made a stop at The Tin Snug for, you guessed it, ice cream. It is also a cool vinyl record store and has a lot of charm. We then went around exploring the historic buildings. Many of them were built in the 1800s and are still standing. The Oasis Bordello building is still there, now a museum that welcomes guests with tours of the upstairs rooms for a small fee. Susan had her own stories about the brothel, seeing as it was still in business as she was growing up. Like how her brother, who was a flower delivery boy, once split his pants setting down a flower pot intended for one of the ladies upstairs. The girls felt so bad for him, they got together and fixed his pants for him and sent him on his way. It turned out they weren’t really seamstresses though, and when his mother examined the repair, it turned out they had used staples. We had the best time exploring this preserved little treasure of a town.

What this side of the trail may lack in natural scenic beauty was more than made up for with these historic towns. Plus, I spied my second moose, this time much closer. There are lots of places to stay on the eastern half, including a popular ski resort with a gondola for skiers in the winter and mountain bikers in the summer. It was an epic stay and we would do it all again in a heartbeat. 

Richard notes that he “civvy” rode the whole thing, both directions; meaning he wore mostly normal clothes and shoes and used non clipped pedals. It was overall a good call, but he needs better hip support on his backpacks when he’s carrying a lot of stuff for a long ride. I note that highways 95 and 90 are easy to drive and that the smaller highway 3 is a much curvier, hillier, and edgier road. They are repaving highway 90, so they must have read my blog where I complained about the surface last time. Thanks Idaho. I appreciate you.

Total miles from Lewis & Clark: 178.5, 19.1 mpg, 4 hours 35 min. Site 10 hookups. Good cell for both. Solar but didn’t need it. Site is on the end of the second row, so not waterfront, but nice view of grassy area. Wifi at little campground store. Right on Trail of CDA. 

This was a one night stand, getting from Oregon to Idaho with a convenient stop in eastern Washington. We’ve stayed here once before and it is very pleasant for this purpose. I wouldn’t stay more than one night, and I wouldn’t go out of my way. Last time we were here, the whole area was flooded. The tiny river that now shows sand bars and a gentle current was full up to the top of the banks, causing me to question whether we were in danger of getting flooded out.

Last time there was a warning about “extreme fluff danger” from the abundant cottonwoods. This time we were safe from dangerous fluff and got to enjoy lots of blooming wild roses.

Speaking of fluff, I am really pleased with myself over a specific storage item. Carrying stuffing for amigurumi crochet animals is trickier than you might think. That stuff expands like crazy. I have an entire dry bag dedicated to fiberfill and I don’t want to have to go into the roof box every time I’m ready to stuff a body. So I google searched, trying various combinations of descriptor phrases that would lead me to some kind of squeezable cylindrical container where I could compress a whole bunch of stuffing into a small space. I finally landed on a makeup brush container that can adjust its height depending on the size of your brushes. I can therefore stuff both tubes to overflowing, push them together, squeeze them down the volume of one of the halves, and lock them in place. Storage efficiency makes me unreasonably giddy.

After a yummy dinner of Vadouvan chicken with mango chutney, mustard seed rice, and green beans, we walked around the limited and overgrown campground trails and checked out the state park displays across the road. Lewis & Clark really got around. So there are many things named after them. Got it. They stayed in this location for a while, so there’s a handy little park which makes for a nice midway point for an otherwise daunting jump. I’d even stay here again.

Note to us for the future: if we do stay here again, Richard needs to get over his high standards for morning walking and just do laps around the parking lot or something. We left the next morning and Richard didn’t do a morning walk before a four hour car drive. He was dysregulated all day and that made the end of the day at the other side unnecessarily stressful. If I can accept that I need to do Yoga every day, like it or not, Richard can learn that he needs to speed walk in the morning on every travel day, interesting trail or not.

Total miles from Viento: 207.2, 22.4 mpg (big head wind!), 4 hours 35 min. Site 5 no hookups. Good dump with potable water, $5. Ok cell service for both, better for ATT. Didn’t hear road noise or train.

This stay was an example of Plan B executing extremely well. Our purpose for this stop, in addition to getting miles tracking northward, was to ride the last section of the Columbia River Gorge. The last time we came, Richard set out and had to cut his journey short because of a wildfire. We aimed to arrive on Sunday and ride together all day Monday. Small hitch: the weather reports for Monday said rain all day. Bummer.

We did some rethinking and figured there might be enough time at the end of the arrival day for Richard at least to section ride it as long as I could drop him off somewhere. Then, I could either wait in The Dalles with Dory and he could ride to me, or I could try to get into our site early (check in time is a very late 4pm at many Oregon State Parks) and come get him. Either way, his day could consist of riding from exit 62 in Hood River, to the Columbia River Discovery Center in The Dalles. We got to exit 62 around 1:30, so that gave him plenty of time to do the ride.

It was only about five more miles west to go to Viento, so I figured I’d see if the site was empty and if anyone was policing early check ins. I lucked out on all fronts and easily backed into the site, unhitched, and chilled for an hour or so. I followed him on Find My Friends, and as soon as he looked close-ish, I hopped in the car and drove out to fetch him. It’s about a half hour drive, but he was fine waiting at the Discovery Center. He had a great ride and we both felt triumphant at our flexibility given weather obstacles.

It was late in the afternoon at that point, so we opted for dinner in The Dalles. Richard found a 5 star food truck that serves Chili Cheese Coney Dogs and that place was a definite winner. It is Cascade Coneys and the cheese was piled so high on top of the hot dog, you couldn’t even see the chili. Oh man, that was good! They even give you a gummy dog as a little treat. There are two different food trucks (the other has Mexican food) in a nicely decked out permanent patio, with covered picnic tables, cute decor, and even a fire pit for gatherings. 5 stars is right. Afterwards, we walked to our favorite ice cream place: Shannon’s. Richard had an apple caramel crumble on a waffle cone, and I had an Oregon hazelnut chocolate. I hadn’t earned mine, but didn’t care. It was great, as expected.

The next day didn’t start with rain, so Richard went out walking the trail, documenting waterfalls. He made it to Cabin Creek, Starvation Creek, Hole in the Wall, and Lancaster Falls. He even scrambled up a bit to get a shot of the backside of water from behind Cabin Creek Falls. He made it back before any rain at all.

While he was out getting steps before the rain started, I was gingerly easing myself back into crochet. I’ve been a very good girl and let my hands rest a solid week. I’ve read lots of blogs and watched videos from professional knitters and crocheters, and they all give much the same advice: 1) watch your posture and grip, 2) take breaks, 3) stretch. There are other tips out there, including seeing a medical professional if the pain is bad or doesn’t go away, but these are the top tips. I’m happy to report that I got in three twenty-minute sessions with no pain, taking breaks in between, and did not suffer ill effects the next day. I have really missed it, so I’m super motivated to be careful and not go crazy and overdo it again. The other lesson I am learning the hard way is that some form of yoga every night before bed is a non negotiable for me. I’ve been on and off about that, but I’m sixty and I need to stop screwing around. Luckily, I still have a yoga mat stashed away in Dory, and I’ve still got an audio routine on my phone. I’m out of practice, but it felt good anyway.

With some time left in the day, we braved the gentle rain and walked down to see the river. I wanted just a couple of miles to work out hip kinks, so walking to Starvation Creek Falls and turning around was plenty for me. The rain was steady, but gentle, and we were often shielded by the thick tree cover. We spotted a Bald Eagle roosting above the river and noted how strong the rock catching metal nets are all along the trail. We returned to Dory, hung up out wet jackets in the shower, and I made a Blue Apron of Sambal Peach Chicken with Sesame Brown Rice. So good!

Viento is a really nice campground, despite the road noise and sometimes alarming train whistle. Those downsides are well documented in campground reviews. Neither really bothered us, and the trains don’t sound off at night, but they are admittedly quite close. It’s got a nice day use beach by the river, proximity to town stuff, whether Hood River, or farther to The Dalles, and direct access to the bikeway. If biking west, which is almost always with the wind, be aware that there is a section after Viento where you have to travel on Highway 84. It’s not long, but not pleasant. After that, it’s a beautiful ride on Highway 30 with some sections not open to cars. I’m really glad Richard got his ride in. That would have been disappointing. Next, we track east and northwards toward another highly anticipated bike ride. Hopefully, we can do that one together!

Total miles from La Pine: 187.6, 4 hours 35 min, 17.2 mpg. Site 35 electric and water hookups. No solar, heavily shaded campground. No dump. There is a dump at Memaloose SP. Good cell for both, but better for ATT.

National Donut Day, celebrated on the first Friday of June, is an important and highly revered holiday in our family. Richard has been planning for where he was going to get doughnuts on this day for months. We planned our route from Ashland to La Pine specifically so that we could go by Puck’s. Why are you laughing? This is serious business.

Richard helped get us all hitched and dumped in the morning and then headed out. When he texted me that he was there, I pulled Dory out to meet him. They had hot, fresh apple fritters, so calories be damned, we each got one. Then we continued on our route up through Eagle Point and then followed the Rogue River until we got to our second food destination: Trail Market. I blogged about this place before and raved about their tacos so much that someone who follows the blog told me they made a special trip out that way to try them. That had me feeling nervous and potentially guilty to have coaxed someone into making a special trip. What if they didn’t find them as great as we did? On second tasting, I am doubling down. Their tacos are that good, and if you make a special trip and don’t find them to be worth the detour, that’s on you. We also picked up three different kinds of tamales and took them to go. Those served as dinner the next two nights and were also fabulous.

It was a straight forward drive up to La Pine, via Highway 62 to 97. La Pine campground has three loops with lots of sites, some with hookups and some not. We got full hookups and that was very much appreciated. After a microwaved tamale dinner, we walked around the trails by the river. I kept it short because my right hip flexor is bothering me (I’m 60). Richard tried to continue on and do a loop, but his super power kicked in and he got lost. He made it back to Dory, but was frustrated by how wrong he is about which way to go so much of the time.

We had one full day to do something fun in the area and Richard was set on making sure we included Richard’d Donuts in Bend as part of the equation. He really wanted to make it there for National Donut Day, but logistics were not in his favor. His first idea was for us to ride there. That sounded fine, but ambitious, seeing as it is about thirty miles one way. We geared up for a long day and I packed my extra e-bike battery on my rack, but shortly before departure, he had second thoughts. Instead, we did what I’m sure was a far better plan and drove to doughnuts first. While it would have been possible I think to ride the whole way, I don’t think most of it would have been that scenic. Plus we would have been stressed about getting to Richard’s before they closed, or ran out. This way, we got to enjoy an excellent raised chocolate glazed and a lemon filled, fresh for the morning, with no worries or rushing.

We then set out to try to figure out how to ride the Deschutes River Trail. It’s tricky to figure out just from reading reviews and online information, which parts of the trail are suitable for regular bikes vs which parts are really intended for mountain bikes or off road bikes. Richard has a set of wide tires that he can put on his road bike for these occasions, but that doesn’t create a mountain bike. My bike has thick tires, but is still really made for paved, or at least hard packed dirt or gravel, roads. We tried going to a staging area first at a place called Meadow Day Use and found the trail there to be really just a hiking trail. Honestly, I couldn’t see how it would be ok to have any kind of bike go on that because it was so narrow and you’d have to navigate big rocks and tree roots, in addition to hikers. We were confused, so Richard got on the phone with a local bike store and asked for beta. He talked to someone named Tanner from Gear Fix in Bend and that was super helpful. We then drove out to the next staging area at Lava Island and set out from there.

The first section of trail was sort of a packed gravel rails-to-trails type terrain. Not too difficult to ride for either of us. After we went past the staging area at Dillon Falls, it became more like a walking trail. It was a narrow single track on exposed dirt. I’ll be honest, I was nervous about how mountain bikey this adventure was going to be, but that section only lasted a mile or so. We got back onto a wider section, and later on an unpaved road for cars that took us all the way to Benham Falls. There is a parking area and a short walking path down to a falls overlook there. That was a lovely place for a bit of lunch before deciding whether to keep going. It turns out to be a very pretty and easy ride from the falls to a bridge that gets you to the other side of the Deschutes River.

From that point, there are fully paved bike trails that take you either to Sunriver, or to Lava Lands National Monument. We opted for the lava experience and rode a peaceful and easy three miles up to the cinder cone. We’ve been there before, and Richard has ridden to the top before, but I hadn’t. Now I could and I switched the power to Turbo and cruised on up the 8% grade no problem. It’s an incredible view of rivers of lava flow from the top. You can also get a good view of Mt. Batchelor, the Three Sisters, and Mt. Washington.

Turning to go back, we coasted almost all of the paved three miles back to the bridge. Taking the return route, I fully enjoyed all of the biking. The first time traversing it, I was just a bit anxious about how rugged it was going to get and whether we’d be able to make it to the bridge part. Now that I know, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. You are not right by the river the whole way, as you would be if you were walking the actual Deschutes River Trail, but the bike routes run parallel and you get beautiful views, or access to a day use area with beautiful views, every mile or so. We saw two impressive falls and lots of rapids. We also saw a group of rafters starting down the river. For sure you’d want to do that with a professional group so you don’t accidentally find yourself on the upstream side of one of those falls. If we wanted to ride all the way to Bend, I think we’d have to take surface streets after the Lava Island Day Use. There are bike trails all through Sunriver, and many surface street routes to get down to La Pine. I think we did the pretty part, but there is a lot more to explore in the Bend area.

Before heading back to Dory, we stopped at Gear Fix to see if I could get a better rack storage solution for when I take all my clothes with my bike and later take them all off. It’s a huge consignment store, so many of the items are gently used sports gear. You can get everything from outdoor clothing, to climbing gear, to kayaking gear, to bicycles. I didn’t find a rack bag I liked, but I did find better straps with which to better secure my dry bag. That might do it. We were happy to support their business since they gave us such good advice on how to ride the river trail.

We got back to the campground, ready to be cozy and warm indoory in Dory. Before leaving the next morning, Richard wanted one more shot at doing that trail without getting lost. He was super careful not to trust his intuition on directionality, and successfully navigated himself all the way around the loop. We departed the campground triumphant, having achieved Doughnuts, off road biking, and campground trails, all without getting too lost.

Total miles from Emigrant Lake: 176.5, 4 hours 53 min with stops at Puck’s and Trail, 17.2 mpg. Site 88 full hookups. Better cell for ATT than Verizon. All up and down 97 seems to have poor cell for Verizon. Good dump at site so didn’t need to pay $10 for campground dump. 30 amp service at site and water spigot.

Ashland still feels like our second home, in addition to being a Disneyland for this former thespian. In a three night stay, we saw four shows at the Shakespeare Festival and got to hang out with our son and grab drinks with special Cabaret friends. All activities were wonderful, as was the chocolate caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. I’ve been watching calories, but this splurge was worth it. Plus, it’s an apple, so technically it’s good for me.

For our first evening performance, we saw “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the Bowmer. Richard thinks he’s never seen this before, which seems weird. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen the play, plus having been in a high school production of it, but I guess he didn’t ever join me to see it before. It was of course a very good production, with especially stand out performances in the roles of Puck, Hermia, and Titania/Hippolyta.

Before curtain time, we cruised the gift shop and I texted our daughter to see if she wanted anything, like a fancy leather bound papyrus journal, or perhaps a tiara. She said she was good on tiaras, but told me to keep a lookout for D&D dice. Lol, I said, because how likely is it that I would find dice? Imagine my surprise when we walked into FunAgain Games where they had more dice than I have ever seen in my life. They hold game nights all week for D&D, board games, Magic, and people can also arrange meet ups through their Discord group. They have puzzle tables and a whole wall devoted to puzzles. I sent pictures and picked up rainbow dice, a nerdy sticker, and a pair of tiny swords for her. For “dual wielding.” Obviously.

The next day we got to see our son and his new puppies! He works in special education at the local elementary schools. His school year is just wrapping up this week so he’s exhausted, but we got to grab him and take him to dinner. We met up with longtime friends at Martino’s and shared calzone and catch up stories. Man it was great to see these faces. Missed a picture with Darcy, so I look forward to the next opportunity when we come through again.

Shows that day included “You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World” in the Thomas Theatre, and an evening performance of “Come From Away.” The former is a powerful new play that deals with terminal cancer and how a family processes it all. I was very moved by it and impressed with the performances. The latter is a musical about the time after 9/11 when all planes in US airspace were grounded and the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland found itself hosting thousands of stranded passengers. I’m not usually a musical fan, but this one was a fascinating depiction of a unique moment in time. The stories portrayed are all based on true events and I never thought about what an incredible undertaking that was on the part of these unexpected host cities. It is nice to be reminded of human decency and goodwill these days.

On our last day in town, Richard rode the Green Way bike trail to Medford, with a stop at Puck’s Doughnuts. I met him with the car and we got in a shopping trip at Trader Joe’s. Then it was back to Dory to put everything away and later, we made one quick stop at our son’s to say goodbye. On our way back into town, we swung by the location of what used to be our house, but it has been completely erased. I’m not surprised really, nor sad exactly. We, or rather my mom, bought that house when it was in quite a disgusting, dog pee infused, state. But we worked hard to fix it up the best we could. Richard removed a load bearing wall and we stripped old paint and refinished built in wood features. When we later sold it, the adjacent university was anxious to make an offer. I figured they would someday bulldoze it to make way for student housing. I go look at it when we come to town and it was looking pretty decrepit. It makes a very final statement to just be totally gone, but I can’t say I’m wistful. I do love our house now, and you can’t beat having a Dory campground in the back yard. But little things, like realizing those irises I planted are gone, does feel kinda sad.

We shook off the nostalgia with a delicious dinner of street tacos at Taqueria Picaro. And lastly, we rounded out our theatre fest with “A Raisin in the Sun” in the Bowmer. This was a classic Festival production, packing an emotional gut punch through outstanding writing and world class performances. I’ve never seen this one before and I recommend it highly. For most of the performances, the house has been filled with high school groups, which is wonderful to see. The energy is super high and you can feel the excitement as a new generation is introduced to high quality theatre. I tip my hat to the chaperone teachers giving them the run down on theatre etiquette and behavior expectations. I saw one separate students before curtain time because she didn’t trust they wouldn’t whisper to each other during the performance, and I loved that. Well done teacher chaperone!

One rain cloud to an otherwise sunny stay is that I am on a self imposed knitting/crocheting break. I clearly overdid it on the enthusiastic start to all of this, and my hands got really sore. I was thinking that by switching to different techniques, it would get better, but The Internet has convinced me that I really need to stop and rest for a bit to let all those tiny unused muscles and tendons adjust. I know I strained them after a marathon day where I spent many hours knitting nonstop, and even if they haven’t gotten worse, they have also not gotten any better. I reluctantly accept it’s better to stop for a week than cause permanent damage, but I’ll be honest, it hasn’t been easy. I’m in a “can’t stop, won’t stop” mode, but my body assertively disputed with, “can, will.” After a four day hiatus, I can tell my hands are healing, so that is encouraging. In the meantime, I got to hang out at The Websters (a close knit community), a yarn store in downtown Ashland where people gather once a week for community knitting. That got me excited to join the Lafayette knitting community at our own yarn store, Busy Stix. I picked up a pair of compression gloves at Websters and instead of reading articles or watching YouTube videos on techniques, I am now learning about the importance of posture and taking breaks. I didn’t think of this as a particularly physically challenging hobby, but I guess if you do anything repetitively for hours and hours, you need to treat it with respect. At least Ashland is a great place to pause because there is so much to do.

It’s been a lovely stay, as usual. We have reservations and tickets for a stop over in September. We had perfect weather and could not have asked for a better time. On we go, tracking northward!

Total miles from Fowler’s: 91.7, 2 hours 24 min, 17.5 mpg. Site 4, full hookups. Excellent cell. Great view. Always a nice place to stay.

So much to catch you up on! We have been home the past two months because Richard had hernia surgery and needed recovery time. Honestly, I didn’t think he could go for that long without biking or hiking, but he was a very good boy. I was worried we’d have to put him down, like a horse with a broken leg. The doctor told him he was only allowed to “flat walk” but it’s clear the doctor didn’t understand how much flat walking Richard is capable of. Normally, he bikes to work. He does tech support at two elementary schools every day of the week and uses his lunch time to get from one to the other. He was really only down and grounded for a week post surgery before he just started walking to work. For context, our house is about 7 1/2 miles to the furthest elementary school, one way. He must have been doing over fifty miles a week.

Meanwhile, my yarn hobby has consumed me. I made some more amigurumi to add to the stash, plus a crocheted basket and a pair of slipper socks. Then a teacher colleague gave away a whole treasure trove of crafting supplies and I figured ‘what the hell’ and grabbed some knitting needles. That led me down an ever expanding path into the world of knitting. In the space of about a month, I have learned to knit English style, then left handed English style, then Continental style, and most recently, Portuguese style. In all of this YouTube tutorial learning, I have been hyper focused on finding a method that seems the least likely to injure these sixty year old hands as they are repetitively practicing all new motions. Dory1 has been an excellent knitting den and I have passed many hours dabbling with patterns while simultaneously kitting myself out with project bags, different sized needles, little scissors and stitch counter accessories, and enough yarn to keep me busy all summer. Carrying all of this new paraphernalia required four dry bags to cram yarn, stuffing, and a couple hundred amigurumi eyes into the roof box of the Passport. The cost of all of this: no clue. The positive benefits to my mental health, blood pressure, free floating world rage, and snack or Chardonnay related weight gain: priceless.

Before hitting the road for summer, we did a few small repairs on Dory, like replacing a cracked Fantastic Fan mount and repairing a remote control. Richard put in a new USB charging port for the devices that have been upgraded to USB-C. We also got her a pair of new tires and took her in for a mani pedi at Randy’s. Randy, because he’s now the patron saint of orphaned possums, got some crocheted possums. JR got his own tiny Dory, and Jason got the Nemo.

At last, we were ready to commence our summer adventure! We gave ourselves Friday night to pack and left leisurely on Saturday morning. Our first stop was Fowler’s Campground, just to the east of the small town of McCloud. This is about twenty miles off of I5, in the neighborhood of Mt. Shasta. The campground boasts access to three beautiful waterfalls and is a delightful place to stay. For morning Richard runs, the trail that goes to Lower, Middle, and Upper Falls is about three miles and something he can do easily while I’m taking a shower. There are no hookups or dump, but there is decent cell service and nicely spaced sites. Ours had excellent solar and we stayed nicely topped up for a three night stay.

On one of the days, we performed a do over from a previous trip where I sagged Richard up West A Barr Road, up to Gumboot Lake. To start the ride, you have to drive back and cross I5 and head to Lake Siskiyou. Road construction made that trip take a bit longer than it would otherwise, but it wasn’t a barrier to the plan. There are several staging areas on the south side of the lake for parking, whether you are going to the lake, or doing one of these “Jay’s Essential” rides. The other ride is up to Castle Lake, but we found one big climb to be plenty. Richard had no trouble on the climb, which means he has healed well. I also had no trouble, which means I was on my e-bike. The climb up to Gumboot starts out gently as it skirts Lake Siskiyou. It then cuts to the south, following the cascading river all the way up, getting steeper and steeper for about eight miles. You can continue on another mile or so and hit the Pacific Crest Trail, but we were good to stop at the lake. There is a campground there, but under no circumstances would I try to haul Dory up and down that road. Even if I did, I don’t know where she could fit once she got there. It’s a nice, quiet tent camping campground, for those who do that sort of thing. We had lunch by the lake, descended all the way down, and regretted not taking warm clothes. Later we read the blog and it basically said, “never don’t take clothes” because of the last cold descent on this exact road. Never don’t read the blog. It’s a five star ride though, with the sounds of rushing water at your side pretty much all the way.

The next day we went back to Lake Siskiyou with the plan of getting Richard some flat walking time and me some yarn time. I parked myself in my Nemo chair with a glorious view of the lake and just crocheted and knitted to my little heart’s content. Meanwhile, Richard did the seven mile loop around the lake in record time. He kept texting me to make sure I was still good and I just kept assuring me there was no need to rush. I had super chunky yarn horse bodies to make and tension skills to practice with my new Portuguese knitting necklace. Once he joined me, we then hiked it together, at my pace, and only to the point where I was all done and ready to turn back. I didn’t need seven miles around, so we did about three together. That worked perfectly. You just gotta exhaust the guy and then everything is good. Richard says the lake loop trail is five stars, but you have to be careful to make sure all the river and water crossings have their seasonal bridges set up for the summer. He also notes that there is soft serve at the resort on the west side.

For dinners, I grilled Sour Cherry Pork Chops with corn on the cob and lemony carrots. The next night we brought out the stove and I made Sautéed Turkey with Bok Choy and Gochujang mayo over jasmine rice. It’s nice to have the flexibility to either grill or stove cook outside when it’s too hot in Dory to cook. Our first night, Richard heated up a Bertoli pan dinner, which is perfect on travel days.

Our summer is officially launched and all is well. I do need to be mindful of not overdoing this new hobby and give my hands a break from time to time. That’s easier said than done because I’m very excited about all of this. There is no end to what you can learn. For example. I learned that when you ask your daughter what width scarf she would like, and she measures her favorite one to give you a number, you should find out what kind of material that favorite one is. I was a good six inches into a fifteen inch wide scarf before it struck me that it seemed way too bulky to go around a neck. I checked with her and discovered her current scarf is super thin and can be bunched. I have learned the term “frogging” quite well, which means I was ok ripping out everything I had done and starting over. It also meant I got to practice using my new “nostepinne” to wind the pile of frogged yarn into a neat and tidy center pull cake. Sweeeeeet.

Total miles: 283.4, 6 hours 13 min, 16.8 mpg. Site 18 no hookups. No dump. Water spigots. Vault toilets. Decent cell for both of us. Our site had great solar, but most are in the shade of trees. Small campground with two loops.

After three years, Highway 1 is finally open all the way from Carmel to San Simeon. Various landslides have cut off parts of the road, and driving it makes you see why. This is a world class drive, which is significantly less scary going north than south. They’ve done a good job putting guard rails in the exciting bits, but still, when you’re hundreds of feet above the ocean, and you’re on the outside of a turn where you can’t really see where the road is going, it can be intense. It’s much easier hugging the cliffs, but it is slow and twisty for a good thirty miles. I’d say it’s roughly equivalent to the “rollercoaster” on the north side between Jenner and Elk. Allow tons of time and don’t expect any services. The gas station at Gorda was selling premium for $9.99 and that is probably only because their display didn’t have any more spaces. I mean, someone somehow got $5/gallon gas to that location, and if you find yourself needing gas during that stretch, you’re going to pay anything. I can’t fault them for charging what they charge. Just come prepared and enjoy the marvel of this engineering masterpiece.

We passed by several slide zones, not knowing exactly which was which. They have put a lot of metal “hair netting” on the cliffs, clearly to try to prevent as much damage in the future. It’ll be an ongoing battle as the weather just keeps claiming more and more of the coastline. One thing is for sure: CalTrans workers have job security if they’re working this area.

Our site was premium and by the river, but the approach into the driveway went the wrong direction for the one way loop road. This meant that the back in turn was too tight for me coming at it from the right direction. I pulled a fancy maneuver and backed into another site with good room, then pulled out going the wrong way so that I could get into ours safely. I knew I’d be pointed the wrong way on departure, but that was not a problem. I had Richard walk ahead to try to intercept anyone coming who would get stuck by me, but no one came. No problem. I will say the campground loop roads are all very narrow and bumpy. I wouldn’t want to try to get a big rig through this campground.

I was tired after the drive up the coast, so I took a little nappy. Richard never gets tired, so he went up the Manuel Peak trail as far as the viewpoint, then came back down. He saw a bobcat and brought home a tick. EW! I had to pull the little bastard’s detached head out of Richard’s thigh. He said the trail was pretty overgrown, but he didn’t seem to have gotten hit by any Poison Oak. We sure saw lots of it though. The campers next to us did a little Easter egg hunt for their kids on Sunday, and we just watched as the kids enthusiastically dug around through the Poison Oak leaves, finding eggs. I figured, at that point it was too late to warn them, and they might not get rashes if they haven’t already been exposed a few times. Why ruin their fun by telling them?

For our last full day, we went up the Pfeiffer Falls trail and down the Valley View trail. Part of this loop was closed when we came before, and it was clear they had done a lot of work putting in steps and repairing a bridge. It’s a great trail and takes up to a nice little waterfall. The viewpoint for the Valley View trail is an out and back that is definitely worth it. From the end of the trail, you can see all the way out to the ocean. There were abundant irises all along the way.

We stopped when we got back down and took advantage of the fact that the lodge sells ice cream. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting inside with our little cones, while connected to fast wifi. We thought about maybe going to check out Nepenthe restaurant or drive up to Andrew Molera state park, but felt the park would be better appreciated with a full day, and Nepenthe better appreciated when it was not Easter weekend. For my part, I was content to sit in my chair, listen to the river, and try to finish the cat box. This gave Richard full permission to go fast walk the Buzzard’s Roost trail on the other side of the valley. He saw a king snake and lots of flowers, but I conquered joined rows! I love my new hobby.

We grilled a delicious Easter dinner of ribeye steaks and panzanella salad with bread toasted on the grill. OMG that was so damn good. I indulged in a blended margarita made in my little rechargeable Ninja blender. Perfect end to a perfect week.

We got an early start the next day, with Richard doing a fast hike up and around the falls and valley view loop. It’s always a good idea to make him do that, especially before a long car drive. We both took Monday off so we could do the drive back home when it was not a holiday. I don’t think there is anything I would change about this trip. Everything worked great. We’re going to be homebound until summer, but that is intentional. Richard needs to get a medical procedure taken care of and this will give him ample time to recover before having to lift big ramps and go crazy with biking or hiking. I do wonder how in the world he’s going to be able to slow down enough to actually recover. Meanwhile, I have a box full of yarn waiting for me when we get home, along with a beautiful blooming rhododendron I planted in the fall.

Total miles from Pismo: 119.3, 16.1 mpg, 4 hours 59 min with stop in SLO Costco. Site 181 riverside, no hookups. Site backs in the wrong way so I had to do a tricky maneuver to turn around in the one way loop. Otherwise nice site. No cell service except sometimes 1 bar for Verizon. Great wifi in Lodge. Not much solar. Fine free dump. Campground loop road is narrow and very bumpy.

Our next stop on the birthday week tour was just down the road at Pismo. We took a quick detour at the Costco in San Luis Obispo to fill with the least painfully expensive gas possible. And to get a hot dog and chocolate chip cookie. Also, we didn’t want to arrive at the campground before 2 because we remembered they are sticklers for no early check ins. Nailed that one and pulled up to the kiosk at exactly 2:00.

Here we took it easy and spent a lot of time relaxing. I made, took apart, and remade a crochet box for Momo the cat. I have now learned how to do joined rows, but I’m not good at it yet. The box turned out to be harder than I thought, but it’s fun to learn a new skill with every project. When we weren’t chilling, we were walking on the beach noticing cool little creatures who appear to be “Valella Valella” or “By-the-wind sailors.” I guess these little guys often show up on the shores in April, when the winds turn and they sail onto land from deeper waters. I have never seen them before, but they are a striking blue color, with clear little dorsal fin sails on top.

It was finally good enough weather that I got to cook outside. I made panko breadcrumb topped salmon, with scallion rice and garlic green beans. The sauce was a sweet chili mixture with just the right balance of sweet and salty. On our walk, we saw someone catch a huge frog and he asked us if we knew if it was big enough to eat. We certainly did not know anything about the edibility of wild frogs.

On the next day, we rode our bikes over to the Pismo Preserve where we hiked the nearly six mile Discovery Loop. These trails are so well signed, and all color coded to keep you from getting lost. The views of the coastline are well worth the bit of climbing and there were some nice wildflowers blooming. We had considered driving out to Carrizo Plains, but pictures online seemed to indicate it was nowhere near the bloom we saw three years ago. And in that case, it’s not really worth the two hour drive each way. On our way back, we rode through town and I got a scoop of mint chocolate cookie from Cowboy Cookies & Ice Cream. It was good, but nothing super special. We caught a nice sunset and I tried to take some artistic pictures.

We did manage to get in one long bike ride up to Huasna Valley. Instead of riding all the way through Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande, we drove it and parked after it stopped being so towny. It’s a nice ride with very few cars and pretty farmland.

It was still early in the day, so we decided to grab a late lunch/early dinner at Bee House Thai. We got the drunken noodles and panang curry. Fabulous and just the right level of spicy. There was enough to take for later too. We enjoyed one last sunset and that wrapped up our second stay of the week.

We love this campground and the site I got was great because it was off to the side and away from others. It’s a very city feel place, with a huge RV park right next door. In the fall you can sometimes see the Monarch Butterflies during their migration and that is right next to the campground. There are endless places to eat, including Old West Cinnamon Rolls and Surfside Donuts. Both are good, but not top of the list kind of places. Everything is touristy there, but if you go knowing that, you can enjoy the amenities and get in a good walk on the beach.

Total miles from Montana de Oro: 28.3 with Costco stop in San Luis Obispo, 15.2 mpg, 1 hour 30 min. Site 81, excellent site. No hookups. Great dump, great solar, great cell service.

Activism Afterward

Stay tuned for endorsements for candidates running for primaries. In California, the race for governor is full of drama. Stay up to date with your local chapters so you know who is actually running by the time the vote rolls around. Here’s a link for the CA Dems endorsements page. They have not yet made endorsements for all the positions, but the field is changing fast at this point.

Endorsements Look Up Tool

This was a camping outing for the record books. My birthday coincides simultaneously with good timing and bad timing. Good because it almost always lands during Spring Break. Bad because it always precedes tax season dangerously closely. This year, we pretended that taxes are not a thing and fully embraced all of the upsides. I think that is generally really good advice because we could not have had a better time. Originally, I had made reservations for Friday and Saturday at Pinnacles National Park, but then the No Kings rally got planned for that Saturday. I really want to do those if possible, and there was not going to be any rally near Pinnacles that we could have easily joined. So, I talked Richard into shifting things so that we could skip the first stop, but tag on a weekend stay at the other end of the week. It wasn’t easy, but eventually I was able to pick up a cancellation reservation for Pfeiffer Big Sur on Easter weekend and we took that Monday off. We loved having a later departure actually because it gave us Friday and Saturday to be more chill. We are rethinking our habitual practice of launching long trips on the afternoon of a work day.

It was a long and uneventful drive down 101 to arrive in blue skies and sunny weather. Having spent an unusually long time being sick over the past month, this was a most welcome sight. We were meeting friends for this stay, but arrived before they did. After getting set up, we headed out to the bluffs to get in a nice walk before dinner. After dinner, we joined up with our Alto friends Rich and Kathy around a nice campfire and got all caught up.

Monday marked my 60th birthday, and I really could not have asked for anything more. The main event was hiking the Point Buchon Trail, which is only open to the public Thurs-Mon. Richard speed walked out to the entry gate, while I drove the 2.5 miles to the parking area. This worked well and got his morning yayas out so that he could walk like a normal person with me. It’s four miles out to the end of the trail, with nothing but ocean views, seals, otters, and the occasional whale spout the whole way. We saw a snake at the start of the hike, the second snake spotted in the park. The seals were very entertaining, as they leaped out of the water together, heading fast to some seal event that required leaping.

For dinner, we met our friends in Los Osos at Wayward Baking. We’ve been there for their breakfast pastries, which are outstanding, but enjoyed their Monday Pizza even more. They only make pizzas on Mondays, so plan accordingly. And you have to order them ahead of time. And they run out. We were joined by our other Alto friend, Linda, and shared three specialty pizzas. We got a Hobb’s Pepperoni, with Calabrian Chili Honey which was really incredible. Rich and Kathy ordered two others and I can’t remember the combination of toppings. I know there was one with feta and things you wouldn’t normally expect to find on a pizza. But everything was delicious and the crust was thin and crispy and chewy. So good. For dessert, we all went back to the campground and enjoyed a spectacular selection of pies that Kathy picked up at the farmers market. She made it a real quest and went to two different bakeries in town, where she got intel on a “pie lady” who sold whole pies and slices. There was apple, a “limequat” custardy pie, and pecan; all delicious with amazing flavors and flakey crust. We shared a Rombauer around the fire and laughed until it was quiet time. What a wonderful day!

On Tuesday, Richard started his day by going up to the top of Valencia Peak, while I lounged in bed, showered, and enjoyed my new hobby: crocheting. I have now completed several “amigurumi” animals, but I am the most proud of a dragon I made for our daughter’s birthday present. His name is Java and he is super cute, with sparkly little puppy dog eyes. The scales down his back were hard, and I learned a couple of new stitches to make the points on his wings. The nice thing about this hobby is that it is very portable and well suited to camping. I just have a bag with yarn and needles and things that can go anywhere. I finished “Momo the Cat” while Richard was on his morning hike.

Later, we drove to San Luis Obispo to meet up with our friends. Our first stop was Michael’s because now I need yarn fixes. They happened to be having a big yarn sale, so this is my new joy. Following that, we went to SloDoCo, which had almost as impressive an array of doughnuts as Pinkbox in Las Vegas. We went with kind of normal flavors, lemon and chocolate cake, for comparison sake. The chocolate ranked high and Richard says it’s one of the best he’s had.

From there, we walked to the downtown area and just looked around. We met back up for dinner at a place called Gold Land BBQ. The meat was super tender and the onion rings were dark and crispy. We lost the battle of resisting the ice cream place next door – Nite Creamery. It was a tactical error, because we got intense coffee flavored ice cream which made sleeping difficult, but they do a flash freeze thing using some kind of nitrogen machine. It’s quite dramatic, so we weren’t going to pass that by. Then it was back to Dory for one more night.

I can definitely say that if one has the good fortune to turn 60, camping with friends is the way to do that. This birthday was so good, Richard is pre-jealous for his 60th birthday coming up in November. We have pretty much decided to just to an exact redo of this trip so he can have Wayward pizza on Monday. One thing I noticed for sure is that having a busy fingers hobby makes staying at campgrounds with no cell service a non issue. I used to get bored and antsy, but this seems to be the antidote for that. It keeps my brain and hands occupied and saves me from doomscrolling. I do end up with things I need to give away, but they’re pretty cute things and there appear to be infinite patterns out there for projects I can do. I now have my own little neck light, so I can point it at my hands and see stitches, plus I am now the proud owner of a yarn ball winder. I don’t know how I have made it this long without one, but now I have the ability to make super tight yarn cakes. Might even have to get a swift in case I get any hanks. You guys. This is a super fun world I have stumbled into.

Total miles: 244.3, 17.7 mpg, 5 hours 38 min. Site 38 no hookups. No cell, no dump, great solar. Wifi at the Spooner Ranch visitor center and good cell service out on the bluffs or up the trail to Valencia Peak.

Activism Afterward

Alert! The administration is in the process of effectively dismantling the US Forest Service. This will have a devastating impact on our natural lands. For extensive information on what is happening, as well as which outdoor companies are taking a stand against this, please visit the site put together by Alt National Park Service.

SAVE USFS: https://saveusfs.org

There are links on this page for how to take action and who to contact to voice your opinion.