We left the free hotel, drove north along the coast, and eventually ended up staying a little inland, in a National Forest, where we found an established campground that was actually no-pay. (Maybe a first on this trip.) It was chilly, and the air was damp, so when we saw the only other person there sitting by a fire, we quickly made friends. That night, Steve brought us wood from his fire, so we could have our own. And then, in the morning, he brought us his extra coffee. And then, by late morning, we were all bunched around his fire again, trying to thaw. He gave us a bunch of great suggestions for what to do in Portland, including an outdoor store, and I mentioned I might look for a tent there (as Chelsea's tent, along with Chelsea, will sadly be leaving me soon). Steve thought for a second, then went to his car, pulled out a little camping tent and threw it in my lap. That's right, a free tent. Flippin' awesome! He said he never used it anymore, and wanted to get rid of it anyways. I haven't set it up yet, but I'm really excited.
We left the campsite and drove somemore coast on Steve's suggestion, and ended up eating an entire crab, as well as some great local cheese and ice cream in Tillamook. Delicious! And then we went to Portland. Once in town, we went to the outdoor store and a used bookstore Steve had given us directions to, and enjoyed the good old free WiFi in the coffee shop until the girl at the counter started to close up shop and give us the 15 minute warning. At 10 minutes, she came around and offered us the coffee she was about to dump, and at 5 minutes, a couple of the pastries that were now officially "day-old." And by the time we were leaving, at 10 after, we had a whole bag of pastries, fancy juice drinks, and big smiles of gratitude. We didn't even get her name, but she was super nice and, this morning, as we eat our pastries, we're super grateful.
Finally, we dug out a torn sheet of paper from our travel notes, and dialed a number that had been scrawled by a fellow-camper in Joshua Tree about a month ago. After some very minimal interactions, Brady, a teacher on Spring Break with some teacher friends, had offered us a place to stay if we ever got to Portland. Now in Portland, we took down directions and wandered towards his place. He and his roommates are not only letting us stay here, but they've also been great in providing maps and directions to the things we should be doing (instead of internetting), and they aren't too shabby at being entertaining either.
So there you have it, more awesome free stuff in Oregon. We are loving it!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Hospitality from No Cal to Oregon
So, we're only a couple days out from the Edwards' house in Carmel, but several noteworthy things have come to pass. When we left the house, Ben, the middle-est kid, put us in touch with some of his friends up the coast just north of San Fran. So we just drove straight from one welcome home to another. Nick and Clark, the strangers up north who happened to know Ben, were completely hospitable and chatted and chilled with us for hours, both that night and the next morning. And in between that time, we slept marvelously on our complimentary futons. It was great.
The next morning, with great local suggestions from the boys, we continued north up the 1, enjoying gorgeous views of both ocean and redwoods, and the occasional secret local beach, thanks to Nick's directions. That night, we found ourselves in a grassy meadow campsite right over the water. Sure, we were dripping with sea air in the morning, but the sounds, the smells, the feel, made the wetness pretty well worth it.
The next day, we enjoyed some fun sights, with highlights including: the scenic alternative route called Avenue of the Giants (redwoods!!!), driving through a redwood, and seeing a giant Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. Now that's classy--I don't care who you are. Before we knew it, we were in Oregon, looking for sleep. We hadn't seen any legal-looking free camping since Arizona, so when we found a pulloff over the beach that didn't have no camping signs, we stopped. It didn't have camping signs either, but it didn't say not to, so we threw down on this beach in what appeared to be some Shipwreck Cove from a pirate story. The beach was smooth and flat, but treacherous 50-100 foot rocks stood out of the water like broken glass guarding the land. Very cool.
Next morning, as we laid all our sleeping stuff in the sun to dry for hours, we met some folks, Melvin and Donnie, who had camped in a completely decked out school bus in the same pulloff. They were friendly, and full of good suggestions for our northward wandering. As we talked, the topographic map sheets were utilized, the bus was toured, and, eventually, dinner was offered. That's right, our first morning in Oregon, the first people we meet offer us a home-cooked meal after our day of exploring. We spent the day checking out many of the places Mel suggested, and met a few other characters, one of whom claimed to be Cory Wells, from Three Dog Night. I'm not sure that he actually was, but that was still pretty cool. It's not every day you meet someone who claims to be from Three Dog Night.
Mel lives right off the 101, in North Bend, and by evening we were there just in time for a steak dinner with him and his wife, Barb. It was soooooooo good. Next, Mel took us out to some giant sand dunes near the coast in his Jeep, and took us on a pretty exciting Jeep tour, including some improbable looking (and feeling) hills, and a lot of sliding sideways. To top it off, Mel dropped us off at a hotel for the night, which he paid for, which is where we are now. A flippin' hotel to ourselves--how cool is that?! And, I must say, so far we are enjoying Oregon.
The next morning, with great local suggestions from the boys, we continued north up the 1, enjoying gorgeous views of both ocean and redwoods, and the occasional secret local beach, thanks to Nick's directions. That night, we found ourselves in a grassy meadow campsite right over the water. Sure, we were dripping with sea air in the morning, but the sounds, the smells, the feel, made the wetness pretty well worth it.
The next day, we enjoyed some fun sights, with highlights including: the scenic alternative route called Avenue of the Giants (redwoods!!!), driving through a redwood, and seeing a giant Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. Now that's classy--I don't care who you are. Before we knew it, we were in Oregon, looking for sleep. We hadn't seen any legal-looking free camping since Arizona, so when we found a pulloff over the beach that didn't have no camping signs, we stopped. It didn't have camping signs either, but it didn't say not to, so we threw down on this beach in what appeared to be some Shipwreck Cove from a pirate story. The beach was smooth and flat, but treacherous 50-100 foot rocks stood out of the water like broken glass guarding the land. Very cool.
Next morning, as we laid all our sleeping stuff in the sun to dry for hours, we met some folks, Melvin and Donnie, who had camped in a completely decked out school bus in the same pulloff. They were friendly, and full of good suggestions for our northward wandering. As we talked, the topographic map sheets were utilized, the bus was toured, and, eventually, dinner was offered. That's right, our first morning in Oregon, the first people we meet offer us a home-cooked meal after our day of exploring. We spent the day checking out many of the places Mel suggested, and met a few other characters, one of whom claimed to be Cory Wells, from Three Dog Night. I'm not sure that he actually was, but that was still pretty cool. It's not every day you meet someone who claims to be from Three Dog Night.
Mel lives right off the 101, in North Bend, and by evening we were there just in time for a steak dinner with him and his wife, Barb. It was soooooooo good. Next, Mel took us out to some giant sand dunes near the coast in his Jeep, and took us on a pretty exciting Jeep tour, including some improbable looking (and feeling) hills, and a lot of sliding sideways. To top it off, Mel dropped us off at a hotel for the night, which he paid for, which is where we are now. A flippin' hotel to ourselves--how cool is that?! And, I must say, so far we are enjoying Oregon.
Monday, April 20, 2009
I-70 W
I just came across this poem that I wrote several years ago. Little did I know then that I-70 wouldn't even get me out of Utah before disappearing, but this still seems relevant.I-70 W
I-70 West is a rite of passage
The dead silent whisper of the plains
Testing my will
It takes faith to cross Kansas
In the hope of wild mountains
To blow through desert flats
With the hope of rivers
In this religion
Some maps are sacred
And some are heretical
In this sect
I pray in mile markers
And cross myself
As we cross state lines
It is a belief to follow road signs
And the setting sun
Into the center of your windshield
To move ever onward
In hope of what you cannot see
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