Middle of Nowhere, The End

Middle of Nowhere part 2

There is water






Explore,swim




Not without trouble...





More later

Middle of Nowhere

Headed out to the cabin for a bit of the getting away. I'm no alarmist, but if the world ever does go down the tubes, this is where you'll find us.

The middle of nowhere







It's situated high, so we can see and repel banditos if necessary




It does look a bit wasteland-ish




However, there is an oasis in a hidden canyon right down the hill - lots of plants and animals hang out down there.

Diablo/Ross Lake Canoe trip(last year)

We try to do this at least a couple of times a summer. It's beautiful, the camping is free, and it's only a few hours away. The weather in the North Cascades is still pretty iffy for a canoe trip, but as soon as it stabilizes a bit, we'll be there. Just a few shots from last year to give you an idea. I'll post a full report after we get up there the first time this year. If you go before we do, the biggest thing is to try and get the majority of your canoeing done before noon. Otherwise the wind can make things pretty hairy for you.

These images taken with my pocket camera - don't judge me!@#@(*#$&@##&@@#


Early mornings on Diablo Lake





Heading toward the 3 mile canyon that is the only way to Ross Lake(other than hiking-Ross Lake is not accessible by automobile)



In the canyon

California Coast Road Trip, The End

More assorted trip scenes




Inside our beach hut



Excited about seeing a beach campsite, turned out to be taken over by cows



We had to settle for an ocean view. Still better than the Hilton




There's never a shortage of good eating around when my sweet sweet wife is on food duty.



This makes impromptu picnics fun



Down in the catacombs getting Castle wine details




Coast scenery




Castle exploration



The general setup of our car on roadtrips including a nice spot for a snooze if necessary.

Olympic Air Show continued

Ok, just a few more from the air show because I like flying things with teeth.

California Coast Road Trip

I'm pretty sure the legend of Bigfoot was started by this fellow, who makes a nice living off the big guy.






Tucked in for the night




Our beach hut



Where's waldo




My sweet sweet wife is a big fan of trees




Better than the Hilton







Big fans of this car

California Coast Road Trip

In marriage, you don't always see eye to eye. One of our biggest differences was that I can pack up at anytime and just hit the road. A vague idea of a destination is great but not totally necessary. Most of the time, I enjoy the journey.

My sweet sweet wife had the (mistaken) idea that things need to be planned to the last detail. Research and knowing things ahead of time, a must.

I'll be the first to admit that my style of things have ended us up in some not so ideal situations, but we have always survived and I still think(in life as well as vacations) the journey(even though sometimes it may be hairy) is to be enjoyed as much as the destination.

Through the years, we've both given in a little. She no longer needs a hard plan, I no longer get twitchy eyed by the thought of giving her a general idea of what we are doing.

This trip was a great example of things just working out without much of a plan.

This spring/early summer has been more wet than usual and we were both needing a little dose of sunshine. I looked around and it appeared that the closest we were going to find it, was Northern California.
I came up with the detailed plan of driving down there and seeing what we could find. She was all for it and off we went.


We left at about 3:00 in the afternoon with a "plan" of camping somewhere in Central Oregon the first night. A combination of pouring down rain the entire time, and the fact that no campsites were open for the season yet changed things a bit.

I take it back, there was a brief pause in the rain in Eugene.



It became apparent that camping wasn't going to work out. I texted my buddy Lee in Chico and asked if we could crash at his house sometime around 3 in the morning.
A key was waiting and we survived the first day.

From there on out, everything went very nicely. The route we ended up taking was

I5 to Chico. 32 from Chico to Newville, then south on a road that doesn't have a name(beautiful drive) on the map to Wilbur Springs to 20 to 53 to 29 to Calistoga. Then we drove and explored around the very scenic and very interesting towns of Occidental,Sebastapol and Monte Rio. The vibe down there was definitely hippy, and that suits my sweet sweet wife just fine. Then we headed up the Coast on 1 then 101 to The Redwoods, then 199 back to I5 in Oregon and North to home.

Costs and itinerary

1st night free with all the comforts of home - Thanks Lee!
2nd night camping in St Helena at Bale Grist Mill SP - $35
3rd night camping by the Ocean at Manchester SP - $35
4th night camping Crescent city in the Redwoods at a KOA - $35

Tour and deluxe tasting at the Castello di Amorosa Winery $50
Gas

I didn't document this trip like I usually would, as car camping doesn't get me quite as photographically interested as getting into the wilderness. The section from Chico to Grants Pass is a beautiful drive and recommended though.

A few of the scenes we saw.

2nd nights camp




Castillo di Amorosa












Random Scenes





Where's Waldo





On the beach at Fort Bragg