You’d think I’d know better by now, but … I got so excited about leaving tomorrow that I partied way too hard tonight. With the sad result that I was shockingly hung over on Tuesday morning … a self-inflicted bad start to an all-around horrible day as it would prove to be. I zombied my way through my morning errands – breakfast, groceries, cycle library books (I will be gone less than six weeks so I can take them with me), and finally, get prescriptions refilled.
Then I hit the hung-over road. As part of the horribleness, I meesed something up when inserting my contacts this morning, so my right eye is not happy and I drive kinda one-eyed to tonight’s campground, at North Almanor, on quiet, pleasant Lake Almanor.
For the final disaster of the day, I do something ugly to the van bumper as I jockey back and forth in my campsite parking spot – basically I’m a one-eyed mess. What I did is hard to explain, but with an un-careful angle of the wheels I managed to get a little guide post situated between the front passenger wheel and front bumper, so when I backed up I ripped about a third of the front rubber bumper off the vehicle. I wish I’d had the presence of mind to take a picture right then, because it looked really awful, but of course I was too freaked! God bless German engineering and modern plastic, because I was able to pop it mostly back in place. Not quite all the way, but pretty close. (Van Specialties was able to wrestle it back to nearly “good as new” … if you don’t look too close).
I walked down the the lake for sunset, not as pleasant as it could have been, what with fretting about bumper and my puffy eye, and generally what a dumbass I am. Went to bed early.
Wednesday
A new day, I feel really great just by the absence of feeling miserable, so… good start! I breakfasted in what turned out to be the exclusive tweeker section of the Kopper Kettle Cafe in Chester. I use their bathroom to finally get the contacts off my distressed eyeballs. My eye instantly feels like its normal self again, so now, with lack of hangover and two good eyes, I am in pretty good shape.
I had a predictably excellent afternoon in Mt Lassen National Park working my way from the south entrance to most of the way down the far side of the mountain. I stopped as always at the bubbling mud pit, because it is so darned awesome. But I did not stop at either of the picture perfect little alpine lakes this time, just didn’t feel the need. I did stop at the look out over the gaping emptiness that used to be Mt Tehama, but which is now a huge blasted space with a five little half-mountains around it.
Camped at Crags Campground, which is utterly boring, just a little loop road in a flat part of a generic Ponderosa pine forest, with absolutely nothing going on. Which was kinda the point – the other campgrounds are much more exciting … and by exciting I mean busy and noisy and un-private.
Thursday
Coffee from the Manzinita Campground Grocery and my own lox ‘n cream cheese bagel. I had large chunk of Trader Joe’s salmon in the fridge when I left, and now it’s in the van fridge, waiting for days like this! Thence to fucking hot Redding, where I hoped to find a little wifi but otherwise planned to drive straight through. However … driving across the Sacramento River on the downtown bypass I saw a white spire a little to the north. I had a vague memory of reading about this in the Chronicle, so I hit the next exit and headed over there and was really glad I did. It is the Sundial Bridge, a pedestrian span over the Sacramento River. Trails, arboretum, river, sharp angles, cool shapes, shade, signs, all of it! It would be really fine in the late, quiet and cool(er) afternoon. This accomplished something I would have thought impossible, making me like Redding enough to conceive of living here.
Thence to a Starbucks for wifi, to figure out my Eureka visit. Twisty-turny SR 99 to Weaverville and on to Pigeon Point Campground, which was quite perfect. I was first one there that evening, so I got my pick of the eight sites – my van door angled directly at the river about 30′ away. It was so perfect and un-buggy that I slept with the door open all night, which I almost never am able to do (too cold or too buggy). I even swam in the Trinity River! My toothpaste tube was still quite warm to grasp at 11PM, such was the radiant heat of Redding that afternoon.
Friday
I get to the Eureka-Arcata metroplex so early that I take a little nap then a walk around the Arcata sewage treatment hiking path. Then I drive the long way around the bay, down the west side past Manila. I utterly failed to find Katie’s house, but she was out running errands with her mom, so I pulled over and let Katie and Betty find me and led me. Katie was busybusybusy, so I called Aimee, picked her up in exotic Manila across the bay, we ate excellent Thai dinner then met Katie at the Shanty. Take Aimee home, back to Katies, take my first shower since Reno, and whew! go to bed.
Saturday
Coffee and a couple hours of wifi and Eureka ambience, machaca con huevos at Ritas, hang with Aimee at her mindblowing house, topped off with an actual Katie sighting at the Eureka Inn with a local band of her friends.
Sunday
I think I have done everything that needs doing in Eureka, so today is the day to move on. Later, I wished I’d hung out with the Hennessey’s another day, but that was then, this is now, so to speak. Katie and I have an adventure trying to find a restaurant that’s open this Sunday, and finally end up at the Mexican she always drives past to go to the better (but closed today) Mexican. Turns out she’s been making the right choice all these years. But we finally are able to do all the catchin’ up we hadn’t yet done, causing me to …
… not actually get on the road till 4:30 or so. So I did not do any of the scenic things there are to be done on the scenic drive from coastal bluffs to redwoods heading north. I just more or less booked it straight to Crescent City. There I pulled over by a downtown park and had a little decision moment – should I call up Mandy the missing Hennessy, who lives here with her husband and kid and dogs, or should I find a spot, or should I keep going. The deciding factor was finding the website of an RV park about 80 yards away, which said they had sites for $17. Since I was right down by the bay, in the heart of historic and scenic CC, that seemed like a winner. They turned out to have showers and good wifi, so it indeed was a winner.
Unfolded my bike, explored the harbor in one direction, then the lighthouse and cliffs in the other direction. Followed the cliffs till I found a bluff perfectly angled into a rippin fine NorCal sunset over the jagged rocks.
interlude
Here, for my own reference for next time, is a list of places on the Oregon coast, south to north [updated from my August 2012 trip]:
- Brookings, didn’t stop. But remember to check out Azalea Park one of these times.
- Harris Beach SP – very sunny and pleasant and $20 – looked like fun
- Golds Beach, didn’t stop, nice big harbor area.
- Humbug Mountain SP Campground looks nice. In a ravine with a pedestrain tunnel under the road to the beach.
- Port Orford – beautiful southward cove overlook, a bakery/deli with a great italian sando and nice looking pastries [2012 out of business, but the little cafe at the north end of town had wifi!].
- Cape Blanco – my home for the evening. busted out the bike for the second night in a row, had a pretty long ride.
- Bandon – enjoyed the coffee place, but not overwhelmed, would try the other one next time. Downtown Bandon looks very inviting.
- Coos Bay/North Bend – traffic-y, just get it over with. The bridge is pretty impressive though.
- dunes
- Siltcoos area – Waxmyrtle Campground
- Tyee CG (USFS) looked awesome, but didn’t stop.
- Florence – my favorite by far of all these little towns. Nice downtown nestled under the bridge.
- dunes
- Sutton Lake Campground – my second night on the coast. Also bikeable.
- Rock Creek Campground, USFS. never yet camped there, but it looks great.
- Cape Perpetua – note this also is Federal rather than state, so senior pass applies!
- Yachats – kinda precious, but a happening coffee house.
- Tillicum Beach Campground, USFS, very nice beach experience
- Newport – Aquarium and Nature Center, and a nice walk along the bay. Another impressive bridge.
- Depoe Bay – my second favorite of all these little towns. Love the cute little harbor.
- Lincoln City – getting close to Portland, things are starting to build up.
- Devil’s Lake State Park – right in the urban area. Can cross the highway to the ocean, or check out the lake.
That’s it for this trip, here I cut inland on SR 18 for the descent into suburban Portland traffic hell.
Monday
Had the smoked salmon omlette at the Fisherman’s Cafe on my way out of Crescent City. Clearly one of those Portuguese fisherman places – the six different items made with lingiuca was my first clue. Worked my way up the Oregon coast through the places named above, to end up at Cape Blanco, a state park, and a beautiful one at that. I biked down a hill I hadn’t even noticed in the car, but which kicked my ass on the bike. Then a walk down to the rocky beach. mighty nice evening!
Tuesday
Backtrack to Port Orford for that yummy pastry, but it’s gone! And the service is slow, so I just head on to …
… morning coffee in Brandon. Yelp listed two likely downtown places, I missed the turn for the first, so ended up at the second. It was ok, cuties working the register, which always helps, but crappy wifi and too many bikers.
Stop for a little quick walking tour of Florence, and walk out of my second coffee places in one day, and feel good about it!
North of Florence are a couple of Suislaw National Forest campgrounds, which are half price to me. I choose Sutton CG. I unfurl the bike for the third night in a row(!), explore the area, then take the short hike to the dunes. Sunset over sand dunes is kinda rad, since the white sand picks up those muted pinks and oranges nicely.
Wednesday
what DID I do this morning? Ah yes, I had morning coffee at an annoying hippie spot in Yachats. Actually I’m being a hater – it was nice except for no refills, and clearly beloved by the locals – so upon review, the place was fine, it’s the Yachats locals I find annoying :)
Did not stop at the excellent Cape Perpetua, been there done that. I did stop at the Newport harbor – parked at the Aquarium and took a walk, then actually went into the Nature Center. The onwards, to the only camping place that looks reasonable – Devil’s Lake State Park.
I did a double take when I got to where it is supposed to be, because I was still in the middle of Lincoln City. And sure enough, that is where it’s at. Devil’s Lake is pretty big and its outlet constitutes a small river (called the “D” for some reason). So right after the bridge over the “D” River, turn inland and there’s the park, tucked in behind the row of commercial buildings along 101. Sites are not at all private – your business is everybody’s business, but they’re nice and well-maintained – it is after all an Oregon State CG – and there are showers. I had a fun time here.
Thursday
This was supposed to be Van Day, turned put to be getting to Van Day. Once I turn inland, the 80 or so mile drive is one of those where you start out in bucolic countryside, and as you progress the traffic keeps getting thicker and the suburban sprawl keeps getting worse till eventually you’re sitting in a half mile backup at some stupid traffic light in the suburbs. I took a break to drive through downtown McMinnville, because I enjoyed it last time. Still looks nice!
Sadly, when I got to the van place, they had moved! The really sad part is that they moved to a place I had just passed, so if had I known I could’ve cut north a few blocks and missed the worst of the traffic. aarg!
Anyway, I re-meet everybody, tell them my troubles, get myself scheduled for first thing in the morning, then head out to try to address my other van issue. My fancy Kenwood radio/video/everything console has an Apple plug that plays my iPod nicely, but will not play my iPad or anyone’s iPhone. So I fought afternoon traffic on I-205 (which in my experience is one constant day-long traffic jam) to visit Dave at Stereo King … and it worked! His worker bee kid brought out an upgrade disc, put it in my DVD player, pushed a few buttons and boom! I am iPad-aware! I can control my iPad via the Apple plug rather than a headphone cable, which is a great improvement. Perfect in fact, except that the Apple plug cable isn’t long enough to put the iPad anywhere convenient, but still a quantum leap in traveling convenience! If I go back up there next year I will probably a dorky iPad holder screwed into my dashboard, which will make me feel like a real playah!
I had a nice dinner at one of those Japanese restaurants with the little sushi conveyor belt that goes around and around and around. I am a sucker for those. Slept at Van Specialties, angling myself at their window to maximize my wifi.
Van day
Friday to you. It was hectic and tiring as those days always are. Hanging out there is an experience in itself. They are very opinionated and funny people, and then there are all the usual little business dramas and the customers, and it turns out they apparently have a set of regulars who just wander in to shoot the s–t for a while Anyway they fixed everything on my list, even my f–ed up bumper. Litch found the gas leak, glued my unstuck laminate, replaced my bad receptacle, and most importantly re-explained lots of the little details of how to maintain this complex machine. I now have written instructions for how to drain and refill my water system. He re-showed me the correct way to [un]furl my awning, and he replaced the crappy awning fittings. And because they are very nice and also probably because it secretly offends then to see one of their van sooooo dirty, they also washed the darn thing! I feel ready to roll now!
Even though I’m spending Friday night of the big weekend in their parking lot again, I get out of their hair for the rest of the afternoon – nice walk around the Tualatin Wildlife Refuge, then dinner and a fun couple of beers and live hippie music at a local place I had spied the night before.
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