One Thing You Can Just About Promise About the Coast...

... It's Wet!

Made a short move, not a whole lot farther than maybe 60 miles, and set up at Tillicum Beach... and made the move in the most sunshine we've had in a week or more... even surprised myself by putting the Raider on the Ground for a Ride on the 101 for about 50 miles or so...

Just in time... for the heaviest rain of the whole deal... I suppose it's 'Normal' for around here... but it just came down in buckets... all night long... I started wondering if the Ocean was gonna fill up and wash the Eagle away...

*Private little camp on the Ocean at Tillicum Beach*

*Camp Site includes a Private "Beach Balcony"*

*Putting the Raider on the ground for a ride, while the sun shines*

There is a promise today of a bit of sun... and then the rains return... to be expected here... we'll keep movin' south... at a slower pace...

We've busted the budget this past month... mostly 'cause of two ate up tires... but, sucked most of it, in other areas... lots of Peanut Butter and Jelly... Over budget on fuel... well Duh!... that was expected... Way under on the "Miscellaneous" part... kind of a surprise... and even camp fees were only over a very few dollars... which I truly expected to be a bit higher...

Guess those Wally Docking, and a few really cheap, Forest Service nights add up... Now... if Amazon'll just start really selling westerns... I'm home free! :o)

This is beautiful country, and I really admire it... but, I don't know that, as wet as it is... I could truly get adjusted and deal with it... I'd likely go screamin' back to the desert after a few months... so I could complain 'bout the sunshine...

Ya gotta go with your strengths... right?

We're settin' here on the beach, for a couple more days... and then move on toward the Redwoods... and maybe a touch more sun for the batteries... farther south... so I can just fire up this laptop without a thought... rather than bein' like some ol' miser... opening up his 'Power Purse'... to let a few more Watts squeak out...

...like they were costing me something...

Likely have to load the Raider back up... in the Rain... if it don't wash away first... Good thing motorcycles are made to be outside... though... in this country, I think it'd be likely it'd start growin' Moss... Like all the roofs around here...

Now, wouldn't that be a sight... a green, mossy, two wheeled hulk, roarin' down Hwy. 101?

I'll hang a few more pictures... and then try and take a walk, between squalls... maybe I can find that genies bottle in the sand... waiting on my lottery winnings hasn't paid off yet...

*Raider rolling North on Hwy 101, late in the afternoon*

*Fishermen, in a sheltered cove along Hwy 101*

*Haystack Rock*

Sunsets... along the way... along the coast...

*Our Sand Beach Camp... Across the bay*

Take Good Care

Brian

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Just a Quick Catch Up...

This trip, unlike a lot of our past yonderings and wanderings, seems plagued with a lack of Sunshine and Cell service...

Bummer...

So... what's a fella gonna do huh? Well, ya do the best you can.

Bad weather? Ya, but to tell the truth, I can't say it was unexpected... Anybody comin' to the coast of the Pacific Northwest in October/November and countin' on good weather, is a candidate for somebody selling him Ocean front property... In Arizona...

The benefit is I get to see this country in a season that exposes just a lil' different personality for it than I've seen before.

And, learned me that being to hard core about minimizin' systems and equipment will leave you suckin' wind sometimes... ie... my power situation... A small backup generator is a pretty important piece of an RV Solar Power system I've decided!

Some folks have wondered if we get to Meet Up with any blog readers... We've had a couple link ups along the way so far... and a close call or two with others... timing had us turning west... as they were turning east... a few hundred miles apart... so introductions'll have to wait till farther down the road.

We're moving in the morning... I think down in the Vicinity of Tillicum Beach... a short piece of road below a Town Called Newport, on the Oregon Coast... We stopped there some 10 years ago, and kind of want to see if it's as nice a beach as we recall.

Found several spots, just east of the coast around here (Sand Beach Oregon) that would make pretty fine boondock sites... especially if our rig were juuuuuust a touch littler... dang you Mark an' Bobbie! ya got ever'body thinkin' 'bout losing more weight! :o) ... and I thought I was skinny enough. Found one yesterday, a place called Castle Rock I think... that if the rig was juuuuuust maybe a couple of feet lighter :o) I could get it swung around to get back out... after we got it in there... and... FREE for as many as 14 days... so... the thing is?... if you look... those spots are there... me?... I'm just bein' lazy...

I've not had any motivation to put the Raider on the ground... to tell the truth... my broke parts have been agitatin' me some... and slidin' that big red scooter around in the rain... just ain't ticklin' my whiskers right now...

When we get farther south... and out of the famously wet weather patterns of the Pacific Northwest... there'll be plenty of time to start doin' damage to even more tires...

Got quite a few more coastal pictures to put up... just have to get 'em picked and prepped... so stay tuned...

'cause after them... comes the Big Trees of the Redwood Park and many more sweet soul healing places to come...

Yondering Somewhere in Oregon...
Brian

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This is for Gol' Darn Sure, the Oregon Coast in a Different Season...

Well, it's lookin' to me like my desire to roll the Raider down the coast on Hwy 101... the glorious Pacific Coast Highway is likely Not gonna get done, this time around...

My hunger for makin' that ride, so far, has not exceeded my wish to do it... on a sunny day... and just now?... those Sunny days are few and far between... More like... Sunny Minutes. When it comes out, you'd best enjoy it... 'cause she ain't gonna stay 'round for long.

That's OK... don't want to rub ever'thing off my Bucket List in one trip right? ... I might end up livin' longer than expected... and I'll need some chores to do.

Pulled out of Cape Disappointment, in the rain, after takin' a morning walk up behind the Lighthouse on the Cape... and pulled into a place called Sand Beach... you guessed it... in the rain... yesterday. Along the way, we crossed over that big long bridge over the Columbia, at Astoria

 ... See that Sunshine? ... Twenty minutes later...

*Another 'Blow' comin' fast!*

... a fella said it was supposed to clear for today... and then go back to rain tomorrow... well it did clear... for 'bout 20 minutes anyhoo. We did get another pretty lil' break on down the road a mite...

*The Promise of Sunshine on the Oregon Coast*

*Cape Disappointment Lighthouse in heavy surf*

*Dead Man's Cove at Cape Disappointment*

So... rather than get the bike down we just rolled the truck into town to do a tour of the Tillamook cheese plant and take a lil' look see of the area...

I don't know that I'd roll clean 'cross the country to tour that place... but, their cheese is the only kind I buy, so it was kind of fun to see where it started out at... I'd not go walkin' into the Tillamook Cheese Factory expectin' some sort of a religious experience... but, like I said, was interesting to see where the cheese I like starts out...

and, they do have a good gift shop and cafe' area... I sat and had a cup of 'Sisters Coffee' while herself wandered around their gift shop... works out good that way.

If you're haulin' ATV's Sand Beach campground, on the coast of the bay, just south west a bit of Tillamook, Oregon is a pretty good place to stop and play. This time of year, we've got the place dang near to ourselves... but I expect it's a hustling place in good weather, and in season. Something close to a thousand acres of coastal sand dunes to play on, great, large sites to hold your rig and park your quads... you might want to make a note of it... if you're headin' this way with toys in the back!

Nice thing for us is, I've got good sun... well... except for the clouds! ... but... those are still bright enough I'm actually getting some charging right on through 'em... even storm clouds are not as dark as the shade in the pines I guess.

I do like how you always seem to have to walk through a tight lil' grove of trees... on the way to most of the beaches around here...

*coastal grove along the Washington Coast*

Be here a few days... and then we'll continue moving south... ahead of the advance of Ol' Man Winter...

Yondering Somewhere in Oregon...
Brian

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Be Careful What You Wish For...

We came on to the Pacific Coast yesterday, 'cause I'd never seen it in the winter?... Well, guess I can't say that any more... I've now seen the Winter face of the Ocean... I do like the fact that at least, with the winter here, you don't have to shovel it.

But first... Longview...

Making a turn, I looked back in the mirror to check my tires, as is my habit...and spotted "something" on an "off side" tire... kinda glad I saw it at 15 mph in town... not HEARD it goin' highway speed... where I'd get to see pieces of tires an' wheels scatterin' cross the asphalt...

So... another emergency tire shop visit... and the budget says... Ouch... Then, bein' so late in the day... we decided to make back some of that lost dinero... with another cheapskate night... Wally Docking! ... now... what the WalMart in Longview Washington is... is a gatherin' place on Friday Night... for all the local kids that think low riders an' custom cars are the thing...

Gotta say... some of 'em around here have put in some effort... there's one car that the door opens UP... not out and up... but just pivoting UP... like scissors... took some work to do that... but... Oh hell... I'll just keep my mouth shut this time...

The good thing 'bout Wally Docking in Washingtion? ... You still get a view of the Pines out your desk window!

So... after a restful night of rain... in the pines... we made another run at hitting the coast... and made it to Cape Disappointment on the Long Beach peninsula... just in time for the first storm of the winter to come roarin' in... and more challenges to my photography...

Now... the Ocean is a beautiful thing on a sunny day... but... there's something maybe even more spiritual in it... even for a broken down Ol' buster... when She's raging in a storm...

*North Head, Long Beach Peninsula*

*Along Benson Beach on the Long Beach Peninsula*

*North Head Lighthouse*

Last night, the surf raged, the wind was pushing heavy, and the rain hammered on the roof. Camped here, just a hundred yards or so from the beach, I could hear the deep rumbling of the surf, all night... even over the rain... It's an awesome thing as you walk out on to the beach and first see the Sea, raging against the shoreline... the power lets a man know... how little he has...

I think we'll sit it out here, for another day, expensive as it is, for us. Moving now won't get us anything I don't think... the storm covers pretty much anywhere we could reach...

We paid for power here... I know... Hiss hiss... but, the shady camps and weather of the last few days has depleted the batteries... again... and sitting out a storm, without being able to at least write... aw, that just sucks! So... shell out the cash and learn to quit bein' such a minimalist!... if it crimps your style!... A Backup Generator... is a Good Idea! :o)

Thing is, this trip we've hit more Shade than ever before... and the camps have been beautiful... so... not having a generator to overcome the lack of sun... can keep a person out of otherwise, superior places...

Bottom line? I'm looking for ways to streeeetch the budget again... without the sucker poppin'... and the tires aren't helpin' any!

Had a hell of a time getting uploaded today... the surf is even higher... crashing over the jetty now... they even evacuated the sites down nearer the beach... ya think Ocean surf can dent cell signal? Sheesh...

Take Good Care
Brian

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Down the Columbia River Gorge

*Breakfast fire along the Grande Ronde River before we pulled out*

 The past two days have been a bit of a revelation... Something I've sensed in the past, but this time... sitting at the desk in the thick Washington forest this morning, it hit me... I LIKE TREES! Well DOH!

I mean I grew up down on the desert where a Saguaro Cactus was the tallest thing around... and they're scattered far and wide... but not much shelter... and I think that's what it may be... the idea just never come clear to me before...

Out on the plains... a body can be seen for miles... It's like... a soldier... out in that open country, feels kind of exposed... and then he takes fire, and what does he do?... he runs for his life... straining to reach the safety of that Tree Line!

Maybe that revelation come to me 'cause of the way we came down the Gorge of the Mighty Columbia River... Off to the east it's dry and open...

*wind mills and ranches in the dry country along the Columbia*

*all that water and it's still DRY along the Columbia*

Then as you travel along you stop to see what the "Stonehenge Memorial" is...

*Stonehenge War Memorial*

*Dedication on the Altar Stone*

... and you discover it's a Memorial to those lost in the area, to the ravages of WW I. , and alongside is the Memorial to those lost in the subsequent Wars...

*Memorial to WW II, Korea and Vietnam Veterans*

As you pull out of that Melancholy place, it colors your thoughts for a while... and as you roll west, gettin' ever closer to the Pacific Coast, the country gets lusher, and ever more beautiful...

*Motorcycle along the Columbia*

Some guys pass you that start makin' you jealous... and itching for that next camp that lets you put the Bikes on the ground! :o)

... and you see some guys that make you say; "Not a Freakin' Chance!"

*Wind Surfers on the Columbia River... in OCTOBER!"

But those motorcycles, the wind surfers and the increasingly gorgeous country start to bring that Revelation to light...

*Columbia River Sunset*

*Sunrise Spider web*

*Lily*

*Stormy Morning along the Columbia*

As you sit lat your desk, looking out the window, in your camp, deep in the Washington Forest, along the Great Columbia River... It hits you... In this heavy cover, in this gorgeous rain forest... I feel Safe. I feel, covered.

*Night Camp in Home Valley, along the Mighty Columbia*

 ... hmmmm... maybe I discovered the real reason I've moved right along the past few days? :o)

One thing I know... and I rediscover every time I come back here... I freakin' love Washington and Oregon from the Mountains to the Sea!

Hoping to see the Pacific this afternoon... not sure we'll get there... but soon enough... we'll hit the spot where Lewis and Clarke did...

Seeing and learning... and starting to figure it out... Maybe... :o)

Along the Mighty Columbia
Brian

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Goin' Too Fast? ... or Just Right?

 I don't know that I know for sure.

"Anon" asked what's the rush? Why'd we roll from Moab to La Grande so quick? Considering a lot of what I've written... to stop an' smell the roses and NOT be in a rush... A fair question. I'm not real sure there's an answer a lot of folks will like though!

Sometimes, much of the time... My pleasure is to sit and look... or just meander along... pokin' around here and there... Turnin' left when the crowd runs right. Other times... the gypsy itch is hard to soothe, and I pick 'em up and put 'em down, coverin' some country in the process...

Kind of like a herd of Elk that have been known to run twenty miles when they got spooked... Maybe that I-84 Spooked me? :o) and pushed me to get past it?

Then... there is the season... Pushin' November and we go and choose to turn our circle North, up against the advancing winter beast... Almost thumbing our noses at him... Can't dawdle too long... or those winter winds'll catch up.

But...

... Not This winter ya bugger! Ya don't get to freeze my kiester, and my Bike... This... winter! They'll be warmin' up down on the southern desert!

Three days travel to here... we'll be here three nights, and days, along the Grande Ronde River... and then, a slow meander down the Columbia River gorge to the coast.

... and then, part of me had been held static for so long, fightin' to get loose...that it's simply takin' a while, maybe even longer than, I , expected... to wear off the Edge, and the pent up wanderlust of my urge to drift.

I think you'll see me slowin' down some... but hey... it's taken nigh on to a month... to get from Denver to here... so, it ain't All been rushin' an' movin'! :o)

and one last thing... I'm hesitant to speak of... That country From North of Moab and across Southern Idaho... well... it's dry. Now, I was grown up in the desert of Southern Arizona... so, I know desert... but there's something in that open, dry, North Utah/South Idaho Desert that we came through... that just doesn't sing to this Ol' buster.

I don't like to put down anyone's home country, and I'll not do that here... There's quite a few folks who live in that area, so something is there that holds 'em... it just don't speak to me... so I rolled through it quick... and tucked back into these Oregon Pines.

When you stop and really look at what I've written, ain't that the foundation of it? Go with your gut... Follow your heart. Do what's right... right now. Don't get frozen into a line of travel... or anything else, simply 'cause you started out that way. If the trail changes... adjust to it.

When you put on weight, you buy bigger jeans... If you set out to go south... but something turns you North... stop in at Wal Mart and buy yourself a hoodie... and just keep on rollin'!

Now I'm not talkin' ethics here...those have got to pretty near be rigid. They're not something you can allow to change with the wind... but Livin'! is a tee total different deal.

As you wander and see more of the world around you... your heart and soul, if you're awake... can't help but get stretched some. You see how others live... how poor some are, how their ways of doin' the tasks of livin' are so different than you own... even right here in the same country.

It would seem to me that if you come back from a long trip, through new country, the same person you were when you left... you must have been asleep most of the time!

So... why did I roll so fast the last few days? Not really sure... and to tell the truth... I'm not really carin'. I just moved when the spirit said Roll and stopped when the spirit said; Hold up Cowboy.

I'm here. I've got a lot of road in front of me... plenty of stories yet to write... and so, I'll just get on about doin' that.

Just a Driftin' Cowboy...

Searching for Soft Winds and Sunny Slopes
Brian

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A Fresh Camp Along the Grande Ronde River...

Finally got clear of the infernal Interstate... turning west up Oregon 244... and back into the quiet of the National Forest...

Didn't have to go too far to find a nice camp... and this lil' spot... costs us the whole of $2.50 a night! We took a run clear over to Ukiah this afternoon... and though there are several other nice NF Campgrounds... and many, many full scale, park in the woods RV Boondocking sites twixt here and there...

This spot at Bird Track Spring... works out the absolute best for us... even if we do have to pay so much!...

Those spots west... left Verizon "searching for service"... while here at "Home" we've got 3G/five bars!

*Bird Track Spring Campground west of La Grande, Oregon*

Much the same issue for me, as with past camps... that luckily for a lot of Ya'll... ain't the start of an issue.

'cause of my requirement for Net Access... that need 'caused by it being the trail to a goodly amount of the income that'll keep us wandering... I keep looking till I find a spot that'll allow me to get on-line without a agravating amount of hassle and tire rolling...

...and that is a place where I need juuuuust a lil' work... Thing is... I need to chill out... see when I've got a fine camp, right here... and though, as always, there's room for improvement... It IS a fine camp... and things could get a whole lot worse... in a cowboy rushin' hurry!...

...Not to mention, that at the price we're payin'? it puts the rent at 'bout $3.50 below the budget... those few dollars'll add up fast in a thin budget... so count my blessin's where I find 'em.

Though there are some sweet spots over west... and some that have better sun for my solar panels... my need for "Commo"... overpowers those other spots... So... if ya'll don't have that need... and just want that seclusion... look off the forest service roads... west of La Grande, Oregon, off of Oregon 244... and you'll find a sweet selection to choose from... You just won't be able to read my gas... till you come back down! :o)

Yeah... the sun here ain't great... maybe a lil' better than our Durango Camp... only three or four hours of GOOD sun... so... to save the battery power, I'm settin' in the truck... Blog powered by Cummins!

The first few weeks of this trip have shown the High Value, of a back up generator to juice up the Solar Battery Bank... I'm gonna have to squeeze on that budget some... to fit in a lil' 1000 or 2000 Honda I'm thinkin'. That way... I'd not have to think twice 'bout settin' up housekeeping in any of these fine camps.

Maybe I'll get lucky an' the folks that like good westerns in the Ebook style will tell all their "western reading friends" ' bout the benefits of Kindle... and how they know a Fine story to be the first one to load on that brand spankin' new e-reader!... Mine! :o) ... and then... squeezing that Honda Generator into the budget won't be no problem to speak of!

Along the Banks of the Grande Ronde River
Brian

Your purchases, through the links to my e-books at your choice of distributors below, help support goin' RV Boondocking... and keep us on the Road!

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Wally Docking... Instant Replay... but only after Bumper Cars on the Interstate!

Pulled out late, after playin' with the dogs in the grass at WalMart Ogden... headed NW, continuing up... ugh!... Interstate 84... and, within the hour, got my second, and then, 'bout a half hour later, my Third gentle reminder, of why I reeeeallly don't like movin' very far on an Interstate...

Are there ANY drivers of Cages (motorcycle speak for a car) left on the road... who know HOW to Merge into traffic, from an On Ramp, correctly? ... or Hell, even Drive the dang thing at all?

Yesterday afternoon, as we got close to Wally Ogden, came reminder #1. A lil' white car came down the on ramp... that I was passing at a sizzling 60 mph... They timed their Merge so that they would hit the highway... right about the middle of the fifth wheel...

Hmmmm.... 11,500+- Lb fifth wheel hitched up to a truck tipping 9,000+ vs. 2500 lb. car... who ya guess is gonna win that argument?

Geeeze! Does Anyone know that the responsibility of the Driver, already ON the highway is to maintain a steady and consistent speed, so the ON RAMP driver can correctly pace their Merge to blend into traffic... In front of... or behind... the Drivers already out on the Highway? WITHOUT forcing them to accelerate or stomp on the binders? ... not a good thing to be doin' in heavy vehicles anyhoo!

So... the buggers had the punk arrogance... to wear out their horn, 'cause I didn't push that 18 wheeler beside me out of the way, run up and push the car in front of me out of the way... or see how much rubber I could squeal off the tires locking up the binders... so they wouldn't have to bother learning how to drive!

So, that was #1... this morning... maybe an hour into todays roll... a movement caught my eye in the left mirror as I rolled down the right hand, north bound lane pushing the blinding speed of 60 mph... #2, Another lil' white car, popped out from behind us somewhere... moving toward the median side of the left lane...

Just as I looked back, and that car got 'bout halfway up the trailer... the left rear fender of that lil' car started goin' west... while the front end started coming east... "Uh Oh" I thought... "there ain't room out here for runnin' slaloms... and I'm sittin' right where she's headed...

As I took my foot off the throttle, that lil' car come slidin', 'bout 3/4 sideways, and cut across the pavement in front of us... missing my left front fender by 12... maybe 18"...

Now... here's where I went into my; "My, ain't this pretty up here", Wolf Creek pass sort of meditation...

Curiously scratching my chin... I thought... "Now, if I cut left, she'll slide that bugger back that-a-way and I'll send her butt to perdition... and if I go right... she'll keep goin' that way... and we'll get the same metal crunching, day ruining commotion... but if I go straight down the middle..." and that's when I recollected how those NASCAR boys always say; "If they get tangled up in front of you, aim for the tangle... by the time you get there... it'll be gone!"

So... I sat back down, put my feet back on the pedals, took a good solid grip on that steering gizmo in front of my seat... and aimed that 20,000 lbs of truck, trailer and motorcycles... straight for that fool bimbos drivers door... slidin' along in front of me... all that scratching, conjuring and calculatin' took maybe one part of a half second!

... and sure 'nuff... just like those NASCAR boys promised... when I got there... she was gone!

The tail of that lil' car, as it whipped across in front of us... went from pointin' west to snappin' to the east with the squeelin' of tormented tires... leaving the nose now headed toward the median... and just like that, passenger door headin' north, tail end comin' around, workin' on a 360... she slid off into the median, showerin' us with rocks and gravel... 'till she dissapeared in a cloud of dust...

I roared on by at my sizzling road speed of 60mph... and looking back in the mirror...

...To see her come spinning out of the dust, heading for the other side of the interstate!... she spun across that... across in front of the south bound traffic... without having rolled... without hitting anyone, or anyone hitting her... and the last I saw, she had the damn thing parked on the shoulder, headed south!

Damndest thing I've ever seen... but... it did slow me down even more... while I got used to that uncomfortable feeling in my shorts!...Though I don't want to consider what the inside of her car smelled like...

I rolled along... and started cussin' the now, chipped and cracked... what had been a brand new windshield... that wasn't chipped and cracked 6" when I got up this morning! aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

What the hell she was doin'... or why... I got no knowledge... likely fiddling with a text to her boyfriend when she looked up and saw the V Star sittin' on the tail of the fiver... comin' at her at an alarming rate of speed... What a fool...

But then... On to #3... maybe 20 miles later... an instant replay of #1... Down hill ramp... road wide open clear in front of me... wide open clear in back of me... and I watched the fool roll down the ramp... in what appeared to be a brand new car... pacing right beside me, down that long, long ramp... with an even longer run on lane... so that she could hit the highway... at my door... and then she wants to get mad at me? Huh?

Lookie here... you want help? ask for it... you fall down, I'll help you up... you're hungry? I'll likely share a burger with you... You come at me pushin' an' shovin'... all angry and arrogant? or, a willfully, incompetent driver? I'll grin, as I grab you by the collar... and play cowboy Polo with your butt! :o) don't matter to me if you're on foot or motivatin'...

So... with a kind of "Sour" feelin' growin' on the day... we rolled on as far as Boise... hoping to put us in range of a decent National Forest Spot to set up a few days, when we break into Oregon... maybe around Baker City on the Umatilla National Forest or some such... and get away from those that run the interstates... we just don't seem to see eye to eye.

That put as at Wal Mart Boise. our second Wally Docking night in a row... Not bad neither... I got pine trees right outside my window... If I don't look past 'em... I can almost hear the mountain stream gurglin'.

Maybe tomorrow... tonight... just chill and enjoy the Free parking... hell that's half of Free-dom ain't it?


Later folks. Tomorrow, on to Oregon...

Take Good Care
Brian

Your purchases, through the links to my e-books at your choice of distributors below, help support goin' RV Boondocking... and keep us on the Road!

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Wally Docking in Ogden

Left the country around Moab yesterday morning figuring to go maybe 150 miles... well uh... went maybe a hundred farther... deciding I wanted to get through Salt Lake... fact is... there just ain't much in that stretch to hold even, my, attention...

I gotta say... that country of central Utah is... Dry. It's a tough land out there... and this is comin' from a kid raised on the desert... and feelin' at home in the desert... but, that part of the west is... well... let's just say that when even the chiggers are skinny... It's Hard Country!

So... we rolled on a bit farther and for all the hard core's out there... actually spent our first free night, courtesy of Walmart! ;o) ... 'course, just like Wally World figures... it wadn't free... left a few dollars in the till.

For the next few days we're gonna work our way toward Pendleton and the Columbia River... We've tinkered with the idea of farther North... maybe as far as Port Angeles. Really tempting the weather gods... but... I think it's more likely we'll follow down along the Columbia to the coast...

Even there, we have to make a decision... North side, in Washington?... or South side in Oregon? Sheesh! Why can't it just be easy?

Anyhoo... it's still Northwest for a lil' bit... at least the next couple of days... and maybe, with a lil' luck, we'll get back into a lil' more photogenic geography.

Rolling Northwest to Tease the Weather Gods
Brian

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RV Maintenance and Another Roll Into Arches National Park

Something like 4 1/2 years ago now, after we'd bought the Big Red Dodge... which turned out to be the start of a long, slow, slide... I Flipped the axles on the Eagle to give me better clearance between the truck and the trailer...

Along with doing that, I had to lower the pin box on the Fiver... to level out the trailer when it was hitched up.
Flipping the axles had it sitting a lil' nose low.

A job I put off, those last couple of rushed weeks 'fore we pulled out, and the first few of this circle, was to reset the pin box back to the original, higher position.

When I put in the new gooseneck hitch a few weeks ago, to give me the loading room for the Raider, it's design and mounting sets the ball several inches higher. It now sits above the bed deck rather than below it, as it does with the Factory position hitch ball. Combine that with the fact that this flatbed, 'cause of the fact that it was actually built for a different brand of truck... sits a bit higher than normal... and you've got a pretty tall gooseneck ball mount; which has left the fifth wheel hauling a touch nose high.

So... this morning, 'fore we headed off one more time, toward Arches Nat. Park on the Raider... I reset that pin box... which lowers the nose of the fiver back down... maybe three inches...

*Taking the Pin Box Loose*

*Pin Box set 'bout 3" higher*

The thing that finally got me motivated to get the Pin Box reset is a small adjustment to our road plans... We've been workin' on the idea we'd head on down toward Zion National Park... We were there a couple years ago, and really liked it... Kind of like goin' to church... especially in the "Off" season...

Guess we just weren't ready to go that way yet... So... unless early fall snows turn us. we're gonna maintain the direction we turned when we left Hovenweep... and keep on North west a ways... that Ways... being till we hit the Pacific Coast.

Yeah, we had the thought that I'd never been along the Oregon Coast in October... or November either... so... 'till something else changes our direction... we're gonna work that-a-way... and see that country in a different season.

That got me to figurin' I better quit puttin' off adjusting that hitch box...

With that done we went down to the City Market in Moab and stocked up what groceries we've consumed... got the truck dieseled up... and 'cept for loadin' the Raider in the morning, we're pretty much set to start rollin' come the new day.

Didn't load the bike today, 'cause we wanted to make one last roll into Arches National Park... and make one more try at learning to photograph these desert rocks!

*Delicate Arch*

*Always a Far View*

*Skyline Arch*

*Landscape Arch in the failing light of sunset*

These are... well... I still have a ways to go!

In the morning, we load-N-go... again... not real far... not real fast... Hell, it's taken us better'n 20 days, to get from Denver to east central Utah!

8 or 10 days to the coast? Maybe more... maybe less... won't know... 'till we get there. I've had an urge to roll that Big Red Yamaha on the Pacific Coast Highway for quite some while. Bet it ain't any colder than through the spring snow in Colorado!

Looks like I may find out...

Doin' it... One Day at a Time in the West
Brian

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Two Days... Two Parks... Same Camp...

I believe we've quit lookin' to move camp... Keepin' an eye open for a likely spot as we cruised around Canyonlands and Arches Nat. Parks, we pretty much decided... that with our list of requirements... this spot we're at, Kens Lake, is 'bout as good as it gets for us 'round here.

Every other spot either ain't got enough sun to keep the power flowin'... 'cause it's down in a canyon, pretty place though it may be... or there ain't no signal at all... so I can't do my Thing... or the spots are too lil' to get the rig squeezed in... or... if it's a dispersed "Boondock" site... you're limited to a spot settin' alongside a dusty road... in a big sand box...yadda yadda yadda... and yes, I do have some cheese for my whine!

so... here is where we'll set for a few days... and just make a few day trips... rolling the Raider...

Started out the other day with a Tourist Mecca stop ... before heading on up some back roads through and around Canyonlands National Park... with the Truck, 'cause the Raider don't much care for Dirt...

Where we were able to gawk at M.O.A.B. the jeep... "M-other O-f  A-ll B-easts

Not sure how the ride is, with those Steel Tires... but I'll bet you don't have to worry much about cactus thorns...

Found a few "modern" cliff dweller setups... One Older one... and one setup... under construction... being blasted out of the Butte...

along with a setup, of an Old "Open Air Bunkhouse"... that has me NOT missin' cowboyin' all that much...

*View from our pic nic lunch site*

Once we quit screwin' around lookin' for camps, we got The Raider down yesterday, and made a roll up into Arches National Park...

Been takin' a lot of pictures... but I'm not pleased with 'em. This country is testing my picture takin' skills. The light is so bright... and the shadows so deep... and the land so wide... it's a piece of work to make a photograph that is worth something... and I'm not happy with what I've captured... but I'll keep on poppin' the shutter...

That's the nice thing 'bout digital photography... it don't cost you nothin' to pop a picture... In the old days with film, you could go through a pretty thick wallet in a hurry, takin' pictures that only had a use in the bottom of a bird cage... now, just click it and see... if you don't like the pup... DELETE!

*From the Raider, rolling into Arches*

 

Not sure where we're gonna ride today, gettin' a lazy start... guess we'll find out when we see where the Bike and the road leads us...

Two Wheels on the Ground in Utah...Brian
Brian


Your purchases, through the links to my e-books at your choice of distributors below, help support goin' RV Boondocking... and keep us on the Road!

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Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking  or, Visit my "Ribbon of Highway"  Blog on the Lil' sister to this site, Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road