Saturday, November 6, 2010

Finally... Boondocking Ala George and Tioga...

We pulled out to the coast up by Cape Disappointment, at the western end of the Columbia River... back around the early part of the last week of October... nigh on two weeks ago I'm thinking... 'cause we wanted to see that Coast, in the winter time... had never seen it then, before...

Well... we seen it! :o) and it's awesome in its power... and its beautiful at the same time... gorgeous sunsets... when the clouds permit... and as in all country... you get to see a different side of a places' personality... if you go there at different seasons...

But... all good things must end right? and for a couple of reasons... I got my fill of winter on the coast... in those couple of weeks... I guess, bein' basically, a desert kid, I need sunshine... I start feelin' Off... Kind of low... when it's dark, cloudy and stormy... for too long... I guess my keister requires more BTUs to function, than the folks who love livin' full time along that coast...

I don't believe you'll find me livin' on the Wet Side of Washington or Oregon... Full Time... :o) I'll visit... but then I'll point my radiator east an' south... rollin' for some sort of desert...

Now... let's be clear here... I'll Still be wantin' a lil' lusher landscape then Death Valley and some of that Utah country... but you will have a better chance of findin' my camp... if you start lookin' where the sun shines more! Lookin' out the window... every... day at a soggy wet Motorcycle... just don't toot my whistle.

Would have liked to do a lil' more tourista stuff... and we'll be back for more in the future... but to be honest... my hunger to scratch my Gypsy Itch in these early weeks... required more of the budget for diesel... than for Tourist Fees at Museums and such...

Now that the itch has been satisfied a mite... the budget'll be catchin' back up pretty soon. :o) , and hopefully... we'll be trashin' fewer tires!

... as we hitched up to pull off the coast... of course... the clouds broke... for a bit... and teased us with some nice, last views from our private, beach front "Balconey"...

*Last View of Tillicum Beach*
 ... Though... it wasn't long, going down the coast... the same Ol' Same Ol'... came right back...

* Winter 'Normal'... On the Coast :o) *
Remember I told you even the Gulls were walking... 'cause it was too wet to fly?... This is the feller that told me so...



But... the weather man keeps assuring us that South... they've got sun... so South, we keep movin'.

We picked an area to shoot for that day... an easy drive... and several camps to pick from... except... the U.S. Forest Service has given all its' land, apparently, to private companies, and lets them run it, for Their benefit... hmmm

Sounds a lil' contrary to the Charter of the USFS don't it? I mean, you read everything they put out, and they're supposed to be runnin' the show... for the benefit of U.S. Cititzens... who are supposed to own the land... not private campground management companies...

I wonder what the Forest Svc. does these days... they aren't hardly logging anything... they stop all the mining they can... and running campgrounds is to much hassle for 'em to bother with... so... what does the USFS do any more?

enough grumpin'...

anyhoo... state and fed camps were all closed for this reason or that... and this coastline is pretty built... so finding a Boondock Night camp, on U.S. 101 is a challenge... HA! but a challenge we met! :o)

* Waitin' on Sunset along U.S. Hwy 101 *
How's that for a front yard? ... Nite Camp ala George and Tioga... you just got to tell yourself... "Confidence... have Confidence!"... and be ready to grab the opportunity when it presents... or... jump on the binders as you round a bend, comin' down the mountain! :o)

We managed to drive out of the fog and rain for a bit... and found a nice spot, a few hundred feet above the surf... which we could still hear thundering against the beach and headlands... while we enjoyed the sunset from Hwy 101 Night Camp! Suh-Wheet!

To give you a lil' idea of the surf we've been seein'... look at this pair of pictures... look at the far rock, and realize it's size, considering this picture is probably a mile away and four or five hundred feet above it...


Think about how high that headland rock is... and then look at how high the passing wave reaches on it...


That, boys an' girls... is SURF! :o) ... that this Ol' cowboy is glad he's standing on dry land lookin' at!

But now... the sunset from our George and Tioga Camp...






Finally, after the sun finally set... after what seemed the longest sunset we'd seen so far this fall...


We fired up the "Built In" BBQ on the Cummins :o) and seared us a good steak to eat to the music of crashing waves in a No Dollar Nite camp...

* Dodge Cummins BBQ! :o) *
Next mornin'... we climbed out early... and moved south... huntin' the sun again... with the remembrance of a "Sunny" sunset... our hopes were high!

Still Headin' south... eventually...
Brian

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5 comments:

gumo said...

Spectacular! That is what it is all about. George & Tioga would be proud of you!

Anonymous said...

Brian,
Looking at the brake disks in the picture of the grill on the Cummins, I know why you are heading south and east. Enjoy
Tom Turner

Box Canyon Blogger said...

You mak'in me itch something fierce, Cowboy.

Brian said...

Thanks Gumo!

Tom... you noticed! :o) and the aluminum don't seem to like the salt sea air either! thankfully, it only takes a couple squeezes on the lever to clean the disc rotors... but... makes me like the desert :o)

I told you Mark! It ain't me makin' you itch... those wiggly quivers come from those weird shoes you're lookin' at! :o)

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous photos of the sunsets!!