Tag Archives: van camping

Campervan, Camping, Nature, Travel, Van Living

Giant U-Turn; Redmond to the Sierras

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After the Storm
After the Storm

 

We spent an entire week in Redmond, just outside of Bend Oregon, with our dear friend Beverly. We totally relaxed, slept in a real bed, fixed lots of delicious food, and played the board game Aggravation until all hours of the night. It’s nice to be able to take these types of breaks once in awhile to recharge and just enjoy some downtime.

Bev was such a gracious hostess!!!

We were seriously on our way to North Idaho, but while hanging around Redmond, we learned that both our kids and their significant others and children,  had planned a camping trip to the Tahoe National Forest, just outside the Lake Tahoe area back in eastern California.

A small seed was planted, and after checking  the map and figuring out the milage, we made a decision to go camping with them all.

A Giant U-Turn was made from our spot on the map in central Oregon, and we rode with the wind down the highway back to California, for just a small side trip. About 300 miles of a side trip.

Into the sierra’s we went, and the family we did meet.

 

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Shelter From the Rain

 

Pine forests as far as one can see, thunderstorms in the afternoons, green meadows crisscrossed by streams and rivers. Awesome white puffy clouds against azure skies.

 

Family Campout
Family Campout

 

A wonderful time was had by all, relatives from both sides of extended families joined in on different days to make for lots of fun, food, campfires, fishing, hikes, and good talks.

 

Frisbee Practice
Frisbee Practice

 

Love you people dearly!

 

My Three Girls
My Three Girls

 

Can’t wait to meet up again somewhere along this long winding road. Thank you for a wonderful visit.

❧

Boondocking, Campervan, Camping, Travel, Van Living

Camping Woes and Elk

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Pacific Ocean and Humblolt Bay

 

Finding spots along the coast to spend the night has been a bit of a challenge. Since we never really know where we are going to be, it’s hard to make reservations in advance for a campground. Especially the state parks are usually full at this time of the year. There’s not much forest land along the coast either for U.S. Forest Service campgrounds, (which we prefer) or dispersed camping on National Forest land. Weekends in particular are impossible since that’s when most of the public goes camping!

Having our bed in the back of our van makes it possible for us to take cover and sleep in some interesting places.

We generally tend to avoid rest areas, since they tend to be extremely noisy being near highways and full of big trucks keeping their refrigerator units going all night long. But it just so happens that somewhere above Arcata, and below Cresent City, there is a very beautiful, very quiet, very clean Rest Area. And as long as you don’t stay longer than ten hours at a time, it is perfectly legal to sleep there. We very rarely EVER sleep more than ten hours!!

 

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Peaceful Easy Feeling

 

Leaving early in the morning, we were rewarded with this peaceful sight of relaxing Roosevelt elk.

And this big fellow, watching over the ladies while munching his morning chow.

 

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Elk Buck Browsing

 

Roosevelt elk (according to wikipedia)  are the largest of the four subspecies of elk found in North America.  Such a beautiful sight they are.

They don’t seem to have a problem finding a place to bed down. They are protected here from being hunted, so long as they stay on state property!

Our lack of planning in our travels leads to much spontaneity and many delights such as this. Sleeping in a Rest Area makes it all worth while when we get to wake up and greet the day this way!

❧

We really enjoyed Cresent City, spending time along the beach and pier watching the shore birds. There were more Black Oystercatchers nesting, Canada Geese, Cormorants, and of course lots of seagulls.

A bit sad to leave the coast, but inching up and inland to visit our good friend in Redmond, Oregon is the goal. Moving inland will also hopefully make finding camping spots a bit easier.

❧

 

Boondocking, Camping, Travel

Desert Boondocking

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red-orange desert flower of the mallow family
Coulter’s Globe-mallow

 

We finally pulled out of Prescott.

Leaving our happy little campground home and new friends, we stocked up on groceries, filled the gas tank, and hit the road.  Destination – Sedona, Arizona.  All intentions were to arrive by mid-day, but we got sidetracked visiting the old historic mining town of Jerome, and a bit intoxicated by the scenery up and down the white knuckle highway over the Mingus Pass.

red-orange desert flower in the Mallow family
Field of Coulter’s Globe-mallow

Knowing accommodations (even camping) are scarce around Sedona, we took a turn onto a forest service road just to see if it might be good lodgings for the night, so we could get an early start into town the next morning.  Looking pretty nice, we set up camp, put out our solar panels to charge up all the gadgets, and were even able to take a quick solar shower. We had been hauling the camp shower on top of the van during the day, in hopes of enough hot water to clean up in the evening!

Beautiful jagged slick red rock mountains outside of Sedona, Arizona
View of Red Rock mountains around Sedona

Above is the view looking out of our door. Those mountains are the red rock cliffs of Sedona!

Early morning light greeted us (actually Pia got me up) to see a hot air balloon hovering so low in the sky over the van, I could not only wave to the ballooners, but could exchange “hellos” with them.

White Eurovan camped in the desert near Sedona, AZ
Boondocking in the desert

During the night, we heard the sound of another Volkswagon van pull in somewhere around us…(you can tell by not only the familiar engine sound, but also by the all famous sliding door whenever it shuts!)

Fred went to greet them and discuss of all things Volkswagon vans, and who do you think it was but the lovely couple from GoWesty fame, “Where’s my office Now?” a blog sponsored on the GoWesty Blog Page (Note the GoWesty solar case sitting on our van?)

What a small world this is! It was great to meet you Cory & Emily.

Onto Sedona..

  ❧