08-30-01

I had a night of insomnia. I laid awake most of the night watching shadows on the ceiling and bad TV. The movie, “Return of the Night of the Living Dead” from the ‘80s, was the perfect cheesy time-waster and fit the mood. I actually had a fun time not being able to sleep. There was nothing I needed to get up for, so there was no pressure to rest. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals coverage on C-Span was riveting, but I finally fall asleep sometime during the “Saved By The Bell Christmas Special”. They took-in a poor homeless family. It was a sitcom cliché that felt weird at 4:00am in a bus, on the coast, in the summer.
I slept-in until 10:30. I got up, had coffee, then took a nap.
I cleaned and oiled my bike chain. It had only rained once, but the chain got rusty extremely fast. It must have been the salt water mist from the ocean.
Corey, Trinity, Sebastian and I went to the Heads. I’d ridden my bike down the path high above the ocean three times. This was my first time to walk it. I saw things I hadn’t noticed before. I’d wondered on my bike what the small animal was that would scurry across the path in front of me; a chipmunk, a gecko? While walking, one ran by me and stopped. I got a quick picture of it. It was some sort of small lizard.
That night I made my first attempt at fish tacos. Trinity liked them, but they seemed too fishy to me.
I took a shower and heard a “ping-pung” noise come from the floor of the bus, like the sound of a metal air duct expanding. I’d heard it once before when the grey water tank overflowed. Minutes later I heard my feet splash as the shower water started to back-up. The ”ping-pung” was right. The tank was full. I drained it and went to bed.

08-29-09

I had been in Port Orford for 3 weeks and was feeling right at home.
Corey and I up-graded Sharron’s sewer pipes and built a couch in trailer # 10.
Corey, Trinity, Sebastian and I went to the west beach. The geode that Corey had been anxiously awaiting to dig up with a screw driver turned out to be a tree root. We climbed on the rocks. The waves put on a show that rivaled the pyrotechnics at the 3rd Kiss Retirement Tour finally.
Andrew hadn’t been going with us lately. He’s been spending a great deal of time with Jutta, an odd, yet oddly fascinating relationship.
I managed to put down the binoculars and shave my face. I hadn’t shaved since I got to Port Orford. Once in a life a guy has to grow a beard. It was horrible, like claustrophobic fur on your face that you can’t get a break from. It did work well for deflecting sand off my face in the wind on the beach and it seemed to feel right while eating cold baked beans from a can, but I was glad to shave it off.
I didn’t recognize myself with it, but it had been long enough that I didn’t recognize myself when I shaved it off.

08-28-09

At 4:00am I got a text from Trinity who was driving from Bozeman Montana. I thought she was still a day away, but she claimed to be outside. I didn’t believe her and called. The knock on my door echoed through the phone. It was a delightful surprise in the middle of the night. She had driven straight through from Montana a 1000 miles away…excuse me, “almost 1100”.
Trinity slept in, resting up from her drive, while I helped Corey. We brought the recycling in and I learned the Oregon way of bringing your cans and bottles to the grocery store for the nickel deposit return. It works well for keeping bottles and cans out of the ditches, people gather them for money. The bad side effect is that it seems most all other recyclables, such as glass jars and cardboard boxes are just thrown away in land fills. The ditches are clean, but there are a lot of recyclables in the trash in Oregon.
I drove Trinity for a small tour of Port Orford. We went to the Cape Blanco Light House and had very good time. Then we ate at the Port and Starboard restaurant. The calamari was lightly blackened and delightful and tender. I had lightly deep fried scallops and Trinity had the fish and chips.
Later we drove to the west beach and Trinity and Sebastian were able to touch the Pacific Ocean.
That night Corey escorted me and Trinity to the Battle Rock beach. The three of us shared in a spiritual moment. The stars pierced the night like diamonds in the sky. The waves rolled in glistening in the moon light.

08-27-09

It’s interesting to see the differences between low and high tides. Corey and I went to the west beach in the morning to see the low tide. It wasn’t very low. I had seen the water out farther before. I’m just learning to read tide tables. Even though we went at low tide it wasn’t a very low tide. Currently the low tide in the day is about 4’. The low tide at night is less than 1’. We either need to go in the middle of the night, or keep following the tide table and wait awhile to see a low, low tide.
The tide was low enough to finally get some muscles off of the rocks. We gathered some in a bag. It’s probably illegal, but there’s virtually no one on the beach except agate hunters and they carry bags and buckets too. If anyone did say anything, protocol is to just play dumb, I’m good at that. No one could see us anyway; it got very foggy very fast. We could barely see down the beach.
We rode our bikes home. It was completely clear and sunny in town less than a mile away.
Andrew looked at the muscles and confirmed that they were the kind he’d eaten earlier. He’s crazy, so I wasn’t sure if I should believe him, but he was still alive. I boiled them and they opened. I was unsure about eating them. Andrew ate one, but said I should have boiled them in sea water and until they opened further. I chewed on one for flavor, but spit it out. It tasted okay. I’ll try it again sometime. It was a successful first experiment.

08-26-09

I woke up early…relatively for an unemployed guy. I went to the grocery store, post office and got all of my laundry done at the laundry mat. It felt good to be caught up on things.
I went for a bike ride. For the first time in Port Orford I had no destination and just wandered. I like to do this sometimes. I’ve found that when I wander I always find something I’ve never seen before. I wound up at Paradise Point watching the ocean. I can stare at the waves for hours. They are awe inspiring. I’m starting to learn the anatomy of the wave. At first I only noticed big and small. Now I’m noticing how a retreating wave can kill the momentum of a big incoming wave, a huge wave will break farther out, a low swell in front of a wave will make it taller, etc. It’s completely random, yet somehow definable. There are no rules, yet there are rules consistent to the physics wave.
I wanted to ride more later with Corey and Andrew, but both of their bikes were out of order. Corey’s chain was broken for a third time and we were out of replacement links. He had bought out the hardware store. It was a miracle when he remembered that he had replaced the link he borrowed from me. I still had it, so I ran to get it. Andrew’s bike only has a back, hand-brake and it was not functioning, plus he had a flat tire. We made it road worthy and rode to the west beach. I had seen muscles there before and thought these might be what Andrew knows how to cook. Unfortunately it was high tide again, so we were unable to get out far enough on the rocks to find muscles. The waves were extremely intense, crashing onto the rocks and sending spray hundreds of feet. Sometimes a wave would be so big that I would shout, “Whoa!” like I was a fireworks display.
Occasionally I’ll have a moment that single handedly justifies me running away. This was one of them.

08-25-09

Corey has been upgrading the travel trailer’s sewer hoses in the RV park. They have been poorly maintained and are in dire need of attention. We worked on Sharron’s pipes…giggity. They were plugged under the trailer. Corey took them apart. It took awhile, but he was able to get them flowing again. It’s gross work, but I’m finding I’m learning a lot about my own RV through working on the travel trailers.
Inspired by Corey’s triumph over Sharron’s pipes I decided to work on my own plumbing. It’s a lot easier to flush the tanks while hooked up to city water and sewer. I drained them, and then rinsed them with the “shit stick”, a tool that attaches to a garden hose for sticking down the toilet that sprays high pressure water into the tank. The tanks were empty. I wanted to fill them and let them soak for awhile, then drain them one more time to get them good and clean. Filling the tanks takes awhile. I can leave a faucet on to fill the grey tank. I have a dumbbell that holds the toilet foot pedal down to fill the black tank. I left the shit stick turned on down in the toilet while it filled. I was outside for awhile when I thought I should check on it. When I opened the bathroom door I was horrified that I was too late. The floor had standing water rushing from the linoleum to the carpet. The toilet was full and overflowing. Instead of diving in and turning off the water, I ran outside and opened the sewer drain valve to get the water level to drop fast. Then I turned off the water main from the outside and began to clean up. It was a huge mess, but at least it was relatively clean water. I don’t think any serious damage was done, but there was water dripping out from under the bus even far from where the flood had happened. The good news was that my black tank gauge, which rarely works, was functioning perfectly. I finally fixed the gage, but I had to flood the bus to do it.
Andrew had found some mahogany muscles on the coast which he had cooked and eaten. Corey and I wanted to learn which muscles we could eat, so the three of us headed to the ocean. We climbed around on rocks, but it was high tide and we couldn’t get out far enough to find any muscles. The waves were big with intense energy as they plowed into the rocky coast. I was out far on a rock when I saw a big wave way out in the ocean. I usually miss the big waves with my camera and when I do have it ready the big waves don’t come. “I’m gonna’ get this one”, I thought and grabbed my camera. As it got closer it got bigger…and bigger…and bigger. It stood up…way up. I panicked, put my camera in my pocket and struggled to find anything to hang on to. The wave hit the rocks in front of me and water came crashing up and around the rocks I was on. I was only hit with spray, but still spooked I ran for high ground. My heart was racing and I was literally shaking, but I was laughing. It was an amazing moment. The ocean is awesomely powerful.
That night, after dark the siren started to sound. It sounds like tornado warning sirens back home. They blow it each day at noon. It turns off and on five times to summon the fire dept. They blow it seven times to test the tsunami warning. If it keeps sounding on and off that means that there is a tsunami and people should flee to higher ground. It’s exciting when it starts to slowly count and wait to see if it’s time to flee for your life. Andrew, who’s new to the area, frantically knocked on my door with concern in his eyes. He was ready to run for it. We were relieved when it stopped after five.

08-24-09

Monday morning, time to get some work done. We needed to get trailer #10 cleaned and ready for it’s new tenant. It was a mess. The stove, hood, kitchen walls and ceiling we’re all greasy. I scrubbed and scrubbed and got frustrated and frustrated. I cleaned #10 for 2 ½ hours. It was much better, but still in need of some work.
Back in the bus the refrigerator door wouldn’t latch. It’s important to make sure the fridge is latched while on the road. I’ve gotten in the habit of listening for the click even while parked. One other time, back in Rochester, the fridge wouldn’t click. While messing with it the door fell off sending condiments flying. I found a screw had fallen out. It was a simple fix. This time when the click stopped I knew right away to look at the screw. It had fallen out again. I screwed it in this time before the door fell off, a much less dramatic outcome. Maybe next time I’ll add a lock washer, or some lock tight.
I was running low on internet usage for the month. I drove to the Paradise Café in hopes of using their free wi-fi to download some large music pod casts in their parking lot. The signal wasn’t strong enough.
I went to the post office and picked up a package I was eagerly awaiting for from Trinity. She found me four shirts at thrift shops in Bozeman Montana. She is the queen of frugal and I was curious to see what she had picked out for me. The shirts were all fabulous for their own reasons. One is made of hemp and flax, so that should be good for my cholesterol. I knew Trinity was anxious for feedback. I turned the bus dash cam around. The hallway makes a good catwalk. I’m not a very good model, but with good editing and production values I was able to make an acceptable fashion show video and emailed it to her.
That night I hung out with Corey and Andrew, the new guy who moved into filthy #9.
Wow, two friends!

08-23-09

I’ve been in Port Orford long enough now that I’m starting to settle in. I’ve checked out the obvious, “must see” locations. The daily urgency to go see something new has been replaced with contentment and a longing to simply enjoy the time and space here.
I have nothing to do, but I still never seem to find the time to get everything done. The days go by fast. I’m making good progress stripping away years of clutter in my head revealing the basic elements of being; sun, sand, wind, water, music, food. Eventually I’ll move on from here and rebuild on my new, simplified, reprogrammed foundation. It’s hard to do nothing and not feel guilty of being unproductive and falling behind. I have to remind myself that it’s okay; I’m supposed to be doing nothing right now. The uneasy feeling is actually comforting. I’m starting to feel urges to work and work hard. When I’m ready, I’ll come out swinging.
I rode my bike south on the 101. Before I made it out of town I noticed that a fishing boat was approaching the Port of Port Orford. It’s a unique port. All boats are lifted out of the water by crane. I hadn’t witnessed this yet, so I road my bike toward the beach next to the port for a better look. The commercial fishing boat was towing a smaller speed boat. The speed boat was lifted out by crane and set on a trailer, followed by the fishing boat.
The port faces south and is sheltered from the north wind by the Port Orford Heads. In my location the wind was blowing strongly off of the beach into the water. I sat with my back to the wind watching the sand swirl around me and fly into the breaking waves.
I continued south on the 101 with the wind at my back. I’d been riding north lately so I could push into the wind first, then ride home with the wind. The 101 goes inland north of Port Orford. It’s right along the coast line south of town. The view is much better south, but I knew I’d have to face the wind once I turned around. Endurance was the big question on my mind, “how far can I go and still have enough energy to make it back…happy?” I always make it, but sometimes I’m not happy about it. I rode to Humbug Mountain, then turned around and made it home happy.
I walked to the Circle K and bought a 6 pack of beer, India Pale Ale from Washington. I didn’t realize the significance of the moment until I was walking home. I had just bought beer in a gas station…on a Sunday. No big deal for a lot of people, but very special for a Minnesota boy.
As I sat in the bus and it rocked in the wind I realized that I’m not only used to my home swaying in the wind, it now seems normal. It’s comforting…mostly.

08-22-09

We rode our bikes north through town and to the beach, then walked them along the beach, looping back towards home.
There were two women from Washington with their SUV stuck on the beach. We offered assistance, but there wasn’t much we could do. The back wheels had dug deep into the sand, one so much so that there was about a 1’ gap between the top of the tire and the bottom of the wheel well. The suspension was extended to it’s limit and the wheel was at a crooked angle to the rest of the truck. They were on the phone with a towing company, so we wished them, “Good luck” and went on our way.
The beach was intense. It was extremely windy and loud. The waves were the biggest I’d seen. They must have been 10’ high. They crashed with tremendous force into the sand splashing water high into the air. Sand blew out of control in the wind, around rocks and over drift wood, shifting and changing the dunes. At times it felt like the skin was being sand blasted off of the backs of my calves. There was nothing to hide behind. I tried in vein to block the wind with my bike. The sand blast effect was less on the wet the sand, closer to the ocean, but then the sneaker waves would get me if I got distracted. I’m starting to reflexively jump and run for higher ground when startled by an unusually loud crash.
I found more and bigger agates then I had in the past. I guess the big surf shakes things up. I’m still not exactly sure what I’m looking for, but these seem almost big enough to be worthwhile.
Our outing was only about 4 miles long, but we got a great work out pushing our bikes through the sand and struggling in the wind.
Corey broke his bike chain again. Fortunately we were mostly uphill from home. So far he’s had good luck breaking his chain where he can mostly coast home.
He showed me Himalayan black berry bushes that were bursting with big, bright, juicy black berries. We picked and ate them on the side of the road. I think I need a bucket.

08-21-09

I borrowed Corey’s vacuum and gave the bus a good cleaning. My little Dirt Devil does okay, but there were remnants of six states and several geographical regions ground into the carpet and furniture.
We rode our bikes to the beach west of home, and then walked around exploring. I found a few agates…I think. They are all very small, almost too small. I put them in my pocket and hope I find them later.
I received a package from my mom at the post office. General Delivery is great. I can get mail at any Post Office in the country.
It was another hot and windy afternoon. I watered the plants at the RV park and picked up another round of cigarette butts left by my old neighbors. I had picked up their yard, then the butts they had flicked in every direction from their yard, now I found that there were butts everywhere by where they parked their car on the street. Another fifty or so and maybe the dirt will just be dirt again. It’s so nice that they’re gone and not adding to the problem any more.
The first pre-season Vikings game, with Favre too, was at 4:30 Pacific Time. It was early in the day, plus it’s not on TV here. Corey can get the radio broadcast over the internet, so we listened to that. I imagined it would be weird with Favre as a Viking, but it was more odd and confusing than I thought it would be.

08-20-09

Thick fog in the morning gave way to a sunny sky. Corey and I rode our bikes to Paradise Point. I had seen “Paradise Point Road” heading toward the ocean and wanted to check it out. They got the “paradise” part right. It’s a long, soft sandy beach with big waves. There’s no “point”, but that’s not nearly as important as the “paradise“ part. We hung out there for awhile, digging in the sand and checking out rocks, agates, shells and driftwood. The sand was soft, like walking on a moist sponge cake.
Back at home a got a lot of small chores done, watered my plants, did my dishes, clipped my toe nails, etc.
I finally washed my Jeep. It was the dirtiest it had ever been after pulling it half way across the country, over the mountains and through the woods. One set of road construction over a mountain chipped my windshield twenty times with hundreds of pock marks and chipped both head lights. I’d been wanting to wash it since I got to Port Orford, but hadn’t been able to find a car wash in the small town. Corey said I could wash it at the park with a hose. It was good to get it clean and I did a few other odds and ends. I pumped up the basketball that holds up my busted driver seat and keeps it from reclining. It had gone unusually flat. I think it’s from the air pressure changes from driving over the mountains. Either it just lost it’s air, or it popped. Time will tell.
I put a small piece of scotch tape over each headlight hole. They still worked, but had holes clean through the glass. I figured this will at least keep moister out. That evening Corey and I drove south on the 101 to watch the sunset. When we were stopped at a pull-off I notice the headlights were fogged up. The scotch tape had trapped moister IN the light. I took off the tape and drove home with the lights on to try to dry them out. Once they’re dry I’ll reapply the tape.
I grilled salmon, shrimp skewers and potatoes with black beans. It’s a drought here so I have to be careful not to light the grass on fire with my metal charcoal lighter. The gopher mound in my yard is the perfect shape, size and location. Thanks gopher!

08-19-09

My next door neighbors moved out finally. The good news heavily outweighed the bad news. There were five people living in a little travel trailer, four adults and a new born. They had a car that was so stuffed with belongings that even the driver’s seat was packed to the windshield. They had to move their stuff to drive the car. They were always coming and going, hacking and coughing and flicking cigarette butts everywhere. The only bad news about them being gone was that I’d never figure out what the mysterious pumping sound was that they made periodically late at night.
We have to clean the trailer before an old lady moves in. We have a couple of weeks, so there’s no hurry, but I wanted to at least get rid of all of the trash. I threw out junk and picked all of the man-made material and cigarette butts, hundreds of them, out of the yard. It made the whole park feel better, especially my living space. It was now clean on both sides of the bus. The neighborhood felt brighter and less cluttered, physically and had a more peaceful aura.
The weather has been pleasant on the coast. It was 110 degrees just over the mountains inland in Eugene, but only in the 60s by the ocean.
Sea food is much better here and cheaper too. I’ve been taking advantage of it both in restaurants and at home. Yesterday it stunk like fish in the bus. Today it smells good, more seafood restaurant, less stinky fish. Maybe that’s why seafood restaurants smell that way, it’s yesterday’s fishy smell. Maybe I’m just acclimating to the stink. Either way, I like it. “Welcome to Johnny’s Fish Bus”.

08-18-09

When I opened the windshield curtains there were four turkeys running around the RV park. They were wild turkeys. I learned later from Corey that they are, “domestic, wild turkeys“, an oxi-moron, but it makes since. They live just down the block.
After getting some house work done I was able to focus on my bike camera mount. I was hoping to simply put a bolt through a bracket that I had for a handlebar light. I needed the right size bolt to fit the hole in the camera for the tripod mount, so when Corey wanted to go to the hardware store I was more than willing. I got a couple of different length bolts and a few nuts and wing nuts. I wanted not only to make the planned mount, but also to have some spare parts to improvise with in the future. When I saw how easily various bolts fit into the camera I got excited about all the possibilities. “I could bolt my camera to almost anything with a hole” I thought. I splurged on parts and my bill was still only $1.17.
Much like my bus dash cam, the bike cam mount virtually built itself. When I took apart the bracket for the light it had a pocket in it that perfectly fit the head of the bolt I wanted to use. I drilled one hole in the soft plastic and the bolt slipped right in. The camera mounts tightly to the bracket and the bracket mounts tightly to the handlebar. The wrist lanyard makes a good safety rope. I can even adjust the pan and tilt.
I headed up the steep hill to the Port Orford Heads, the fairy tail ride that inspired the bike cam.
Please watch my video.

08-17-09

We were expecting to do a lot of work quickly to trailer #9 before Jutta, the new tenant arrived. We weren’t sure when she would show up and the trailer was still a mess. The toilet had overflowed a few days earlier. We were trying to air it out.
Jutta showed up before I even got outside for the day. Corey managed to talk her into moving into #2 instead. It was a brilliant move that was better for Jutta and bought us time with stinky #9.
Jutta is a wonderful woman. She’s here from North Carolina, her son works near here. She has a thick European accent and laughs a lot. She smudged her place by burning sage and conducting some sort of ritualistic procedure to cleanse it from negative energy. I’m going to have her over for coffee and to smudge my place and me. I guess I need to be smudged first.
Jutta really brightens up the neighborhood. When I got here there were four open trailers, right now they are all full. A man showed up and happily rented stinky #9 as is. He’s going to clean it up, so now we don’t have to. My neighbors are moving out in a few days then we’ll have to clean their trailer. I’ll be glad when they’re gone. I hear this mysterious pumping sound late at night. I thought I was over hearing their trailer literally rocking in a moment of trailer park bliss, but then I heard the mundane conversation of several adults. What are they pumping!
I watered the plants and Jutta came out and pointed out; sage, rosemary, thyme, strawberries and other plants. She loves to garden and is going to grow some things.
I weed whacked in the windy dustbowl then went for a bike ride. I rode back up to the heads to go down the other trail. It’s only a mile, but it’s straight up for half a mile. At the park it’s a narrow concrete block path through thick trees, moss and ferns. Then it opens up to spectacular views of the Pacific. I rode down the hill and viewed from the south head. There’s a bench there. It’s location probably makes it one of the best benches in the world. I sat for awhile, then traded it with two gentlemen who came down the path. I rode back down the other trail that I had ridden before. It was such a beautiful ride again that I decided I must figure out how to mount my camera on my bike and tape it.
I coasted home, fast down the hill, excited to get to work on my bike camera mount.

08-16-09

I wanted to ride back to and explore Cape Blanco. It was a sunny morning and the wind sounded like it had died down. The internet said that the wind was only 3mph in Port Orford. I got on my bike and headed north. Right away I knew the wind was way over 3mph and remembered that the web site I looked at gets it’s readings from Gold Beach. “Damn you internet!“ The wind was strong and it was back up hill to the “Cape Blanco 3 Miles” sign. I figured once I made that turn it would be a “ride in the park”. When I took the left the wind was much stronger as I turned into it and it blasted off of the ocean. The sign said, “Light House 6 Miles”. “6 miles, I thought it was only 3!” It got harder too. It was a long flat prairie, then a long steep climb to the top of the cape. Cape Blanco State Park STARTS 3 miles from the turn, it’s 3 more to the coast.
I made it to the light house, almost exactly 10 miles from my front door. The cape is surrounded by the ocean on three sides. The view is exquisite. The harder the place is to get to the more beautiful the view. I took some pictures. It was hard to hold steady in the wind. I found a place with a great view, in the grass close to a drop off, that if you sat down was protected slightly from the wind. I stayed there for awhile. When I stood up a woman was taking a picture out of her car window. I made a big X with my body to block her shot, but then laughed and sat back down. She got the shot, they honked their horn and I stood back up and waved good-bye.
When I rode back out to the highway I saw a deer standing right on the side of the road. I stopped to get a picture, but a car scared it away. The ride into town was much easier again with the wind and hill on my side. It was a good 20 mile ride by the time I was done and I felt content to relax the rest of the day.
Corey and I went for a drive along the coast south of town. He’d been wanting to build a fire pit at home. There was some ideal stone at a parking spot by the beach. You’re probably not supposed to take it, but we did anyway. We tried to be discrete as cars drove by. It was like something we would have found ourselves doing together 20 years ago. We didn’t talk about it, we just did it. I guess steeling things off of the side of the road with Corey is automatic, like riding a bike.

08-15-09

I was woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of running water outside my window. I wanted to just sleep it off, but had to get up and make sure my bus wasn‘t leaking and broken somehow. When I opened the door the noise got louder, but it was too dark to see. I grabbed a flashlight and found that the neighbor’s trailer’s drain hose was streaming water through a hole. Not an emergency. Especially since it’s not my plumbing. There was a fresh mound in the middle of my little yard. “What’s that?” I thought. “Dirt? Cow pie? How could a cow even fit back here?” Confused, I went back to bed.
In the morning I found out that it’s a gopher hole. My maple saplings were right by the hole and most of the leaves had been eaten off. I moved it up on the table in hopes that it would be safe there.
I rode my bike north on the 101 out of Port Orford. There was a very strong head-wind blowing off of the ocean and it was mostly up hill. 4.5 miles from home is the left turn and “Cape Blanco 3 Miles“ sign. There’s a light house and it’s the western most part of the Oregon coast. I was overdue for lunch, so I decided to ride back the next day and explore Cape Blanco. The ride home was fun and fast. It took 29 minutes going out and only 15 coming back.
I mowed the park. It’s been a drought. Everything is dry and dusty. The earth here is beach sand. The mower throws it in the air and the wind throws it farther. Pine cones, rocks, sticks, dust and heat, Satan’s Death Mower.
Wow what a shower! I cleaned up nice and decided to go out. I wanted to check out the Crazy Norwegian seafood place. It was just a couple of blocks away, so I walked. It was homey and welcoming, “sit wherever“. Fish tacos were the special, but I had to try the half fish half shrimp and chips. I drank a porter, or two while I eve’s dropped and waited for my food. One guy was the dad of one of the waitresses. A family that was obviously traveling came in and took what felt like 12 minutes to sit down. The waitress made her dad switch tables with the family. The retired guy sitting near me offered them his extra chair. That man’s wife looked the pretty girl up and down who just walked through the door with her boyfriend. “Can I get another porter?” The food was excellent. It’s so wonderful to be close to fresh sea food. “Crack, crunch, crumble, crack!”, “What’s that?” My head slowly turned to the right as the pretty girl’s chair crumbled to the floor beneath her. Everything slowed down. The retired man rushed to catch her. He got to her just as she came to a full stop. “Are you okay”, he asked as he helped her up. “I’m fine” she said, embarrassed, but laughing it off. He was so concerned and asked if she was okay again. “Wow, what a great man”, I thought as I realized I hadn’t moved a muscle except to watch. Not even a flinch. “Why didn’t I try to save her?” I thought and questioned my manhood. “I never felt like she was in danger, yeah that‘s it“. She was young and fit and looked like she could handle the fall. “He’s sexist…yeah, the old guy thought the frail woman needed to be saved”. Not me, I knew she could take it. It was a poor attempt to rationalize my lack of heroism.

08-14-09

It was another gorgeous sunny morning. Corey wanted to go for a bike ride, so we headed south on the 101. The road is hilly, windy, with narrow shoulders and runaway traffic. Though it is difficult it is extremely bike friendly as there are many hard-core long distance bikers riding up and down the coast. They carry everything the have on bags on their bikes and camp along the road.
As we were climbing a long hill I watched two long distance bikers gaining on us in my mirror. When they finally came around us I was intrigued by the two young women. I said, “Hey”. They said, “Hi” and “Good morning” in a tough, road hardened way. They seemed extremely confidant, calm and in control. They were dragging gear strapped to their bikes up the mountain with what appeared to be no effort. The second girl had feathers swept back and sticking out of her helmet. Their energy pulled me forward.
Corey and I turned off and took the Cemetery Loop up into the mountains. We rested at the Port Orford Cemetery. There were a couple of grave stones that caught my eye. One from 1903 was shaped partly like a log and had a seal that read, “Here Rests a Woodman of the World, Dume Tacet Clamat”. Later I Googled and learned that it was a fraternal order from the late 1800’s. “Dum Tacet Clamat” is Latin for, “Though Silent He Speaks”. James F. Howe was silent, but at the moment he was speaking to me and now he speaks to you. He was 38 when he died 106 years ago.
Corey’s bike chain broke, but luckily we were close to the peak of the Cemetery Loop and we coasted to town in record time.
Back at the park I watered the plants and new grass.
We went to the hardware store to get bike chain links and the grocery store for some supplies.
I spent some of the evening at Corey’s. The Vikings first pre-season game was that night. He’s is a big Minnesota fan, but it’s hard to get coverage here. He can get the radio broadcast on his computer.

08-13-09

It was a beautiful sunny morning. I enjoyed coffee and futzed around the house.
I finished cleaning trailer #9. The fridge was still dirty and I took apart the ceiling vent and cleaned it.
I was itching to ride my bike and Corey needed some keys made, so I rode to the hardware store. Then I rode to the beach two blocks south of home. I hadn’t been to that beach yet. More people were there than the beach west of home. It is right on the 101 and is more accessible. I dipped my bike tire in the ocean for symbolic reasons, but really couldn’t ride it on the soft sand. It’s a long curved sandy beach. Two 4-wheel-drive trucks drove by. It looked like a lot of fun, plus you could really cover a lot of ground. I need to get a permit and then I can drive my Jeep on the beach. The permit is free. I watched closely the way they drove to learn hopefully how not to get stuck. It seems the wet sand near the water is harder and easier to drive on. It’s a balancing act though, if you drive too close to the ocean the waves will hit you. I got my poor rusted Jeep out of the winter salt, now I’ll douse it in salty water.
I sat on the beach for awhile. I girl walked by taking pictures. She was a long distance biker who had ridden across America from Virginia and was now headed south to San Francisco. Fascinated by all of the long distance touring bicyclists on the 101 I asked her all sorts of questions. She was going to cheat a bit and hitch a ride for the next 10 miles, or so.
I went home for awhile, then went to the beach west of home that evening. I rode my bike there, then walked around. I brought a bottle of wine and a glass in my back pack and sipped it as I explored the beach and rocks. There was no one on the beach. It was odd to have such an amazing place all to myself. I had my headphones on and kept looking over my shoulder for people, but there was never anyone anywhere. I could see for miles in all directions. I played on the rocks and in the sand and surf. The ocean is so loud that I could still enjoy the crashing waves over my thumping tunes.
I biked home as the sun set. When I rounded a corner there was a small deer standing in the road. It ran around the corner. I fumbled for my camera and moved forward. It went up the ditch and into the brush. I rolled forward and looked into the woods. For a second I saw nothing, then saw the deer standing right there looking at me. I shot a few pictures. The deer just stood there. Usually animals run off so fast I’m lucky to get a couple of pictures. I wasn’t sure what to do so I shot some video.
Eventually it slowly walked back and disappeared into the trees.

08-12-09

It had rained in the night. It was still drizzly and foggy when I woke up. Locals say it hasn’t rained in awhile so this is welcome. I’m starting to think I control the rain by leaving my bike outside. I dried it off and covered it with a towel.
It spent a cozy morning tinkering with things indoors and enjoying coffee.
The sun broke through the clouds and Corey and I went for a bike ride to the Port Orford Heads, just ¾ of a mile away. The headlands are high rocky cliffs surrounded by the ocean on three sides. I knew it was up hill, but was surprised how big of a climb it was.
There are tsunami evacuation routs all along the coast that lead up into the cascade mountain range, away from the ocean. The heads are a unique tsunami evacuation route toward the ocean. I would be skeptical fleeing toward the ocean to get away from a tsunami, but I guess I would trust that the heads are tall enough. After the ride up I’m all to familiar with their height.
The historical Port Orford Lifeguard Station and Museum are on top of the hill. There are trails that lead to spectacular views of the ocean and coast. We rode our bikes along a lush green rolling, hilly trail on top of the heads. The blue ocean glistened far below. The beach went on as far as the eye could see in both directions. Crashing waves, seagulls and sea lions filled our ears. Far down below was a big rock out in the ocean with dozens of sea lions barking and warming in the sun. We got off our bikes and hiked around. There are established trails, but you are free to explore anywhere at your own risk. Some of the drop-offs are life threatening. I actually left my bike helmet on sometimes for fear I was going to fall.
It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen, a fairy tail setting.
We spent a great deal of time exploring and got a good work out too.
Back at home I took a little nap, then walked downtown to get some fish tacos at a little roadside shack. I couldn’t stop thinking about them after I saw the “Fish Tacos $7” sign the day before. They were pretty good. I walked a few blocks farther and got some wine at the grocery store.
Corey and I hung out in the bus for awhile, then he went home.
I woke up when Corey called me. It was 9:36. I couldn’t believe I had slept in so late…it was still dark…wait…it was 9:36PM, not AM. That made more sense.
I guess the all the fresh air…and perhaps the wine knocked me out early.

08-11-09

There’s so much to explore here and my bike is the ideal way to get around. I went for a ride in the morning fog. I rode around town trying to get the lay of the land. I learn a little more each ride; two places sell propane, there’s a car parts store, “Fish Tacos $7”.
While stopped, standing on a sidewalk watching traffic meander by on the 101 I noticed two cars slowing to a stop right in the middle of the block. They were stopping to let me cross. I shook my head, laughing and waved them by. They seemed to laugh too and drove off. “It’s so bike friendly here”, I thought. I’ve wanted to live in a bike friendly community. I always note when a town has bike lanes.
I rode back towards home, south on the 101. I felt more comfortable on the highway after my nice traffic incident, plus long distance bikers are constantly passing by. I talked to two guys who were riding from Vancouver to San Francisco.
I rode to the beach and walked around for a few hours. The sun slowly cut through the fog and eventually it was a bright sunny day.
At first I was the only one on the beach, then a woman came by. She had a big zip top bag and was bent over searching the ground. “What are you looking for”, I asked. “Agates“, she replied. I asked all about them. She told me how to look for them, which ones are good, what people do with them, etc. I started looking and continued walking. Soon I came across a man, presumably her husband, who too was looking. I showed him my first agate, but he said, “That’s not even one”. “Really!” I said and threw it on the ground. He gave me a tip; look for the sparkle from the sun. I continued walking and looking. There was a sparkle in the sand. I picked it up and it looked like the ones the woman had, kind of clear with streaks like a marble. I shouted back to the man, “I found my first agate!” He gave me a thumbs up.
I walked to the rocky part of the coast. The rocks are hard to climb around on barefoot. They are covered with sharp muscles. I saw some orange star fish way out on the rocks. I wanted to take some pictures of them, but the waves were crashing in. I carefully maneuvered over the rocks, doing my best to avoid the muscles and waves. Occasionally a wave would get my feet, but I would just hang on and wait. Once I got close there were many more starfish that I hadn’t seen. They were dark and purple and blended in to the rocks.
Back home I cleaned another trailer. I thought this one would take half the time of the one from the day before, because it didn’t have much needed. Just scrub the walls and floors. It wound up taking twice as long as the other one. Everything was coated with a brown cigarette smoke film. The ceiling, walls, appliances, everything. The stuff wipes off pretty easily, but it smears and almost makes a mud. Don’t smoke cigarettes.
That evening I relaxed in my small yard and tuned up Corey’s bike. His Fred Meyers Special needed some tweakin‘.

08-10-09

Monday in Port Orford, time to get to work in trade for the rent.
The park has several small travel trailers that are rented out. Several are open and we’re getting them ready and looking for renters. It’s more of a trailer park than an RV park, meaning that the people generally live here instead of vacationing here.
For some it’s temporary housing as they work in the area, or are in the process of relocating. For most its cheap housing. If someone is renting a camper as their primary home, needless to say they’re probably on the lower end of the income bracket. The previous renters, and management, were not too keen on cleanliness. The dirty trailers were borderline overwhelming and rather scary. I cleaned one trailer and was surprised that it only took several hours. While cleaning I realized that I hadn’t worked since Christmas Eve. Several times I caught myself wondering “how did I get here?“ From small town celebrity to cleaning mystery goo out of low income housing. It was humbling. I felt more connected to real humanity than I had in a long time. I felt sort of proud, like I was doing work that actually made a difference on a street level. I cleaned the trailer like it was my home, like I was moving into it. I tried to do the best I could. Everyone deserves a clean home. “If I can get rid of the grossness then they won’t even know it was ever here”, I thought. It certainly wasn’t a palace, but it was much more pleasant when I was done. It was good to feel the satisfaction of an honest days work…especially after only a few hours. I was now free to enjoy my day on the coast.
I gave up on my leveling jacks. I retracted them and hobo leveled the bus with boards under the left rear tires. It’s sitting almost perfectly level and without the stabilization of the jacks I get rocked to sleep by the ocean breezes.
Since I’m on city water I drained my fresh water holding tank and gave the other tanks a good rinsing. Then it was time for me. My shower works great here. This is the best water pressure I’ve had, plus while on city water I don’t have the back and forth hot and cold torture shower.
I grilled some brats in my 5’ x 35’ yard and made some baked beans Kentucky Fried Chicken style. Yellow mustard, BBQ sauce and drop of liquid smoke. They use sugar too, but I left that out. I think I’m allowed to share that information. It’s not off limits like the secret eleven herbs and spices is it?

08-09-09

After driving almost exclusively for a few days I had a mental list of rattles and things that needed to be screwed in, or glued down. I spent much of the morning working on simple fix-it jobs around the bus. It was nice to have TV and the microwave whenever I wanted to use them and good water pressure. I set the clocks on the microwave and my clock radio for the first time in over a month. I need to figure out a way to secure my Bose Wave Radio. I found it on the floor after the last long day of driving. I’m not sure which bump sent it flying off of the shelf, but I’m sure glad it still works.
We messed with my leveling jacks a bit. The left rear jack goes to the ground and stops. I think I need some more hydraulic fluid and to bleed the line. The hardware store is closed Sunday, so I put the project on hold. Maybe I’ll just drive it up on boards again.
Corey took me for a bike ride by the Port Orford Heads. They’re huge rocky cliffs sticking out into the ocean. The beach goes on for miles up and down the coast. It was about 68 degrees and sunny with a strong breeze coming off of the ocean.
Later I went for another bike ride to explore the town. I wound up down on the port. It’s a unique port where they lift each boat out of the water with a crane. I was excited to find a run down fish shack restaurant right on the pier. I bet they have good sea food.
That night we went on a drive south down the coast and watched the sun set over the water.

08-08-09

I picked up some supplies before heading to Port Orford about an hour south. The drive was pleasant. More scenic coast line and forest mountains. One hour seemed really short compared to how much I had been driving lately.
I found where Corey was staying, just one block off of the 101. It’s a gravel city lot with room for ten trailers. Six of the spaces have small travel trailers that the park rents out on a month to month basis, the other spaces are for RVs. Corey is the on site manager and is letting me have a space if I help him work. The park is a bit run down. He’s in the process fixing things and cleaned it up.
I get full hook-ups, including cable and the cell/internet signal is strong.
Port Orford is quiet and small, about 1000 people. There aren’t many businesses, but everything you really need is here, grocery store, hardware store, gas station and a few interesting looking restaurants.
The location is excellent. The Port Orford Heads and ocean are 3/4 of a mile away to the west and Port Orford Port and the beach is just a couple of blocks to the south.
I’m looking forward riding my bike and exploring.

08-07-09

I needed an oil change pretty bad. I found two places on the internet near by, but got shot down at both of them. One was busy and the other…well I gave up looking for the other one.
I headed through Portland and toward the coast. The drive is beautiful. Tall trees line both sides of the road, so thick at times that they overhang and make it seem like a tunnel. You are encouraged to turn on your headlights. The narrow, two lane highway winds it’s way through the woods, up and down mountains, over bridges and through tunnels.
After heading west for ever I changed direction and started south on Highway 101, the famous Pacific Coast Highway. As beautiful as the road I was just on, but now also hanging on the edge of a cliff above the ocean.
I drove it all day. I stopped for lunch in Lincoln City. I had crab cakes and fish tacos overlooking the ocean, then walked down to the beach.
I kept rolling south. After a few “bad” Wal Marts and exploring some Fred Meyers’ lots (I hear you can park at Fred Meyers) I stumbled upon the Mil Casino in Coos Bay. I’ve heard you can usually park in casino lots. There were hundreds of RVs scattered on a big gravel field. I pulled into the RV parking area and asked a couple, “Can we park for free here?” They said that they checked in at the official RV park and were told “You can park for free, just stay on the gravel“. So I did.
Please check out my PCH video.

08-06-09

No LP, no coffee. Not with the stove, not with the microwave. First thing; find LP.
I pulled out and took a right, away from the interstate into Mountain Home. I got lucky and immediately saw a sign on the left for an RV park that said, “Propane”, so I pulled in and filled up.
Next; diesel and coffee at the gas station. I was itching to get rolling.
It was a rainy day in Idaho. I watched many storms roll over the mountains and across the prairie. I made it to Oregon and entered into the Pacific Time Zone. Soon I hit the Columbia River and followed it west on the north boarder of Oregon. It was tricky driving. It is mountainous with deep drop-offs an high cliffs. When the rain stopped the wind started. The wind coming off of the river was intense. Permanent ‘High Wind” signs lined the road and they were correct. It hit me from both directions, off of the river on the right and bouncing back off of the rock face on the left. The decent out of Pendleton drops down thousands of feet. I think my altimeter went from nearly 6000’ to sea level. Gorgeous white knuckle scenery.
I was pushing for a Wal Mart in Hood River, Oregon. It took awhile, but I made it. I was exhausted and again low on diesel. “No Overnight Parking” signs were plastered all over the lot. There were a couple of RVs that looked like they were staying. Not sure and not wanting to be woken up in the night I decided to keep going. I checked the internet and found a Wal Mart without a red X over it less than an hour away in Troutdale.
I hit the interstate planning on getting diesel right away, but the interstate went right into the woods. No towns, no gas stations and not much hope. I didn’t want to pull off on small exits looking, for fear of wasting what precious fuel I had.
Eventually I was saved when a town popped out of the trees.
When I made it to the “good” Wal Mart, it too had “No Overnight Parking” signs. It was a “bad” Wal Mart. This one had five, or six RVs in it. So I wondered if they just look the other way, or something. I looked for a fellow RVer to inquire, but found no one.
I had seen a TA truck stop one exit back and found a cozy place between a school bus and semi tractor. It was tight side to side. I was at eye level with the school bus windows about a foot away. I had to unhook the Jeep and park it in it’s own spot to fit lengthwise. It wasn’t the nicest place. There was a lot of trash and people living in their cars.
I closed all the curtains, set my booby-traps and went to sleep.

08-05-09

At 4:00am the idling engine of the semi truck parked near me drove me mad. Windows up, headphones on it was still too loud. I had to move. I was ready to roll because I wasn’t sure if overnight parking was allowed at that Wal Mart. When I pulled in there were no Rvs. There were no “No Overnight Parking” signs and the one truck, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
When I decided I had to move, all I had to do was start the engine and open the curtains. The parking lot was quiet as I circled in my underwear looking for a better spot. I parked on the other end of the lot from the truck. It was still loud. I restarted the bus, drove all the way to the other side of the store and crawled back into bed.
After some quiet sleep I drove to the Crates of the Moon National Park, in Idaho. I thought it was close, but it took a long time to get there, farther and farther out into the baron prairie. It was fitting that the “Moon” was so far away. The park is from out of this world. I felt sometimes like I was on a cheesy Star Trek set, waiting to get killed as the forth man on the away team.
The volcano that is now under Yellowstone was at this spot millions of years ago. The volcano didn’t move. The tectonic plate has been sliding over it for eons. Crates of the Moon is miles and miles of hardened lava. You can see the way the lava was flowing, frozen in time. As I scanned the horizon I imagined the entire area as bubbling red hot lava.
I liked the size of the park. Some are frustratingly large to take in. There were about seven stops on a 7 mile drive. Each stop had an easy half mile walk, or so. There was one huge volcanic mound that took 10 minutes to hike up. The whole mound was made up of black lava rocks, like coal. The view, as usual was worth the hike.
Many of the paths wander through the lava field. There is actually a lot of plant and animal life if you look close.
By the time I explored the caves and was ready to leave I was surprised to find out I had been there for 5 hours.
I headed back to the interstate towards a Wal Mart in Mountain Home, Idaho. I thought it was about 30 miles, but the sign said “110”. It was a long drive with rain and road construction. My Jeep got pummeled by gravel. The windshield had about 20 chips in it as well as one chip on each headlight. Now I understand the construction sign, “Slow Down Save Windshield”.
I was low on Diesel and virtually out of LP, so I didn’t run the generator, water heater, or stove, but kept what LP I had left for the refrigerator.
I ran the batteries down on my laptop and MP3 player by candlelight and went to bed.

08-04-09

Before leaving Cody I stopped at an RV park to dump and fill my water tanks. The office door was locked, so I figured I‘d get started and pay when done. Usually they’ll let you dump and fill for $5, or $10.
The road leaned toward the dump station, so I tried a reverse dump and fill. I pulled in with my hook-ups on the wrong side, then ran the hoses underneath the bus. I was surprised to find the sewer hose reached. By filling leaning away from the station I’m able to fill the tank completely and take on more water, as I learned in Red Lodge. When I was done I left. Oops, I forgot to pay. I miss Trinity, but there are some perks, she never would have let me “forget” to pay.
I love to drink coffee and drive. The problem is that the more coffee I drink, the more bathroom breaks I need. Driving when you have to go can be torture, so I generally don’t get to enjoy too much coffee. One thing nice about traveling in a motorhome is that I can drink coffee and when I need a break I just pull over and use my bathroom.
The drive to Yellowstone was beautiful. It still blew my mind that I was on the same US Highway 14 that I knew so well in Minnesota.
I drove from Cody to Yellowstone, then south through Yellowstone to the Grand Teton National Park, then to Jackson, then west into Idaho. I saw a fox right on the side of the road in Yellowstone. The roads were steep, narrow, windy, busy and had a lot of road construction. I went up and down 10% grade between Jackson and Idaho. I averaged 30mph. I find I’m steering the motorhome by where my Jeep is in the rear view monitor. If it’s centered in the lane I’m good. It was a tedious drive, but fun. Definitely worth the stunning scenery.
Please watch my video.

08-03-09

Trinity and her brother made a wonderful new connection while we were in Bozeman Montana. She is going there to spend more time with him.
After she left in the middle of the day the bus was quiet, especially without Sebastian. He’s a great watchdog and is usually curious about anything that’s going on. I had grown quickly accustom to the both of them being around. Getting used to being with them was easier than getting used to being without them. As quickly as they came into my life, they were gone…for now. I went from being totally alone, to with someone 99% of the time, back to totally alone.
Living in tight quarters can start to drive you mad. We had been cooped up together, secluded in the mountains for a couple of weeks. I think we both needed some time apart. It was good to get some alone time to regroup. I cleaned the bus, took a long shower, went to the laundry mat and got everything stowed and ready to roll. I was planning on putting some distance behind me the next day.
Several thunderstorms rolled through that afternoon which kept it cool. They came over the mountain and straight over me.
I spent some time on my laptop. My air card worked in Cody, but I could also pick up a free wifi internet signal, so I tried to use that to save my data usage. It worked okay, but was slow. I think It’s from a nearby campground. Sometimes I can see on my computer specifically where a signal is coming from. It will be called, “Holiday Inn”, or “Flying J”. If the signal is faint and I have some big downloading to do, I can drive to their parking lot and take care of business.
I messed around with my altimeters. I had set them both to 10,000’ on top of the Beartooth Pass where a sign said “Elevation 10,400‘. The old one of my grandfathers only went up to 10,000’. The other one was so small to read that 10,000’ was as close as I could manage to set it while driving the switchbacks in the bus. The old one now read 6000’ in Cody which is close, but not right on. The other one still said 10,000’, so I threw it away.
Living in Wal Mart parking lots is interesting. It is it’s own culture and community. Most people are very friendly and go out of there way to help each other. Mechanical tips and advice are a given. Destination, location and different routes are frequently shared too. I gave a couple from Minnesota the hand drawn map of the spot on the mountain by Red Lodge that I was given. It felt good sharing it and passing it along. The community is good. We watch out for each other. I’ve learned that you can keep an eye on things with your rear view side mirrors. I can see down both sides of the bus while sitting on the couch.

08-02-09

We went to Buffalo Bill State Park, just 4 miles up the road. The Buffalo Bill Dam makes a huge recreational reservoir in a mountain valley. There are many campgrounds and people boat and fish. The shoreline is mostly rocky and steep, but we found a few places to swim. It was a hot afternoon and the cold water was a great way to pass the time. There was a lot of driftwood of all sizes and unimaginable shapes. We each took just one piece. I found an odd object floating with the driftwood. It was a tube about 10” long and an inch wide. Mostly old, weathered cork with a couple of inches of metal that was threaded with tightening rings. It was hollow inside with a core like the tube of a bic pen. “What on earth could it be?” I pondered. “Was it Buffalo Bills “tobacco” smoking paraphernalia?” I took it with to hopefully figure out the mystery in time.
Trinity found where she had seen people jumping off of rocks in to the water the day before and jumped off herself. She jumped five times with the local kids and climbed up the rock wall to get out. I chickened out.
Then we checked out the dam. It’s 350’ high. You can walk across the top of it. On one side the water is near the top, on the other there’s a huge canyon way down below. Truly worth more than the free admission and I got a free Wyoming map.
That evening I made a sarcastic picnic of deluxe bologna sandwiches and Coors…“the banquet beer”. Plus potatoe salad, the right kind of chips and fancy indoor s’mores; graham crackers with peanut butter, nutella and marshmallow fluff. They’re fast, easy and impressive.
We made a field trip out of the beer run to the drive-thru liquor store. It was the first time for both of us. “Can I get a 6 pack of Coors in the yellow can?“ “Yeah, we have that”. They we’re really nice and even gave Sebastian a dog bone.
We went to the city park in the middle of Cody. It was windy and looked like it might storm, but the cool air was good. The bus had been baking all day on the Wal Mart blacktop. It sprinkled a little, but not enough to damper the picnic. I played classical music on my cheep MP3 player speakers. Trinity wore a pretty dress. Sebastian ran in circles. It was a great moment in time. When it started to rain too much we went onto the stage of a big concrete band stand.
That night I pondered over Bill’s pipe. Trinity said, “do you think it has anything to do with fishing?” and I knew right away it was a fishing pole handle…I’m pretty sure anyway.

08-01-09

I was excited to get up and day-trip into Yellowstone. All of the RV spaces big enough for me in Yellowstone were booked. I left the bus in Cody, about an hour away. The drive is the Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway. Dubbed the “Sweet 16” by Theodore Roosevelt its US highways 14, 16 and 20. It’s a mind-trip to me that it’s the same US Highway 14 that I lived on in Rochester, rode my bike to work on and drove countless times on to my parent’s on. I’m way down the road.
Right before we left I accidentally dropped a lighter down the bus toilet. It has a 3” hole, so it fell right in. I could see it, about a foot down, floating. “It’s no big loss“, I thought, “but what if it plugs something up?” I tried to think of something I could use to reach in and grab it, but couldn’t think of anything. I decided to leave it in hopes that my brain would eventually think of something.
The drive to Yellowstone was gorgeous. I’m worried I’m becoming desensitized to the splendor of the mountains. Everywhere I’ve been lately looks like a post card almost whenever you blink your eyes. This was no exception.
There was a small line-up of cars at the gate to Yellowstone. We got through quickly with my Annual National Park Pass. We drove by Lake Yellowstone and stopped at Mud Volcano where there are bubbling mud pits. Then we drove north next to Yellowstone river. We saw an elk. There was a herd of about fifty buffalo grazing way off in the distance. Sometimes there were tire skid marks. We joked that they must be from tourists over excited to see wildlife, “BUFFALO! Screeeeeeeeech! I found the easiest way to spot wildlife was to watch the humans. If you see a gathering of humans taking pictures…well they must be taking pictures of something. It doesn’t always work, like the Japanese taking pictures of the Canadian Geese. I’ve had enough goose poop flung in my face off of my bike tire in Rochester that I don’t feel I would want a picture of a goose. There were more people speaking foreign languages than English. At least 50%/50% anyway. Truly a world of diversity traveling to the park.
At the Canyon Village area we spent a great deal of time hiking and looking at the river and waterfalls. The hike down to the Lower Falls is a steep foot trail. You could usually see 3 levels of the path through the trees steep down below you. I assumed it was about 4 levels, but it turned out to be 10. I knew we were in trouble when we started the decent because everyone coming up was extremely winded, almost comically so.
The hike was worth it. The view was spectacular. We hiked a mile or so on a trail running along the top of the river canyon in the woods to the Upper Falls. It too was an awesome sight. By the time we hiked back to where level 9 meets level 10 we were exhausted.
We drove to the Norris Geyser Basin and saw hot springs, steam and geysers. Its like being on another planet. Geothermal activity is art in motion. There is form in function.
Before the whole place blew up we headed back to Cody.
The “Sweet 16” was even sweeter on the drive back. I originally didn’t like back tracking and repeating a drive, but I learned that the view going the other way has its own treasures to offer.
As I gazed at the scenery, exhausted, it hit me, “The BBQ grill tongs”! If I squeeze my hand through the toilet hole I could probably reach the lighter with the grill tongs. Gross, but sometimes in life you have to step up and be a man. I guess this, unfortunately was my time to shine.
When I opened the lid, the red bic lighter was still there, floating exactly where it had landed that morning. I turned off the pump to stop the water flow, grabbed my BBQ tongs, squeezed my hand through the hole and felt around. It WAS gross, my hand and arm were touching God knows what on the sides of the pipe. It was wet and clammy which was enough for my mind to imagine the worst. I grabbed and grabbed with the tongs. I felt it lock on to the lighter and I pulled it out. I threw the lighter away, “but what to do about the tongs”, I thought. “Surely I can’t cook with them again…but really, if I wash them good with dish soap does it really matter?” “Know one could ever find out.” I thought. “Can you imagine cooking for people and they find out those had been in the toilet?“
I washed them off and called it a day.

07-31-09

I spent the night at Wal Mart in Cody Wyoming, about an hour east of Yellowstone. I plan to day trip in my Jeep to Yellowstone and look for closer campsites on the way. The Cody Wal Mart is very RV friendly. The guy parked behind me was here for a week. The manager let him fill his water tanks, there is a water dump station at a campground across the street. Wal Mart even has a helpful information sign in the lot telling Rvrs where dump stations are around town. Topping the welcoming atmosphere is a pretty impressive view, especially for a Wal Mart. I’m parked sideways next to the curb on the edge of the lot facing the mountains. My step drops down onto a grass area landscaped with small pine trees. There’s nothing between me and the mountains miles away.
My friend Corey called me from Port Orford, Oregon. He is the manager at an RV park and can get me a free space if I help out a bit. The coast of Oregon is my destination and my biggest concern is finding inexpensive places to park, so this is ideal. Not only a free place to park, but full hook-ups too. I’m hoping to get there in a couple of weeks.
We checked out Cody and went to the Buffalo Bill Museum. It’s huge with four sections; The Cody Firearms Museum has an overwhelming amount of guns from all different parts of history. The Whitney Gallery of Western Art had an interesting display of traditional western art mixed in with contemporary takes on western themes. There is also an interactive area for kids to make their own art. The plains Indian Museum has an impressive collection of authentic Native American artifacts that are not only historically significant, but beautifully hand crafted as well. The Buffalo Bill Museum…well that’s all about Buffalo Bill. He lived in Cody and had a world famous traveling western show. He was a big shot and much of his memorabilia and personal belongings are on display.
The highlight of the day for me was eating Rocky Mountain Oysters at a BBQ joint. I like to consider myself an adventurous eater. I’ll try anything and quite often find I like the unique. I didn’t plan on eating bull testicals when I woke up, but didn’t know the opportunity would present itself. I asked the waitress, “Are they actually good, have you had them?” She crinkled her nose and said, “I’ve never had them, I won’t eat them, but a lot of people like them”. “Good enough, I’ll take ‘em”, I said “and a brisket sandwich“.
The oysters were deep fried and served in a basket with cocktail sauce and ranch dressing on the side. I was surprised that they weren’t ball shaped, but rather flat strips. It actually made them less scary to eat. They reminded my of calamari; kind of tough and chewy. They really didn’t have any taste, just deep fried goodness. I was glad to check them off of my mental, “Things to Eat” list and would like to try a different version again someday.