New Wheels!

Waldport Bridge

I think I have a rare disease.  RV syndrome.  I seem to be always looking at any form of RV's and over the years have owned tear drops, tent campers, clapped out Class C's (which friends referred to as my RPOS - Rolling Piece of Shit), ATV haulers, and Fifth Wheels.  All purchased used and I'll admit, some in better shape than others. Tricked out overland rigs, vans, campers, small & huge Rv's....you name it and I like to look. I even enjoy walking around crowded RV shows drooling over all the new stuff. While surfing Craigslist after my winter in Baja I came across a 1998 Chinook, Class B, that was in mint condition with only 36,000 miles on it.  I've looked at these before as I like the smaller size but had never come across one in this kind of shape.   Mint doesn't begin to describe its condition.  Owner still had plastic covering over the carpet and had been storing it in an airplane hangar since it was new.  I looked at it, convinced myself that I didn't want or need it but a week later I succumbed to my weakness. Long story short.....since I can't buy what I really want , an EarthRoamer (they start for around $400K),

 Dream ride!

the eighteen year old Chinook will have to do.   I've taken a short trip over to eastern Washington with Tiffany and have spent the past week down in Bend and along the Oregon coast on a solo run. After spending months on end in my pop-up truck camper over the past two years it's like I've moved into a mobile deluxe Hilton.  My fear is that all of these creature comforts are going to spoil Petey.  I hesitate to even call this camping as it should be referred to as "glamping". Not sure how long I'll hang on to it, I have a tendency of moving thru these things, but it's mine for awhile.  Plus, I may try and do some volunteering in one of the National Parks or do some work camping out west later this fall.  Living out of the pop up for an extended period just wasn't feasible. Not planning on selling the Four Wheel Camper pop up on my Tacoma as it will certainly take me places that the Chinook cannot. I've already put the Chinook somewhere it shouldn't have been and performed some stellar reverse driving to extract it.  Comfy yes, but does have one major fault....no four wheel drive! As I always say...there is no perfect rig. I'm planning on being back on the road soon for an extended period so we'll see how it works out long term. Thought I'd just throw up some pictures taken over the last few weeks of places the Chinook has taken us.

New, to me, adventure chariot!

After going about 8 miles up this road I had to back up from here for almost a mile before finding a wide enough spot to get it turned around.  Note to self....it's not an overland rig.

 Kayakers on the Cooper River in Washington (Class 4+)

Cold water plunge!

The Oregon Coast if by far the most scenic coastline I've ever been on.  Having driven it many times I never seem to tire of it and always seem to find some new area to hike and explore.  The picture taking is endless.

 Cape Meares

 Heceta Head Lighthouse

 Somewhere on the coastal drive.

 Evening sunset from camp.

South Beach State Park

 Heceta Head Lighthouse

 Dune surfing at Cape Kiwanda

Cape Kiwanda

Petey hiking the dunes.

Petey's campground tormentor.

North Cascade National Park

My trip to Baja and points in between was coming to an end as I slowly worked my way back to Tacoma.  The trip down to Baja had been a good one but I needed to get back to the real world.  I always have mixed emotions when returning from a trip.  I dread coming back to a city with its traffic,  surplus people, and hectic pace but force myself to accept it in order to see loved ones again.  Saving grace is that.... "next trip".  It's certainly not for everyone but the simple life of living on the road suits me.  Pairing down to the essentials one needs, living simply,  solitude when needed, no set schedule, not knowing what new acquaintances will be made or adventures await, all major attractions to being on the road. As each year passes and the number of days spent roaming about increases it becomes clearer to me that time and simplicity trump the alternative. After a few short weeks back in the city the opportunity presented itself to spend a couple of nights in the North Cascade National Park. As fate would have it, two nights turned stretched into five.  This would be my first trip to the park but it certainly won't be my last.  Scenery and hiking are mainstays and easily found here. Petey and I roamed about for a couple of days in the park proper and then exited on the east side to check out the Methow Valley which is home to the towns of Mazama and Winthrop, Washington. We had planned a big loop to get home but after spending a few more days in the Methow Valley, we did a 180 and went back through the National Park.  It was that good.

Diablo Lake

With a heavy snowpack this year the runoff was strong in some of the smaller creeks. Water was cascading from many high points throughout the park.

A recent slide near the pass.

Tail end of the slide.

As it was early in the season most of the backroads and campgrounds were void of people.

 Home in the Methow Valley outside of Mazama.

Outside of Mazama and Winthrop are countless Forest Service Roads where one can free camp and explore. Still early in the season many of these roads had not been cleared of fallen timber and snow was still prevalent in the high country.  We'd explore till stymied by snow or fallen trees before heading off down another road. We tried to piece together backroads from Winthrop to Concully but were turned back due to heavy snow. Camping in here Petey and I had it all to ourselves.

 We hiked in down this road to see if we could get through but it wasn't worth the try.  Truck was about a half mile back but you could see where someone had tried to come in from the other side. To get here we had to do a little tow strap work to remove some downed trees.  Moving one or two isn't too bad but sometimes you'll move one just to find more just around the next corner. Turns into work real fast.

 East of Winthrop looking back towards the North Cascade Range. Talking with a ranger after camping in here he asked if I'd heard any wolves howling at night.  I hadn't and didn't realize there were wolves in the area.  Also, there has been some grizzly sightings in the park which is a rarity in this area.  Apparently a few have migrated down out of Canada. Always give the woods a little "added flavor" when there is the possibility of a grizzly roaming about.

Old abandoned cabin west of Twisp. We hiked in here but with a little road clearing, you could get to this.  Great spot to camp.

They've had some recent fires in this area and the contrast between the valleys that had recovered and the heavily wooded burnt areas were evident.

Headed south to attend the Overland West Expo in about another week.  Not sure of the route (I never am until I get on it) to get there just yet but will post something up afterwards.........

Joshua Tree - Death Valley

Now that I was back across the border & retrieved my buried goods I opted to return to some old haunts I'd been to many times in the past. Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks.  Although I've been to both parks several times over the years, they seem to keep drawing me back. A friend of mine had emailed me while still in Baja that Death Valley was scheduled to have a super bloom this year.  Each year the valley floor has a spring bloom but when conditions are right every so often a "super bloom" occurs.  Supposedly this was one of those years so I couldn't miss that. Both parks have remote areas, great camping, photo opportunities, history and plenty of hiking.   I layed up in Quartzsite a couple of nights and then pushed on to Joshua Tree only to find the park overrun with......people.  The spring weather had arrived and with it the hoards of campers.  In Joshua Tree camping outside of the campgrounds is not permitted and I could not find an empty campsite.  There are several campgrounds throughout the park and not one empty spot!  It was just as well as I'm not a fan of packed campgrounds.  If you time your visit right there are some great campgrounds if they aren't full and worth the cost involved.  I'd say that Joshua Tree has some of the best-established campgrounds of any of our National Parks. However, my timing was way off.  Luckily I knew of a mining road (Old Dale Road) from a previous visit that starts in the park but exits about 10 miles later to the north.  It's an old mining district with lots of old shafts and related equipment. Once crossing the park boundary the road turns into some bonafide four wheeling terrain and camping is permitted anywhere as there are thousands of open acres.  You could probably get away with some stealth camping in the park if you were to choose the right spot but seeing as how crowded the park was I figured the rangers would be out in full force.  Chances of being spotted were probably high so I followed the rules and went in search of some remote camping.  It was worth the ten miles of dusty, beat up road to have the desert all to myself that evening.  Following morning, I retraced my route back down the old mining road to re-enter the park where I spent the day hiking and just roaming around. 

 Old mining stuff.

Old shafts you can explore but they're really dangerous and I wouldn't recommend going in to far.

 Abandoned in the desert.

 View from a hike near an established campground in the park.

 Old mining equipment.

 Joshua Tree is a major area for climbers with many routes throughout the park.  I shot this picture while sitting at a picnic table at one of the campsites.

Lots of hiking, unique rock formations and arches.

Friend at camp that evening.

I spent one more night in Joshua Tree and then headed to what I consider one of my favorite National Parks....Death Valley. There are others that stand out...Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grant Teton, Wrangell-St. Elias, Katmai, and Denali but the scale and remote areas one can get to by vehicle is unsurpassed in Death Valley. All of these parks get crowded depending on the season but in Death Valley with a four wheel drive vehicle, it's possible to escape.  Plus, remote camping is permitted in most areas.  That "area" is large as Death Valley is our fifth largest national park. Backpacking in the others mentioned will do the trick but in Death Valley...it's possible via vehicle or foot. 

Super bloom was occurring across the valley floor.

Camp along road leading into Stripe Butte Valley.

If one knows where to look and doesn't mind a little hiking, some "au naturel" soaking can be found even in the dry parched desert.

 Talc mines.

 Badwater Basin (282 ft. below sea level)  Lowest point in the United States.

Another unique thing about Death Valley is the remote cabins spread throughout the park.  The park left the old mining and prospector cabins once they were incorporated into the park boundaries.  Over the years, various groups have taken it upon themselves to maintain the cabins.  They are open to all, free of charge, on a first come basis.  Everyone who uses them is on the honor system to leave them better than they found them.  Past visitors even leave canned goods, candles, and various items for use if needed. Some of them have fallen into disrepair and the danger of Hantavirus due to rodent droppings is a factor, but most are usable.  I've stayed in a few different ones over the years but my favorite is the Old Geologist's Cabin in Stripe Butte Valley.  It's remote, requires a few hours of off-road driving to get to and has a spectacular view over looking the valley. One can hike for miles, climb nearby peaks and explore until your heart's content here.  Petey and I got lucky this time through and found it unoccupied.  We set up camp and stayed three nights.

By flying the flag it notifies others coming up the valley that the cabin is occupied.  I saw two other vehicles in the three days I was in here. 

Interior of cabin.  Fresh spring on the hillside out front so easy access to good water while here.

Petey spent his evenings watching wild burros and rabbits while I read, enjoyed the view and solitude.

I climbed the Butte one afternoon.  An easy climb coming in from the left and a walk up to the top.

Placard on the steps.  Was spotless when I got here and was the same when I departed.  Even left a few cans of soup and sardines as some form of payment. Almost feel guilty staying here and not contributing something. Better spot to spend the night than any five star resort!