Washington, Oregon, California
Lets back up a bit, getting back to Olympic National Park, there I was
at Ozette, part of the national park, waiting for the day to begin
when Mother Nature decided that from the west to the east coast rain,
lots of rain was due. It continue for 2-3 days with no let up.
Spending 2 days cooped up in the Goatmobile was just not my cup of
tea. So south bound I was finding another military installation that
offered up an RV/tent site. So for 2-3 days I spent traveling up and
down Washington State routes 109/105 chasing Geocache's. Hot showers
every night, free movies, reading PD James novel "The Murder Room" and
having the Pacific Ocean within 200 meters.
Next leg was following Route 101 south over the border into Oregon at
Astoria and by luck again another military base that had camping
facilities. I'll be here until after Labor Day before heading east
toward Mt Hood and down though the center of Oregon following the West
Cascade Mountains. It is Camp Rilea for 4 days chasing the small
containers, Labor Day weekend, lots of traffic. The weather has been
quite nice when you consider what I had along the Olympic Peninsula.
This coastline of Oregon is quite nice with small communities as you
travel. Some of the housing facing the ocean in the Lexus Mercedes
neighborhoods are a million plus. The summers are nice but the winters
are wet and windy, very little snow if not none at all. I believe that
anyone that lives here on the coast grows a bit of green mold……………it
goes right along with their personalities.
Anyone that goes out Geocaching without long trousers or long sleeve
shirts is just asking to look like a wounded warrior. Even with the
clothes mentioned, it's many of days that I have looked like I've been
thrown in the briar patch.
Before I go any further I want to thank everyone for showing so much
compassion concerning my sojourn in the Spanish Jail. Especially those
heart retching comments on Facebook as to what I can do with the
monies.
Through the Oregon West Cascades we go heading for Klamath Falls. I
would love to be here in the winter when snow is on the ground; the
photography has to be just magnificent.
Into Collier State Park it is for 5 days, 30 miles north of Klamath
Falls, Geocaching to all points of the compass. I leave on the 13th of
September for Lake Tahoe, California. From there it's a quick trip to
Long Beach, California shipping the Goatmobile back to Hawaii. The
nice thing about Oregon State Parks, if you are a disable veteran,
there is no fee for your stay.
Into sunny California following Rt 97 until you get to Mt Shasta then
its route 89 through the Sierra Mountains. The Lassen National Park is
a must for those traveling south. Thinking of traveling Route 89
during the winter, believe me 4WD and chains and a lot of the roads
are closed due to snow. And Route 89 is a motorcyclists dream ride
plus the small communities along the way. Getting through Lake Tahoe
took some doing but once south of the lake traffic thins out, a
beautiful ride though and a great place along the way for pic's that
if you can fight your way through the traffic. South of Lake Tahoe you
lose Rt 89, which turns into 395, still enjoyable, and a double lane.
The price of petrol is $$4.10 but go 25 miles in any direction and the
cost varies from $2.99 to 3.25. per gallon.
There are some communities in the sierra's that I would move to in a
heart beat but
alas my daughter and son would not tolerate their favorite dad being
so farrrrrrrrr away. Matter of fact in this last faux pas with me
being in jail in Spain they were the first ones who told me to pack it
in as far as sending monies to get released along with the other low
life relatives from Maine to Georgia.
Deciding that I had to go through Death Valley for the third time, you
follow Route 395 to 120 to 6 back to 395 to Big Pine. This is where it
gets interesting; from Big Pine you turn east on Route 168 before you
pickup Death Valley Road. The first 25 miles is paved but after that
its gravel for the next 40 miles. Forty miles of washboard, hemorrhoid
adjusting, miserable bloody road. Me thinks the last time this section
of road was worked on was when Noah launched the Ark. As it is
September, the temperature in the shade is 100 degrees, but anything
is better then when I came through Nevada in July time frame when 110
was the norm.
The Goatmobile is scheduled for shipment to Hawaii on the 22 September
minus all the gear I've been accumulating over the last two years. The
vehicle is so dusty that I need to find a sheep dip tank somewhere
just to get it to the point of being acceptable for shipment to
Hawaii. There is enough dust/dirt on the vehicle to start my own wheat
farm.
Getting back to Hawaii, especially the townhouse on the hill, is not a
happy thought. Traffic, noise, people, and more noise, especially
after being on the road for 5 months where at times the only sound you
heard was your breathing. But next year we shall venture forth and
rediscover North America again with new Geocaches and the open road.
Those of you who were fortunate to follow my travels via Facebook can
expect the same next year, especially my travels through the jail
system in Spain!
If none of you have ever experience driving the maze of freeways in
the Los Angles area then you are in for a treat. Let me set it up for
you; 2-4 lanes wide, truckers in the 2 right lanes, everyone going at
70 mph, space between vehicles are measured in inches and of course we
have the race track enthusiast weaving around the vehicles as if their
life dependent on it. Now add multiple turn offs that everyone from
the far left lane have to move to the right in less then a hundred
meters, the inches that were originally there are now reduced to a
nano inch (no such word in Webster), but you get the drift.; that's
the LA freeway…………
If it weren't for the GPS directing me to the vehicle shipper I would
be still out there in the maze.
There is one more blog that puts everything into BS scenario and as
I've said before without the Facebook pictures you are only getting a
part of the travel log.
Aloha,
Norm
The Greynomad
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