The start of an adventure

I am currently sitting at a BLM campground in Sixes, OR with my partner, Patrick, and my dog, Bodhi. We have been here for just over a week and are leaving in a couple days. Before coming to this campground, we stayed at the most beautiful turnout off Hwy 101, right on a secluded beach. I wouldn't normally stay in a turnout, my fear of what police are capable of is too strong, but we had tried four campgrounds already that day, all full, and the darkness of night was setting in. So I was relieved when the next day, after waking up and walking along the beach with our pittie puppy (he's actually 5, we just call him a puppy because that is how he acts most of the time), we drove another hour up Hwy 101 and 10 miles down a one way dirt road and found this campground we are at, with lots of open, secluded sites, trees covered in moss, vibrant green ferns, and blackberry brambles lining the walkways, all on a beautiful river (maybe it's a creek? not sure) with some deep blue swimming holes. We chose the most secluded spot available and have been parked here ever since, minus the two days when we had to make the long haul into town for ice, water, internet, power, and to dispose of trash. You know, the essentials.

We stayed at one other campground thus far on this trip, in Klamath, CA. It was a private campground, which I normally try to avoid right along with unmarked turnouts, because you never really know what you are going to get at a private campground. But again, we had spent the whole day looking for open campgrounds with no luck, so at 7pm when we passed a huge billboard on the side of the highway for Kamp Klamath we decided to give it a try. It surprised me with its beauty, our site was secluded by tall mossy trees and lots of ferns. Coming from the California desert, ferns, pine trees, and moss feel pretty magical to me. We were comfortable enough for the night and with the promise of hot, free showers we decided to stay another night. However, the price tag of $35 per night kept us moving after two nights.

The first night of our trip we spent our first ever night at a rest stop. It was relatively quiet or maybe I was just really tired from packing, either way it was a relief after spending the past two days packing nonstop and not leaving my mom's house until after 6pm before driving two hours to a rest stop in Willits, CA. The hot, stale air of northern California in the summertime had me sleeping naked with only a light sheet for cover which left me feeling particularly exposed under the bright lights and flurry of midnight activity that comes with highway rest stops.

I guess my take away from the first two weeks of our trip up north to the Pacific Northwest is to actually research where to go on a trip, at least the first two days, if only to provide a certain level of security when everything feels so new and uncertain. Don't be like me and try to do an unplanned road trip up the coast mid-August when every family is out enjoying the last few days of summer.