Down the Left Coast - Masked trespasser in camp!

In the last post, we'd reached Cape Meares on the Oregon coast, and enjoyed the sounds of the surf and smell of the sea.

From there, we moseyed on southward at a relatively slow pace with light traffic.  A quick stop in Lincoln City found some diesel at $3.39 ($1.25Can/L), so any spare fuel cans got filled as well, knowing that the prices would be much higher ahead.  Propane also topped off.

 Well down into California, this great spot was re-discovered for another night with only the sounds of surf.

Check out the videos!

As per usual, we left highway 101 at Leggett, opting for the #1 right on the coast, after the very winding, sometimes steep road to get there.  Due to shoreline slumping and collapses, several preferred ocean view pull-offs were occupied with construction equipment attempting to save the road.  We did find a good spot nevertheless, though a masked trespasser came by in the dark - or perhaps we were trespassing on his home?  Bailey also decided that there should not be any deer allowed in camp!  Check out the videos below!

Another sip of fuel in Fort Bragg had us continuing down the coast, trying to stay ahead of any predicted precipitation.  Found this great ocean-view spot, and we were joined for the night by three different van campers.

A short detour took us out to the Point Arena Lighthouse, where this video was taken.  I posted this one on YouTube!

https://youtu.be/ozmDLzIiFLI

At the mouth of the Russian River near Jenner, we stopped a while to watch the harbour seals, and large flocks of gulls the brown pelicans feeding in the estuary.

We don't usually use Starlink in the winter down south, because of a much cheaper grandfathered unlimited plan with AT&T we have, but it's brought along as backup.  It's been paused, but is still active till the middle of the month, so decided to give it a try in a short cell-free zone.  Much to my surprise it worked quite well, just set up indoors on the bed!  It didn't even tip over when left there while driving!

The coastal route south of San Francisco in the Big Sur area is still closed because of landslides last year, so it was time to blast all the way across northern California for some hot spring action.  Luckily, that route involves a short incursion into Nevada, where fuel prices for diesel were decent at $3.33/g.

 

Compare that to Bridgeport, Ca, where I've traditionally found the highest prices ever!

After driving that far, it was a big disappointment to find the hot springs closed with this sign!

Plan 'B' was quickly put into effect, and we headed down to the collection of hot springs in the Whitmore/Mammoth area.  This area is much lower elevation as well, so the nights would not be dropping well below freezing like they were predicted to do in Bridgeport.

Time to slow down, relax, and enjoy the hot water for a few days!