From Ocean Breezes to Rainy Roads: Bailey and I’s Journey home

 We drove right across northern California, from east to west; from Nevada, over the Sierras, to the ocean.  On first arrival, the weather was still wet and unsettled, so as expected, the first night with the ocean view was windy and wet.

After that, however it was mostly sunny and warm with only occasional breezy times.  All my preferred spots here are very close to the road, but traffic during the day is light, and almost nil at night.  And any sounds from the road are easily drowned out by the sounds of the surf.

 

Another great spot to spend some time beachcombing, and enjoying the sun. 

Japanese fishing float washed ashore.

Canada Geese are nesting on the nearby offshore islands, and Osprey are out morning and evening looking for some fresh seafood.

Unlike the beaches on Padre Island Texas, these ones tend to have more slope, and none of that rock hard sand that makes driving on the beach so easy.  So - I was quite surprised to find this couple and their vehicle tucked into a little spot at the base of the cliffs, just barely above the high tide line!

Their vehicle may have been 4wd, but pretty sure they would be trapped there at high tide, and possibly getting very wet if the tide was unusually high, or with high surf.  To get to that spot from the road also required crossing a small freshwater stream on the beach.  Certainly not a place I would go, or stay, even with a much more competent vehicle!  Hope they made it out OK?

Bailey was in his element, stalking the grass like a little lion, his tail twitching with excitement at every rustle. It was a far cry from the dry, sparse desert sands we’d left behind, and he was clearly loving every moment of it.

After a full week enjoying the warm weather, beautiful ocean breezes, the smell of salt water, it was coming to an end.  The forecast was for rain, and more rain in the coming days.  With no desire to get wet, or be stuck inside, it was time to move on.  And move on we did.

 

With the wipers running non-stop, we continued northward up the coast, bypassing several of our favourite overnight camp spots because of the rain.

 

Our only stops were for fuel the next couple of days.  Very impressed by the full video screens at a couple of Native run gas stations in California.  And some of their prices were better than those in neighbouring Oregon, which is typically cheaper than California.

Bailey has this traveling thing figured out—just sleep the day away and wake up to explore a new area.

We turned inland at Portland, and the weather improved somewhat, away from the coast.  One night was spent waterfront along the Columbia River near Roosevelt, on the Washington side.

From there, it was a long days drive to the border, where the crossing was quick and uneventful, as usual.  We hit one short section of slush passing through Kootenay National Park, but otherwise, the roads were bare and dry all the way, which isn't always the case.

It was nice to find no snow in the yard at home, unlike in 2018 - below!

Photos from 2018 - above, and below.

 

It took Bailey a minute to realize where we were, after 5 1/2 months on the road, but he soon was tearing around like he was possessed, up and down stairs, bouncing off the walls, and perching on his favourite lookouts!

For me, it was nice to be able to watch hockey on a big screen, instead of an iPad mini, and my hot tub on the deck was very much appreciated!  Starlink was also re-activated for the summer season, both at home and on the road.

Nice to be home for sure, but after a couple days, Bailey wanted to get back into the trailer!

Maybe he's ready for some summer travels soon!

From the Atlantic (Gulf of Mexico) to the Pacific!

 We were camped for a week or so on the beach on Padre Island, Texas.

Weather forecasts predicted higher winds, so it was time to pull up stakes and leave.

First thing to do on reaching the mainland in Corpus Cristi was to head to the car wash to remove the salty residues and loose sand, all over the truck and trailer that had accumulated over our stay there.  Bailey may not mind the little vacuum cleaner (see video below) howling in his ears, but car washes are a different matter.  Even in the trailer he was scared, and hiding in the most remote spots!

To speed our return, it was decided to stick to the Interstates this time if possible - which meant our first run through San Antonio.  Traffic was not that bad, but there were a few delays and slowdowns because of accidents and stalled vehicles.  North of there, there were a lot of roadkills along the highway.  Most appeared to be deer, a few Javelina, and quite a few unidentifiable carcasses.  

Second day's travel across SW Texas was cut short by extreme headwinds.  Made the mistake of getting out of the truck, and could barely stand up against the wind.  No wonder the truck was working a bit hard!  We just parked roadside at a convenient interchange, put in the ear plugs and attempted to get some sleep despite the rockin' and rollin'!  Not wanting to get stuck any longer than necessary, we set out again about 0330 to make a mile before the wind picked up again.

Just past El Paso, we took a break from the Interstate, mostly to avoid the construction zones stretching almost all the way to Las Cruces that we had come through on the way down.  But then we got stuck behind a convoy of trucks hauling blades for windmills.  They had to close and divert entire intersections with traffic control - just to allow these extreme long loads to navigate the corners.  Later, we made it back into Arizona, and settled in for a couple days at a previously enjoyed scenic camp spot south of Bowie.

Lots of balancing rocks in this area!

And holes in the rock, used by ancients to grind grain.

It was getting almost too warm here during the day, but I still managed to complete some cleaning and maintenance jobs on the truck and trailer.  Bailey had fun trying to identify, and unsuccessfully hunt lots of birds and lizards in the area.

Took the time to set up my paused Starlink for it's monthly updates.  Seems to work just fine indoors, just sitting on the bed in the camper!

You'd swear that some of the bushes in the area were very dead, during this long drought spell, but if you looked closely, you could see tiny leaves attempting to come out!

After a few days, it was time to move along again.  For a bit of variety, we headed up through Safford, Globe, Miami, Superior, and found ourselves just east of Apache Junction.  The day was already long, but it was decided to take advantage of a Sunday afternoon to make the run through Phoenix to avoid having to deal with the heavier Monday morning rush.  That took us out to the Saddle Mountain area near Buckeye for the night.  It was only planned for an overnight, but the pesky annoying numerous flies guaranteed that short stay.  Despite precautions, it would be several days before the last of the stowaways could be eliminated.

 

 

From there, it was up to Lake Havasu for a few days.

 

It was really too hot for any hiking or much biking in the middle of the day, and it was a bit on the warm side for any kitties in camp.  For the first time this winter, I dragged out the big fan in an attempt to stay cool.  Bailey quickly learned that getting spritzed with water and laying in front of the fan helped him stay cool and comfortable.

 

 

Next stop after leaving Lake Havasu was at Stewart's Point on Lake Mead, after travelling up through Kingman, and crossing the Colorado at Hoover Dam.  I found Don and Donna there, and we got caught up on things since the last time our paths crossed in January!  The weather while there at least cooled off enough to be comfortable again.

But with time running out, and spring restlessness setting in, it was soon time to move again!  We first headed up to Travertine Hot Springs via Alamo, the Extraterrestrial Highway, and Tonopah and Hawthorne, NV.  Weather was a bit marginal, and certainly not hot at the high elevation of the hot springs, and a bit of snow was in the forecast!  What a change from a few days and miles back!  With one of the spare fuel tanks earlier started leaking, and the other one already used, we'd had to stop in Rachel earlier for a small top-up at $5./g for diesel.  With some more winds to deal with along the way, we were also a bit short in Bridgeport to make it back to the cheaper fuel north in Gardnerville, NV.  Reluctantly, we had to add 2.88 gallons in Bridgeport at the highway robbery price of $6.89/g.  That 2.88 gallons cost $20 if you're calculating.  Of course, I re-filled the remaining spare container at $3.33/g  in Gardnerville!

How can the price more than double - only 65 miles apart?

Weather (snow) was threatening, so there were no delays in getting over the high passes of the Sierras.  There were a few flurries, but the roads were only bare and wet, despite some huge roadside snowbanks in the 8000' passes.  CalTrans was on the ball, with plow trucks idling at all the high points and numerous traffic control units with all their signage sitting roadside in various locations, ready to close the road or require chains at a moments notice, should the light spits of rain turn to snow!

 

Well, we made it down through Sacramento in very heavy traffic (had everyone gone skiing in Tahoe on the weekend?), and relaxed for the night at a little BLM spot called Cowboy Camp, west of Williams.  It was so relaxing that there was zero cell service, and I was not willing to re-start Starlink and pay Elon $190. for the privilege of watching a hockey game!  I had to make do with just listening to play by play on Sirius Satellite radio.  

On the next, and last day for this post, we made it back to the beautiful California coast at Fort Bragg.