Inaugural Trip - The Day of the Eclipse

We left Nevada City, CA (where my parents live) to return to Seattle with our new teardrop on the day of the solar eclipse. We got as far as Yreka, CA, before pulling off to a parking lot to wait for the peak coverage. You can't really tell in the photo below, but that was at 10:16am, when the sun was about 95% covered (the most coverage visible from Yreka).




After the eclipse, we headed north into Oregon. At Grants Pass, we pulled into a fast food joint for a quick bite, but there weren't any parking spots that were double in size. Little did we know, this little dealio fit into a single vehicle end sight just fine. What the heck, man?





Later that afternoon, we pulled into a pretty cush campground just south of Eugene that catered mostly to the giant RV crowd--a spot we were super lucky to get, though, given the number of campers all over Oregon that week of the eclipse. 


Wherever we camp, we always do a nightly "Dougie Walkabout." That term was coined by my little brother Keith, and me, on one of our many climbing trips to Joshua Tree. After a day of climbing--and chilling before the next day's fun--we always walk the various circuits of the campground we're in (usually Hidden Valley when in Joshua Tree), with a plastic cup of wine. The first time we did that, we had some cheap, seriously unmemorable red wine--unmemorable, except that it had the name "Doug" on the label--that we'd gotten from a grocery store in 29 Palms (I mean...who puts the name "Doug" on a wine label?). Anyway...the "Dougie Walkabout" was born, and Liz has subsequently, and fully embraced said walkabout, as well. 


All wines, regardless of color, are now "Dougies." How dumb would that sound to say, "So...are you ready to go for a Chateau St. Michelle walkabout?" Who says stuff like that?


As we walked about, we met some pretty nice people who traveled the country full time in their ginormous motorhomes. One couple we chatted with had one with two bathrooms and showers, a couple of bedrooms, slideouts all over the place, a full on living room and fully loaded kitchen, several air conditioners, and pretty much its own zip code. (They may have also had an inside Bocci Ball court, but I could be wrong...) Their "tow car" was a Lincoln SUV. But they were also pointing out some "really fancy" ones that made theirs look like a hovel (apparently). 


We walked back to our bed on wheels--pulled by our trusty little 4 cyl Subaru Crosstrek, and, I think, appreciated the simplicity of it all over again.





Back in Seattle, Liz shows our little granddaughter, Amelia, the interior. She is clearly impressed with the craftsmanship...




Comments

Popular Posts