Yesterday’s post might have implied that I was pushing this nomadic lifestyle on you. I didn’t mean that at all. My main gist was to “find your bliss” and pursue it.

But how do you “find your bliss?” …

(more…)

I love this lifestyle. I’ve been up here on this hill outside the Olympic National Forest for about a week now, finishing up the book. Tomorrow, probably, I’ll move into a campground for a couple days to recharge the batteries, empty and fill the tanks, upload some big files to the ‘net and move on.

It’s so great to just up and go when you feel like it. The freedom. I’ve been on the road a year now, and I am so glad I made this decision.

I have absolutely no regrets. I hope each of you finds your bliss, your passion, and – when those natural “what if” fears arise – well, I hope you’re wise enough to ignore them.

Because my brother is only in town for five days, we’re doing a whirlwind tour of the area. Lots and lots of driving, lots of sun, but still time to get a good taste of what the Columbia Gorge has to offer.

I’m back in Portland. My brother is flying in tomorrow for a few days. I’ve been hounding him for years to see the Pacific NW, so I guess he’s decided that now is a good time as he’s got himself a personal a tour guide.

I like opening my front door in the morning and being surrounded by beautiful, unspoiled forest.

I moved from the river to the mountain. It’s been really, really hot lately. Ironically, now that I’m up here, it’s starting to get kind of chilly.

In the photo above, shot from my last camp on the river, I’m about a third of the way up the left side of Mt. Hood.

I love filling my water cans early in the morning over at the state park. I love listening to the sounds of the river: the tugs, the waves and the seagulls. I love the way the wind, channeled through the gorge, gently rocks the RV and flutters the window shades.

I moved across the river today, too many people on the Oregon side. Though it’s only about a mile as the crow flies, it’s 15 miles as the RV drives. Lot more room to stretch your legs on this side. I have such a tough life.

In order to work on my book, I moved my house eastward 100 miles and am now boondocked right on the Columbia River. Very quiet, peaceful and distraction free.

I’m going to attempt my first urban boondocking experiment tonight…

(more…)

I love Portland, Oregon. What I don’t like is not being able to stay in it – at least without paying through the nose or in an uncomfortable place. Even though I’m staying in a nice looking park, Jantzen Beach, it is very noisy with the railroad and airport nearby. Any other RV places in the area are either dumps or distant or very expensive…

(more…)

As you can see from some of the residents above, Newport is kind of a sleepy sea-side town. Pretty laid back. I like it.

With the exceptions of Hawaii, Alaska, and North Dakota, I think I’ve visited every state in the US. With that, I have to say that Oregon is my favorite, with Washington a close second.

I love this part of the country, the Pacific Northwest. I’m currently in Crescent City, California where they have redwoods, crystal clear rivers and craggy cliffs overlooking the ocean.

Moving on again. Though I liked Mt. Shasta, I didn’t like the feel of Weed (where I was staying because of Internet access) which is just north of there. Nothing in particular – people were all nice – just didn’t feel right. Currently in “The Valley of the Rogue” state park in southern Oregon.

On California’s highways, all vehicles that are towing – semis, RV’s, cars hauling boats – are limited to 55 mph as opposed to everyone else who can drive 65 to 70. This creates an interesting dynamic. It’s almost as if the two groups are existing in two different universes while sharing the same space…

(more…)

Played tourist today. The San Francisco Aquarium, Chinatown, City Lights (the bookstore), Fisherman’s Wharf, the Presidio, the Golden Gate Bridge. It was great.

I am camped in this little RV park, Eddo’s, out in the Delta region of California, west of San Francisco. As I followed my GPS out here, I thought that this would be a miserable little park in the middle of nowhere. Now, as I sit here, listening to the breeze through the oaks and willows, hearing the hundreds of birds chirp and twitter and the deep lowing of distance cows, I think that this is the perfect little park in the middle of nowhere.

Rolling farmland. Wide delta rivers. Giant wind turbines that make you feel like you’ve stumbled onto the set of “War of the Worlds.”

The road from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite is either uphill or downhill, so it was quite a tiring drive. Still, Calaveras county (Mark Twain’s Jumping Frogs) is beautiful. After about four months of sand (TX, AZ, NV) and soil (Tahoe), it was nice to see some grass covering the ground. Strange the things you miss.

Staying in a small, Elk’s lodge RV camp south of Yosemite.

Tomorrow, I head either to Yosemite or Rio Vista, CA. Yosemite is a bit of a backtrack on my way north, but isn’t a big deal. Rio Vista is where I could set up a base and explore San Francisco for a couple of weeks.

I also applied for a volunteer spot as a camp host up along the Columbia River in Oregon. That would be sweet as I love the area. I’m feeling the need to settle down for a bit (it’s a four month gig), get some writing in and of course shoot some photos of the Gorge.

A light snow fell all morning outside my window.

I got up early, freezing, and went out to shoot some pictures. I was gone about three hours and when I got back the LP gas alarm on my RV was beeping away like a rap artist…

(more…)

Thinking positively, “Won’t it be nice if I make it safely down the hill?”, I made it safely down the hill without blowing a tire or tearing out my holding tanks. I ended up at Lake Tahoe with a ton of email, new tasks and no hookups.

It’s very serene here.

I managed to make it up to the top of the hill that I mentioned yesterday. I think my next RV will be a high clearance 5th wheel with a big enough truck to pull it up steep grades. One of my recurring concerns with dry camping is the roads are often rough and steep. Rough can cause you to knock a hole in your holding tanks. Steep can mean that you have to back down a rough road that you can’t quite make it up with a smaller engine. Both of which were serious concerns getting up here today. The last ten feet I had the pedal floored and was only creeping up an inch at a time.

But success was had and the rewards are wonderful: peaceful 360 degree views, desert solitude, a great Internet connection, and a small town (supplies) within 5 miles.

Moving on tomorrow. Either up to the top of a nearby hill I found today, or, if the road turns out to be too rough, off to parts unknown.