Three Moons Away: Purrring like a Dead Cat

We left at 8:05AM making our way up through Susanville, towards Trinidad... no real destination in mind, just the clear fact we needed to find a camp site by the time the sun went down. But... fuck that, we decided to take a little detour to Bodie, an abandoned mining town 13 miles east of the 395. Apparently I had been there before in 2001, but that means I was 11... which means I remember nothing.

Bodie was one of the richest gold strikes in California - once known as "the most lawless, wildest and toughest mining camp in the West". The actual W.S. Bodey froze to death in a blizzard in 1859, and the town used to be 3 or 4x the size of what we were creeping through.

We finally left and was back on the road around... 10:30AM I switched places with Lucas and took refuge in the shaded part of the vansion maybe 3 hours in, only to be woken up around 1:27PM in god-forsaken Redding; sweating, and disoriented. If you've ever called me in the middle of the night, or middle of the day (if you're lucky) - you'd know I'm a sleep mumbler/yeller... aka I'm useless. Anyhow, the vansion had overheated near the off-ramp again, and just then died at the intersection. I tumbled off the bed, adjusting my (stereotypical) vision as Kellen and Lucas pushed the van to the side of the road next to a gas station. Did I mention it was hot as fuck? Good grief, I was just boiling in my own confusion.

So, Kellen goes off hunting for coffee, Lucas watches the van, and I'm making my way into the station to find a bathroom. On my way... I find myself trying to decipher a 'conversation' between a group of wannabee-gangsters while pondering why they all look like NBA Easter eggs, then asking for 'bathroom key' - I'm told by the cashier (who is staring straight through my face and at the rack of potato chips behind me)

"Oh yess.. the keeeey is at the end of the counter..."

-doesn't point in any direction, just continues to stare straight through my face-

"Uhh"

-I don't see shit any where, on any counter-

"Yeah, I see nothing", says mystery girl who just popped up from behind said-chip-rack

Finally though, an estranged couple(?) comes in holding a broken baton with the key hangin on it, with a fucking tissue as far as his short arms could keep it away from him. Looks at me, looks at the key like it's the plague, looks at me, repeat so on and so forth for what feels like 5 minutes.

I've been in my fair share of horrifying bathrooms; seats with carvings in them, overflowing shit-storms, broken mirrors and voodoo spells, missing doors... but cheesus christ, it felt like Satan's corner... and I just had the most dis-heartening images of what may have just happened in there.

Well, I must've looked real sad and lost, cause as Lucas asked if I was okay, there was nearly a massive car accident with plenty of broken swearing and name-calling, Kellen was almost hit by a car on his skateboard, the barista measured out his espresso like she was weighing 2g of Columbia's finest... more insane yelling from a women across the street... and ... so hot... so hot, from where? How so hot all of a sudden?

Oh, Redding... why you gotta be like that?

We made it to the Shasta-Trinity National Park area around... 7PM? I don't know, it's only day 4 as I'm attempting to re-count this, but the most recent and prominent thing in my memory bank is how we didn't die on the freeway under pouring rain and broken windshield wipers...

So, around 7PM, "Junction City Campgrounds" was closed (boo), but Pigeon Point, just about 20 more minutes further down had one more freaking spot right on the river. We set up and watched the moon rise up over the hills.

Woke up around... 8AM? Had breaky á la Kellen, and left the river by 10ish. On our way towards Arcata we saw a FUCKING BALD EAGLE walking on the road...

It was a perfect morning in every way, until 4 beers fell out of Kellens arms and exploded.

Found a hole in the fence, leading to Kellen having a bomb go off in all his senses

Touchdown Oregon Coast

Meltdown #6

Carter Lake Campgrounds, OR

7:23PM

Carter Lake was super sick, and Kellen puts it perfectly - it was like a lil hobbitville. Car space was ground level, with steps down through the foliage to river-side campsite. Highly recommend it - $20/night NO reservations.

Sunset strollin from Carter Lake (then commence mud trailin)

Lucas thought he saw a beached whale... it was a log... Kell has it on video somewhere

Someone please tell me the name of this flower/weed thanks

8:15PM

We meant to leave by 6AM, but after a mini vanMeltdown, we didn't get out til 8:37AM or so, something like that. Crossing into Newport, Oregon we had breaky at Cafe Stephanie. Two words: complimentary scones.