Second Great Adventure 2026 SUMMARY

Done and over. The end of year two of traveling around like a gypsy: Northern California, Oregon, and Nevada. Here are the highlights:

MOST FAVORITE PHOTO:

OTHER FAVORITE PHOTOS:

BEST GHOST TOWN:

Bodie State Historic Site

BEST TOURIST SITE:

Techatticup Ghost Town and Outdoor Museum:

MOST BEAUTIFUL NATIONAL PARK:

Yosemite National Park

SCARIEST EXPERIENCES:

Driving down a twisty turning narrow country mountain rounding a corner and coming face to face with a truck pulling a massive horse trailer on MY side of the road. We missed each other by no more than an inch.

Check engine light coming on way up in Sequoia National Forest. I imagined the worst. It eventually went off after an hour of driving and stopping for an hour. I sighed with relief.

WORST EXPERIENCES:

Working like a dog for two days for someone who has EMF sensitivities in exchange for a parking spot. It kicked in autoimmune attacks and I thought I'd keel over from the exhaustion and weakness. It was not worth it. Live and learn.

Overnighting in Pilot Truck Stop because Ford refused to postpone my appointment on a day that would have given the mechanic more time. Actually, all Ford dealerships are my worst experiences!

MOST IRRITATING EXPERIENCES:

Paying $15 to have my voting ballot forwarded and it took weeks, beyond the voting deadline. I didn't pick it up and it took two months to arrive back to my address! What a waste of time and money!

Making an appointment with an auto shop, waiting a week for it, and then I'm told, "Oh, sorry, we can't work on your van." Jerks. What a waste of time! Too many of them pull this cute little trick and then say, "But we can do your oil change!" I've learned. The last place that pulled this, I walked out refusing the oil change and took the van somewhere else.

I'm calling her the blueberry thief. I graciously and generously volunteered to give her some of my handpicked, organic blueberries which she accepted and in front of my face she gave them away to someone else. I was livid.

BEST LAUNDROMATS:

Speed Queen Coin Laundry, 5th Street, Newport, Oregon

Lodgepole Visitors Center, Sequoia National Park, California (only $2.00 and clean!)

BEST SWIMMING POOL:

Ella Redkey Swimming Pool, Klamath Falls, Oregon

BEST TOWNS:

Corvallis, Oregon

Jacksonville, Oregon

Oakland, Oregon

Weaverville, California

WORST TOWNS:

Coos Bay, Oregon

Madras, Oregon

Brookings, Oregon

BEST ROADS [in the whole of North America!]:

Oregon

BEST GROCERY STORE:

First Alternative Food Co-op, Corvallis, Oregon

BEST FOOD: (In order of deliciousness!)

Gluten-free S'mores Cheesecake from the Astoria Food Co-op!

Gluten-free Chocolate Cream Pie from the First Alternative Food Co-op in Corvallis!

Organic U-Pick Blueberries!

Free Side of the Road Blackberries!

BEST HIKE:

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

STATE MOTTOS:

Oregon: NO OVERNIGHT PARKING!

Nevada: TAKE AS MANY AS YOU WANT!

California: BE PREPARED TO STOP!

MOST FUN:

Beach walking and hiking the Oregon Coast

MOST BEAUTIFUL CAMPING SPOTS:

Cape Meares, Oregon Coast:

Point Brays, Oregon Coast:

Blue River Reservoir, Oregon:

John Day River near Clarno, Oregon:

CONTINUED ACCOMPLISHMENTS I'M VERY PROUD OF:

I have not once spilled my pee pitcher all over the van, even in the middle of the night, even when my ankle was broken.

I have not once ran out of gas.

I have not once locked my keys in the van.

I have not once dropped my keys in an outhouse pit toilet. (OMG! My greatest fear!)

I have not once this trip got a chip in my new windshield! Driving the backroads worked!

NEVADA!! On the Return...

September 25, 2026: Woke up on the pullout on Highway 299 in Northeast California. It's cloudy, but warmish. Drove through gorgeous, colorful fall countryside toward Nevada!

Next...Nevada. Eeeewww. Drove down Highway 447 through ugly, barren, desolate desert, but the hills in the background gave the lack of scenery some interest. 

I might have stopped for the night in the desert, but there were so many dead vehicles on the side of the highway. Most of them spray painted or windows bashed out. It did not feel safe. I wouldn't want any hooligans thinking my van was uninhabited as I sleep and opt to shoot or bash out the windows! Very quiet drive. I think in 130 miles only four vehicles passed me. But the drive was not that relaxing as I was still stressed out from Les Schwab in Klamath Falls telling me I needed struts replaced at over $1,000! I kept listening for weird noises or suspension oddities when driving over bumps. Nothing.

Around 1pm I arrived in Fallon, Nevada, and immediately found a car wash. Spent extra time spraying the pressure hose into my wheels onto the brakes in case that would help. Les Schwab was right next door! I figured maybe I should get another opinion. It was a long wait, but I love I can drop in and be seen that day! Any other auto mechanic and it would be four days to four weeks for an appointment at the risk of being told after four weeks, "Oh, I guess we can't work on your van after all, but we'll charge you for an oil change!"

As I waited, the Les Schwab manager in Klamath Falls called me. I left a bad review online. He said he counseled the mechanic on better customer service. He also said they don't take apart brakes for a free inspection. I said, "I clearly told them I needed someone to check to see if the brake pads were cracked because of the ongoing loud noise. If I would have been told they wouldn't do that, someone should have said something, I would have driven away, and avoided this whole fiasco!!" Note to self: Les Schwab in Klamath Falls on Washburn sucks!

In Fallon, I didn't realize I was waiting for the MANAGER! What a delightful man!! He looked everything over, test drove with me in the van, but we never heard the sound. Maybe the car washing worked? (The next day the noise was back and constant, although not as loud and the following day, no noise at all? As usual, I have no idea what is going on! It's all a confounding mystery!) He took the brakes totally apart and showed me the parts, said the noise could be coming from metal filings, or rocks, or dirt or the scratches (not cracks) on the brake pads. He re-greased the brakes since they had NO lubricant, showed me the struts and told me my struts are NOT leaking! NONE OF THEM! What a relief! I can't tell you how thrilled I was with their customer service. Even the woman at the counter was very empathetic and helpful. I'm really at a loss on how to find a good mechanic since I so often encounter bad, incompetent, or dishonest ones. The manager left me a Les Schwab baseball cap in the van as a gift!! WOW! It makes me want to move to Fallon just to have a good mechanic, but another customer was telling me how cold it gets here in the winter. No thank you!

Best time to be at a Walmart...5am...before they open!

I'M IN NEVADA!!! I headed to Walmart. Walmart lets nomads stay the night! They don't even care how long one stays! I treated myself to Haagen Daz Rum Raisin Ice Cream...it only cost $3.50!!! It's usually between $6-7. I had hoped food in Nevada was cheaper, but other products are steadily rising in cost. A box of Spindrift is now a dollar more! Walmart also gives out free plastic bags AND they don't charge a deposit for cans. Oregon and California are like fascist states with all their rules and restrictions. I AM SO GLAD TO BE IN NEVADA! It's 78 degrees, low of 58 degrees! Tucson is down to 90 degrees! It's almost time to head south, but I'll be going through Las Vegas, and maybe Lake Havasu and Yuma which are still in the 100s so I'll be taking my time as I study the weather.

September 26, 2026: Spent the day at Oak Park in Fallon. There is what looks like some kind of little festival for kids with games and free giveaways. There is a live band, too. The music isn't bad, mostly oldies, but the singing is horrible!! It's not the worst band I've ever heard. They are attempting Creedence Clearwater Revival now. The singer needs to stop.

Trauma recall...many years ago a friend invited me to their camping/picnic/anniversary weekend party. Too much humanity is always a risk, but outdoors is often safe since there is so much ventilation. Her husband, brother, and friend had a "band". The worst I've ever heard. I kept thinking how self-centered these three older men were to think they should perform for anyone, but I think their bravado and musical incompetence were because they were so stoned. I wasn't. Maybe I should have been? It literally hurt my ears it was so off-key. I was embarrassed for them. No one attempted to sing, thank god. My friend was looking like it was the best music she ever heard. Weird how old memories just pop up with so little provocation. This park band is doing the Beatles now. Please forgive them!

Parked overnight at Walmart again which could be risky on a Saturday night. Weird woman roaming the parking lot in the middle of the night darkness and some cars with loud music rolled in and out a few times, but otherwise quiet. Not sure why Walmart is such a midnight attraction in these little towns. The store usually has security, too, but I didn't see any here.

September 27, 2026: OMG! It's almost the end of September! Dreams do come true! Headed south on Highway 97. Not much to look at with desolate desert in all directions and mountains in the background, but not many people on the road:

Landed at Tamarack Beach on Lake Walker.  My parking spot is a little too close to the highway to be quiet, even on a Sunday, but hardly anyone here and glorious view of the lake:

It was going to be cloudy in Fallon, and there are some clouds here, but enough sun breaks to power the solars. My needs are simple: sun for solar, sky for Starlink, gas in the tank, food in the fridge, and a van that runs well!

I'm reading Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True. He's a great storyteller.

September 28, 2026: OOOOHHH! End of the month!!

Rain forecasted today, only today. Everywhere else, including Las Vegas, three days of rain. Even though I'm running out of food, I'll stay put for another day. The only place to get food is Las Vegas. I'd rather not go to Las Vegas yet, but I don't have a choice. This kind of planning is a van-life skill set as I negotiate all aspects of time. How can I avoid heat? How can I avoid rain? How can I avoid clouds? How can I avoid running out of food? Or water? How do I avoid running out of gas? How do I avoid running out of plastic bags? How do I avoid running out of solar power? It takes a lot of organization.

It only lightly sprinkled for about fifteen minutes. The weather forecast never really makes it clear what's going to happen and I imagine the worst. I read my book, listened to music, relaxed...wished I had some yummy snacks.

September 29, 2026: This morning...not a cloud in the sky!! I couldn't stop taking photos as the sun was coming up!

I'm out of food. What to do? Its five hours to Las Vegas going south, BUT I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE!! If I continue south I won't go backwards and return and I'm not sure I'm ready for the heat in the south. Reno is 2 hours and 15 minutes away...they have Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, and Walmart. That's where I headed!

This is a huge disadvantage of Nevada I've discovered on every trip into the state - healthy grocery stores are in Reno and Las Vegas. No where else. This makes traveling in this state difficult as it's too easy to run out of food and be forced to travel for hours to restock.

There were lots of signs warning drivers of horses...hmmmm. Wild horses? Later I'm driving down a neighborhood road that connects to the next highway and...horses roaming all over the street! Later I saw several herds roaming on the side of the highways. Now I know I'm in the wild west!

Photo isn't that great. I was at a stop sign and didn't want
to take too much time in case someone came up behind me and the horses
were moving fast.

Highway 341 lead me right into Virginia City. I almost drove right on past then I remembered this is a town that was on my "must see" list so at the last second I turned left and found the main drag. OMG! It was gorgeous! Old Wild West town with a glorious Main Street!

Again, these photos are taken from a stop sign. It was too early for shops to be open, but if I though my ankle could handle walking up and down the boardwalk, I definitely would have parked. Oh well! Damn ankle!

Highway 341 was twisty turning all the way up the mountain and down the other side showing magnificent views of Reno in the distance. I didn't stop at the viewpoint as it was across the other lane and around the corner. Too dangerous. Shopped, saw more wild horses on the way back, and passed through really gorgeous oasis valleys of greenery nestled in the dry, dusty desert. It was a bit miraculous.

I got back to Walker Lake around noon. Everytime I look at this lake it seems to be a different color! No clouds and no rain. High of 69 degrees!

The weather is beautiful, no chance of rain, I have food, I have a good book, even internet, but no phone...can I stay forever? Ah, no. There are a lot of signs on the highway about snow chains. I can imagine this place gets really cold in the winter! But I love it here! There is only one other person here in a RV up by the toilets and garbage bins. There is another campground just north with more people. I like the privacy here. This time I chose a spot closer to the lake and further away from the highway. The gravel on the driveway seemed a little deep so hopefully I can get out. It's very windy and peaceful.

September 30, 2026!!! Last day of September!! I took a short hike down to the lake to test my ankle. Walked very carefully and slowly. Felt a little pinch at one point, but OK. I really miss walking and hiking!

The water has receded about 100 feet and the beach stunk like a sewer. The view of the lake is much nicer from a distance!! I'm glad I didn't attempt to park closer to the water. Here's a view in the other direction with Big Blue almost in the middle:

In addition there is dog doo-doo all over. Yesterday a man in a truck drove right past me down to the lake. He gets out, opens the back of his truck's canopy, and lets loose about fifteen large dogs! People are so rude!

It's a sunny day! High of 75 degrees! Not a cloud in the sky. Later in the afternoon I thought I'd melt...and it's only 75 degrees! Hmmm...

OCTOBER 1, 2026: OMG! OCTOBER!!!!! I took another walk to the garbage recepticle and by the time I got back, I was in pain. Too much. Worked on computer. Did my back exercises all day. I haven't had much exercise lately since I can't walk and my back is starting to seize up. I need to get back to Tucson to swim.

October 2, 2026: Left Tamarack Beach around 11am heading south on Highway 95. It was almost uneventful until I ran over a BIRD! I thought it would fly away. I wondered why it was standing on the cattle guard. Squish! Got to Goldfield around 2pm. The town is considered a "ghost town" with really cool, old stone buildings, but it's pretty run down beyond the old buildings. Many of these stone buildings are being renovating.

Stayed overnight at the Goldfield Information Center which has a big parking lot and signs that say "72 hour limit". This surprises me because the apps say it's a rest area and the state of Nevada has an eighteen hour limit. I'm only staying until morning then leaving early for my mad dash to Tucson since it's still really hot between Las Vegas and Phoenix so no overnights between here and Tucson. I thought Goldfield would be cool at 81 (according to my weather app), but I rolled in and it was 86 degrees. Oh well. Might as well get used to it. Friday night...I feel safer here than somewhere remote. At dusk I kept hearing burros braying so loud I thought they were right outside, but never saw any!

October 3, 2026: Quiet night. Got up early and started the marathon drive to the state border! I drove through Beatty on the way to California and don't recall seeing the casino on the corner...it's decorated with metal sculpture all around, lots of what looks like giant gears that would be in a clock. I considered stopping for a photo, but didn't. I wish I would have. 

Temperatures down Highway 95 and 93 were between 95 and 100 degrees. I kept right on going with only one stop at Walmart for water and gas in Pahrump. At around 3pm I crossed into Arizona!!

California to Oregon to California

September 18, 2026: Damn, will this month never end?? I awoke to clouds and air dripping with water. Normally in the afternoon on the coast the sun breaks through, but I checked the weather and it should be cloudy up and down the coast for the NEXT TWO WEEKS! Fall has arrived in California! I can't do that or I'd have no power. Once again, my lofty plans of staying for a few days were immediately cancelled and I planned my next strategy.

I headed up 101 to the Redwood National and State Parks to see some trees. The woman at the information center gave me driving instructions on where to go. The first section, yeah, there were big trees (I kept saying aloud, "Big Tree...Big Tree...there's a Big Tree"), but I'd seen bigger and better on the Avenue of the Giants and the Richardson Grove State Park just the other day. All the pullouts and parking lots were full so I wasn't going to stop and have to deal with hoards of humanity.

At the beginning of the Redwoods second route I received a warning on Google 2.8 miles of unpaved roads. Ah, no. Sorry. I turned around and jumped on Highway 199 to Oregon! This is a beautiful drive especially when the sun started shining through the trees! Hooray! At times the highway lane got very narrow on my side with a drop off, but still beautiful. I stopped at a huge pullout and stayed the night. The traffic was noisy up until midnight.

The morning shade...but here comes the sun!

September 19, 2026: Sunny, gorgeous...a little hot, but better than cold and cloudy. I washed Big Blue in Cave Junction (Oregon) and recycled my hoard of Spindrift cans. 

Weirdness with recycling...Oregon charges 10 cents per can when you buy them and pays 10 cents per can when you recycle them. California charges and pays only 5 cents. Cheap! So...I drove to Oregon to get rid of my Oregon-purchased Spindrift cans for a better price! Yeah, I'm insane. That was $1.80, but I probably spent $180 on gas just to get here!

However, I needed a cool, but sunny place to waste time until my return to Arizona, cool WITHOUT clouds or rain, maybe a swim or two, so I'm heading back to Klamath Falls to kill a few more days. Nevada seems to be cooling down with Reno in the high 70s. Tucson is high 90s still. UGH! We'll see how long I can stay put until I get the urge to roll. What a game!

Once again, I stayed at the Great Meadow Sno-Park just outside Klamath Falls. I love that it has internet and phone even though it's up in the mountains. For some reason, Klamath Falls calls to me. I think this is my fourth visit? It's comfortable.

September 20, 2026: I spent the day parked, watching what I think were wedding/engagement photographers taking photos of couples out in the "Great Meadow". One showed up at sunrise and another showed up at sunset. I also did computer work and read my new book Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslein Charles. 

I love wartime historical fictions! This one is about the women who went to France during WWI to help put a community back together by creating children's libraries. It's based on the true story of Anne Morgan (socialite who financed and managed CARD, American Committee for Devastated France) and Jessie Carson (the CARD librarian). It's a little G-rated especially since it's during the war right on the front with Germans only forty miles away. Everyone is a little too cheerful. Interesting enough, the chapters alternate with a separate story taking place in the 1980s about a woman who wants to write the history of the CARDs and during the story she asks one of the characters if they think it's too unrealistic without conflict or drama. LOL! Even though she was informed it was too cheerful, she didn't change much of the story. I still love it.

September 21, 2026: Did a run into Klamath Falls for some shopping and swimming. The geo-thermal-heated pool was nice and warm! Warmer than the air! I think there were only three other people swimming laps. An empty, warm pool is my kind of pool! I spent the rest of the day parked at Moore Park reading, relaxing, and handwashing shorts I've been wearing for weeks.

OMG! I forgot about the bugs! They are all over everything! Clinging to my screens and finding their way into the van to bounce on the windows. Their dead bodies are covering the outside of my van. Blah! It's a reminder why I do NOT want to live here! Weather is high 60s lows are high 40s. 

EPIPHANY!!! As I'm traversing the highways outside Klamath Falls once again, I notice my van is not sputtering and studdering! OMG! At the beginning of summer when I spent three weeks here, I was constantly stressed out how the van was not running well. Was it the all-terrain tires? This was my last theory since no mechanic could definitively tell me anything. Now that I have a clear comparison, I believe the new tires did fix the problem! I was told by a few mechanics that the computer program in the van will "learn bad habits" which means the transmission when trying to figure out what to do with the all-terrain tires will try to adjust for them causing the problems I had. I assumed that maybe it would take some time for this computer program to adjust to the new tires. It's been about a month. I think it did! I can't tell you what a relief this is! The cost of those new tires is way worth this peace of mind.

Of course, when things start going right, it's just a matter of time before things start going wrong again! My philosophy of change...

Overnighted at the Great Meadow Sno-Park. Wake up to dew and frost on the outside of the windows, but it seemed warmer than the last couple nights.

September 22, 2026: Can this month go any slower? But I'm having a good day. Van is running well. I have a good stock of food. Weather is sunny, cool and beautiful. I have a pile of books to read. Plenty of steady work. Love it. I go through stages of good and bad so I thought I should express happiness since so often I'm complaining about something!

Overnight at the Great Meadow Sno-Park again.

September 23, 2026: BRRRRRR!!!! Froze last night. Could not get warm. Woke up to ice covering my van and 41 degrees. This is too cold! I have found my limit in one place seemed to be three nights and then I'm itching to roll. Got up and didn't even bother with breakfast, drove to warm up the van and headed to Moore Park to eat and organize. I think it's time to leave for warmer weather! Went swimming, did all kinds errands.

I took the van into Les Schwab to get their opinion on my noisy brakes. This mechanic contradicted the mechanic who said my brake pads are cracked and tried to tell me the brake pads are just dirty. Who do I believe? He told me to buy some brake cleaner or spray them when I wash the van. I told him everytime I wash the van I spray the brakes. So I went into AutoZone and asked the guy what he thought. He said he thought it didn't make sense and not only that, how am I supposed to get the tire and wheel off to clean the brakes with brake cleaner?

Les Schwab mechanic also told me my front struts are leaking??? It's one thing after another, but I can't tell if anyone knows what they are doing especially when they all contradict each other! My van is finally running great EXCEPT for the noisy brakes so how can these struts be leaking? Discount tires and the latest oil change place didn't mention strut problems and I saw both of them inspecting the van. I've had too many mechanics replace parts that don't need replacing, I've heard some companies will give bonuses and commissions to get people to get customers to spend money whether they need the repair/replacement or not. Who to trust? Again, I don't seem to be having any indication I need new $1,000 struts, but  if there really is a problem, I also don't want it to get really bad if I wait to get it fixed. Damn!!!

I made a vow that if someone gives me a diagnosis and a high quote, like medical care, I get a second opinion. I'm not going to cave to men's scare tactics. Or if I do have something major repaired, I stick around the area for a while to make sure there are no problems. So I'm leaving. Les Schwab won't be getting my $1,000!! 

Overnight Parking Site on Highway 299

Left Klamath Falls around 1:30pm on Highway 39, to Highway 139, to Highway 299 and stopped on the side of the road for overnight in the Modoc National Forest just west of Centerville in California. Very nice, relaxing ride. Warmer here, high 80, low 48.

September 24, 2026: Hardly any traffic on this highway at night. Much warmer night! Most of it was in the 50s. There are times when I wake up in the night, need to pee, and I cannot get out of bed because it's so cold! So thankful this was not one of those nights. Cold in the morning, but the sun is shining! These tiny little flies are driving me nuts. Not sure how they are getting into the van....

Large pullouts all along 299 in the Modoc National Forest

Worked all day, answered emails, listened to music, and relaxed.

September 25, 2026: Woke up to clouds, but warmth! Temperatures look like they are coming down in Tucson, although it's still raining. Getting close!! Left on Highway 299 and headed south on Highway 447. Lovely drive!

California! To the Coast...

Sunrise on Highway 152 Pull Out

September 13, 2026: The highway was so noisy all night! It never stopped! All the way here I kept refusing to get gas because it's so expensive and I was too tired. I was nearly on empty! Thankfully there was a gas station ten miles away with $6.39 a gallon.

I've read parts of the coastal highways are closed due to the wildfire near Big Sur. Monterey was another overpopulated city, too busy for my liking, but it did have a Whole Foods so I was able to get some supplies not found in Visalia. 

I headed down Highway 1 to Carmel. I've always heard about Carmel. The rumor is movie stars live there. Doris Day left Hollywood to live in Carmel. Clint Eastwood. Lots of winding little streets, four-way stops, nice houses, and rude, impatient honkers. 

Now Oregonians honk at you when you are parked on the side of the road usually early in the morning. Californians just honk whenever they think you aren't moving fast enough. The weird thing is they wait to honk until you are gone! For instance, in Carmel, I pulled up to a four-way stop at an intersection with a spiderweb of tiny little streets in all directions. I could see the "downtown" area to the left and all the cars parked bumper-to-bumper along the street so I didn't want to go that way. I stopped, made sure no impatient drivers were coming at me from any number of directions refusing to acknowledge my right-of-way stop. Since my vehicle is my home, it pays to be extra cautious. I don't want to lose everything in one rushed instance! Then I proceeded to turn right. The Californian behind me waited until I was on my way and then leaned on their horn to make sure I knew of their displeasure. They turned left. This is not a one-time incident. I've had Californians race up behind me on a highway, stay right on my ass, then after I pull over to let them pass, HONK loud and long as they drive off. I think they are so used to being shot at they want a clear escape before honking. What a bunch of jerks! I've read on the apps Californians also honk early in the morning passing an overnight van, too. I haven't had that happen yet, but I won't be surprised when it does.

Are Californians the worst drivers, worse than Oregon or Maine? It's hard to say. Maybe running neck in neck in the race for the worst? I'm realizing it's not about being a bad driver; it's about being rude, inconsiderate, thoughtless, angry people. They are everywhere and not just in certain states. There is no getting away from these people and as angry as everyone is, it's becoming more normal than the exception. I think we need a new and better pandemic and get rid of a lot more people. If we had less population, we'd have more room to not be angry. Too many rats in a cage and they will start to eat each other. It's harder to be angry with less people around you.

However, I need to give credit where credit is due since I've been bashing California drivers. I have said in the past, I hate people behind me especially on these twisty turning tiny highways with drop offs. They are too often right up my ass so if I had to slam on my brakes their car would have to be removed from my engine, so I always pull off on a pullout when possible. I don't pull out on gravel especially if it has a pavement dropoff or potholes so I wait for a passing lane or an official, paved pullout. A few drivers today gave me the "thank you honk"...two little beeps when they passed. Much better than the "I hate you, you slow driving fuck" honk when they lean on their horns because I'm just not going fast enough for them. There are some nice people out there. California also has call boxes and garbage cans all along their highways. I've only ever seen this in British Columbia. California cares about people. So even if the drivers are assholes, the state is trying.

I went to the beach to work! It smells so good here! It's sunny and only 70 degrees!! Perfect!

In the afternoon I headed toward Big Sur. There was a sign announcing the highway is closed twenty-six miles south of Big Sur as the wildfire is not quite contained, but almost. The drive was beautiful, sunny, but up on the cliffs the wind was at least thirty miles an hour! I got out of the van and felt like I either my phone would get blown out of my hand or I would blow off the cliff so I didn't get close to the edge and I headed back to the van asap! The photos are deceiving. The wind is scary.

The water, rocks and cliffs were gorgeous, bright blue and turquoise with lots of waves, but the landscape doesn't have the greenery that Oregon has. Everything is a dry, crispy brown.

I headed north on Highway 1. Again, the setting sun was blinding me so I stopped and parked on the side of the road near the Greyhound Rock State Marine Conservation Area. 

September 14, 2026: Drove north on Highway 1. Very beautiful coastline and highway with lots of little farms along the route.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

What is this? All over the beaches.

I always thought this was rich people's fancy grass, but
it seems it's a weed that grows all over the California coast!

Kept driving north through Half Moon Bay - gorgeous little town with a really cool store called New Leaf Community Market. Much like Whole Foods only cheaper. Then on to San Francisco. Eeeewww...too much humanity for me. Stop and go traffic all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge.

I must be suicidal to think I should be taking photos while crossing the bridge. I love how the photo is slanted. I just raised my camera and clicked without looking so I didn't have to take my eyes off the road.

Headed to Point Reyes Station on this really gorgeous road called Nicasio Valley Road. The forest became deep and dark, but there were little houses hidden in and under the trees! Right under and next to the trees like a fairy land! Some had little bridges to the houses. The road spilled out next to Nicasio Reservoir. I considered staying overnight at the side of the reservoir, but wanted to see Point Reyes. Point Reyes was a cute little town. I kept going just beyond and parked along side Tomales Bay. At 5pm it's 69 degrees, sunny with a nice cool breeze. Perfect!

September 15, 2026: Woke up to the van covered in dew. Very damp. Smells like a swamp. I think it is a swamp.

My ankle has been in horrible pain for a few days to where I can hardly walk. Most of the time I am walking all over, strolling beaches, and hiking up mountains, but every now and then I can't walk! It comes out of no where as I'm casually walking across a parking lot and then, bam! The pain is horrible and I can barely put weight on my foot. It normally stops when I stop walking and goes away. This time it's been a few days now and the pain persists. Later, it feels as if I'm healing from an injury with stiffness and pain all the way up the back of my leg. I have a bad feeling about this. It might be the dampness or the cold? Or it might be hardware?

Drove north along Highway 1. Stopped along the way to see gorgeous views:

View from cliff above Duncan's Cove

Duncan's Cove

Overnighted on a pull out along Highway 1 just north of Jenner. Jenner is an adorable town right on the water. The fog was rolling in about 3pm.

September 16, 2026: It's foggy and cloudy. Every now and then I can see sun breaks over the ocean, but they never make it to land. Cold at 55 degrees. On days like this my feet are cold all day.

I drove through quite a few really cute towns: Point Arena, Elk, Albion. Elk had a little free neighborhood library cupboard and I exchanged one of my books for another book by Patricia Cornwell. Highway 1 was  ROLLERCOASTER of straight up and straight down with twisty hairpin turns! Beautiful ocean views!

PINK LILIES! I don't know what they are called but they are all over: in people's yards, in fields, lining driveways, all over cemeteries, sides of the roads. I'm pretty sure they grow wild here all along the coast, but absolutely stunning, especially on a cloudy, gray day!!

I stopped in Fort Bragg. They have a store called Harvest Market that is very much like Whole Foods. Their bakery was experimenting with gluten-free breads so I bought a little loaf of pumpkin bread. I also visited the library. They had books for sale, but the librarian said they also save books for the farmers' market give away and let me look at those. I took two and bought one. Hooray for books to read!

Overnighted just north of Fort Bragg on Highway 1. Lots of pullouts with and without "no parking" signs.

September 17, 2026: Another cold, foggy, and/or cloudy morning in the low 50s. Very gray. Continued northeast on Highway 1 and found SUNSHINE!! Very twisty with sharp hairpin turns with SUN beaming through the trees! Mostly up hill through dense forest...and SUNSHINE. Gorgeous SUNSHINE. Although I don't like sweltering heat, I clearly love SUN! Hardly anyone on the highway, too!

I passed Westport. Tiny little town. Very cute. I thought about those lesbians who adopted a bunch of African American children out of foster care only to drive them down the coast and over a cliff into the rocks below. The one child's body was never found. I know they went over a cliff somewhere near Westport and from what I can see there are plenty of opportunities. So heartbreaking! Why adopt children in need only to kill them? Those women were evil!

Continued to Leggett then onto Highway 101 to the Bear River Casino which is the cheapest gas in the county. All along the route there were too many "BE PREPARED TO STOP" single lane road constructions. I appreciate California's diligence and dedication in keeping the roads in good shape, but they are obnoxious. One stopped me right at the entrance to the Richardson Grove State Park with giant redwoods on either side of me. That was very cool. I like it when one is forced to stop where there is scenery.

I headed to Ferndale Beach for an overnight, but once I got there I decided I didn't want to get stuck in deep sand and I don't want to park next to the beach because last time unruly kids kept showing up late at night for a party OR the surfers show up at 6am with all thoughtless humans surrounding my van and talking loudly which is really freaky. So I'm on a side road in hopes of avoiding irritating people.

I've only had Starlink for thirteen months. The warranty is for twelve months, of course. The power cable wiring is fraying. It still works, but who knows when it will stop?

All the online information threatens the user to not buy from a third-party company, but then the help chat happened to mention Walmart sells power cables. Hmmm...why not? My warranty has expired. But I'm a worry wart, incessantly worrying about nothing, and I wonder if a cheap, third-party cable might compromise the rest of the Starlink components? I want to avoid shipping costs and shipping problems. Where is the nearest Walmart?? Walmart, Staples and Best Buy do not carry this kind of cable. Neither does Home Depot. I am seeing Amazon, online Walmart, Target and maybe Lowe's might sell them, but it might be limited to online ordering only. I'm not in a hurry as it's still working. I hate for this sixteen foot long cable to go to waste so I might try to rewire it myself once it's not working.