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!

Oregon! Going, Going, Gone

August 24, 2026: Drove down the mountain from the BLM land to Porter. Although this road was much shorter than the other coming up, the water ruts and potholes were really deep and scary. I went no faster than five miles an hour and cautiously negotiated the horror so I wouldn't bottom out. I prayed no one would be driving up it when it was so narrow. I can't back up in a parking lot, let alone a narrow dirt, potholed road with drop offs!

The reward at the bottom of the mountain was this lovely covered bridge at Grave Creek:

Continued to Golden, a "ghost town". Right on a paved road - my kind of ghost town!! So many of them are located up a dusty dirt road. Had I known they had plenty of pull offs and no "no overnight parking" signs, I would have stayed here last night! I considered for a minute to stay, but after a cool morning, the temperatures started climbing to the nineties!

I love me a church!!!!

Old Barn in the Distance

General Store

Schoolhouse

Blacksmiths Shop with General Store Behind

Love the outhouse!

Yes, someone had to hang this sign inside the outhouse door!

No park host...

This might be fun...if it wasn't so HOT with stinky tourists stopping all the time. 

After touring the ghost town, I hiked the mining area on the other side of the road. Not much there except a bunch of dried up ponds. I continued down a dirt road for about a mile. Still nothing only trees and dried grass. I was hoping there would be some old houses or buildings.

I jumped on I-5. Oh, how I hate freeways, but it was either freeway or dirt road for four miles! I drove two and a half hours to Klamath Falls where it was 89 degrees. I passed the Great Meadow Sno-Park on the way and it was only 82 degrees. Went swimming at the Ella Redkey Municipal Pool in Klamath Falls. Then drove another hour east to the Quartz Mountain Sno-Park for the night where it was 81 degrees.

August 25, 2026: Beautiful morning. Cool. Quiet. The eastern end of Highway 140 has so much less traffic. I cleaned the inside of the van, reorganized totes, washed the ceiling covers, and hung everything to dry. Had a nice relaxing day! Stayed another night at Quartz Mountain.

August 26, 2026: Another beautiful, cool, quiet morning. Did errands in Klamath Falls. Went to the post office...my voters ballot that I paid $15 to have forwarded...I don't think it ever showed up. It's not at the post office. It was never sent back to my mailbox after 30 days. I wonder if it was sent back to Pima County Voting Office? Hmmmm...? What a waste of money that was! Shopped at stores. Finally found a lid that would fit my five-gallon bucket! It's the little things that give me great joy!! I did one load of laundry plus one more washing of the Pendleton wool blanket! The stink is gone!!! Finally after five (?) washings! Car washed Big Blue. Did some lap swimming at the pool. The lap section was EMPTY! I was the only person for the first thirty minutes. That was followed by a water aerobics class that is always fun with wonderful women. It's been a very busy, productive, exhausting day, but good exhausting! 

My sinus problems are back...ugh. This was a problem the whole time I was in Arizona. It only cleared up once I got to Northern California and Oregon. I can only assume spending so much time on the damp and humid coast and then coming to Klamath Falls which is dry and dusty is causing this. It's not as bad as when I'm in the desert states of Arizona, Utah, Colorado or Nevada, but it's no fun. I also have a mild headache. That makes me wonder if this is due to altitude change from coast to dry, hot mountains? I have no idea, I just know it's miserable. Again, I have no idea where to be! It's either mold, the inability to breathe, or out of my budget. Not much of a choice! I'm planning my route, but there are wildfires on both the eastern border AND the coast of California.

Overnighted at the Great Meadow Sno-Park where I stayed last June when I was hanging out in Klamath Falls for three weeks. Nothing has changed: great internet service, beautiful views, but garbage is all over and too many people in RVs with dogs wanting to cuddle up close. (What is that?)  The overhead flood light has burned out, but I'm fine with that. I hung the wool blanket to dry. Weather is a little cooler at 81 degrees.

August 27, 2026: Cold morning! Condensation all over the inside of the windshield, but no where else thanks to the MAXX Air ventilation. Sunshine around 8am. The temperatures are going down! It's only supposed to be 78 degrees today! Loving it! Rain is forecasted. Not loving that!

Sinuses are better, but headaches are awful. So I take some pain-killing drugs with food and my stomach starts burning. There is no winning here!

August 28, 2026: It's almost September!!! So hard to believe. Cold morning. I went swimming. The lap pool is nearly empty every morning and the water was quite warm! Love it! Klamath Falls was getting hot so I moved back up to Quartz Mountain.

August 29, 2026: I met a woman on one of the van life groups. She was advertising for women who would want to park at her property and in exchange help her out. She just moved to forty acres two months ago. She is EMF sensitive so is purposely isolated, unable to drive to most places due to the overabundance of cell phones and other EMF emissions. Since I had been looking at property in the area and I was already nearby, I was curious and thought it might be fun to help, find out about the area, and kill some time before heading to Arizona. She had all kinds of ideas on how I would live there either on the property or in her house. Hmmm.... 

Of course, I had all kinds of concerns, worries, and stresses. She wasn't chemically sensitive so would she understand my limitations? Would she be fragrance-free? Was there mold on her property? Could I turn off my phone, computer, rat beeper, Bluetooth, and Bluetti to keep her safe without feeling cut off from the world? How would I cook with no power? How can I check emails? Would she expect me to work fulltime for this parking spot? What kind of work? Would I end up overexerting myself causing an autoimmune attack? The area had wildfire smoke issues with air quality index up to 362 a few weeks before. I ventured forth chanting as usual, "It's an adventure!" I commented to several people she might be a serial killer so it would be the last time they'd see or hear from me!

The previous owner left skulls all over which was very discombobulating
to turn around and be faced with death so I gathered them up and made a "skull tree" to serve as
a talisman to keep evil at bay. More like art than death premonitions. 

We were very much a like with everything and got along very well. The exception was I'm MCS and she's EMF. There are things I can't do that she can and things I can do that she can't which might have made a good partnership. I thought maybe I could stay two weeks.  She definitely needed help as it was a mess. Not only had she had multiple moving van deliveries of her own belongings, but the previous owners left a lot of everything! The buildings on her property were fairly toxic with piles and hoards of old, musty stuff. Two huge shipping containers filled to the ceilings, an old mobile home, a tiny house that the previous owner incensed (what is wrong with it that she needed to scent it?), a carport and a barn. Her boxes needed to be unpacked and organized which is something I normally love to do. In addition, propane, gasoline, rat poison and she planned to use the wood stove when the freezing temperatures arrived. 

When we initially communicated through messenger, she said she'd want me to make deliveries to the post office, grocery shop, help her with the computer. That seemed doable and low level work that I could easily do without too much physical exertion.  I overdid it the first and second day: hauling branches to a burn pile, cutting barbwire and stacking pieces, carrying firewood, helping her lift doors, plywood, boxes and shelves. I loved having something to do besides sitting in the van driving, but it was too much. She kept asking me to do all kinds of physical labor. I totally understand as a single woman needed an extra pair of hands to get things done. I was exhausted every afternoon nearly catatonic with autoimmune attacks. This is not safe, but I just couldn't tell her no. So much needed to be done and I am compulsive with fixing and organizing.

We ozoned the tiny house. I had my doubts ozone would work to clean the house enough to where I could live in it, but I was curious if it actually worked since so many van dwellers use ozone on their vans if they get mold. I helped her empty the tiny house carrying everything outside and I added my books inside. It didn't seem to clean the house or the books much. 

On the third day I was feeling pretty exhausted and sick, nearly unable to move or think. It was supposed to start raining and rain for a week and the thought of being parked in mud didn't appeal. After I went to Klamath Falls to grocery shop for her, I drove back and the whole landscape was covered in smoke. That was the last straw.

Wildfire smoke so bad the hills are barely visible!

I stopped at the Forest Service office in Bly and the ranger told me further east two more wildfires started and south near Reno a few other fires! The wind was coming up from the south spreading the smoke. My throat was sore, my lungs hurt, and headaches began. I decided to leave. My new friend was very disappointed to lose her new assistant, but it couldn't be helped. I was exhausted from the autoimmune attacks, sick from all the toxins and the exhaustion, unable to breathe due to the wildfire smoke, and eager to get out of there. It seems my limit is two days anywhere I go.

I drove west back to Klamath Falls and stayed at Indian Tom Lake where I was last May. I could see the smoke to the southeast. It was so thick Mt. Shasta wasn't even visible!

OREGON! The OMSI Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition

August 16, 2026: I got up early and drove through downtown Portland. I really love using Google Maps with the highways/interstate option blocked because I'm sent on backroads and into neighborhoods that I would otherwise never know about. I would probably get lost trying to find my way without this app!

Downtown Portland was wonderful early in the morning before anyone was awake! Gorgeous old buildings and no traffic. I have to say even though highways in Oregon are well maintained and look like park driveways, city streets are consistently horrible! Klamath Falls, Coos Bay, Astoria, Salem, Eugene...all the same. Potholes, cracks, dips, patches. It's bad enough worrying about the road condition in addition to worrying about other vehicles, bad drivers, pedestrians stepping in front of you, negotiating one way streets and roads that veer off in all directions! On the way out in the afternoon when the traffic got crazy, it was life-threatening!

I headed to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) to see the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition and to try to figure out parking in advance. Online the website said there is street parking if you don't want to pay. Well, street parking is a thirty minute walk in a deserted industrial area. I shouldn't say "deserted" as there were plenty of homeless laying on the streets, sitting smoking under the bridges, or milling about. I didn't feel safe leaving the van parked in this area. Parking at OMSI was $5 for two hours or $8 for all day.

The Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition ticket cost came to $30 including parking. That included some minor discounts. Interesting exhibit and I'm glad I did it. I had the urge to do something touristy since I so rarely treat myself to anything but fattening deserts. I liked the exhibits: artifacts brought up from the ocean, photos, displays, and educational information. It would have been a great exhibition if it wasn't so crowded! And noisy! They offered headsets that read you the display labels, but too many parents decided they needed to read aloud everything to their kids. Good god! It was like stereo speakers with one parent on one side reading one and another parent on the other side reading something totally different. I thought I'd go crazy! I had to plug my ears with my fingers in order to read to myself without the constant reading aloud interruptions. I would have loved the exhibit without PEOPLE!

The new information I gleaned was fascinating. First class tickets cost in modern day equivalent over $100,000!!! Who can afford that? Even the very rich, how can they even justify it? The modern day equivalent of a third-class passenger's ticket cost was about $900! Even that is expensive! I always assumed third-class were incredibly poor, but I guess not! Contrary to my past assumptions, the restaurant menus for each class were displayed and third-class ate very well!

I found the findings of artifacts very interesting. Whole suitcases with paper items (music sheets, postcards, money, etc.) were found still intact. Some luggage with clothes preserved especially if they were in leather bags which held together even after eighty years. One case had perfume samples belonging to a perfume manufacturer who was bringing the samples to the USA to try to sell. In that day and age they manufactured natural perfumes from bergamot, rose, lavender...and the perfume in the bottles still smelled! 

The displays often had one item, but the label said many were found. I think they should have displayed more than one. There was a tin (?) container of toothpaste they believe the White Star Line gave for free to passengers since so many were found. Why only display one? Why not multiple so we can see the front, top and bottoms of the box? Same with dishes. Why display one? I would rather have been amazed at the volume of what was discovered preserved on the ocean floor. Yeah, I know that would be a lot more work transporting and displaying. I wonder if this exhibit is being shown in other locations simultaneously so they spread the artifacts around. 

These au gratin dishes were displayed as they were found - in a row. It seems the wood cabinet in which  they were stored kept them safe during the sinking, but on the ocean floor the sea water disintegrated the cabinet leaving the dishes. I find it fascinating so much of the dishware was not broken.

Upon entry they give you a "boarding pass" with the biography of one of the passengers on the back. At the end, you can scan your boarding pass and the computer tells you if your passenger lived and what became of them. The first boarding pass I chose was a man's name. I traded him in for a "Mrs. Henry William Frauenthal (Clara Heinsheimer).

I've read a lot of Titanic biographies over the years. Some are very dramatic, others very mundane. Very little about most of the passengers. I've always wondered what kind of lasting trauma survivors experienced. No one likes to talk about that. I assumed if I had a "Mrs." she was probably first-class and survived. Both my passenger and her husband survived. I wonder if their mental health was a direct result of their Titanic experience? This doesn't say if Henry Frauenthal, her husband's brother survived (mentioned on the back of the boarding pass) and I didn't look at the final list of victims and survivors for his name.

The exhibit was missing a lot of well-known biographies. I saw the Titanic cemetery in Nova Scotia last summer with a story about a French man who kidnapped his young sons from his divorced wife. No mention of him or his sons. Nothing about the women who stayed with their husbands (Strausses). I thought the most heartbreaking biography highlighted was the Allison family:

I'm sure they were in a panic, stressed and not thinking straight, but why didn't the husband put his wife and daughter in a boat and then continue to look for the baby? So sad. History doesn't know, but assumes, if the parents stayed together because the wife refused to leave her husband. According to online information (I couldn't resist!), Trevor Allison was adopted by Allison relatives. When he was 18 years old he died from food poisoning.

The coolest "artifact" was the ice wall that is the same temperature as the iceberg. When I touched it I jumped and screamed a little unprepared for the freeze. The information also talks about the temperature of the water, how salt water freezes at a lower temperature, and how most people died from exposure rather than drowning.

Other interesting tidbits were the artifact recovery processes. There is still a lot left on the bottom of the ocean, but the shipwreck is disintegrating due to metal-eating bacteria and as it disintegrates it covers up the artifacts on the sand. Although the ticket was expensive, I hope some of the profits go toward more recovery.

It took about one and a half hours to see with me reading nearly everything. 

I followed Google Maps out through downtown Portland in the afternoon when the traffic got crazy. I just drove it slowly and remained hyperattentive. I was tempted to park and take a walk in that awesome shopping district, but remembered parking a small car was difficult. I had no confidence I could find a parking space big enough for Big Blue. I saw Powell Books and kept driving. In the afternoon, opposed to the morning, the homeless are all over the streets, sleeping right on the downtown corners in the old town district with tents and piles of sleeping bags. Right in downtown! It was pretty bad. Police don't seem to control it like they do in other towns. Maybe they've given up?

I was outta there by noon, heading west.

Oregon: OMG! Autumn Leaves are FALLING!!

August 11, 2026: I'm seeing fall leaves dancing in the wind, mambo-ing on the highways, rumba-ing on the roads, square-dancing on the streets! Some of the trees are turning colors! The maples are turning red! (Love those maples!) I awoke to a thick layer of dew on the windshield and it was cold last night in Newport! FALL IS HERE! Or almost?! It's just around the corner! That means my exile is almost over! I wonder when it'll start raining?

I made a laundry stop because the Newport's Laundry Queen on 5th Avenue is so clean and wonderful! The best in the state. But clearly unfriendly with "no overnight parking" signs! Nomads dread seeing these! UGH! So inhospitable!

UNFRIENDLY!!!

Also, the dryer ate my quarters and gave me only five minutes in return. UGH! On the bright side, there is nothing better than clean clothes. I have recently realized I have an unhealthy obsession with washing my throw rugs all the time, too! I love it when they are clean and fluffy on my bare feet!

Then I went beaching. I had an urge. I needed the sea breeze on my face, sand in my socks, the smell of fishy things, and the incredible views that I'm convinced make me healthier. The water was a mix of bright blue and turquoise. Gorgeous. The fog kept rolling in and out. Lost Creek Beach was first on the map after leaving Newport going south. I found a little witches' rock. Always a good sign.

Continuing south, I stopped at Another Beach...I have no idea what the name of it is. I just know it was free parking, but access was down a cliff so I passed on the walk.

I stopped at another beach parking lot, but a fee was required. Ah, NO. I walked around Yachats (pronounced YA-HOTS) and found painted garage doors on an orange house and a painted seal sculpture near the highway welcoming visitors with its crazy colors.

I found my people!!

Stopped at the Alsea Bay Wayside and gazed at the bay. Such a beautiful day! 

I love the bridges along 101. This was just before Walport and build originally in 1901 over the Alsea River and Bay. I love the sculptural pillers on the ends. Very art deco with green glass light fixtures. I wonder if they are lit at night? Newport also has a bridge with pillars, going north right after Hoover's Bar. (That is still making me laugh!) Most of the towns along the coast have bridges with pillars looking like miniature Empire State Buildings.

I stopped off at Strawberry Hill where there were sea lions frolicking in the surf! For some weird reason, my camera didn't work??!! They would have been little black and gray dots in the water anyway so no great loss. I really need some binoculars and a better camera with a magnificent zoom in lens. I was told there was a pod of whales swimming down from north of Yachats, but I didn't see anything and then the fog rolled in again.

Overnighted at Brays Point up on a cliff overlooking the beach. Although it's a pullout right on 101 with traffic until about 11pm, damp sticky air, AND there is no cell phone service or internet, I really like this location. It's very windy, but the wind dies down at night.

August 12, 2026: I drove to the Florence Goodwill and bought something that might serve as lounge wear since all my pajamas and most of my t-shirts have holes. Why can't clothing last forever?? 

I drove to Coos Bay. Grocery shopped at Natural Grocers, but their water refills smell and taste like chlorine. UGH! Walked the farmers' market they have downtown on Wednesdays and there was a woman who made gluten-free bakery items Yeah, I overinduldged. I wasn't impressed though which is always disappointing although helps my willpower. Parked at the swimming pool, but didn't swim. Parked at Ferry Park in North Bend. Overnighted on the street in North Bend right next to the firestation. There are signs all over overnight parking is allowed between 8pm and 7am.

Every now and then my ankle has pain like a knife is stabbing it and I can't walk. Just out of the blue. I can hike for seven miles without a problem, then out of no where I can't walk at all. I think it's the hardware. Hmmm...I really don't want to have it removed and chance it not healing right.

Pretty boring day....

August 13, 2026: Quiet night! I'm trying to decide if I should stay another night and check the post office for a forwarded check or leave and swing back later. It's pretty boring here. It's also cloudy. I don't think my solars would charge under these conditions.

Natural Grocers is having an anniversary sale so I got a new free shopping bag. I love these shopping bags! The grocery checker was going to give me a cartoon one. I hate stupid cartoons and I asked if I could trade it. I got FLOWERS!

What was very strange at this visit to Natural Grocers is I usually get refill water since it's so cheap at .35 cents a gallon. This water was chlorinated! Yesterday the checker tried to tell me they don't chlorinate anything, but then today I ask the assistant manager and she said when Coos Bay treats the water once a month, they put too much chlorine in and the filters can't get it all out for about a day. Good to know! Blah. It kind of defeats the purpose of claiming the water is filtered and clean if it's NOT!

I headed for Corvallis via Drain to stop to swim at the pool. I checked with the kid at the counter to confirm there was a class and waited in town for six hours. I get there at 5pm, say, "I'm here for aerobics!" The silly little teenager who does not smile mumbled something while she looked in the other direction. 

I looked at the other silly little teenager who also doesn't smile and asked, "I did not understand a word she said. What did she say?" 

She mumbles a little clearer, "No one is showing up for aerobics." Mumbling the reason I again did not catch.

What? So it's cancelled and the other stupid teenager couldn't tell me that six hours ago? 

First stupid smile-free girl responded, "Oh, we can have it. I'll just read off a paper." 

I starting laughing and said, "I have never taken this class so I would not be a good pupil not knowing how to do the various exercises. Can I do laps while you read off the paper." She didn't think that was allowed. 

The other smile-free girl said, "That'll be $4." They charge more for aerobics than lap swim. I left. I don't have the patience to deal with stupid smile-free girls today.

Got to Corvallis and stayed at the wetlands. OMG! I parked right next to the most beautiful blackberries. Since they are inland, they are riper and sweeter due to the heat. They are so good! I was also kept company by too many hornets.

August 14, 2026: I met a woman the last time I was in Corvallis who was really friendly. We met at the Willamette Park for a walk. She took me on a tour showing me some of the trails. We saw a huge owl!! I then went to the First Alternative Co-op for groceries I couldn't get at Natural Grocers the day before and Natural Grocers for water since I was totally out of water by this time. I smelled it to make sure it wasn't poisoned with chlorine. Checked out a thrift store my new friend suggested, but it was small and didn't have much. I checked out the swimming pool, but it was crowded and expensive at $6. I'm not sharing a lane with up to three other people for $6!

Ate lunch at the Willamette Park, washed my Goodwill clothes AGAIN. The weather is 80 degrees - warm, but cool enough to be tolerable. Leaves falling all over! Overnight at the wetlands again. Picked more blackberries. Quiet night.

August 15, 2026: Met my friend and we went to the farmers' market in Corvallis. Very nice. Met a lot of very nice people. One in particular was a woman who does wire wrapped jewelry. She lives in an RV in an RV park. When she first arrived in Corvallis she lived in the national forest moving every 14 days. I could never tolerate the cold of year-round living.

The market had a lot of liberal political booths (my people), lots of organic produce, lots of bakeries (none gluten-free). I saw the BIGGEST blackberries I've ever seen - at least two inches long and so delicious! I didn't buy any since I just loaded up on side of the road berries. I managed to avoid buying anything that looked like a dessert!

As I drove through Albany on my way to Silverton, I saw a sign for a farmers' market. Saturday is the day for markets! It wasn't nearly as big or as nice as the Corvallis market. Drove to Silverton. Everyone gushes about this town. It was OK, but not impressive. Drove to Woodburn. I misinterpreted this Mexican Market as a farmers' market, but I think it's just a downtown area full of stores.

Drove close enough to get to Portland without being in Portland. Overnight at the MAX Train Park & Ride in Beaverton. The lot was almost empty, very quiet. The late afternoon sun was very hot on the van. One is allowed to park overnight for 12 hours.

Trees are turning colors fast. Weather is cool. Fall is here! I keep watching the weather in the south and in Arizona. It's still over 100!

Oregon Coast: Still Zigzagging...

August 5, 2026: I stayed at Hult Reservoir all morning in the nice cool weather. As I was on my computer a little black spider fell from the ceiling onto my keyboard...and disappeared. OMG! I searched all over for it. It is NOT good to have a spider living in the van. I have read about black widow infestations in vans. No, no, no...where did it go? Is it laying eggs as I write this? I'm pretty sure this is what I get for parking under trees in the woods. I kept feeling things crawl on me until I couldn't take it anymore and packed up to leave. Not that leaving does any good with the spider IN the van, but I had to take my mind of it. The heat was building anyway so time to head to the coast.

I drove to Eugene for supplies. OMG! Once I got out of the woods everything was thick with smoke! I could hardly see the hills. My eyes and lungs burned and I felt a headache coming on. 

I stopped at Discount Tires to ask some more questions trying to decide if I should get a tire rotation or splurge and get new tires. Of course, the charming employee talked me into new tires by convincing me the inside of the shop is air conditioned and filtered so it would be comfortable to get out of the smoke. I needed tires. I just don't want to spend the money. They were fast! Probably so I wouldn't change my mind.

Ignore the missing hubcabs. I have yet to replace them. 
Discount Tire guy said I should just buy some fancy rims.
He thinks I'm rich....

I got some road Michelins. No more all-terrains for me. OMG! The van rides so differently now! SO SMOOTH! I go over a bump and can barely feel it. It turns so effortlessly. The brakes seem to work better. Big Blue sails down the highways now...unfortunately. I have to try harder not to get a ticket! It still stutters on hills, but not as much. What is causing that? Maybe the transmission is adjusting to the new tires? It makes me so angry to think how long I stressed out about the van running badly. I hope these tires are better. I hate having to rely on men for good information as they have failed so consistently in the past.

Drove to Drain thinking I could swim, but the swimming pool was closed due to air quality issues. It's smoky in Drain, too, maybe not as bad as Eugene. I stopped and took photos of these gorgeous "castles":

So gorgeous! I love the rich brown color with lime green trim!
It's currently being used as the school district office.

I headed to the coast hoping the air was cleaner and the temperatures were cooler. They were! It was 65 degrees rather than the 95 degrees. I stayed overnight on Dean Creek Road right off Highway 38 which is about two miles east of Reedsport. The highway was so noisy all night, unlike 101 that goes silent after 11:00pm.

A man in a truck pulls into the pullout behind me. I thought he was going to stay the night. Suddenly I smelled dog shit. At first I checked the bottoms of my shoes that's how strong it was. Then I realized this guy let his dog out to shit and then left. So incredibly rude!! What is it with bad dog owners?

August 6, 2026: Woke early and drove just a mile down the highway to the Elk Viewing Park. I've driven by this place several times usually in the afternoon and I've never seen elk. This morning at the crack of dawn I drive by the first herd that was just on the other side of the blackberry bushes from where I was parked. Got down to the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Park, pulled in very slowly and there were about 200 up front and center! As soon as they saw my van, the began to move away. Lots of babies. I was afraid to get out of the van. Now they are specks on the horizon.

I drove into Reedsport thinking I should clean out the van and use their high-powered vacuum, but it was $3.00!! No way am I paying $3.00 for a 2 minute vacuum. I have a whole van to vacuum where a spider could be hiding! 

I went into The Sugar Shack hoping to be tempted. Oh, what a beautiful bakery, old school with all the classic favorites! Love the pink! All bakeries should be pink! Nothing gluten-free, fortunately and unfortunately. I was able to resist all temptation.

I drove back to the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area, cleaned out the van the best I could, did not find the spider, ate breakfast, and gazed at the elk every now and then as I typed on the computer. There are bathrooms and garbage receptacles here. It's cool and not smoky. This is luxury! I think I'll stay all day and work.

Overnight in the parking lot at the Reedsport Dog Park.

August 7, 2026: I couldn't find schedules for the Coos Bay swimming pool and when I got there it's closed for swim meets. Very disappointing. It's not very organized with floating timelines and changing schedules. I left and toured around to see towns I missed on the first visit, but I went too far east and encountered smoke again. I felt directionless all day. I didn't want to be where I was and I didn't really know where I wanted to go. Came back to the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area. I love it here. It's so peaceful aside from the highway traffic noise and the tourists.

Close to dusk a woman drove up in a pick up truck. She got out with her little snorty flat-faced dog and walked around my van which I though very strange. Although we were both wearing tie-dyed t-shirts which might inspire a connection, my instincts flared so I avoided initiating conversation. 

Later I noticed she was trying to pry open the back window to her truck's canopy. Did she lock her keys in the truck? I felt a surge of empathy since that is one of my greatest fears. Yep. She did. I kept asking if she needed help. She said she had no one to call, didn't want to contact a locksmith because they are too expensive. I said, "Breaking that window might cost more than a locksmith." Then she confessed she didn't even have a phone, didn't have any way to find numbers, but she rejected my offer to call and she kept babbling about her life. She seemed very needy and manipulative, unable to focus, and I kept thinking I should stop being a super-empath and walk away. I loaned her my crowbar and damn if that back window didn't violently shatter with tiny glass pieces flying all over. Her dog panicked then got loose from its leash running haphazardly through the parking lot. 

There was so much drama surrounding this woman she was irritating me. Then she's whining about how she can't drive over the glass or she'll get a flat tire. OK, I have a broom! I started to sweep the glass while she stood there and watched. Honestly, I didn't want to hand her the broom because I figured she'd waste time babbling instead of doing anything and I figured I could do it faster and she'd leave faster. I also didn't want to leave the glass all over and risk running over it myself. At one point she pulls out a cigarette as if she's relaxing and watching her own personal reality show. I said, "If you smoke, I leave...with the broom." She immediately apologized and put it away. I might be overly empathetic, but I do have some boundaries. Something about her made all my instincts scream a red light warning. I was on high alert waiting for her to suspiciously ask for a favor or want to see my van. She didn't. People in general are so obnoxious in so many different ways. She eventually drove away. I left shortly after. I was going to overnight across the highway, but she creeped me out so I drove a good distance into Reedsport and overnighted again at the dog park.

August 8, 2026: Dog Park was so quiet all night. Not sure how long I'm allowed to stay as every city's ordinances are different. Did a few speed walking laps around the Dog Park and then on a metal "thing" (not sure what it was) I found a kindness rock!

I love finding kindness rocks! I traded the painted rock I found at the Klamath Falls swimming pool for it and left it on the metal thing in its place so hopefully the artist of this one will find it and feel excited. Now, you aren't supposed to put googly eyes and glitter in the wild as it's dangerous to birds and other wildlife so I might not use this one as a trade in the future. I kind of wish I would have kept more of my painted rocks so I could have used them as trades. Hmmm...maybe I should start painting again?

I checked the day's impending temperatures and air quality indexes: Klamath Falls should be 92 degrees and 109. Not good. Medford is 97 degrees and 88. Bly is 92 degrees and 149! Corvallis is 89 degrees and 58. Eugene is 89 degrees and 67 so both those I-5 corridor towns have cleared slightly. Reedsport is 67 degrees and 51. I'll stay on the coast for now!

Overnight at Dean Creek Road pullout.

August 9, 2026: August is for BLACKBERRIES! They are all over the sides of roads! Whoo Hoo! Free food!

Headed to Highway 101 north to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. It's a national forest. I have no idea if my America the Beautiful pass qualifies. They have a poster for all the qualifying passes and several of them are national passes, but no photo of my pass. BUT most of the cars already in the parking lot have their America the Beautiful pass on their dashboards so I threw all caution to the wind. I hiked one hell of a hike, felt lost most of the time, but at least I remembered to take a photo of the map. (Not that it helped!)

Yep, I did the whole loop! I keep vowing I will only do short hikes, but early in the morning with what feels like unlimited energy, I just couldn't help myself. By the time I got to the beach and struggled walking through deep sand, I was exhausted. 

I made it uphill through sand dunes to Threemile Lake.

Where to go? The signs were horrible or nonexistent. The map was basic and not helpful. I saw some campers right on the lake's beach, but I did not want to walk down there only to be told I would have to climb back up the embankment. I couldn't see any other good trail. The family camping said, "Nope, gotta climb back up that embankment and go to the right." Damn. I found the correct trail which felt like a neverending uphill mountain, but through gorgeous forest.

I read recently a scientist doing research discovered if you spend time out in the woods once a month it supports your immune system! This isn't just an hypotheses - they now have scientific evidence. It certainly feels good to breathe fresh air and I kept taking deep breaths.

Here is a photo of my hiking buddy.
I must be in the northwest!

By the time I got back, I thought I would collapse. Enroute I was so tired I was afraid I'd trip on a root and fall off the edge into a ravine imagining no one would ever find my body in the abyss covered with ferns and other thick vegetation. At an intersection with no signs to show which way, one part of the trail was covered with sand that had avalanched down the hill. Scary. Which way do I go? I trudged over the sand and non-existent trail because that's the kind of woman I am! I continued hoping the trail was on the other side of this newly formed dune. It was! My instincts are commendable.

I hiked a total of seven miles! I'm too old for this! Two miles on one trail, one mile on the beach and about four miles up the other side of the loop. The map says this section is three miles, but the signs said four miles. It felt more like 15 miles! However, the weather was perfect and it was a beautiful, stunning hike. Curse my old body!

I attempted a sponge bath, made some lunch, then headed to Florence for an overnight. I read on an app you can park in Florence for 72 hours before you have to move at least 600 feet. I have no idea where people find these rules. I often look online and can't make sense of the ordinances. I started out parking in a vacant lot behind Les Schwab, but then worried if this is private Les Schwab property, they might not like that. So I moved onto the neighborhood street. The wind picked up and it was like a hurricane blowing sand from the dunes all over. THEN kids on dirt bikes and mini bikes started racing up and down the street and around my van. I left. I thought I should park on a beach cliff off 101, but with the hurricane winds, I didn't think that would be a very relaxing night of sleep. I went back to the Dean Creek Road near the Elk Viewing Area. Nice and quiet, familiar and safe.

August 10, 2026: This month is flying by! The summer will soon be over. I'm really happy about that as I'm not good with killing time and waiting for the weather to shift. I'd rather drive, but also rather not spend a fortune on gas. Bly's air quality index is up to 267!!! Wow! I wonder when they will finally get control of the wildfires?

Killing time. I once knew a man in Washington who lived in a van. His wife died, his son died, then he lost his job, and lost his house. I don't think this narrative is unusal for van lifers. So many are struggling to make ends meet and find any option for housing. Or they have some kind of disability that prevents them from living in apartments or houses contaminated with mold and chemicals. 

He was living in a crusty old van, participating in an annual lottery to be able to park up in the heavily wooded logging properties in the hills. I would see him daily when he came into town for errands or mail. He spent most of his day parked at the marina, the city park, a parking lot, or a pullout on the highway. Sometimes he'd just be sitting staring out the windshield. Other times reading. Parked and sitting in a van year round. He had a dog named Cybil until she died. I asked him why he didn't travel because being parked constantly staring out the window with the same mundane view would be incredibly boring. He said his social security is a pittance and he didn't have the money for gas or extras.

So here I am...parked. Sometimes I sit. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I work. Sometimes I'm on the internet reading or listening to music. I'll take walks or go on hikes. I don't get too bored and if I do I change scenery, but this year in an attempt to not spend so much money on gas, I'm more like him than I care to imagine. 

My last few encounters with him were not good. He was very volatile. My last conversation with him was right after he was released from the hospital having had a heartattack. I asked him how he was doing and when he went into great, horrific detail, the look on my face expressed concern like any emotionally healthy person would react. He started screaming at me repeating over and over, "DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT! DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT!" He was fearfully unpredictable, volatile for no reason, and disrespectful. I walked away and made a point never to approach him again. I wonder if he's still in his van living such a desperate life?

I drove to Newport. I debated whether this was a good idea. Do I really need to drive that far? Well, they have the best laundromat in the state so, yeah, I do!

Bly's air quality is now 362!!! WTH??? I thank the powers of the universe I didn't buy that house!! How would I be able to breathe?

On the way to Newport I saw a bumper sticker that made me laugh: "Due to a Wizard's Curse, I am Unable to Wash this Car." LOL! The white car was actually really clean.

I also saw a bar called HOOVER'S! That is hilarious! I think they need a logo that has vacuum cleaners looking like women, but I think that would defeat their purpose. Or maybe the owner's last name is Hoover and it has nothing to do with a play on the name Hooter's?

LEAVES!? I'm seeing falling leaves...

To Be Continued...