Man, talk about boondocking the last week. Haven’t showered since Dallas (over a week ago) and I have barely had cell service. Also haven’t found anywhere to upload these blogs in a minute. Looking at the map, it’s not getting better until I hit Portland. I’m obviously fine with this, just starting to get itchy and gross looking. I’ve got a massive knot in my hair that I’m afraid to face… I’ll wait for the shower to work that bad boy out. Or, I’ll just cut it all off and go back to my soccer days of having a Bieber haircut.
Leaving Lassen, I had to take one more photo of the snow. Using my truck for scale of course. Can you believe on top of that mound was where the primitive camping was? Folks shoveled out steps and just hauled all their crap up there and set up a tent. I was impressed.
A two hour drive north brought me to McArthur Burney Falls State Park. I was excited for this park 1) for the sweet falls and 2) because it had a large network of trails that led to the Pacific Crest Trail. When I got there, I realized it was a $10 entrance fee. Cash only. Honor system. So I park and dig around in my truck for a bit. I used up the last of my cash to camp at Lassen, and now I’m down to some one dollar bills and quarters. I scrounge up $8. That should be enough, right? I mean that’s how much parks cost on the east coast…
The falls were beautiful. Not in the normal sense of one stream of water falling an absurd amount, but it was how the water was falling that was so peculiar. Water was gushing out of the side of the rock, underground seepage finally making its way to the surface only to plunge 100 feet down. The stream leading to the falls was unassuming, which made the falls that much more amazing. Apparently this was a sacred place for multiple Native American tribes in the area. What’s awesome is that they still allow these groups to use the falls, and go into the water beneath it for religious purposes. I like that. I don’t think the Florida Park system would allow such a thing.
Wanting to get my steps in, I look for the trails that were touted online. Welp, most are closed. Even the PCT is “closed” through the park. They are doing some thinning of trees here, and logging trucks, shitty roads, and construction looking guys are everywhere. Oh well. I’ll see if I can find a campground around this area. Camping at the park was $35, and that’s not going to happen if there are no showers or trails to play on…
Leaving the state park, I find a nearby forestry campground on a lake just north of the falls. I pull up, find a spot, and go to pay my $8 (which I don’t have in cash) to stay for the night. Sitting in my truck, looking for quarters, I realize that there is a constant hum of flies around me. Looking around more, I realize that, well, this campground sucks. Bunch of drunk assholes tearing up and down the parking lot, flies everywhere, the lake looks stupid… I don’t think I want to waste a night or my quarters here. So I close up the tailgate, take a quick look at the map, and head west.
I know I need to go through Redding, CA, and they’ll most likely have cell service there. Once I find a strong signal I peruse through Yelp to find a campground that’s cheap and has a shower. I find one on my route to the Redwoods within the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. I set my course and head off. Feeling excited for lakefront views and a warm shower.
I get to the campground just after 4PM. The website says they are open until 8. I have tons of time! As I park, the store worker is flipping the open sign to closed at the door. Shit! I run up and ask if I can pay for a campground real quick. She asks if I have cash… Of course I fucking don’t… And I haven’t seen an ATM in forever. I probably could have found one in Redding, but I didn’t think I would need it. The woman reluctantly pulls out her already packed laptop and rings me up using my credit card. She tells me, “I think you’re the only one there, just pick a site that isn’t too messed up.” Um, ok, sure. Wait what does that mean? I should have asked. Obviously the landscape has been hit with wildfire. Everywhere out here has the fire scars from last year. But I didn’t think this particular area was hit. I mean, you’re on a lake. Seems pretty defendable…
I get to the campground, only to find it’s been completely burned over. The bathrooms are just shells with porta potties sitting in front of them. Well there goes my idea of a shower. I find a spot with some remaining vegetation. Right next to the skidsteer and work trailer. This place is a mess. At least there is a beach with some pretty views.
After my night in the burn zone, I head out to Redwoods National Park. It’s actually a network of state and federal lands making a quilt of protection along the coast. I find the visitor center, and an older volunteer walks me through the backcounty registration process. I get 2 nights under the redwoods and a night on the beach. Grand total of $5! This I can do… While talking, a park ranger interrupts us to tell me that there are whales in the water just outside the visitor center. I grab my passes, thank the kind volunteer, and head to the beach. I didn’t see the whales, but I got a nice 20 minute beach viewing in. It’s the first time I’ve seen the Pacific Ocean while on my trip. This makes me feel oddly accomplished.
I head out to the general direction of where I’ll be camping, passing the town of Orick on the way. I stop at a old timey general store that advertises an ATM. Perfect! I need some cash to stash away to pay for future camping sites. I stop in, find the ATM, but it has an error message displayed on it. I ask the old woman at the counter if it’s broken, and she says it’s out of money. Out of money? I guess I never ran into this issue… She pulls out a bunch of 20s from her register, waddles over to the machine, and puts in about $100. I have never seen a store owner do this before… I take $60 out (I don’t want to empty the thing again), buy some beer, and head out to the redwoods.
The first place I stop is at the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail. Dedicated to Lady Bird by President Nixon in 1969, it was a big deal for protecting the redwoods into perpetuity. I walked through the dedication site. It has a prestigious feel to it, which I enjoy. The redwoods are massive and prestigious themselves. Stoic, and monstrous, I am completely incapable of taking a decent picture. These things are just too huge to capture their size. No scale, even my own body, really portrays how large they are. This doesn’t stop me from trying of course…
My next stop is the Tall Tree Trail, where I’ll be staying for the next 2 nights. I get a padlock combo to access the trailhead, and head down the 7 mile dirt road to my starting point. Along the way, I find the cutest grouse I have ever seen. It is very territorial, even as I get out of my truck to video tape him. As I leave, he flies about knee high after the truck. He does this for about 200 yards, then gives up. How funny! To think you could take on my truck… You adorable little idiot…
One more night here, then I head out to the beach campsite. Hopefully the weather stays nice!