This week finds us headed south on the 5 before we head to the Oregon Coast. Three travel days in four days. Back in travel mode…

So THIS is Why We Live in 200 Square Feet!

Much like a weekend getaway can put the spark back in a relationship and you think, “So THIS is why we got together,” travel days remind us of exactly why we have always loved camping. Travel is exciting and enriching to us and is exactly why we are perfectly fine living in such a small space. The trade-off is worth every, single negative square foot!

We enjoy noticing the subtle changes in terrain and trees as we get closer to the next destination. So many of the perfectly symmetrical trees in Oregon resemble the fake cell towers that dot the Midwestern landscape. Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, barn, corn, corn, Giant Sequoia?

Arriving at our new camping spot is always fun. We walk around and see who our new neighbors are, if any, and check out local birds and critters. If we meet a local, we’ll sometimes ask them what one thing they think we should see in the area before we leave. Then we determine how skanky the town laundromat looks and decide if today is laundry day or not.

Side note: Both times we have driven on I-5 through Portland we said we wouldn’t do that again.

A Hazelnut Farm

We pay about $200/year to be part of Boondockers Welcome/Harvest Hosts. That means there are thousands of businesses and homes that graciously allow fully-contained RV’s to stay for one or more nights for FREE! When it’s a brewery, vineyard or other establishment, they do appreciate a purchase while you stay. This resource has really helped when we have been in campground deserts or just need a quick overnight. In theory, we could plan a trip all the way across the country and never pay for a campsite!

A few nights ago we boondocked at a hazelnut farm run by a lovely couple who have created a charming environment for campers complete with a covered pavilion. We were greeted with a welcome bag containing roasted hazelnuts and hazelnut cookies! Once we discovered the hazelnut pie and chocolate-covered hazelnuts for purchase, we were happy to part with any cash we had.

We camped with neat rows of hazelnut trees all around and acquired a very basic understanding of hazelnut harvesting. Greg grew up where giant machines would shake the pecans out of trees for harvest. Hazelnuts do not require such force. The hazelnuts drop when they are ready, and nearly all at once! They told us that they usually drop in two separate batches.

The owner told us that squirrels grab the nuts out of the trees and bury them rather than eat them right away. Squirrels are so resourceful. Then he mentioned traps…

Valley of the Rogue State Park

Take the 5 to Exit 45B…(Uh, wuuuut are you doing here? If you know, you know). Exit the highway and you’re there. It used to be a rest area! The park is a narrow swath sandwiched between the Rogue River and I-5. It is surprisingly beautiful with lots of colorful trees, small mountains and nice walking trails. A little bit of highway noise, but that always reminds me of the ocean. Once we got set up, the catio and cats attracted a lot of attention from people walking by. Some were even taking photos of them!

We did a bit of exploring and enjoyed some good Thai food in the cute downtown of the town of Rogue River. It still amazes me that people get to live so close to waterfalls, mountains and the coast. (Reminder that I have spent my entire life east of the Mississippi River where there are pretty places, but nothing like it is out west.)

There was a planned power outage the morning we left Valley of the Rogue SP. From the number of hasty departures and generators firing up, we could tell that it was causing quite a stir. Our lithium batteries and solar panels make it so we don’t even notice when the power goes out most of the time. We can still run a space heater, cook, make coffee, watch TV, turn on the lights…just not all at once. But really, even with an electric hookup we can never truly run everything at once. Don’t even think about heating up food in the microwave while blow drying your hair. No multi-tasking allowed!

Voting Accomplished

The State of Washington sends all registered voters a mail-in ballot. How cool is that?

Catio Corner

Travel mode is never approved by Catio Corner. We prefer to stay still, motionless, quiet, calm and cozy. When they start piling kitchen things on the bed and fold up the rug, we know we are in for a bouncy ride… But we limit them to only three hours a day. 😺