we camped for 11 nights after leaving Kris’s Aunt Neenie’s in Freemont California
we stayed at Mendocino Lake outside of Ukiah.
We went to Russian Gulch State Park next, a walk from the beach on the Coast just North of Mendocino. When we showed up we realized we were in the shade. It was cold, so we spent time in other sites in the sun. Near the water spigot, were four flat topped poles that were great for placing dishes on after washing. There were some in our camp too; they came in handy. Behind our tent were trees branching out big time that the kids played on. The big draw here, though, was the tide pools on the beach. After one exploration, the people who had camped next to us left us a vase of wild flowers on our table. People are good on the road.
When we were at Lake Mendocino there was a big lightning storm that seemed to span this part of California. A woman we met in Mendocino said that she saw lightning balls hit the ocean and bounce off it. This was the first time she saw Ball lightning since she was a child in Florida. We went to explore a redwood grove that day and saw 3-4 fires in the hills near (in the distance) where we were. We found out on our fifth night camping that the fires also hit Eastern California. We saw 10 or more Nevada Forestry Services fire trucks driving west. Then in the camp we stopped at there was plenty of smoke. The other campers their, lake fishers, said the smoke was hellish that day. Our emergency plan (Kris) was to leave when the fire fighters came to camp and told us to evacuate. I woke up in the middle of the night to pee…the moon was so red. Eerie. Beautiful. In the morning the skys were more clear, we could see some blue. We neglected to take a picture of this camp.
We found Angel Lake which was not on our map in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada. Wow. So beautiful. The campground host was the best we met. Cecil. An ex-ranch worker. He still had that work in his bones. And lots of stories. He knew a lot about the land around the camp too. We saw wild turkeys. He said they were brought in from New Mexico. There were several clutches started. One had about 13 turkeys which bodes well for the plan to introduce turkey hunting in the future. Those Toms, though, according to Cecil can be feisty. Keep away from their slapping wings.
We heard Cicadas in the trees. Come sunset, we hear the clicking of the aspen leaves.
We went into Salt Lake City and stayed on Antelope Island. Nothing lives in the Salt Lake accept brine flies, brine shrimp and maybe one other thing. The bugs were a plenty but did not really bother us. The reflection of the sun in the lake is one thing that will stay with me. It was such a discrete band of red, as if there was a read silk line several feet wide unfurled on the water’s surface. The salt in the air was remarkable. Or rather in my mouth. Everything seemed salty. And the wind.
This is Yellow Pines Camp in Wyoming. We we heading for a recreational area in the Medicine Bow area when we saw a sign for this place. Once again we found our selves glad we had warm clothes and appreciating a fire. There was plenty of wood fall around, but a lot of it was green. I went for a walk with Gobi across a beautiful wildflower meadow to a pond and found some older, bigger wood. When you are camping, you have few concerns on your mind: food, walk, see, tent. And you can enjoy every one. We have been doing that. All other cares drop away.
In Nebraska we stopped at a state park that was a sticks throw from the interstate. Lots of green green grass. Because another park was closed due to flooding this one was crowded. We were placed in overflow camping in a field near a pavilion of picnic tables. This place had lightning bugs and we gave an empty jar to the kids after poking holes in the metal lid for them to catch lightning bugs.
In Iowa, we stopped at a place that was off the highway. On the way there, a sign said Route 1 closed at Salon. That was the town we were turning at to get to the campground. From what I hear in Salon from a lady at a coffee shop, it seems that the campground lake, Lake Macbride, had experienced some flooding too. We almost had the campground to ourselves. This camp had a playground that the kids enjoyed night and day. The sticks were wet and the log I found was green but we cooked over a fire. As with several campgrounds I found an electric outlet (for the soda machine) to recharge out camera batteries. This campground was called Non Modern because it had no water in the bathrooms (i.e. primitive). We hear frogs, saw turtles and heard and saw jumping fish. Ah!
The last place we stayed before reaching the East Coast: a state park in Ohio.
