Since 1993 (the 150th anniversary of the 'Oregon Trail') we have traveled via van & tent. For the 2011 reunion, we left Mathews, VA on the 5th of July. The distance to Florence, OR was 3200 miles, and we made that in nine days of driving/camping. Coming back from Bainbridge Island, WA, the distance was 3100 miles (since the 'earth' is smaller 400 miles north of Florence, we gained a hundred on the way back).
One of the days prior to the reunion, while Barbara was doing the laundry north of town, I went to Bill Karnowski's old machine shop for a coffee & 'Chi' Latte for Barbara. In front of the shop, I met a homeless man and asked him where the best coffee was. He said that right here and someplace north of town were the best. He had been living in a tent in the woods above the white building ( was Ernie Harris’s place) just south of the river for three years (with permission of the owner of the property). He was a little concerned about the black mold which was growing on the inside of the tent, and what it might be doing to his lungs. He heated the tent in the winter by burning candles, but one time, the pool of candle wax caught fire and burned a hole in the bottom of the tent.
In the couple of days prior to the reunion, we went up the North Fork to visit an old school friend. He & his wife raise elk and work at forest industry things, e.g. planting trees, etc.. On one of their mantles was a stuffed mountain lion (cougar) which my friend's wife had shot while on a dog walk one day. It was apparently stalking wild elk. She shot it in the forehead at a distance of about 20 feet.
The trip back also took us nine days, averaging between 200 & 450 miles per day. While driving through Indianapolis, IN, on the interstate, with entry and exit ramps everywhere, an impatient 18-wheel truck driver who was close on my rear gave me the horn. Uncharacteristically, I lowered the window and gave him/her the universal symbol (thumb to tip of forefinger & fingers flapping as wings). Thankfully, he/she dropped back.
Camping notes: (for anyone who might care!) We started camping (while traveling) in 1993, principally so we could take our dog. The ancillary benefits included breaking the motel/restaurant (food/lodging) requirement. At that time, with campground fees (for tents) running $8 to $12 per night; gas costing $1.28/gallon; and eating out of our cooler, we were able to travel about as economically as staying at home.
Herman’s Outfitters in Hampton, VA, was having a 'going out of business' sale, and we bought a 9 X 9 tent; sleeping bags, etc..
I spent part of a day building a 'platform' to fit in the back of our 'mini/mini' van (Eagle Summit Wagon, by Mitsubishi). Thus, our dog, Casey, could be lying down and still seeing out the windows (the ramp to get up onto the platform was a constant attraction at the interstate rest areas, etc.).
We did the Oregon Trail Anniversary to the west coast in the fall of 1993; the Lewis & Clark Trail route in the spring of 1994; etc..
This Reunion 2011 trip was probably most sophisticated.....gear-wise! We are still using (our second) 9 X 9 tent. But since our current dog is now 87 (human years) old, we leave her at 'Camp Kate,' here in the county, and the platform stayed home also. The current sleeping arrangement includes a new cot for Barbara 8 to 10 inches high, which we set up before leaving home. On that goes both sleeping bags, pillows, egg-crate foam padding, etc.. It fits into the van intact, and was not disassembled until our return home. (More than one park ranger stopped to watch us moving this 'stretcher with body (?)' from van to tent & vice versa).
Our cooler is a commercial sport fishing one to which I have added 'blue board' insulation on the bottom, all sides, and the top. It's held open by the rear left seat belt shoulder strap at the rear of the van.
The $20 tent sites, even in KOA campgrounds, compare favorably with $109 for local motel rooms (the one place we checked) in Cheyenne, Wyoming. And we've yet to encounter bedbugs!
jl (Sampson - Johnnie's son) :-)
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