Road Trip

Jared Minger 8115 SW Bonita Rd.
1982 Yamaha Maxim XJ 750
18,934 Miles,

Oct, 2010

Point Reyes Hostle Nov 30
San Diego Dec 15th
Hollywood Daryn Dec 31st
0 - Beaverton Nov 23, 2010
I had to wait several days to actually take off on my journey due to bad weather. Snow and 15 degree weather. Strange for that time of year. I waited three days and during that time I made sure I could pack the bike efficiently and correctly and I also celebrated Thanksgiving with Mom Dad Nana and Papa. Once the day came when it was dry and the snow was melted, but it was still cold as shit. I opened the small side garage door and backed my bike out of the garage. I said a prayer and took off down the road toward Walker.
1 – Corvallis Nov 24th
Stayed a night in Corvallis with my Aunt and Dad’s brother Jeff. They treated me really good and gave me gifts before the jump into the thick of the trip. A wave leatherman from Jeff and a pendant for good luck from Donna. I also got a flip pocket knife, a caribeaner knife and bear bells.
2 – Florence Nov 25th
Thanksgiving dinner with Donna and Jeff at a casino. Delicious. Stayed the night at a comfort Inn. Gave me time to get ready and make my gear and packing job efficient. Woke up in the morning and it was raining.
3 – Reedsport Nov 26th
I had to settle with Discovery Point Resort and RV Park $15. Gave up most of the drive because at this point I was wet and miserable. The rain wasn’t stopping and as time would have it a storm was moving in. I got into Reedsport around noon and it was just cloudy. I unpacked my bike and took some time to orient myself to where I was. I figured I would just stay the night. As I got all my gear off and in place to be set up the rain started and five minutes into setting up my tent the wind started up. By the time I was getting my poles into the loops, the wind had begun to blow my stacks out of the ground and to my surprise my neighbors who were in an RV decided to come out and help me set up the tent. They were around my age and were pretty drunk at the time. This camp in particular was for Dune Buggys and they were out for one last good weekend at the beach. No such luck. After they helped me with my gear, I proceeded to put rain tarps over everything I could. My bike, the tent and a floor tarp. I figured the dryer the better. Well, I sat in my tent for awhile and just chilled. My friends next door came over with some wiskey and offered me a chug, an offer I couldn’t refuse. It warms up the soul right? Right before dusk, some other RV people came over and offered my DeLicious Chili with Steak. A true life saver because I could get my small gas stove to work due to my inexperience with it, the wet lighters, and the wind gusting at 30 MPH. It was a cold night. Being damp wasn’t fun. I red during the evening and slept until it got light outside. I’m not sure If I had much food at this point of the trip, but I had enough to get me by. Almonds, Chili, and top Romin. I eventually gave into my frugality and decided to dry my clothes for that day and get ready to leave the next.
4 – Reedsport Nov 27th
I’m not sure If I had much food at this point of the trip, but I had enough to get me by. Almonds, Chili, and top Romin. I eventually gave into my frugality and decided to dry my clothes for that day and get ready to leave the next. The day was filled with reading and hearing loud dune buggy sounds. During the day, the people who gave me the chili were just chilling and watching the OSU football game. They gave me some beer and let me watch the game. I took some more chili for the road and read and listen to some radio before bed. In the morning when I woke up the sky was party cloudy and by ten the sun had come out. A relief to me because all my equipment was wet. I laid out everything flat and tried to dry off my stuff as best as I could. The sun remained out for the remainder of the morning, Thank God. I ended up leaving behind some rags I used to dry up my equipment during the previous days. I missed those during the morning times when the dew was bad.
5 - Gold Beach Nov 28th
The ride through Reedsport to Gold beach was actually enjoyable. Because it was warming up and the rain wasn’t hitting hard. Just some sprinkles here and there. I rode until it was dusk and I decided upon an RV park called Turtle Bay. I went into the office and haggled my way into a AAA discount. I pulled into a free spot, which, there were a ton, but to the time of year. It was next to an RV. The RV park had a recreation room with internet. I unpacked my things and took off for it. The internet was slow, but it gave me enough time to charge up my GPS, Phone and iPod. In the Rec room was some old timers giving me a hard time, because here they are some retired low key people and here pops in some young geared up motorcyclist. I shot the wind with them and prepared for the next couple days of the journey, Eureka and 101/1. I took off back for camp, when the sun was going down. I got into my tent and prepared for the next day. Before I was about to change my clothes, the old timers who happened to be next to me in the RV invited me in for a meal. They were AWESOME. They were from the old school Cali gold Rush days and moved up into the boondocks of Oregon to avoid the rush of people and urbanization. They made me macaroni and Cheese, ham and gave me a bag full of raisins that I would eat for the rest of the week. I stuck around and chatted for a reasonable amount of time and then went to bed to get ready for the next day, Eureka.
6 – Eureka Nov 29th
As I woke up in the morning I took a long warm shower in the *free* showers. A trend that would not persist. I packed up the bike and around ten ish I started up the bike. As I put the bike into first gear, It jolted and died. I tried to restart it 5 times and then I figured I was in trouble. I quickly connected onto the internet with my ipod touch and did some quick research as it was about to die. I found out that it might be because of the cold and that I needed to let it warm up. What I did was just rev it really high and kick it into first gear. A technique I would use for the remainder of the trip. It got progressively worse. I took off for Fort Bragg, a destination that I figured initially would signify my jump into the real part of my trip. This was the destination that I planned out to from Oregon. No other information and trouble shooting, but what I came up with after this point. I rode all day into the glaring sun. The ride was long and tedious. I finally arrived in Eureka, but I didn’t know where I was going to stay. Along the way during my ride, I stopped in at a forest camp station booth and picked up maps for California. These would remain a constant guide as I made my way down the coast. From these maps and GPS, I gauged my time and destination. I asked the man occupying his post at the station for a cheap good campsite and he told me about Somoa Bay campground. Out in the middle of no where on the other side of the bay in Eureka. I had trouble finding the place, but I got in around dusk. I fixed myself some Romin and listened to a Sacramento Kings game before bed. It was a nice night, though a bit windy. Luckily by then I was dry and I had my tarp situation figured out.

7 - Fort Bragg Nov 30th
My jump into Fort Bragg was the biggest joke ever. Through the Redwoods and through a Findland ish terrain (other country ish) The ride through the Redwoods on One takes forever. It’s winedy and has weird speed limits. I got passed like fifteen times. I had this thought that at any moment an Indian warrior was going to pop out and throw a spear at me and my rumbling motorcycle. It was a great riding day though. I was riding at twenty miles and hour as if I was on a quick bicycle. Comfortable and scenic. The vision had been realized, though it was more beautiful than anticipated. Visualize the Collapse. I was told about a hostile at the end of town, but never actually ended up finding it. I had to settle on another RV park, Hidden Pines. The RV had showers, but they were dirty and cost 25 cents per 3 minutes. It was a quick shower. I headed back to camp and fixed the usual nighttime meal. I smoked a stogie as a celebration for making it to Fort Bragg. Thanks Aaron.
8 - Point Reyes Hostel Dec 1st
I headed out by around ten and went south. I came across another forest station out in point Reyes and a large bored lady told me about a hostile not far from here. I took her advice and went to the hostel. Pretty decent place for the middle of nowhere. It had a nice lounge room, no Internet, they charge 1 dollar a minute for it. I charged all my things and made friends with the other visitors who were there for the scenic getaway. I likened one of the people as the cowardly lion from the wiz and a drill seagant. They were both from the 60’s and the cowardly lion had a walking stump made from a weed stem. They smoked a joint the size of four of my fingers. I turned it down. I chatted with a guy my age who was from Albuquerque and he gave me some directions on a good bike ride to take if I ever made it out there. Pretty decent night, though I ended up leaving my phone there. I realized this when I got to San Fran.
9 - Marin Headlands Hostel Dec 2nd
Just north of the golden gate bridge, the road to this hostel is the last exit before heading in the depths of San Fran. I stopped in Marin City to do some research at the local starbucks and found out about the Boczeks interest in helping me out. I figured I would do one more stay at a hostel at the Marin Headlands though. It was close and I figured it would be a good experience. At that starbucks a motorcycle guy approached me and asked what I was doing and I told me, he said to drop by his shop if I wanted to get some repairs. I did more research and then headed to his shop a block away. He had just gotten into a motorcycle accident and his bike had been disabled. He told me that he had had a headache for the last couple days and I suggested to him to go to the doctor. He hooked me up with ties that would patch up my mufflers that had worn holes on the bottoms due to corrosion, I’ll probably understand why later. I headed to the hostel, got lost on the way there and went through the one minute tunnel twice. The Marin headlands ended up being my favorite location that I stayed in just for the reason that it’s close to San Fran and out in the wilderness. I played some scrabble with a 45 year old red headed women and played nice for half the game and the demolished her. It’s kind of hard not to win when she’s playing three letter words the whole time. I sat down at the couches near a stove like wood fire heater and read some of the books that were laying on a bookcase. One in particular was good, it about naturalists and it had poems by John Muir and others. The author had a poem of their own.

The birds in the air are my brothers
The flowers are my sisters,
All trees are my friends.
All living creatures,
mountain and streams,
I take unto my care.
For this green Earth is our mother,
Hidden in the sky is
The spirit above.
I share one life with all who are here;
To everyone I give my love
To everyone I give my love.

I went to bed early.
10 - Boczek San Fran Dec 3rd

I dropped most of my stuff off at the Boczeks and went back to get my phone at Point Reyes. This took a lot of the day and when I got back before dark, I had enough time to settle in and start doing some research into where I wanted to go after this stay. I knew that I wanted to explore Berkley a bit and make sure I could survive the rest of my trip. We had Chinese for dinner.

11 - Boczek San Fran Dec 4th

I went into Berkley this day and found the local library, where I did some research into the Whole Earth Catalog and the such. I went back and got a ticket for not paying my toll on the bridge due to the fact that I didn’t have my wallet on me.. oops. This night I continued to do research and upload photos and watch the Lord of the Rings with the family. I went to bed early.

12 - San Hose Ashley Dec 5th

I took off for San Hose and I knew that there was going to be a storm coming through later that day. I packed up around 11 and headed south through downtown San Fran Like Mr. Bozcek suggested. TRAFFIC… yikes. It was horrible. By the time I got through the towns and was on the out skirts of San Hose, I had to pee and with my gear, peeing was a hassle. Along with having to use a bathroom, I got lost and eventually landed at an abandoned church parking lot wandering around the campus looking for the bathroom. I found one and eventually I got back on track to finding Ashley. She was staying in a suburban house with a family for the time being before she moved up to Washington to live with some relatives and start school and a new life. The wife of the house was named shari and she was an energetic mid aged woman, a lot of fun. Ashley and I went to a grocer and bought a FEAST with a good amount of liquor. It was Awesome. I ate great and got tanked. We watched movie and just chilled. I got to watch a blazer game. I slept in a comfortable bed. Awesome. I didn’t do much research on the next stay and it would turn out to be an interesting one.

13 - Laguna Seca Monterey Dec 6th

Over the night it fucking RAINED. Hard. By the morning time it had subsided and thank God. I packed up my stuff and covered it with the tarps, which was pretty damp by this point, and suited up for the ride south. The original plan was to find BLM land off of a highway heading into Monterey. I soon found out though that the land I was trying to stay on was fenced off and hard to access. I would find out later that no one camps on these lands anymore even though on the BLM website they say the public own it. BULLSHIT. I had to find a place to stay on the fly and I figured I would find it by heading to Monterey. While riding, I saw a church up a hill on my right. This was really beautiful land and figured they had space for me to camp of a suggestion on where to camp. I headed to the front office and talked with a receptionist who seemed nice enough. I told her about who I was and where I was going and asked if I could pitch a tent on a small portion of the land. She made some calls and told me that they have camping down the road and that I couldn’t stay on the land. At this point, it infuriated me and I told her that I thought she was wrong for not supporting people in need. She said she was sorry, but that I had to camp on federal land. I told her I was going to camp on the side of the road and probably get arrested. So much for that. I continued west and eventually found a campground at a professional racecar track called leguna seca. 40$ a night. God Damnit. Coincidently this was the same track I had learned to drive on in Grand Turismo 3. Unfortunately it was my least favorite race track because it was the hardest to compete on due to the sand. This camping spot was awesome. On a hill, secluded, wide open landscapes, and I had just gotten there with enough time to set up and cook food.

14 - Big Sur Kirk creek campgroud Dec 7th

The next morning it was sunny and nicceeee. I knew I had to leave today at 3 PM so I used every second to enjoy the scenic view, read and dry out my gear, which had never become completely dry. Once three rolled around, I knew by this point where I was generally heading each night because I picked up a California parks map, which would guide me and help me decide how far I had to travel the next day. At night I would check my GPS, which Blake gave me, to see how far I had gone, how far I need to go and where I was. It was very useful. I also brought along with me a radio and iPod which I used to entertain myself. I caught Sacrament games, which sucked because they were horrible. I had some good music on the iPod, but resorted to playing chess against an AI and going through famous quotes on an app. I figured today I would stay at the Big Sur campground. It was very secluded in the back behind a forest, which was weird because I figured it would be on a beaches edge with crashing waves. I rolled in pretty late and had to cook in the dark. This night would prove demanding. I set up my tent in dark evening due to the clouds that had rolled in and also because I was in the middle of a forest. I didn’t pay right off the bat, but got a nice shower that I had to pay for… btw, the campsite was 40$, wtf… Ok, I headed back and decided to make a fire to cook my food. AKA hot water and top romin, only the best. Before I could put together my fire a ranger came and talked to me about the fact that I hadn’t paid. I told me my disbelief at the high prices and he told me that I could bypass the front gate in the morning because the attendant didn’t get there by 7 or 8. So I figured I would wake up at 5 or 6, pack up and get out without paying. I continued to collect damp wood and try and make a fire, kindling, scrapes of paper, this better work. I finally get a decent fire going and put some water, which mind you isn’t some infinite resource I can find anywhere, into one of my boy scout pots (Aaron’s, thank you, sorry I burnt the hell out of them at this point). I get the water good and boiling and then boom, it falls out from the grate that’s holding it up. Discouraged I pour in another batch and wait the 7 or so minutes it takes for cold water to boil over a fire. Sometimes you just have take in your situation with acceptance and know that ultimately small set backs are laughable. I finished up din din and headed to bed to relax until 6. I awoke, and yes I missed a day here, go to hell, and it was pitch black out, great. At this point, I knew my gear by heart and set up my bike the same time everytime, efficiently, effectively and I felt confident I could get out with a good pack job. It was difficult, but I managed to roll up a damp tent and portion out my gear so that I could pack and then slip on the rest of my riding gear, jump on my bike and ride off into the sunrise. And quite the sunrise it was. I got out in the dark and followed the Big Sur road all the way to Highway 1 and headed toward Kirk campground, which I knew was only about 50 miles away. The sun came up slightly to the right of the road and it was a good because there were a couple clouds dispersing the colors in different frequencies. Eventually, I got to a point where I could pull off to the side and enjoy the sunrise. I got the Kirk campground early and I think I confused the ranger there because he came by and I had just gotten there and he probably wondered if I had stayed there last night, but just had not paid. I paid him promptly and started to unpack. It was wet where I was at and the sun didn’t help much to due to the fact that this campsite it right off the ocean. The due blanked, the whole campsite. As I had gotten to that site so early, it afforded me time to explore, read and ride. I took a nap and… quick story. The lady who slammed her car doors every 3 minutes. This lady was obviously living out of her car. She was on the lot across from me. She would open her car door go into her trunk every 3-5 minutes and slam the f-ing thing. It was loud, but humorous after awhile. I took the nap and figured she would be gone when I woke up. As I unzipped the tent and peered her direction, it was just in time to hear her open her door go into the trunk slam it and then slam her front door. I had to laugh. I read some philosophy for bit and then had my P B and J with a Banana breakfast that I had almost every morning. Thank you large consumer grocery stores. There was a beach to the South of this camp that was advertised by the map at the front of the campsite, so I figured to go and check it out. On the ride over I saw some nomads on the side of the road hitch hiking so I stopped and asked them what’s up. They said they were headed to San Fran and that they needed food, I had only enough for myself, wanted to help, but didn’t. I continued to the beach and parked next to the couple other cars that were there. The hike down was about ½ mile and pretty treacherous. The beach was about 20 feet of sand and then ridiculous waves of destruction. There was plant life on the side of the sand SWARMING with flys. I tried my best to find a place to chill and read a book I had brought with my. The flys were all over me once I stopped moving and finally realized that this beach was a failed attempt. So much disappointment for the work to find and go somewhere. Back to the slamming doors. Some ocean watching from the campground and some chillaxing. God Damn Sacremento was horrible.

15 - San Simeon State Beach Dec 8th

I awake to the sun and it fills my tent, but I resist to grow so I take off some clothes. I pack up and head toward San Simeon. Gas is expensive in the middle of no where. I have gotten pretty good at pumping my own gas at this point. Heading south I stare into the glare and get to a convenience store at __ near simeon. It’s a reasonable time of day, but I can’t tell because it’s cloudy and foggy, like it’s been and is that time of year. I got the San Simeon with enough time to brew some tea and cook a decent meal. Beware of wolves. Howling, Freedom and Beam. I wrote some stuff that night.

All is lost if the laws supersede the honest expression of love need,
Don’t forget the lost children who shutter with pain
at the early light of dawn given to gain,
but loss remains. No hope.
-Someone died of hypothermia in the city. WHY?

I awoke the next day and read some bits in my philosophy book by Hitler and Thoreau. Yikes. Made some coffee and threw one my tarps in the bushes and packed up De Niro. Quick story. Before I left I saw a movie with Norton and De Niro. It had to do with stealing some staff from a museum and Norton tries to screw over De Niro by taking the staff and leaving him in lerch. As both get out, Norton realizes that he didn’t get the real staff and he’s being sought after by authorities. Moral of the story: if I work with De Niro and don’t screw him over, He won’t screw me over. I take care of the bike and it will take care of me. Off to Pismo.


16 - Pismo State Beach Dec 9th

Of Pismo. 35 dollars and all, you were worth every penny. The sun shone in on Pismo that day like all those LA assholes tell you it’s like in the Winter. I bought some tall boys, set up camp, laid out all my gear to dry and knew I was going to make it through my trip. Went to the beach, chilled, and stayed until it got cold out. Too enjoyable from what had been. The ride out of Beaverton had been cold as shit. I remember times telling myself better cold than wet, true, but frozen hands still hurt like hell. This I would recount on my way back home, a month and a half from now. Nighty Night.

17 – Cachum County State Park Dec 10th

Chill family state park, with a nice lake, yes they do exist in California. Much reading and riding around the camp to check out the views.

18 - Satista County State Park Dec 11th

Near Vacant county state park, with a wedding going on the day I was there. Good meal and a night walk. I woke up early morning to my pans clanging outside my tent. Mind you, the night before I saw food ropes hanging from trees to keep bears from eating camp food. I felt something sniffing at my tent and swear to God felt a nose on my head. I slowly reached down into my backpack and got a flashlight, reached or my walking stick and started making noise and heard the animal take off. I took some time to unzip the tent and I got out, shown the light around the area, which was still dark and saw two eyes glimmering in a tree in the distance. To this day I believe it was a raccoon. I hope. I gathered my pots, plastic bagged it, and awaited the sun rise. I had time to ride around again this morning and felt unrushed. I think I was settling into my trip.

19 - Inn near Malibu Dec 12th

This day would be very memorable. I took my time on this ride into Malibu. The trip down the ridge toward the ocean was pleasant and was definitive natural cali. Malibu was smaller than you’d imagine. It was like a small village with technological swag. Nestled in a cove, it was sophisticated, but not overdone. Unfortunatley, I didn’t find the Malibu RV park, but instead I tried to wing it. Big mistake. I ended up riding East and going to closed down campground. I kept going East until I hit a city and at this point it was near night time and I landed at an inn. Internet costed money, but I already had a place at Gordens set up for the day after. I also had Mickeys contact.

20 - Gordon Currie Huntington Beach Dec 13th

I had made several Spring break trips down to Huntington Beach, which made it easy to find, but it didn’t make the traffic any less of a head ache. Almost getting rear ended by someone in a hurry and then cut off by someone trying to merge into your lane was by far the worst. LA drivers, you suck. Slow down, it’s a part of why your never going to get anywhere. I made my way to an apartment complex with a barrier of garages and a center walkable grass area. I was met by Gordon and Ian and then we kicked it. Gordon had a track meet that night, but I decided to kick it with Ian and rest. We drank some brews and dubstepped.

21 - Mickey and fam in Tustin Dec 14th

The first time I made it to Tustin, I was met by Dexter and Mickey and Ray. We went to a great Mexican Resturaunt and also went out to a quality bar with almost 150 beers on tap. I felt as if my trip was on hiatus and it was. For the next few weeks it would be a celebration of family and friends. Too easy compared to the journey that was behind me.

22 - San Diego Shawcroft Dec 15th

Meeting up with Tim was very exciting because I was going meet up with my brother and Andrew and just relax. That night I went out to a ugly sweater contest at the pearl, got third and watched Lampoons Christmas Vacation on a projector. My Christmas was complete at this point.

23 - San Diego Shawcroft Dec 16th

I woke up with good snacks to munch on some ps3 to play while Tim was at work work. Low Key day. I went to the local library which was on a hill and constructed well. We went to a bar that night and also played NBA jam and ate at a stellar burrito joint.

24 - 34 - Cruise in Mexico for Christmas Dec 17th – 27th
All you can eat buffet lines, Jimerez, black hole craps, jumping dolphins, reading ecological design and Goethe, colors. Cabo, Mazatlan, La Paz, Margaritas, Faces in the Cabo rocks, Disney Land, California dreaming, all the rides single rider. WAAY over crowded.

35 - 36 - Mickey and Fam Dec 28th and 29th

Research, oil, Jill, and a storm passes.

37 - Malibu RV park Dec 30th

On my way back to LA, I rode along the ocean and stopped in at the Malibu RV Park. Way awesome. Just enjoyable. Warm and relaxed.

38 - 39 - Hollywood Daryn Dec 31st and Jan 1st

Meeting up with Daryn was awesome. He helped me out for a couple nights and took me to a bomb Hollywood party. We went to hooters, true grit, and got trashed on new years. “I feel like shit”, he would know. In and Out Burger.

40 - 49 - Morning Star Ranch Valley central Jan 2nd – Jan 11th

Even getting to this place was trouble. Along the way, because it was out in the middle of nowhere, my GPS kept telling me to turn around and go another way. Also, due to flooding, the roads had been trolled. It started raining and I saw this van approaching and I knew I had to ask for help. It turned out being people from there and they told me to follow. As the rain increased the mud began to spew from my tires and I almost slipped a couple of times. Parking and unloading, I was just in time for the first minha and dinner. This place would turn out to be the most interesting. I could probably write twenty pages on the outrageousness of my conversations and the interactions between the people. Essentially, I had contacted this farm through WWOOFing, World Workers On Organic Farms, to get experience farming with organics. It turned out to be self-sustaining community of religious outlanders trying to avoid the evils of the world. The community was run by men and women and children cleaned and did the cooking. Everyday, they would two minhas for about an hour and half and then a meal would follow. It it where they would have discussions as a community. Teach the kids a lesson and sing and dance. It was touching at points, but while I was there they were talking about how the children were the corruptors and they were going to ruin the community unless they followed their abba, dad. They swore allegiance to Yahway and worked with every ounce in their body for his good tidings. Fridays, they would have a celebration and do a big meal, it was great. The food was awesome, all organic, but every minha, I was like I’ve got to get the hell out of here. When I arrived, there were already two guys Wwoofing and I stayed in the men’s hut, it was always nice and warm and they had this tea called __ which had caffeine, but I thought they were going to poisen us world like people, evil world people… Jesus. During the day I worked on harvesting the rest of their grapefruits and also made their green drink, which they sold at a local market called the yellow something or another. It was delicious. Daily, I would eat very ripe grapefruits, which my mouth and skin react to in a weird way. Toward the latter end of my stay, we got two more visitors, a Harvard Asian girl and a physicist searching for a God. One night we took a hike up the side of our avacado grove hill and watched a great sunset and looked at each other with awe. I did some research at their one computer and took off one day toward the East. As I look at my worksheet now, it looks like I had 700 dollars left. Some notes before moving on. K’na, Ken, Elieazer, The chopping down of the trees, the sexism, the old asian man, they couldn’t read anything other than the bible. Found they published their own stuff called the rising of the bread and fucking it up. The german expert farmer and his children who were awesome. 16 year old beast a thon.

50 - 52 - Kitchen Creek Road Jan 12th – Jan 14th

I found out about this spot by going to a local forest office and she told me it’s free for two weeks or a couple days, can’t remember. It was a really nice spot. I ran out of water eventually because it was out in the middle of nowhere. There was a stream I boiled some water from. Hiking and the abandonded water building. Hanging out by the stream. The last night a great wind built up and was basically blowing my tent to its side. I knew it was time to split. Setting up and getting out was interesting because of the wind. The ride to another forest conservatory was hard because the wind was catching my bike and almost blowing it over. I had to turn into it to maintain control, which it something I read about before I left.

53 - Senators wash Jan 15th
It was a Saturday the day I left and hurled my way through East Cali and into Arizona. The rocks in this area were massive. The roads leading to Arizona were well paved, but winding and surrounded by barren rock infested nothing. I always tried to carry a least a gallon and a half of water on my at all times. This took up a majority of one saddle bag, but I understood that if I got stranded that it would be my most precious resource. On this ride I was trying to land at a BLM office in El Centro. I would soon find out that they were only open on week days and now I would have to find my own campground. I decided to keep going East and just land at a campground as I went. By the time I got to Winterhaven, a town just north of Yuma, it was getting late and I had about half an hour to find a place. At Yuma I found out I could camp for free at an old campground at Senators wash, which I find out now is about 20 miles north. As the sun was setting, I was getting worried, but had no other choice at that point. As I arrived at the campground I found it was $30 dollars, but didn’t want to spend it. I kept going through the campground until I came to a gravel road. The sun was completely set at this point, but I figured I could find a remote camping spot at the end of this road. Big mistake. I find myself slidding down a pebble ridden path, about to turn my wheels out from under me. I turn around and make my way to the campground, but along the way I run into a man who seemed harmless. He told me that there was another campground down the way a little bit and that it cost less. I went there and settled down for the night. Luckily there was a full moon out and I had sufficient light to set up my tent and cook a meal. It was mostly RV campers at the site so it was noisy. As I went to bed, there was a rustling at my motorcycle and I stuck my nose out to see what was the matter. Apparently two raccoons thought it would be a good idea to try and get into my saddlebags. I ran at them and they scattered. To mess with them I sat at a table for ten minutes until they returned. As they approached my motorcycle, I ran at them with my walking stick and made a little noise, not enough to scare my neighbors. I moved most of my food into my tent and locked up my saddlebags. Unfortunately, they got to some of my oatmeal and I had to throw it out. In the morning, I ended up talking to the site supervisor and he had a book about the best cheap spots around the country to camp. I took good notes and ended up learning about some great spots down the road. The VFW in Yuma, The Jim Korsten West Pinal county park and Middle march road.

54 - 55 - VFW BLM land near Yuma Jan 16th and 17th

The drive to the VFW was short and easy. I arrived with much time and enough supplies to last a couple days. I decided to stay two and then get supplies enough to move forward. This “Veterans of Foreign Wars” site was also home to a free “Bureau of Land Management” RV site. As this was the middle of winter, people from ‘up north’ came here to get out of the horrid cold. The rule was that you could stay for two weeks and then you would have to leave for two weeks. So what a lot of people did was stay for a couple weeks for free and then go to another site and then come back and go back and forth. The people I met were mostly older people. Ok, they were all old people. Basically retired and living cheaply in the RV’s. Initially I was kind of sketched out by the site, because it sounded like hooligans were staying at it because of the depression. I had no problem and I had a great couple days relaxing.

56 - Painted Rock Petroglyph near Gila Bend Jan 18th

I knew my next destination well and would make the right amount of time to resupply at Yuma and then get to the site with enough daylight to tent up and meal down. The Petroglyph was as fake as I suspected. Oh well, the campsite was basically deserted except for the howling coyotes at mid night. No real observations except for I really enjoyed the freedom of riding on an open highway with little human noise except for my motorcycle rumbling beneath me.

57 - Jim Korsten West Pinal County Park near Casa Grande Jan 19th

I got a bit lost finding this site, but it was worth the time because it turned out to be a great shelter on my way home. It’s out on highway 8 right before you get to 10, but this is where I got turned around. I took 10 and then found a starbucks in Casa Grande. It’s basically barren land, but the this guy, Jim Korsten donated it and made it free. It turned out to be a great site except for the sticky bushes that were ALL over the place and got stuck to all my gear. Notes, there were awesome cactuses here that had their bottom being eaten out from them.

58 - 59 - Casino De Sol Jan 20th – 21st

I did some research and figured some backup plans and also found some extra camp sites to stay at. One of these places was Casino De Sol, which was a long shot. I got there and made sure I could stay there and it was ok. I just chilled on pavement for the day and made friends with some surrounding people. Today I wrote about my schooling and also did some reading on Permaculture. This one guy in a car was a bit insane. He was living out his car for the last month and he was making a living by selling steaks door to door. He would talk to me for an hour everytime I saw him. It was frustrating to talk to him. Another guy, whom I talked to when I got there invited me to do a happy hour, which turned a bit weird when he told me he was attracted to me. Generally he was a nice guy, but I told him no and got out of the situation. I left the next day because people had complained I was peeing around the site and also I needed to get on my way. I was a bit uneasy about what happened with the happy hour dude, but that’s life on the open road, you never know what lurks beneath the current of the unknown. There, I got a good BLM site that I would use on the way home.


60 - 61 - Cochise Stronghold Jan 22nd – 23rd

I decided that I wanted to do a bit of site seeing today, so I took a road called dragon such and such, it was supposed to connect into a random highway that lead to a free camping site on middle march road. As I learned the time, this middle march road was apparently the first to put in over the pass from town to town. It was Trecherous. I was already low on gas an didn’t want to push my luck by leveling my bike and pouring the rest of my tank on the path. At one point I almost pulled my bike twice, so I decided I would turn back and find a campground that had been marked about a mile back. I took my time and got back on the main road and made my to the camp site. It looked like I would be good on gas, but I was still uneasy that I might not find a gas station in no mans land. This campsite was a bit spendy, but it really well done. It was basically a trail head to the Cochise stronghold, a 5- 6 mile hike. I awoke early one morning to take 3 miles of it. I made it to the top of a surrounding mountain and then make my way back down. The huge rocks at this site were something worth noting. They almost seemed stacked on each other. I climbed them, read and rested on them. I ate well and read a ton.


62 - Arrey RV park Jan 24th

$5 to stay a night, internet, left my walking stick, a guy recognized me the second time, rec room poem, sculpture of man and woman.

63 - Socorro BOX BLM Jan 25th
Holy tits this was a cold night. The elevation finally hit and it got COOLD at night. This was a bit of a stretch of a campsite. It was free and I don’t know if it was legal or not, but I never got questioned. It is a known rock climbing site. There was a large ridge that I climbed and took some pictures on. Beautiful area, but arid.

64 - 79 - Alex in Albuquerque

highlights of my stay with Alex are numerous. Negative 15 degree wind chill. Tent rocks. Settlers of Catan. My bike battery dying and 2 buck chuck. Hiking in the mountains and through the snow. Nija’s amazing soups. Barry Lopez speaking at library and I randomly stumble upon it. Bike ride down town, Pizza, River. Santa Fe, Canyon rd, farmers markets, old town, Churches, the conversations about the end of the world with the church lady. Hanging out the phych techs, basketball and YMCA. LITTLE MISTER. The book shelf, reading Thoreau, Shiva, Berry, Schumacher.

80 – BOX

On my way home. The box again, it was cold again, but I survived.

81 – Arrey RV

The Arrey people recognized me and were glad to have me back. I got my walking stick back and I re-upped on my research to make sure I would make it home with enough $$.

82 sketchy night Rest Stop

I was told on a RV website that I could spend a night legally at a rest stop, something that is usually illegal in Oregon. So, I figure this will be a good place to sleep for one night and make my way to another free site in Tucson. I park my bike to the side of a structure with a picnic table in the middle of it. It’s an open covered structure. At around dark, I pitch my tent behind the structure and get ready for dinner. Just as I am about to enjoy my meal, a dude on a bike rolls up and starts talking to me. Apparently he’s been living around here on a bike and has been going through a tough time. He was talking about how he didn’t get his military pension plan because he was kicked out of the army weeks before his service ended. He tried to get it through PTSS, but the army wouldn’t pay. He had been sleeping in the rest stop, but the police had told him to get out. He told me his bike was in need of repair and at this point I thought I was going to have unload my wallet or give up my bike because this guy seemed on edge. He told me had found some speed on the side of the road, left by illegal immigrants. He had been drinking it all day. Good God. So, Eventually I try and end the conversation and say that I need to get some rest because I had been riding all day. He told me it’s cool and left. All night I was thinking he would be back to stab me or something, but it turned out he was just wanting company. The next day I saw him riding down the highway on his bike going west, poor soul. Notes: site had a train go by every hour and also had helicopters that would blast down the highway at night. NOISEY.

83 - 85 BLM by Hill / Kinison
86 – 87 Phoenix Couch Surf
88 - 89 days JKWPCP
90 – 93 Yuma BLM
94 and 95 Tustin
96 and 97 Pasadena
98 Inn in nowhere land
99 100 101 Berkley Couch Surf
100 102 Berkley Couch Surf
103 and 104 – Marin Headlands Hostel
105 Eureka Inn
106 RedWood Hostel Abandoned
107 and 108 Corvallis
109 Home
94 and
March 16th

Reedsport: Discovery Point Resort and RV Park