I immediately hit the sleeping bag all set for good night's sleep. Not 30 minutes later, I was pulled from my incipient slumber by a loud explosive sound right outside the tent. Since no one was nearby me, my only question was, what the hell was that? I reason that it was something falling from the trees i was camped under, and went back to sleep. Unti about one am, that is, when i hear a series of loud explosions like before, including some loud pings come from the Defender. A wind had just swept through the grove and must have blown pine cones and branches from their moorings, i reasoned, and went back to sleep. If i was right, it is stll enough to put one on alert until you realize there is nothing you can do about it and just say to yourself, Aha, this is how it ends.
When i awoke at 7, it was raining. I guessed i would have to make my decision whether to move on after breakfadt. When i crawled out of the tent, i tealized that it was not raining, but the rain dripping from the drenched tall ancient trees i was camped under falling down on my tent.
After a light breakfadr, it still was not raining, but threatening to do so,. Do i stay put for another day or move on to the coast? Without explaining the contents of my dabate, i decided ro move on. As soon as the camp was broken and the Defender loaded, the rain came again, and hard. There was no turning back now. I had made my decision and i stuck with it, and moved on. If it is raining on the coast, so be it. At least the weekend crowd would be gone.
The drive to Kalaloch was marked alternately by rain, blue sky, rsin, blue sky, rain, and more blue sky, in that order. But just as we approached Kalaloch, the rain was gone, onky blue sky and sun. I had made tye right decision.
Once at Kalaloch, i immediately head for my favorite campsite, but when i entered that loop, i thought i had made a wrong turn and ended up in some crowded RV park. My favorite site, a tenter's perfect site, was occuoied by an RV whose rear end jutted out onto the roadway. I will not put into writing my private thoughts, except to say, i moved on. i then discovered that the A loop was open, so i hurried over there to see what was available. As good luck would once again have it, there was only one site that had just been vacated with a direct ocean view and, as it turns out, has to be the best tenter's site in the whole camp. I immediately tossed some of my gear on the site, drove back quickly to register for two nights, returned to the camp and set up camp. My only reaction after spending just minutes in this site was that the 3786 miles we had just driven were worth it just for this site. Though I had registered for only two nights, there's no question that I will probably sign up for another one or two and enjoy these trips as they sometime should be enjoyed: doing nothing.
This site has a twenty-foot log fence before a 20 foot bluff overlooking the beach and the majestic Pacific. It is surrounded on both sides by 10-foot high hedges, making it in effect walled off from the world. The site across the road is empty, so it is like i have the whole camp to myself. These natural propos are somewhat akin to these trips - no matter how hard i might try, all the concerns back home are unseen, and my thought are allowed to only go to the horizon, as far as i wish to see.
Donner appreciates this site, too, as every now and then, as fellow travelers walk by our site with their dogs, Donner' day is made.
The sunset in about 6:50, and useable daylight disappeared at 7:20. In the tent, after the evening's in-tent chores were done, i turned to my book, listening to sone Gustav Mahler and enjoying a bottle (186 ml, that is) of Cabernet Sauvignon, with Donner sound asleep beside me.
I am looking forward to getting a good night's sleep listening to the waves crashing on the shore only a couple hundred feet from our tent.
I think i am going to like it hear, whether the westher hold out or not.
Ed and Donner, from the road
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