Wednesday, May 13
“Well, good morning to you, too!”
Three deer graze on the tender shoots of bushes growing on the bank of the Big River behind our camp.
I adjust my camera to the setting known as “through glass” and zoom in. (My technical expertise is impressive, I know. It’s limited only by smudges on the window glass.)
The plan for this morning
The mountain passes are clear of snow. This I know from looking at road cams on the website, TripCheck. The coast looks foggy, of course. More rain is on the way across the Pacific Northwest for the next few weeks. I’m sort of stuck.
If I wait for the weather to clear up, the busy season will be upon us, which I want to avoid as much as possible. Not only because crowds and traffic limit the fun, but also because coastal campgrounds fill up. And this woman doesn’t make reservations.
But, gosh, it was so cold and damp this morning that I couldn’t bring myself to break camp. Although hitching up isn’t a difficult, drawn-out process, I didn’t feel like fussing around outside. Plus the outdoor mat is glued to the muddy ground.
I opt instead to cuddle Bridget and Reggie in the warmth of the BLT and the glow of my laptop. The coffee is good. This is a three-cup morning.
Later Reggie insists we go for another walk.
Our early morning run through the pines, down a short trail from our campsite and back, isn’t sufficient for the day. Not in Reggie’s power-packed world.
“Okay, you’re right, rocket man. This laying-about needs to end!”
I grab my coat and camera and the crew and I take off.
It’s warmed up some. We wind around big puddles. I dump a bag of trash in the dumpster.
Only one other camper is here.
I like national forest and BLM campgrounds. They’re rustic, the campsites get muddy, big puddles appear, grass and weeds grow nilly-willy. So? If I wanted pavement and curbs, I’d be in the city, walking the sidewalks.
We cross Big River Campground to where we camped originally, near the bridge.
Under the bridge we go. The high water mark is visible on the bridge supports.
A path leads to a pedestrian walk across the bridge.
This takes us to the group camping area on the other side of the river. No one is here.
In the shady Northwest camps with full sun for the solar panel aren’t always available.
It helps that I can take the solar panel to full sun simply by driving the Perfect Tow Vehicle. The PTV’s starter battery and the two AGM batteries are connected. All three are charging whenever we go down the road.
I admit I neglect my batteries.
I rarely check the meter to make sure the batteries do not discharge lower than 50%. Is that a gasp I hear? Choking?
You know, it’s hard on batteries to have their charge drained lower than 50%.
(Note: Readers discuss in comments whether allowing the charge to drain lower than 50% will shorten battery life.)
I have no clue whether or not I’m doing that. I probably am, although the inverter inside the BLT doesn’t complain. (How does an inverter complain? By making an annoying screech.) Some people keep a close watch on their solar panels and batteries. Oh well. More power to ’em.
Monitoring stuff drains my mojo!
“Never mind, Bridget. This doesn’t concern you. Keep walking.”
I look at it this way.
These AGM batteries are supposed to last 3-5 years, right? The two Optimas I bought in the fall of 2011 are still doing their thing after 3 years. If they poop out tomorrow, I’ve had my money’s worth, wouldn’t you say?
I can be frugal. Y’all know that. But I’m not going to compromise my Carefree Quotient!
We come to a very large Ponderosa pine cut down some time ago.
“Hey, Reggie, isn’t that strange? The log is bigger than the stump! How did that happen?”
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you . . . .
Reggie likes the water!
A few days ago, when it was sunnier and warmer, I walk Reggie to the river for a short potty run.
“Are you going in the water, Reg? It’s awfully cold!”
I really don’t expect him to. I’m shocked when . . .
Out he goes!
I have a feeling Reggie’s going to have a great summer!
I don’t know when we will cross the Cascades to go to the coast.
I’m taking each day as it comes.
rvsue
THANK YOU, RVSUE SHOPPERS!
I appreciate every Amazon order you place through my blog. Here are a few of the items recently purchased by readers:
The Scrubba Wash Bag
Marley and Me (Single-Disc Edition)
Bedphones On-Ear Sleep Headphones
Petsafe Come With Me Kitty Harness and Bungee Leash,
Simply Genius 10L Foldable Silicone Collapsible Bucket 2.6 Gallon
ASUS 15.6-inch, 2.16 GHz Laptop, 500 GB Hard Drive & 4 GB RAM
“Dawn and dusk at our desert camp east of the Sierra Nevada” – October 2013
