Photos Kinda-Sorta live-esque rain-enduring travel blogTASTIC!

[Coywolf]

Like the title? Damn straight. Finally made up my mind and stored my vehicle in Bend, OR and hitched out to find the ocean, and the warmer weather it brings with it. I will be updating this with posts as soon as I get to different Public Libraries, but the first one goes a little something like this....

So, after 5 days of packing up the truck, and leaving my campsite in a hurried rush to go traveling, I got the balls (and froze my ass off in 20 degree weather) enough to pack my stuff and hit the road. Now don't get me wrong, I love Bend, Oregon more than Donald Trump hates immigrants. It has got to be the best town...like...ever....But I need me some road time, and I'm almost 30 so this might be one of the last trips I take.


I spent the first day hanging out in the Bend train yard. I have never hopped freight before, but have always wanted to. Unfortunately, after a day and a half of waiting, I either missed the south bound trains, or there werent any. So I decided to hitch out via Hwy 20 and Eugene. I will save the train trip for heading back north. If I can get enough info and/or someone to hop out with. BTW anyone with any good info on the oregon trunk BNSF/UP line I would appreciate any info about it, but w/e I'm an oogle appearently. ::wtf::. Anyway, the rides were good to Eugene, always meet great people going over Santiam Pass, and its freakin beautiful, every time.
(This is an old photo, Duh.)

Got to Eugene. I love this place. alot of people hate on Eugene for many reasons, but I always have a great time there and meet really cool people (But mostly really weird people that, for some reason, always think they can sing....). Camped on the west side of Skinner and had a rockin' breakfast at the Mothership food cart in North Downtown. Saw a really cool Yoshi Story mural on the side of a Cheba Hut on the way to the hitch spot next morning, and also (dun da DA!) The Oscar Meyer Weiner-mobile....


(Weiner-mobile)


(Eugene at night from my camp)


(Cool Mural in DT Eugene)

For everyone who didnt know before-hand, hitching out of Eugene sucks a gigantic waiting-around-forever chub, and it took me 3 hours of hitching just to get a ride to Cottage Grove (Ya, thanks alot, WOO-HOO....not) But the guy was from Guatemala and he bought me carl's Jr when he dropped me off (YEA!). My next ride pulled over before I could even get my pack off and was a colorful dude that worked at the VA in Roseburg. He told jokes and (Holy SHIT) bought me Taco Bell before he dropped me off (I still have a whole burger from Carls, so Im set on food for the night) Hitchhiking always restores my faith in humanity.

Roseburg, ah, Roseburg. Anyone who has been here knows what I have to say about Roseburg... I had to ditch my awesome boots (Well, I THOUGHT they were awesome) Becuase they literally were wearing holes in my feet, and why the FUCK would you travel in logger's boots....idiot I am... So Now I am traveling in Teva Sandals and Carhart wool socks, this should be interesting.....There is really good squatting spots under the !-5 bridge going over the Rogue River though. This bridge is CRAY, there is a narrow maintenance walkway that I hopped a fence and walked over. The whole thing shakes and is sketchy as hell when trucks go over the bridge (Ya, we dont need to invest in our country's infrastructure at all....) , but its a beautiful view, and adventure. Unless you dont like spiders, then its a NIGHTMARE!!!! lol. Check it out....


("Under the Bridge downtown...la la la la")


(View of the river and my ugly mug)


(My awesome footwear about 3 stores above the Rogue River on said bridge walkway)

Rides out of Roseburg sucked. Waited forever at the Love's station exit. then got a ride to the middle of nowhere HELL exit on the 5 for the cutover to Reedsport. Dont get stuck there. Then got a ride through grants pass to Kerby. Then to O'Brien from a taxi driver that traded me some Blue Dream bud for the homegrown stuff some guy gave me in Kerby. I got stuck in O'Brien for the night and it started raining. Thank god for highway overpasses, my favorite squats. Hung out next to the Illinois river along the Hwy 199 for the night.

From there I got a ride from an awesome dude that used to work for Caterpillar and is now an environmental activist (Go figure). We talked Edward Abbey and he took me off roading in his jeep. He asked if I wanted to go on a hike with him to a secret grove of Redwood trees that contained 3 of the 10 biggest trees in the world. Naturally, being the wildman that I am said, "Fuckin' a right!" The scenery was epic. It was rain and sun, rain and sun, all day putting alot of fog in the trees and rainbows over the Smith River. Praise Shiva, I love this part of the country....


(Me at the Stout Tree)


(Rainbow over the smith)


(El Diablo Del Norte)


(Epicness)

So Now I am in Crescent City and have an awesome diftwood/tarp fort camp on the coast outside of town, and am going to chill, stare at the ocean, and find inner peace and happiness with my guitar, for the next day or so. I'll be hitching out to San Fran if weather permits soon. See ya'll in the next post on this thread!!!!

 

[Deleted member 20]

Great chronicle & pics about your travels but I gotta question the footwear? i often bring cheap flip flops with me in my pack to let my piggies dry out & for shower shoes at times. How are those (what are they Tevas??) for walking/hiking long distances?

 

[Coywolf]

Lol Ya, these Tevas are not the best footwear for traveling, But I didnt have a choice, had to ditch the boots. They are really comfortable, and havent ran into an issue with getting them wet yet. I have hiked like 15+ miles with them and my pack and guitar, pretty comfortable.

 

[spectacular]

I was down to 25 with tevas and wool socks.. I love tevas, no odor or blisters even if toe numbness is an issue when its below freezing.

 

[Kim Chee]

The guy who drives the weiner mobile is a huge prick

I knew a homebum who passed a few years back (rip). He would sometimes tell stories of the few places he had been. I remember he did speak of Crescent City fondly.

 

[Anagor]

Great chronicle & pics about your travels but I gotta question the footwear? i often bring cheap flip flops with me in my pack to let my piggies dry out & for shower shoes at times. How are those (what are they Tevas??) for walking/hiking long distances?

During my first trip I got really bad blisters the first day. Second day I thought I would have to stay in the hostel cause walking in my shoes really hurt. My flip flops saved the day, the soft sole and no constraints at the sides enabled me to explore Maastricht.

Don't know how it is to hike long distances in Tevas or flip flops (I mean hiking as in walking 20 miles in the woods). Could imagine the lack of support (compared to boots) on rough terrain could be a problem. I mean there is a reason that hiking boots are made and sold for not exactly little money.

But when it comes to urban environments I never had problems with flip flops. (They can break quite easily, though.)

Edit: one warning, though. Flip flops loose the profile of the sole quite quickly. And then they become really slippery when it's wet in combination with those modern, shiny paving in some cities. Even while used to it I almost fell down more than a few times. Beware!

 

[Anagor]

I was down to 25 with tevas and wool socks.. I love tevas, no odor or blisters even if toe numbness is an issue when its below freezing.

I never had Tevas, but for the same reasons I like flip flops. Minimal footwear, easy to put on and take off, lightweight, no odor, no blisters. Even when the feet get wet in rain, they get dry quickly when it stops.

I will repair my shoes (not wearable right now) but I will also get a new pair of flip flops for my next trip.

 

[Anagor]

They are really comfortable, and havent ran into an issue with getting them wet yet.

In wet conditions I'd recommend to wear them without socks. I wore flip flops with socks - no problem. But if the socks get wet they can cause blisters at the straps. And walking in wet socks is no fun. So even if it's cold, in rain don't wear them. When it's dry again, dry your feet and put them back on.

 

[Kal]

Awesome pic, been to Bend and Eugene OR not bad towns I would go back to both the coast Or is beautiful so have fun and be safe out there.

 

[Coywolf]

Well, I have one last depressing post to this trip, unfortunately.

I left said tarp-fort for an hour to grab some beer, and when I came back, half of my gear was gone. Fucking tweekers, I knew Crescent City was a tweeker center, but I thought I had picked a great out of the way spot, boy was I wrong. (My camera was one of the things stolen, so no pics this time, sry guys)

Anyway, I decided to head back north because of lack of traveling gear and got a rainy-ass start by having to walk 5 miles out of crescent city to the start of the Hwy 199 in order to find a ride back to Grants pass. I ending up getting a ride from two 17 year old girls in a van on their way to a trim job. I have to say right now THAT was one of the strangest rides I have ever had. I have had alot of single women pick me up hitching, probably because I take pride in my appearance while traveling. But I'm 27, 6'1", and have a huge pack, and for two 17 years old girls to pick me up was kinda weird. So I asked them about it. To which the replied, "Oh its cool, we pick up hitch hikers all the time" I really wanted to say, "Probably not a good idea" but I realized I would be condemning my own lifestyle with that reply.

Mid way to grants pass the driver turns to me and says, "Hey do you mind if I stop and let my friend drive? She doesnt have a license, and is practicing for her test" and then they proceed to talk about how the other girl almost drove off a cliff into the ocean driving a week ago. I was reluctant, but ended up saying "Ah, Fuck it." So We drove around an airport for like a half hour and I gave her driving tips, odd coming from a hitchhiker, dontcha think?

So I got to Grants Pass. No crazy trim commune orgy stories to tell, unfortunately. They were 17, guys, get yer fuking mind outta the gutter!

I got into town at night, and have never stayed in GP before, I went on a trip to find a place to camp for the night. Immediately I came across an abandoned Motor Lodge, so i decided to check it out. Went around the outside and found one of the sliding glass doors open, and proceeded with my breaking and entering. Well, just entering I guess.....The whole place was in great shape, with many open hotel rooms with beds and a view of the Rogue River out the back. I was fucking ecstatic. I found a room and went back for my bag that I stashed in one of the bathrooms, and on my way back I get a flashlight in my face, and a guy saying "Whoever is back there needs to leave, NOW!" I was like, 'oh fuck, I am going to get shot and/or go to jail, and/or get raped by some squat leader or something. Turned out just to be some tweeker guy getting paid to watch the hotel and make sure degenerate vagrants (Hey! Thats me! ::fuckinginbed: cant sleep in the welcoming empty beds the place had to offer. Bummer, man.

So on I go's, into the night, to find a squat. Luckily, it ends up GP has fucking epic squatting under the bridge downtown (Shit, I think i have heard that line somewhere....something about giving my life away? IDK). Had a great night at the bar, and got invited by two guys to go and do some molly and run a train on one of their girlfriends, to which I kindly declined.

TO EUGENE! (Again) I feel like I was just here recently.....

I ended up spending the last of my money staying at the Whitaker International hostel, which was a freakin' great decision, considering the weather calling for heavy rain that night. This hostel has really nice community guitars, and considering that I just had mine stolen (Fucking tweekers.....) I took some time to serenade the residents, and ended up in a cool jam with a Ukulele wielding cute hippy girl from New York.

Ending up going to a house show later that night with said girl and her Japanese friend Midori, yes, like the alcohol. She is awesome, and taught me that 'Midori' means 'Green' in Japanese. Show was a bust, but we went to some redneck bar instead and painted the place red with our dancing to the ZZ top cover band that was playing. Midori can dance, bless that girl.....

Took the bus back over to Bend the next day, and here I am. One guitar short, and my traveling lust fulfilled for a while. I really wanted to make it to San Fran, But I can guarantee I will be there this spring.

Thanks for following the thread guys, wish I had more for ya! ::soapbox::

 

[Coywolf]

Oh and also. Death to all tweekers.

 

[Deleted member 2626]

Damn thats rough. Ive only stashed gear a few times and the last was kinda like your set up. I was in a really small town at aome pond on the outskirts in some used woods. Good to you. I at least would habe done the molly and left them all. Good luck man.