Today we finally got around to viewing some truck campers. We had been researching different campers for quite a while but there are limited vendors that actually stock and sell truck bed campers. If you go to a Camping World there will mostly be RVs, 5-wheels, and trailers. Maybe fewer people want truck bed campers because they are smaller, but it's that size that allows a nimbleness in travel that no other camper provides.
We have always had greater ambitions for Dodgy than just a bed under a truck shell. You don't need a 3500 Dodge Ram truck to go camping in the redwoods. It's impressive. Maybe it might make some guys with the chromed out 1500s feel a little inadequate but that is their business, not ours.
After a delightful night in the Redwood Forest, we figured the rest of our return journey would be rather rote. It was time to dig in and get to our friend's house outside of Sacramento where we could take a break from traveling and get some work done. But little did we know what a truly beautiful remainder of a trip we had left. Well, we did rather know. I made a point to route us along the coast for a while before heading inland for a mountain pass. So I knew there would be beaches and sea side views. What I didn't expect was an elk crossing.
In keeping with our tradition of shoehorning additional stops into an already busy schedule, we extended our trip by a day to camp in Redwood National and State Parks. Parts of it are national. Parts of it are state. As far as we can determine, there aren't any drive in camping spots in the National park, so we found an ideal spot at the State Park. The site is flanked by massive redwood trees, within hearing distance of a sonorous river, and a hop skip an a jump from bathrooms that don't stink. To me, the perfect spot.
Oregon Caves National Monument preserves stalagmites, stalactites, and rock formations such as Joaquin Miller's Chapel, The Ghost Room, and Paradise Lost.
Deep in the woods of South West Oregon is Clear Lake. Deep in the depths of Clear Lake is an ancient forest. Trees that had grown on a prehistoric valley floor were flooded 3,000 years ago when a lava flow blocked up a river and flooded the valley to create Clear Lake.
I'm not sure if Willamette Valley pinot just appeals to a different taste than mine or if the people of Oregon are getting ripped off. We've spent the last few days touring vineyards and tasting rooms across the Willamette Valley and expected more than what we experienced.