The "Dew Drop Inn" Chronicles

Candy Cap, that's the one! I love that flavor ice cream!

 

I ate a mushroom once. Later, I thought I was an ice cream cone.....



[just kidding]

I am sorry, Michael, that my posts keep telling you where to go eat, now that I have learned (from your posts) that you are trying to drop a few pounds. Burgers and fries and Nepenthe; choweder in Bodega, ice cream in Mendocino....my tips are not good for your waistline!!

Well, the wine at Navarro wouldn't have been too fattening

-Al

 

saw this story today, and thought of your trip:

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/outposts/post/my-playground-big-sur-4/

"California’s Central Coast"
"It's 200 miles of stunning beauty and home to 'America's Happiest City'"

 

Yes Al, funny, I was one of those shroomer boomers referred to in T's thread about his tears maiden tour. No problemo about the food reccomendations I still gotta eat and I'm not giving up my 2 beers a day.

I saw the Subaru story of the central coast as just a fly over for most Californians, so true and thank goodness. I worked in LA for many years and would sometimes mention to co-workers about hiking the woods in the San Gabriel Mountains. Their response would invariably be "What woods". The view of those mountains from the city was chaparral, but if you ventured into the mountains you soon discovered the north faces were forested. Most Los Angelenos don't know that they have a beautiful mountain playground in their backyard, couldn't be bothered, too many distractions in the city, thank goodness for that.

Michael

 

The last 2 nights have been miserable, the tenters are really feeling it, most of them have packed up and gone home, spring break has been a bust in these parts. The Dewey crew is hangin in there, warm and dry, just misting rain in the day like back home so the hiking through the redwoods has been nice. Don't relish towing Dewey on soggy mountain roads so we're going to wait for dryer weather before continuing north.

Michael

 

Heyya Michael....

Mannn, I hear that.. only I save'em up for the weekend, heheh...
Beer... It's what's for breakfast.. well not quite that bad

I grew up in Pasadena and hiked & Mtn Biked a lot of the trails in the San Gabs, Mt Wilson several times and back down the "North?" side, (back side) and yes Trees and stuff, really liked it.. Day hikes, no overniters.

So? Where were you when you reported the Rain and the "Tenters".

There's a Buggy ride down at O'Brien, OR just SW of Grants Pass? and I'm going back and forth on whether to go or not as I'll be "Tenting" (Gawd, I hate tenting).. and while it's forecast-ed 90-100% rain for the weekend, the people there said it was sunny/cloudy all day, just like the song...

So I'm thinking your in the area SW on the California side and have the same system going though... I looked at the Rain maps and it didn't look good.. Just thought I'd double check...

Pretty wet??

Thanks..

 

Yes Frank lived in Altadena for 10 years and day hiked and back packed lots of weekends in The San Gabriels. Beautiful scenic hikes, enjoyed it very much. Pasadena is a great town, very picturesque, miss it in a lot of ways.

We're camped at Burlington campground in The Humboldt Redwood SP, yeah the rain is forecast for a week or more, coming down pretty good now.

Michael

 

Pasadena...
Last time I was there it was too Beverly Hills type especially in "Old Town" just too crowded... so I miss the Old Pasadena, I don't the new one... I'm glad I moved when I did...

Trip to O'Brien has just been "Rain Checked" thank Gawd.. heheh, wasn't really looking forward to Tenting in the rain... so Dodged that bullet.. thanks for the update...

 

I don't know the old Pasadena, except what I have heard: the new one has a lot less drunks on the street. Well, today's drunks are better dressed then the ones from the 70s, so I have heard.

and no dobut the food is better today than back then

re hiking and Pasadena, we went to a Rose Bowl recently, and we hiked the creek for about 45 minutes to get there. It was great.

and Stanford won! Boo Wisconsin!!

uh-oh......



-Al

 

That may seem like a creek to Central Californians but to SoCal folks it's a river, ha ha, The Arroyo Seco River. I used to run the Gabrielino trail along the Arroyo Seco in Devils Canyon in the mornings, even on the hottest days and I'm talking 110 in the shade in May the canyon would be nice and cool.

Old town was great during the week, to be avoided at all costs on the weekend.

Michael

 

I made a big reminder note and put it by the companionway on our boat when we were getting ready to pick up Dewey so it was impossible to miss, it read, Don't forget the bolsters! We have these great bolsters that we use on our bench seats in the salon. When
we kick back and put our feet up to relax the bolster is the perfect angle between the bench and the bulkhead, throw a few pillows into the mix and you achieve pure comfort. We've been stuck aboard in the most miserable weather for days
but have been nice and comfy reading watching TV etc. because of those bolsters.





When we were contemplating getting a teardrop travel trailer I knew we'd be comfortable in one even if it did rain for days on end like it's doing now because of those bolsters. Funny huh, how something as seemingly simple as a wedge of foam can mean the difference between comfort and discomfort but there you go.





Susan made our bolsters when she made new cushions for our bench seats. It's just a wedge of foam as I've said covered in the same upholstery fabric as the cushions.

When we're in hotel/motel rooms we spend 90 percent of our time propped up in bed, almost never sit in
the chairs. It's rare to have enough pillows to get comfortable, sometimes I wish I had my bolster from home, ha ha.

I'm using my bolster right now as I hunt and peck this post out on my iPhone , comfy as a bug in a rug in Dewey with the furnace on listening to the rain bouncing off the roof...

When it's time for bed the bolsters fit perfectly into the front storage compartments.



Oh and another couple things, we use them to prop the bed up during the day to evaporate the condensation under the mattress, plus we use them to prop up the mattress to get stuff in and out of the under bed stoage bins, everything has to do triple duty on a teardrop right.



Michael

 

Yes, Camp Inn makes a wonderful home away from home.

 

Hi Susan and Alan saw your for sale post, does this mean you have 2 door or maybe 2 doors and a couch ambitions or do we have to contemplate the day when we will be missing your always and most welcome humorous contributions to this forum, enquiring minds wanna know.

Michael

 

Nice plan with the bolsters. How are those storage compartments not already filled with STUFF, though?

always interesting to see how different approach the same issue (using a TD). Lots of variety.

Nice idea re the foam propping up the mattress to evap the condensation. Probalby a good idea on this section of the trip, especially, with all the moisture.

 

Steady downpour all night but light drizzle or no rain with sun breaks during the day. That pretty much sums up the weather we've been getting at Humboldt Redwood SP during our stay. There has been a steady stream of tent campers coming in and going out of the campground. They set up camp in the afternoon full of hope, endure a wet soggy night and are packed up and gone by mid morning.

It's not all bad, no wait time for the restrooms and showers, the hiking trails are empty...



...the mountain flowers are out...







...it makes the trees grow real big...



...and it makes you appreciate your Camp-Inn and Northern Breeze more than ever!



Michael

 

Those Redwoods, growing out of such a small seed/nut pod are absolutely amazing!! Kinda like when, after you have visited all the big cathedrals in Europe, you take your first trip into downtown Manhattan and are like, whoa, when you come up out of the subway, men built these things?!
Overwhelming.
Watched JAWS the other night.
"I think we're gonna need a bigger boat."

 

Heheheh, I'm glad to hear about the rain as my trip to O'Brien, right across the boarder, was "Rain checked" to next Good Weather weekend...

and Actually, my most favorite time to hike was in a light drizzle or Foggy... just so quiet and nice...

Fun trip... raining up in Seattle too, light rain, not the monsoon stuff...

 

We have an inch expected in the City of Roses today. February, March, and April showers bring May flowers....or something. The Lad even asked today why Spring has to be so wet. I told him he is lucky we aren't camped right now. But it is pretty wet today. Yesterday we had some breaks which was great!

Just another beautiful day, full of liquid sunshine!

 

Looking like the further north you go in Oregon, the wetter it is. We broke a rainfall record set in 1947 today. We had about 1.5" by 5:00p in PDX and they say it won't let up until Midnight-ish. The former record was 1.25"! They say tomorrow has heavy showers and thunder, but Sunday should be rain with sun breaks. That will be good. I am making jersey that day, and things smoke better when it isn't raining so hard.

Hope you have safe travels when you decide to hit the road again. By the way, we have had landslides in the coastal range. Not sure where you are planning to cut over, but a few hwys are either detoured, closed or backed up.

Big soggy mess! Fitting the movie "Noah" opened today! Ack!

 

It's coming down pretty good now, has been all day really. Sunday is forecast to be without rain, we'll see, seems like the whole of the PNW has rain, rain and more rain for 10 days out, in that case I know of a little spot in the rain shadow of the Olympic mountains called home. May just head there lickity split and call it a maiden tour. I don't mind a light drizzle but this heavy downpour stuff makes for cranky campers. Thinking of taking 126 from Florence to Eugene and then up the 5.

Michael