Here I am, sitting in my camper in Westport in pouring rain. All night it poured and the wind made my little house shake. I decided not to let it bog me down and made sausage and eggs with tea, coffee and oj. I still have some yummy  seedie (full grain wheat bread from Pan d’Amore) and enjoy it while it lasts. I’m in a somewhat cheesy RV park, but they have wifi and I’m hooked up to power so I don’t worry about running the batterie low. Before I left I bought Nico’s Macbook and he put a lot of great music on, thanks Nico!

A week before I left we had a Bon Voyage party at my house. Lots of friends showed up, Gary and Sofia brought lots of Tuna and Salmon and a big BBQ. People pitched in with great food and beer and wine. In fact so much beer and wine was left over that I’m still tripping over it in my camper. Thanks guys for that great party!

Every day of the week after the party I thought I would be leaving in a few days, but I kept adding to my todo list, which didn’t seem to shrink as I was doing stuff. Finally all items were scratches off and Sunday 6:30 PM I drove off. Salt Creek Park was my first spot for the night. I arrived after park closure time and standing in front of the closed gate suddenly it opened as if by a magic button. I quickly slipped through and found a nice spot. The next day the park host came by and said she had never seen a sailboat entering the park, so she opened the gate. Fetch seems to have a good effect on people. At boat ramps folks stop and chat about the boat a lot as well. Next morning I had a nice walk on the rocks that the low tide exposed. One of my intentions for this trip is to pick up on drawing and painting again, so I made a sketch.

Salt Creek is a beautiful park

I continued the 101 south and near the Hoh River saw the Pacific for the first time on this trip. I will be with this ocean for a while for I’m planning to visit lots of small bays and estuaries along its shores. I’d like to spend some time in the Bay Area, Sausalito, Tomales Bay. Then south to maybe as far as Catalina Island (if I dare). Originally I was going to head straight for Baja, but eventually decided against that, because I would have to head down there quick to avoid the greatest heat and hurricanes. I didn’t want to be in a hurry and wanted to explore the coast at my leisure. After the Pacific coast I intend to head east, visit the Great Lakes on my way to Maine, where I’d like to spend the Summer. After that, money will dictate whether I’ll continue or head back. By working various jobs along the way I hope to extend this trip a much as possible.

The great Pacific coast

Once leaving the coast along 101 it gets a little dull till one reaches Hoquiam and Aberdeen and then it becomes a bit trashy, hmmm. After following Grays Harbor up to Westport I search for a nice campsite and finally make due. In order to get going on the blog I need wifi and power or else I would have tried to find a quite spot just somewhere. I need to get comfortable with spending the night ‘off the grid’. This is called boondocking and requires getting used to. The next day I reluctantly started to plan a day on the water. I was a little intimidated by dealing with all the new issues to deal with. Unknown waters, still rusty with my GPS, it was quite windy the day I arrived and current was roaring in front of town. However this is what I came here to do, so on with it! I’ll post this first to see if it all works after which I’ll give a report on my first day on the water.

There they are. Most impressive those Pelicans