M is for Moisture!
The liquid stuff. Coming down from the sky in splats and sheets while I tried to sleep in a flimsy cheap Walmart tent.
Did it hold up? Hell yes it did. And so did I.
It wasn't just liquid moisture I had to contend with this trip either. On the way, I drove through snow. Snow! In April! In the coast range! Yay! We need it.
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I took firewood, cut up from cherry and maple branches that have fallen or I've cut from those trees. Sort of seasoned. Somewhat. Not entirely. They sputtered Moisture too, from their ends as they burned. But burn they did.
Over that campfire, I heated water, until it bubbled hot. Then I poured it carefully into empty water bottles and screwed the lids on tight. These I put into my sleeping bag. I was cozy warm, despite cold temps outside, all night.
But the problem I had was this. I didn't camp very near the bathroom. Big mistake. Although Nehalem Bay State park is very lovely the sites are not very private there either. So there was no red necking it, in the middle of the night, behind the car, when I had to go.
I was surrounded by great whites---RV's and 5th wheelers of all kinds, some of whose occupants were night owls. So, rather than end up on social media in a compromised position, I had to drag myself out of my cozy warm sleeping bag, put on my shoes, go out into the splatty cold rain, and walk a quarter mile or so to the bathroom. Ugh!
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| My tent and my dollar store mat |
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| The campground, mostly empty, but far more tenters than I'd seen in other state parks. |
Moisture dripped off the picnic table this morning. I made coffee on the sterno stove in the car, while Tilly and Haley eyed me. They had no idea why they, of all the cats in the house, had been chosen for this camp trip hell, that included teeth pulling for them.
I had to have Haley at the clinic by 8:00 a.m. this morning. After dropping her off, I went back to the campground and slept another two hours. I did not want to get out of that nice warm sleeping bag ever again in my life.
But, because spring is schizophrenic, today the sun was out and Moisture was gone. Mostly.
M is for Moisture, an Oregon staple.
A rough time there with the weather and trying to camp - but you did it!
ReplyDeleteYes, I did and saved a lot of money too, on the vet bill, by going to the clinic over there, and on lodging, by camping rather than a motel.
DeleteOh those bathroom treks. I remember them well. With shudders of horror. And my bladder was better then.
ReplyDeleteGlad that you got some much needed wet stuff - followed by some welcome sun.
The bathroom treks are something that stick in the memory for sure EC! We did badly need the snow received, in the Cascades and eastern state mountains. Not enough, for snowpack melt summer needs, but any is better than none!
DeleteSterno Stove???. From what I can see, it is a methylated spirit burner.
ReplyDeleteCanned heat, ha! Loved by Buffets and Buffets lovers. And by survivalists, who often have cases of sterno cans in their garages or hide outs. You can even make it yourself:
Deletehttp://www.teachnlearnchem.com/Canned%20Heat.htm