Can you say hallelluia my brothers and sisters, can you say Praise the lord. I bought a Coleman tent for this journey since my old one was too beat up to move and it leaked.
Yesterday after Ellen left and I posted we took a bus through the university, then hiked and found an “open space” where we could set up camp. Unfortunately, the canyons are choked with poison oak and blackberry vines under the trees, so we can't get under cover of the forrest canopy easily unless we go into the redwoods, so we settled for camping on a flat high place just below a ridge where we would be out of the wind. This was important because it had been misting and drizzling since noon, and rain was forcast for last night, today and tomorrow.
We knew we were going to get rain on this trip, it is inevitable in the spring north of Point Conception on the West coast of North America, but we were hoping to have more time to settle into the rhythm of the walk before testing ourselves against it. The projected rain, on top of being tired and sore, is what convinced Ellen that it was time for her to leave the train yesterday afternoon. So, we found ourselves with three tents lined up, Nick, myself, Susanne, in a row. With our backs to the crown of an Oak rising out of a canyon about a mile from the ocean, front doors about six feet back from a small rise that broke the wind sweeping down over the high grassland and gave us a place to set up the propane stove to cook dinner.
We were rather dispirited from the weather, and Ellen leaving, and the struggle to find a suitable camp. Susanne cooked redbeans soaked with dried jalepeno, oregeno, salt and pepper, and seasoned with chillis onions and garlic, plus some meaty and mushrooms left over from the first night—Susanne's good that way, she's only sort of vegitarian, which means she'll eat stuff with meat juice in it, and occasionally even eat some meat. Dark was coming on fast, the drizzle was threatening to turn into rain, and the propane was begining to sputter, so we ended up eating our beans pretty hard, but they were chewable, and they tasted great with tortillas soaked in the broth. Susanne and I ate in my tent, Nick went and hid in his, but again, that does not prevent talking as the walls are thin.
After we ate, Susanne went back to her tent, I read by candlelight for a while and the three of us chatted back and forth, and prayed that the rain would treat us well. Well, it rained, Susanne got pretty wet, Nick's tent held the water out, but hehad trouble with condensation, and mine was perfectly dry...Yay! Hurrah for Coleman. It took us a while to get going this morning, Susanne and I ate tortillas with avacado, bell pepper, jalepeno, pepperjack cheese, lemon juice, and salt. Nick drank coffee. He got the only cup of hot coffee because the propane died for good before we could heat more water...bummer.
We finally got packed up and headed down the hill; where we were pleased to find that our spot was actually close to the Highway and provided easy access to town. I am currently writing in a laundrymat where we came to wash and dry our sleeping bags and some wet or dirty clothes. We are packing up and getting ready to go in search of a coffeehouse where I can upload some more photos, blog and, charge equipment. Off we go into the wild blue yonder, off we go into the sun...peace out y'all.
P.S. Now in Westside Coffee House here in Santa Cruz, gotta get some eats, looks like the rain we were supposed to get today might have blown by...hope so. More later.
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