Another thing that gets to me is not knowing where I’ll sleep a particular night. I’m trying to save money, and avoid motels. I’m perfectly comfortable with camping, but, forecasts of rain, forecasts of snow, full campsites on Memorial Day weekend, outrageously priced hotels, outrageously priced gas, so on and so forth, makes me wonder how much all this traveling is going to cost me.

A van would be perfect…

Now, I’m not a Mercedes man. I’m not into image like others. But those jacked-up 4×4 diesel Mercedes travel vans are beautiful. They’re about $100,000, and, well, such a price is not on my radar screen in this moment… though a jacked up Ford or Chevy would be fine too.

But to have a van to sleep comfortably in wherever you wish, with enough space for all your stuff, and a nice chair, so a Walmart parking lot is just as comfortable as a hotel, that would be nice. You could just head in the direction you want, and give no thought to where you’re going to stay the night, and give no thought to time, and let joyous imaginings of the road ahead shine, well, that would be (almost) perfect. I can’t tell you how many have told me owning a travel van is life changing – literally.

In the fullness of time good things will come…

On this day of leaving Charleston, I chose not to preoccupy myself with where I’d stay or where I was even going. Everything had worked out just fine until then, and I figured it would still. Slow down, Charlie. Though I was thinking about going over the mountains to Bend, I was going to drive north along the coast a little more before moving east, and still reserved the right to change my mind at any point if I wished. Traveling can put retarded obligations in your mind to be somewhere by a certain time, and it’s best to be as unlike Clark Griswald as possible.

I’m telling you… traveling is a bit of an art…

Of course seeing that someone stole my bike pissed me off. The lady at the hotel checked her cameras, and saw some dude, dressed in black, cut my steel cable at about 12:30 am, when I was fast asleep. She said that crime in Charleston has been increasing steadily the past several years. Other locals I talked to said it’s overflow from the decaying cities of the Left Coast, which, as someone once said, have massive drug-addiction problems masquerading as a homeless problem. Portland has this. So do smaller cities like Eugene apparently.

However, I was not going to let this ruin my day. Didn’t even call the police because what could they possibly do? Nothing.

Got the largest breakfast burrito I’ve ever seen to help kill the pain before heading north on US 101. Within a mile thoughts of going to Bend were gone. Wanted to stay on the coast. Wanted to see the water and feel the dank air. Again, the Oregon coast is so green and full of life it tends to abate the dreariness of omnipresent clouds and mist. It’s nurturing.

Drove for like two hours. Stopped at Beachside state park, where they had some good campsites, and plenty of them. The thought of walking on that beach, and starting a big fire when I get back, sounded exactly like what I wanted to experience on a trip like this.

So, that’s exactly what I did. Set up my small REI tent. Went into town to get some Duraflame logs because there’s no better way to cheat to start a fire. Got back and took a 2.5 hour walk. Got the above featured photo of a part that looked like a rain forest. Started that fire. Ate sauerkraut and almond butter. Lights out at 10. Slept like a baby.

Good day.