A night in Idaho

8.11.16

9:09am - Leaving Silver Creek, and my new friends Gary and Lorraine behind. Ended up getting drunk and high all night with Lorraine.  We took a lot of photos and shared long exposure strategies.  Fun times!  Great people!  They also shared their asparagus with me.

Mile 2,033

Lorraine and Greg.  Their both Angelenos now retired in Salt Lake.  Greg was a rocket scientist.

 

Fueled up at Teton Village. Fuck, these mountains are massive. Now I know what my parents kept talking about.  

$35

Lorraine and I drank and tinkered with our DSLR's..not great shots but it was a dope mutual learning experience.  I showed her a few tricks about light and exposure management, and she taught me how to smoke a proper joint.

 

Drove around for a few hours and peeped Jackson and some of the Teton Valley.  Can’t wait to go back there tomorrow to explore the park a bit more.

Idaho's open spaces

8.10.16

1:21pm - I woke up late, made coffee and bacon with eggs.  Drug my ass around camp and Im finally leaving now.

Location: Jessica Camp

Mile 1,163

smoking at Jessica camp

 

While I was driving along the Salmon River I noticed some really nice sites.  I need come back here one day.  When I do, be sure to check out O’Brian Camp site #4 - it’s dope man.

 

Fueled up at Mackay along the “Peaks and Craters” scenic byway.

Mile 1,757

$28

 

Took a detour, and decided to check out Craters of the Moon National Preserve. Absolutely stunning, and strange….Volcanic fields for miles. Drove south to Carey, ID and found BLM sites near a creek in a big brown grass prairie.  Also beautiful.  The sun is setting right now the wind is gusting.  An older couple from LA is also here!  Lorraine (wife) is trying to learn photography and Gary (husband) is a fucking rocket scientist that just retired from JPL. They moved to Salt Lake last year.  She says there will be a meteor shower at 2am tonight.  I should explore this creek next to my tent.   

Mile 1,840

 

Oregon to Idaho's Sawtooth National Forest

8.9.16

6:30am - left camp

Mile 1159

 

Notable spots to check out in the future.  I drove through these areas:

  • HWY 126E

  • Belknap Springs

  • Willamete (NF) Camp

  • Suttle Lake!! WOW

  • Oregon Badlands on HWY 20E

 

Fueled in the middle of nowhere, in mid-Oregon.

Mile 1,325

$36

 

11:20am - stopped on a remote river and took a bath. Washed my ass and balls. So refreshing.

Mile 1,424

Location: Central Oregon HWY20

 

 

Fueled up west of Boise.  About to enter the flaming mountain.

Mile 1,531

$26

The massive 'Pioneer Fire' was burning up nearly 50,000 acres of the Sawtooth/Boise National Forest boundary days before I was planning to drive in.  The ranger advised me to proceed with caution, so I did.  Driving in, I saw dozens of these fresh burn spots littered along the ridge and was kind of surprised how relaxed all the fire workers seemed to be.

 

4:45pm - arrived at the Helende Camp in the Sawtooth National Forest/Boise National Forest.  I’m not impressed with this site.  Its dry pine forest and extremely dusty.  River front is beautiful though, but not very easy to access on foot. I’m going to go up the road and see what else is around.

 

7pm -  I said ‘fuck it’ and drove up Hwy 21 and assessed a couple of primitive BLM dispersed sites along the South Fork Payette River.  The second spot I landed is totally remote. Not a soul anywhere...I’m perched atop a cliff overlooking a wicked river bend.  Doing primitive tonight.  Hopefully I don't get killed by the Pioneer fire that is causing hell up the road, or death by bear.  So much death on the mind.  Enjoy life fucker!  Missing the family and loved ones right now, cause I’m looking at a bad motherfucking sunset and want them to see it too. There is no cell service out here. I’ll save the coordinates on google map. I figured out the exact location of the Pioneer fire from the map that I printed in Sacramento and my magical orienteering powers.

Location: Site has no name - I’m naming is Jessica Camp.

Mile 1,613

Jessica Camp - on BLM dispersed land.  

Oregon Coast

8.8.16

Today is Dad’s birthday. He is 68. I need to call him when I get on the road. I’m headed east!  Not sure where I will stay tonight.

11:41 am - leaving Rock Creek.

Mile 1,027

Fueled up at Mile 1,040 -  $25

 

I decided during the drive that it was too beautiful in the Oregon woods to leave just yet. Plus I partied too hard last night. Tonight I’m staying at Paradise Camp near Blue Pool.  I got here around 4pm. I walked down to the river to shoot some photos and explore a bit. This place is equally amazing to Rock Creek with a different vibe. Time to make dinner and a fire.

Location: Willamete NF Forest (McKenzie River)

Mile 1158

Paradise camp is literally that - paradise.  No bugs, mild weather, no direct sunlight (my favorite), and green foliage exploding out of every crevice. 

Paradise camp after dinner

NorCal to Oregon Coast

8.7.16

Day 2 - woke up at 5:55am.  Made coffee, cooked leftover steak with hashbrowns, eggs, kale, tomatoes, and goat cheese! Mmmm. Big animals near my tent last night.  There’s no cell service and I’m not sure how to get to OR from here :)

Megameals are important when camping..even if I cant eat it all.  Here we have hash browns, eggs whites with goat cheese + kale + cherry tomatoes, and left over ribeye steak from the night before.  Coffee and milk to compliment the buds.  #MikeDsKitchen

 

8:30am - Left Oak Bottom Camp.

 

Fuel stop at Cave Junction, OR.

Mile 827. $30

 

4:40pm - Got to Rock Creek on the OR coast!  

Mile 1,026.

Location: Suislaw National Forest

The campsite is like the fucking Shire..it’s right on the ocean/rainforest divide.   Best campsite - hands down. It is absolutely amazing.  I cherish this place.  I have an uncertain agenda the next 4 days.  I figured I better suck it all in while I’m on the PNW. Over and Out.

Rock Creek Camp, Suislaw Forest.  OR (AKA the fucking Shire)

 

P.s. I took my very first space shot on time lapse.  It took me about 30 tries to get it right!

 

This was actually my "first" semi successful long exposure of the milky way...I was extremely intoxicated too.  Can't remember my camera's settings lol. 

The winding roads of the Six Rivers National Forest