We arrived home from our Crater Lake/Coast trip on last Friday exhausted and happy. When Ben wasn't able to go down south for the coming eclipse we sort of abandoned plans and with the fear of the predicted traffic armageddon we thought we'd just go down to the local park and watch it at 99%.
Then I started doing more research into it. Turns out that 99% means an eclipse that would only last 5-10 seconds at it's peak. Whereas in the "totality" you would get over 2 minutes. Surely an extra minute and 50 seconds of eclipse is worth another trip right?
I immediately cleaned the trailer and plugged it in to charge the batteries and filled the tank with fresh water. Bought another block of dry ice for the refrigerator and restocked the cabinets. Get packed kids we're heading out again!
But where?
The coast was predicted to be foggy in the morning so we crossed that out. The cities along the path were already crowded so we crossed that out. The mountains were the answer. Not too far, hundreds of forest roads, lots of lakes - seems like the way to go. I start looking at satellite images.
Just east of Detroit Lake there was another lake, higher up, that had potential. Zoom in...
Wow, look at that! It's got a turn around for the trailer and there's hardly any cars there! Yes, I know the maps aren't live but it seemed like a good omen.
So off we go.
When we get to the Forest Service Road there's a motor home offering first aid and emergency calls (no reception here) so were were impressed by the preparedness. We'd hardly seen any traffic coming up along the river so we were pretty confident that we'd picked the spot perfectly. Sweet!
Off we go on the dirt forest service road. It quickly narrows to a single lane. A mile in and it narrows to
less than a single lane. There's no shoulder. There's no pull outs. Downed trees are cut and we slip by with only inches to spare.
I got that feeling that you never want to get. You've done something horribly misguided, unanticipated and utterly mistaken and you can't take it back. They say that everyone who's ever tried to take their life by jumping regrets the decision the instant their feet leave the bridge. I was over a mile into a very rocky, very steep, very, very narrow road with no wide places to turn the van around much less the 28' trailer.
Jwoo was fuming. "What were you thinking! This is insanity!" she helpfully pointed out. I knew that pretty much the instant I knew I couldn't back down the trail. I had no choice but to keep going to the lake. I had visions of my father plowing the pickup up the side of a canyon to get out of the way of an approaching flash flood. We were stuck in a foot and a half of hail, the 15' ditch had over flowed and covered the road and was threatening to wash away the truck as lightning crashed all around us. What was
he thinking?
We survived that calamity by seconds, being rescued by our friends and neighbors on horseback coming to our frantic calls on the CB.
Here though no ones life was at stake but the lack of planning was obvious. I'd ridden forest service roads to the north and the south of this one - none were that bad. Granted I was on a motorcycle but still - this one was a lot worse.
After five miles of bouncing through tension so thick it made the smoke from the forest fires seem like nothing we came to a wide pull out with a tent set up. I pull off as a well set up FJ comes down the trail. "Nice rig!" he says, "How the hell did you get that trailer up here?" I ask if we can make it to the lake. "
You can make it no problem but the trailer doesn't stand a chance - it gets
way worse just around the corner"
At this point a woman comes up to see what the commotion is at her tent. I explain how I might be in a bit of a tough spot and can I leave the trailer for a bit while we see how the trail is up to the lake. She agrees but clearly thinks I'm an axe murderer.
We back the trailer in and unhook and sure enough, just around the next few turns the trail gets much rockier. There's no way we could drag the trailer up this without severe damage to the underside and the tanks. I try to cut the tension by saying at least we'll get to share the eclipse with someone but Jwoo is having none of it. She's furious with me.
Back at the pull out we meet Sabrina's other half, Javier, a super sweet Venezuelan man who thinks for a bit when I ask him if they'd mind sharing their spot with us? He asks about the trailer and if it has a generator. Oh, no. We'll be quiet, no generator, no motors. We promise to be good neighbors. He says, well, it's all public land and sharing is what it's all about.
We repark the trailer to give them more space and the kids, the dog and the cat all pile out. Yeah, did I mention we brought the cat?
This was another thing Jwoo wasn't happy about. The kids (and me) have wanted to bring Biscuit for ages. He's not the bravest cat but he has wanted to go with us forever. Whenever I leave in the morning with Gravy (the dog) to drop the kids at school he waits, for hours, by the front door. One overnight was all we'd get, it was Biscuits do or die camping trial.
He killed it. Along with a number of flies in the camper.
We all got introduced and as it was getting late settled in for dinner and a night of sleep. All night long there was a steady trickle of vehicles, a few every hour, still coming up the road, looking for a place to watch.
In the morning Sabrina surprised us with a bag of gold temporary tattoos for the kids and face paint. We made them breakfast and coffee and Jwoo had time to chill out and suddenly everything was fine. Better than fine in fact. We had found new friends!
As the kids got tattoos of golden suns Jwoo cut out pretend eclipse glasses for 12 stuffed animals that joined us for this once in a lifetime event. We put on our glasses and sat in the road and waited, watching the moon take bigger and bigger bites from the sun.
Until suddenly the ground started to shimmer as if from massive heat waves. It got much colder and stars appeared and suddenly there was no more sun when viewed through our glasses - blackness. We take off our glasses there it was - a flaming ring of light.
Javier and Sabrina got up and danced as we all ooh'd and aah'd at this utterly breathtaking event. It was better than I could have imagined which is really something for an event that has been hyped for a year in advance.
After the totality we took a hike from our spot down a path to an amazing waterfall. I've mentioned that Oregon is amazing right? This was one drop of many but it was too steep to venture farther with the kids. When they're older we'll come back here.
Sabrina and Javier agreed to leave just before us to warn any upcoming vehicles to find a pull off but it wasn't needed, all traffic was headed out and we made it back down with no trouble.
Once again we're in no rush to get home and when we see a lake with kayak rentals it seems the perfect way to spend some time to let the traffic die down a bit. More adventure, more joy for the kids.
I am most certainly my fathers son. I dive without looking and trust that I'll land on my feet. I am more careful but no less bold.
Next trip we bring the hamster!
Gregor
