Our Journey Into The Wilderness –

The Journey Begins

PART 2

CAMPING AT DEL VALLE REGIONAL PARK

April 1, 2009 – Day 1 – Wednesday

In the morning I had to go back to the apartment to finish packing up my things. I thought it would only take a couple of hours, but it ended up taking a good part of the day. Once I got everything packed from the apartment, we headed for my friends house and our new home to unload the rest of my things at the house.

This day was also to be the first day Shiloh and I would begin our first month camping at Del Valle Reservoir Campgrounds. I was very anxious to get out of the apartment and enter a new chapter in my life living, experiencing, and studying nature, and sharing that experience with my best friend, Shiloh by my side. As for our future, it was uncertain.

In the late afternoon I packed up our camping gear, stopped by the store for some food supplies and grabbed a chicken burger to-go in Livermore. We finally arrived at our second new home, Del Valle Regional Park at 7:00 pm. I was emotionally exhausted and sore from packing and moving for the most of two weeks and I just wanted to get camp set-up and try and relax a little before it was time for bed. My hopes were to get all my packing done early and to the campsite early to set-up and relax, but that was not the case. We are now here, and that’s what counts. This whole experience did not feel like something we were forced to do or something that was degrading to me, but was a time I was looking forward to, a time for a new adventure and a special time to share with Shiloh.

Checking in at the park entrance gate on our arrival to Del Valle, we proceeded to our campsite. It was Wednesday evening and our first day on our seventy-four day camping adventure and discovery for 2009. I got Shiloh out of the truck so he could sniff around some while I unloaded the truck. It was getting late so the first thing was to get the tent set-up before dark came. The tent went up fast and easy with no hitches to cause more frustration in an already frustrating day. Shiloh was exploring his new surroundings with all its new sights, sounds, and smells. We were the only ones in that campground area, so we had it all to ourselves and had a quiet evening to think about our new beginnings together. Shiloh seemed to enjoy his new home.

Dogs are required to be on leash in the camping areas, but since we were alone, I kept him off lease and he was great staying in camp. This was our first camping experience alone together and I was not sure how he would behave. Shiloh has an extremely calm manner to him, and I don’t think anything really bothers him to much.

Our campsite was small, but comfortable and somewhat private as far as these campsites go. A perfect spot for us. I picked this site for its exposure to the trees and plants, and with a good separation from the other campsites. Since it was our first time camping here I had no idea what to expect. All I knew for now was, we had the whole area all to ourselves. I was not sure how the weather would be treaty us in the spring time, but we will see soon enough. I have been camping on weekend excursions, and did some backpacking, but for this moment it is different. For this moment this is our home for the next month. And instead of doing it with a human companion, I had a canine companion.

After getting all settled in camp, we went for a short walk and checked things out around the camping area we were staying at. It gave us some time to relax, breath the fresh air, enjoy the sights and sounds of nature and become familiar with what will be our new home for a month. Shiloh had a lot of sniff’n to do with all the smells that nature provides. After a stressful day, it was really nice to be at this beautiful place and have some time to really experience it. I have been to Del Valle other times, to fish, canoe and to bring the dogs along for a nice hike, and even did a day horseback ride in an event they called the “Poker Ride,” but this is the first for camping.

Del Valle has four camping areas within the main campground area at the entrance of the second Kiosk, taking you to two on the left side and two on the right of the entrance. To get to our camping area we turn to the right of the main campground entrance just past the Kiosk, and general store, crossing two small streams through the middle campground. We were at the upper camping area on a knoll and this area is set back adjacent to private property at the southern most end of the park. It overlooks the lower middle camping area to the northerly direction in which we have to pass through to get to our campsite and on the southerly side (the private property side), it overlooks two large horse pasture and beyond a ranch house and barn that is still used for cattle ranching. The ranch is tucked into a small beautiful valley that eventually converges into a canyon with foothills on both sides, and where the Arroyo Seco Creek (meaning “dry stream”), continues flowing to the south. The west side of the lake along the foothills are thick with Oak trees, and the east side is covered in grasslands and scattered Oak. A beautiful place to experience flora and fauna. We campgrounds are very close to the Del Valle Reservoir. They also have an off leash trail for dogs on the east side of the lake, but must beware, this whole area is a perfect habitat for rattlesnakes. And they do start coming out in April.

This whole valley was big in cattle ranching at one time and still has some in operation today. Originally, this area was home to the Ohlone (or Costanoan) Indians before the arrival of the Spanish in the 18^th century. The Livermore Amador Valley was primarily grazing land for the Mission San Jose’s thousands of cattle and sheep. This area was also mined in the early days for magnesite and coal. The reservoir itself was built in 1968 and the Hetch Hetchy pipeline lies underneath the lake, but does not connect to it. The reservoir storage is 77,100 acre feet, the area is 1,066 acres with a shoreline of 16 miles. Largely around the lake is the Del Valle Regional Park consisting of 4,316 acres. The park is a popular recreational area that offers hiking, equestrian trails, camping, bicycle trails, fishing, boating, picnicking and has a swimming area. It has opened up a large area along the east side lake trails that allows dogs to be off leash which is great for the dogs, and people as long as they don’t run into rattlesnakes. This is one reason this area attracted me, but it was also for its beauty and abundant wildlife. It is only about 11 miles from the City of Livermore, but once you get a mile or so outside the town, you immediately feel you are miles away from civilization. It is like you are transported from the city to a magical country side in minutes, driving it is a beautiful drive on a two lane road, through rolling hills, rows of sycamore trees lining the road side and oaks scattering the hillsides.

I have lived in the area off and on for many years and Del Valle Reservoir is just a short distance from where I have lived in what is known as the Tri-Valley area, but I have never spent a lot of time at this beautiful place in Nature, and never camped here.

The camping sites are small in most cases and close together. A typical camping area nowadays, unless you head up to the mountains, and even then, most campsites that are managed and have a use-charge are small and close together like being packed in like a can of sardines. It is great if you like being around people, but if you want peace and quiet and a true outdoor experience in nature I would personally avoid these types of camping areas.

The day was warm – it felt like it was in the mid-seventies. It began cooling down around 9:00 pm. I gathered a little wood for a small fire from around the other campsites and we went to bed around 10:00 pm. Shiloh slept in the tent with me, and he seemed very comfortable with his new sleeping arrangements. The tent was a five person tent, so we had plenty of room to move around.

My back was still stiff and sore from ten days of moving and it made it difficult for me to sleep. With all the stress of moving, the day ended very relaxed with a disbelief we were actually here and without a real home – basically homeless. But with the incredible beauty of Del Valle, it made things much easier to feel comfortable in our new surroundings – our new home.

April 2, 2009 – Day 2 – Thursday

We got up at 6:30 am and Shiloh and I took a walk to explore the area once again – seeing if we may have missed something from our walk last evening. We walked down a dirt road to where the horses were on the private ranch. There were a good number of horses in the pasture enjoying grazing on the lush green grasses that covered the whole pasture. Once they became aware of us they went running in the opposite direction like a bolt of lighting hit their behinds. We stood next to the fence watching them and once they realized we weren’t chasing them and were not a threat to them, they stopped and turned to look at us. I don’t think they have ever seen a dog as big as Shiloh. Shiloh weighs about 120 lbs, but because of his furry coat, it makes him look much larger and much more threatening. He kind of looks like a big bear with a white body coat and large patches of black here and there. I began doing kissing sound to the horses hoping they would come. The first brave horse to approach us was a Red Roan gelding. Then three others followed behind. Once they realized we were no threat to them, the Red Roan came close enough to the fence to let me give him a gentle rub on his head. It was nice to be around the horses. I really missed not having my horses around any longer except for one that I still have that I must sell as well. As with Shiloh, and my other dog Shawnee, my horses were my whole life. Everything I did pretty much revolved around my four legged critter.

After returning from our walk I showered, got dressed and then headed off to a meeting at 10:00 am for a possible new job. My original plan was to have the flexibility to camp and work at the same time and Del Valle allowed me to do that because of the close proximity to civilization and also where I have my office set-up made it convenient. The camping area provided showers, primitive showers, but showers none the less, and with warm water occasionally, and if you were lucky.

During this uncertain time for me, I was lucky to have work and some money coming in. I thought I would save a lot of money camping, but in reality it was not cheap to camp here. It cost me twenty dollars a day to camp and then the cost of food, firewood, and gas for driving back and forth. I figured I would have enough money to carry me over for about a month and a half. I prepaid for the campsite for the month, so I just needed money for food, firewood, gas and a few bills I had to pay.

I got to the meeting on time, considering I was not sure how long it would take me to get there from Del Valle. The meeting lasted for about forty-five minutes and I thought it went well. I had Shiloh with me and he stayed in the truck during the meeting and as always he was a good boy, patiently waiting for my return.

We headed back to my new unorganized office at my friends house and organize the office a bit and picked up a few more camping things. I put my drafting tables together and cleared the floor of some of my boxes. Shiloh found a spot on the floor to rest. I grabbed some books and camping gear and we were off to the store to pick up some food. I spent one hundred and eighteen dollars on food and miscellaneous items at the store and then spent another fourteen dollars for firewood at the Del Valle Marina store. We returned to the camp late in the afternoon and it was partly cloudy and windy. I was looking forward to a nice meal, a small camp fire and a relaxing evening with Shiloh.

Shiloh and I took our first walk along the lake after getting things unpacked at camp. The first chance he had, he headed for the water. Shiloh enjoys wading in the water. He was not a swimmer, but he loved to play and splash in the shallows. After our walk, we returned back to camp and just relaxed for a while and enjoyed the beauty and solitude of our surroundings in nature. It felt great to be here. I felt I was in a place that was home – in nature.

“But love of the wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need – if only we had eyes to see.”

~ Edward Abbey

My feelings towards being homeless really has not entered my mind. I suppose one can say you are really not homeless since you have a place to stay, and that is true, I do have a skeleton of a room temporarily, but then what? I don’t have my own home and my own things. I had lost almost everything I had owned, or gave it away. I did keep all my camping gear, most of my books, and my office equipment. But, I am in a place I want to be, and having Shiloh with me, always giving me great comfort. I suppose if I make enough money and a place to work and sleep, I could also look forward to spending as much time as possible camping in the wilderness, but would I? This economic challenge has forced me to walk another path.

A new camper drove into our camping area and set-up camp next to us. He brought his camper and had a full set-up. It looked like he was set-up to stay at least a week. I was hoping he would be quiet. Later, another small group arrived in our camping area. The weekend group of campers are beginning to show up for the weekend.

The wind was blowing pretty good through camp, so I decided not to cook and just have a couple of sandwiches and a few beers for dinner. You could hear the wind coming through the valley and through the trees like a mighty freight train roaring closer and closer. It was an incredible sound. We had a small fire, and the firewood only lasted this evening and the next morning. It was pine, so it burned fast. We bedded down around 10:00 pm.

At 1:00 am Shiloh woke me and I heard the sound of music playing and people talking. When you are out in the open landscape, sounds travel easily and with only the thin fabric of the tent to buffer all sounds, it can make a very disturbing night with little sleep and this was one of those nights. It was very annoying. It lasted until about 2:00 am – so much for “Quite Time” at 10:00 pm in the park’s campground rules.

I am finding that for only a few people, like myself, they use the parks for the enjoyment of being in nature and possibly some peaceful solitude. For many it is a place just to get away in a nature setting, but they really don’t care much for nature on a much deeper level – too truly experience nature in the beauty of their surroundings, in the plants, the trees, or the animals. Most people in our culture have lost this deep connection with nature. Then there are the ones that are mostly in their twenties that come here just to party, as do older adults as well.

I too remember those days, so I can’t blame them for doing what so many young people like to do. But now, for me, it is about nature’s quiet and solitude. I came here to study plants, observe nature and to strengthen my ability of observation and awareness. I figured and hoped I would only have to deal with the crowds and those consumed in being loud, getting drunk, being obnoxious, and simply being rude to other campers, as with a disrespect for nature, during the weekends, and having the weekdays just for me and Shiloh. I would soon realized this hope would not happen.

My way of thinking now, does not coincide with most people, and my way of thinking foolishly believes that people who visit our parks really come to experience the sights, the sounds and wonders of nature. I am quickly realizing that most have become so disconnected with nature they bring the city life with them into the country and they have no desire to reconnect with nature. It is just a place to go to have fun. And I am not saying people should not enjoy nature, just show some respect for nature.

When I told my friends what I was planning – to live camping out for a month, I don’t think they really understood. They were probably thinking how can one live like this? They saw me being homeless. But for me, I actually felt a sense of freedom being there and I always enjoyed coming back to camp to relax, to read, write in my journal, enjoy the wonders in nature, having Shiloh there, and going for nature walks with Shiloh. It was a place I felt as Home.

Ancient Indian Proverb

This we know… The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites one family. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself.

Author, Unknown