Our Journey Living In Nature – Part twelve Includes: Wenatchee Confluence State Park, Lincoln Rock State Park, and Alta Lake State Park

Wenatchee Confluence State Park

April 9, 2018 – Monday – Wenatchee Confluence State Park, Washington

We finally reached the campground, although it was difficult to find. They charged $25.00 per night, that I thought was a bit high. The campground was like camping at a city park and far from a feel of being in the woods. Much of the campground was empty, but it was expect to be busy over the weekend. I paid for seven nights, and really did not want to stay any longer. We will leave on Monday for our next campground at Lincoln Rock State Park, only 7 mile away. Our shortest drive between campgrounds. That is what I like! As always, we settled into our new campsite as if it was like home. I did complain a bit, but then relaxed into it. The campsite wasn’t bad considering where we were staying.he campground is pretty much open with large grassy areas, and scattered trees throughout. I have four trees on my site, one is a large pine tree. The other three trees I am not sure of the species. There is a rectangular shaped sandbox that is at each site for tent pads (it is at least level and hopefully has good drainage). The campsite includes a metal/aluminum picnic table, and a metal fire ring, on a concrete slab. From the other campgrounds we have been to, it feels very unnatural, very intentionally made by humans, and not nature. Our campsite does not have much wind protection, so I hope we may be done with windy days.

I heard the sights and sounds of a crow and robins, as with other bird activity.

Along the rivers edges and the rivers themselves, are carved natural nature habitats left for the riparian and wetland species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and animals, and surrounded by roadways, freeways, cities and orchards of a variety of fruits. The largest are apples. And surrounded by the cities are beautiful countrysides. Mike reminded me quite often about the great apples Washington grows. Something I was not really interested in, since apples are not part of my diet. For sight seeing, this area would be a good place to visit. But I am not really interested in sight seeing. I just want to be away from people and their man made creations. And just spending our time in nature.

After I got my tent set up, I was ready for a beer or two, and for some food. Weaving our way through the confusing, and complex road system, we found our way into town and an

Albertsons. I grabbed a couple of beers, some sliced ham, a salad, and some firewood. And then we were off back to camp.

It was getting late, and I just wanted to get back to camp before dark. I was afraid I could get lost finding our way back to the campground, in this maze city planning created. I found myself getting into a rush mode, and I was feeling my temper burning on a short fuse.

Making it back to camp, I cracked open a beer, got a fire going, and fed me and the boys. After we were fed, the boys and I took a walk. I was getting a pretty good buzz from the beer I had, and I was not expecting or wanting. It had a high alcohol content of 8.5% that I was not used to. After our walk, the boys and I went to bed. The weather was fairly warm with clear skies.

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling really crappy from the beer, angry, and sick to my stomach. I was finally able to fall back to sleep.

April 10, 2018 – Tuesday

I awoke with a bad hangover from that nasty beer that I had. So first thing I had this morning was my coffee to try and clear my head. It did seem to help a little.

Because the campground was right next to town, the noise went on through the night, as with the sound of the highway next to us. There was never any silence for us, and for nature.

I looked around and I noticed the beautiful mountains that were all around. I felt a little bit normal with nature being near, but there was still that unnaturalness from human noise. There are those who feel at home with this noise, they feel lost without it, it is normal for them. Or it is comfort noise for them. They can automatically block it out into the background of their minds, yet know it is always there. Or we as a modern human race have become so damned conditioned to it, we just accept it as part of life, voiding out the sounds of nature, and the beautiful stillness in silence. I have become very different with human noises when I am in nature. Even the noise of people talking endlessly while in nature. We have forgotten to just be quiet while in nature. For many, we have this need to be always talking. We have this idea that being quiet is not normal in our society. For most of us, on one time or another, we have experienced this quiet, this peacefulness when we step into nature, but it is quickly followed by talking, or inner mind chatter. I am lucky that the boys very seldom bark. They too prefer the silence, with the occasional howl of the call of the wild.

The boys and I took our morning walk, then in camp I got the canopy set up. I finished my coffee, did some writing, while a light rain fell. On occasion the sun would pop out from the cloudy sky. It was 45 deg., with a slight breeze blowing. It felt cold with the rain and wind.

I usually like putting my canopy partially over the picnic table so I can cook underneath it, and giving us a place, protecting us from the rain. That didn’t work because of the concrete surface, and the picnic table being bolted to the concrete. I had to put the canopy on the grass, so I couldn’t cook if it rained.

As the day slowly moved on, I was feeling a little bit more human. But still feeling a bit hungover. We went into the city of Wenatchee to check things out. The city has an old historic charm to it. It was famous for it’s red apples.

Afternoon Entry

The day turned out to be a gorgeous day.

It is funny how I may dislike the campsite or campground, but I always settle into it once I get the tent up. In my mind it is our home for however long we stay here. And if the boys like it, I like it. I easily focus on the natural features of the area, and as long as there is nature around us to observe, I am happy. If there is natural habitat around, there is always nature around to see, and listen to usually.

We are getting closer to the Canadian border. I am excited and a bit uncertain with what lies ahead of us. It will open up new adventures in the wilds of Canada’s wilderness for sure.

April 11, 2018 – Wednesday

I slept well last night, as with the boys sleeping soundly. We woke up to blue skies, and 43 deg. A beautiful crisp Wednesday morning at the office. This morning I get to fix breakfast for the boys and I. But first we will go for our morning walk. For our walk, we crossed over the bridge that crossed over the Wenatchee River, that runs into the Columbia River.

A bit later we will pick up some groceries today in town.

April 12, 2018 – Thursday

Last night we got mostly light rain falling. This morning it is overcast and 43 deg. We are not suppose to get any rain today, but extreme high winds. I hope the tent can handle it? If not, back to Fred Meyers again. They have one in East Wenatchee across the Columbia River from us.

The campground is expected to be full this weekend.

The winds are starting to pick up. We may get 20 to 30 mph winds expected. I will secure the tent the best I can.

Afternoon Entry

It turned out to be a beautiful day, sunny and warm when the winds were not blowing. We are getting occasional wind gusts, and so far the tent seems to be holding up to them. We were suppose to get rain showers today that never materialized. Today we took a drive to East Wenatchee, and did a little grocery shopping.

April 13, 2018 – Friday

This morning is mostly overcast with the sun trying to break through. It looks like it might be a nice day coming to us. The tent did fine with the winds yesterday. It didn’t blow down this time.

Some of the campers are leaving today, and others are arriving for the weekend. Some arrived last night. Most people camping, only stay for one or two nights. Just a brief moment to really experience nature, that unfortunately, most don’t truly experience because they are too busy in their minds or in their heads to really enjoy it. We humans have forgotten to be still in nature and experience the simple things in just quietly observing and listening to nature. We bring to many distractions with us. I was once that way. I wanted to fill the day with doing stuff. Once I was with a friend, and I told her “Lets see how much stuff we can do today along the Pacific Coast?” And we were able to get those things done, we enjoyed each other’s day together, and it was a wonderful day. One of those things was to see how long we could be in silence while walking on the beach. That did not go so well. It takes much more practice while being with another person, because we have this need to be always talk. It is always about me, and not about just being still in the beauty of nature. This is why I am doing this journey alone with my companions that are for the most part, always experiencing each moment in silence, in reflection within. I think for most, we want to experience doing stuff in nature to be proactive. Being in silence is just a waist of time in the short time we spent in nature. It is hard to do without a lot of practice, especially with other people around. It is actually a good time because it brings one into the present moment.

For some reason it just doesn’t feel like camping here. I don’t even have much of a desire to have a campfire. It doesn’t feel like being in nature although nature is all around us. Just not the nature I want, or was hoping for. I could imagine at one time this was a beautiful place without modern day man’s presence.

The word “Wenatchee” derives from the Yakima word “Wenachi” meaning “River flowing from a canyon.”

April 14, 2018 – Saturday

This morning we woke up to a beautiful sunny and cool day. It is so nice walking out of the tent and taking in a deep breath of hopefully fresh clean air, and hearing the sounds of nature.

A little breeze is gently blowing, with a few clouds out.

The wind was blowing pretty good last night, and flapping the tent around.

Our friend Mike, messaged me that we (the United States), France and Great Britain attacked Syria with missile strikes as a warning to the Syrian government. We live in a very violent world, using destruction and death to make a point. The original peoples (the Native Americans) knew this well in all of the lands we now call the United States of America – the land of the free, for only the ones with white skin.

I think it is time for a little meditation this morning to quiet the mind.

Yesterday I did a little research on a large Indian head figure (a cartoon figure) that is used on top of a building that is part of Home Depot. At one time the building site was a local apple packing warehouse. The Indian head figure was the logo Skookum Apples used as part of the their trademark for their products. Other apple companies used the Indian representation for their own labeling as well. Once the original warehouse was demolished, the Indian head was put in storage, then eventually back up on the Home Depot side of the building that faced the main street. I found this out doing research in the Library. Supposedly the City of Wenatchee saw this Indian figure on top of a building as a historical symbol for the apple industry in Wenatchee, and making it the second largest city in central Washington. The Indian symbol really had nothing to do the Indian people of the area, which I believed was the Chinook Indians. It was simply for advertising and a meaningless symbol. This sign as with other such representations of the Indian people were found offensive, and disrespectful by the Indian people. (I had learned the sign was finally taken down on June 21, 2022).

Both these Apple companies did not get permission by the local tribes to use these trade marks for their products.

A woman and her young son was setting up camp across from us. I was watching to see if she needed help with their tent. She seemed to be doing fine with that. She then wanted to start a fire before dinner. She did what many people do, she put large split logs into the fire ring and used some newspaper to get it going. Once the newspaper went out, so did the logs. So I asked if she needed help, and she said, “yes”. I went over and told her, “The trick in getting a fire going was using small pieces of wood for kindling to start with, rather than larger pieces, and making sure the wood is dry.” And then she could have used the newspaper to get the kindling going. Once the fire was going well, then adding bigger pieces of wood. I grabbed a couple of her logs, and split them into kindling with my kindling splitter. I then brought them back over to her camp, then arranged the wood in the fire ring and started the fire. She thanked me, and I answered with a “I am glad I could help.” My good deed for the day.

April 15, 2018 – Sunday

This morning was a little breezy with partly cloudy skies, and moving toward blue skies. No rain is expected.

So far our moving day will be on Tuesday, weather permitting.

The campground will start clearing out today.

I was talking to a lady, who was camped next to us with her husband, and she was telling me her husband is a fiction writer and trying to get a novel published. I told her I was thinking about writing a book on reflections in nature.

I did decide we would take a drive to Leavenworth today just to check out this popular touristy spot. It was about a thirty minute drive from where we were. Another place Mike told me to check out. We stopped on the way to check out the fish hatchery, then a quick drive through the Main Street of Leavenworth. It was pretty busy so we didn’t stop. It was an interesting place with the whole town uplifted from a bankrupt, and run down town, to an Old style Bavarian Village that attracts a lot of people all year long. It fits perfectly with it’s high peaks of the mountain backdrop at the end of town and surrounding mountain scenery. It would be a magical place in the winter. But it was just a makeover to bring in tourist dollars, and to increase the real-estate values of the area.

The way I felt about it, it really didn’t have any real authenticity to it. It was fake. But it did work on a monetary value. It tricked the people visiting there. It was a visual illusion. They did do a great job on the architectural makeover. In fact, every building now built has to comply with strict Architectural Design Guidelines to match this theme. It is actually a theme park for shoppers and tourists. This is something I would have been interested in not too long ago, but those days are now gone for me. I am now only interested in spending my time in nature with the boys, in all things natural. And in someway show people how important the natural world is to our very survival, and why it is so important to save for future generations. We need nature to survive. We don’t need fake towns for the sake of spending money on material things. We need to move away from the insane pollution materialism causes to our environment. All the natural world is being impacted in very devastating ways through our behavior, and insatiable appetite to spend our money on material stuff.

They are having an Earth Day at Leavenworth on April 22 that might be interesting to go to. The theme will be on community. But will it really be on community or a truer intention of profit. With two big dog (the boys) with me, it might not be so much fun. Especially with Takota not liking big crowds of people around him. He tends to get very nervous, and heads for the nearest exit way.

During the evening hours around 5:00 pm, I saw a guy walking past our camp. He had a back- pack on and he was also carrying a bag with one hand. He sat down under a pine tree just to the left of our camp. He then proceeded to kick away debris from a spot on the ground, and placed a tarp on that cleared spot. He then went through his pack while eating some food he had brought with him. I then saw a Park employee drive by both our camps doing her rounds. I thought she may stop by this guys camp, assuming he didn’t pay for that site he was in, but she drove by as if he was suppose to be there. I was making assumptions that this guy may have been homeless. If he was, I thought that there are other areas he could have possibly camped without having to pay $20.00 to camp here. Maybe they had given this guy a break on the camping fees? I was curious about this fella, so I walked over to his camp to chat with him. I told him, “This is how people should camp with just the minimum amount of things – just the basics.” He didn’t say anything.

I looked down at the stuff he had with him that he had spread out on the ground. I saw his day pack, his tarp, and a cheap sleeping bag that did not look very warm for the weather we have been having, as with having only a tarp for protection from the weather or the ground.

I did bring a bottle of water with me, and offered it to him, if he needed it. He declined, but thanked me. The guy seemed to be in his thirties. With a very short conversation, I left to leave him alone. Later I heard him going through a dumpster between our two camps. He wasn’t actually using the main campsite, but only taking advantage of the protection the tree provided him.

The boys and I turned in for the night. It was windy and cold out. I saw that our neighbor was huddled in his sleeping bag next to the base of the tree, and using the tarp for a little insulation from the ground.

April 16, 2018 – Monday

This Morning it was raining until about 7:30 am, and raining pretty much all night. At times harder than a light rain. We got up at a little past 8:00 am when the rains had finally stopped. It was overcast and had a feeling of a biting cold in the air. I noticed our neighbor was gone. It must have been a wet and miserable night for him. Maybe he found better protection elsewhere in the campground. Maybe at the picnic areas.

It is 10:30 am and the weather is lightening up. The sun is trying to come out.

We did get some snow in the mountains and foothills in our area last night.

I checked the weather forecast for Tuesday and it looks better for leaving, and moving onto our next camp, but the winds may be high which means delaying our move. We will be moving just a short distance to our next camp so the weather we get her, will most likely be where we are going. The weather can be very unpredictable in the Northwest and can be hard to plan our moves to the next camp. Maybe it is like that everywhere. I always check the weather at our current location and our final destination. And just hope the weather will be good. The weather always changes in real time here and one never knows what will come. Will it be rain or high winds, or both. We have some flexibility in the day we leave. We can stay here another day or two, but then I want to make sure I miss the weekend crowds, as with throwing off those days I try to leave which preferably are on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, at the latest. And to add to that, the time limits we have at each camp. It is like a balancing act working with the camping limits, and the weather, in making it work. I still have two additional days for our stay here, if I need them, but then we will be leaving late during the week that could effect finding a campsite that works for us. Weather always plays a factor in if we leave or stay, as with the amount of time we have at each campground. I want to try playing the best odds in our favor in this camping game. But many times, it is up to Mother Nature.

While drinking my hot coffee and trying to stay warm, I saw the homeless guy returning to his camp with his arms loaded with plastic bags. He was coming from town, but he first dropped by the Park office before he returned to his camp under the pine tree. Back at his camp, He unloaded his bags that he had with him. A tarp first, then a tent that he began setting up. I am guessing he may have walked to Walmart. I called to him and asked if he wanted some coffee, and he declined my offer once again. I asked if he was able to stay dry last night? And he said, he got a little wet. He told me his poncho that he got, leaked and got his sleeping bag and him, wet. I also asked him if he had a sleeping pad? He said, he uses a blanket. I suggested he get a sleeping pad. I also asked what his sleeping bag is rated at? He told me a 40 deg. Rating. That is not enough with the weather we have been getting, especially if he can’t keep his sleeping bag dry. I am telling him this stuff and I have to realize he probably has little money to get the equipment he needs, and being able to carry it around from place to place. It is difficult for the homeless living in this environment.

He began opening up to me a little more, and began sharing his story. He told me he was laid off from his job, actually fired. I didn’t ask why. The unemployment he was getting was cut off. He told me he was working for a fruit company. His name was Shawn. He got his car repossessed, because he lost his job, no unemployment, and very little to no money. He told me when he had his car and working, he came here to sleep at night. The reality for many Americans. I was very close to that with the economic melt down in 2008. Luckily I had a friend who took me and Shiloh in until work started again, but it was still a struggle. I had lost Shiloh in 2011, and eventually I got Takota and Nanook for the journey we are on now. I tell this story in Part 1 of Our Journey Living In Nature. Then we chose to be homeless again, but in a more controlled way, a more purposeful way, so we could have a deeper reconnect to nature intentionally.

After our talk, I felt a connection towards his hardship he was experiencing. The boys and I then headed for town to pick up a few things, but before that we dropped by the Park Office. I bought a bundle of firewood for our neighbor, and had them deliver it for me. I wish I could have done more to help him. Hopefully he can stay a bit warmer with a campfire. I also let him use one of my tarps that I had.

Evening Entry

It was cold, overcast, and windy all day. But with no rain. It is suppose to be windy tomorrow, but no precipitation. I made the decision we would leave camp for our next camp on Tuesday, and hope for the best. The question is, will I be able to get the tent up if we have wind at our next camp?

Lincoln Rock State Park

April 17, 2018 – Tuesday – Lincoln Rock State Park, Washington

After getting up, we went on our morning walk, then prepared for our departure for our new camp. I was not in a hurry to pack up and just took my time, because we only had the 7 miles drive to our next camp that was just across the Columbia River.

I made some coffee, fed the boys, and took my time packing. Our neighbor was gone. He returned my tarp I let him use. I wished him the best in his travels.

We got all packed up and out of camp by 11:30 am, It was a relaxing drive with very little traffic. The boys were excited to head for our new camp. I hope it is a better campground and campsite then the one we just left. It was nice being able to help a couple of campers in small ways, giving us purpose. So there was a reason for us to be there at that particular campground, and at that particular campsite, and I felt grateful.

It took us a half hour to get to Lincoln Rock State Park. On the way there I noticed a diner/gift shop with outside seating that we may use for an occasional meal. That is if they will allow the boys to be with me. It is very close to our camp, and it also has WiFi. The boys are fine with me leaving them in the truck for a short period. It is like their second home. If the weather is good I will leave the back windows fully opened for them, and I don’t have to worry about them jumping out. But when I can, I always want them to be with me. Doing things I do. Keeping that close bond with them on this journey we are on together.

Entering the campground entrance I noticed the wind was blowing pretty good. That had me a little bit concerned. It was a large campground, and we did our typical drive thru of the sites available that could work best for us. I chose a site in the rear of the campground, next to the Columbia River but not right on the edge of the river. It was set back a little bit. There was a campsite in front of us that could easily be blocked by a trailer ruining part of the view we had of the river. The winds were not bad where we were. But did I learn my lesson being right in the canyon where the wind can blow hard right through our camp? Obviously not! I wanted the prime real estate on the river front, This camping area we chose was empty of campers. We were the only ones there. Just the way I like it! We will have to see what it is like on the weekend.

The site I chose for us had good sun exposure, and some nice trees in camp where the boys and I could enjoy for a good shady spot if needed. We had a great view of the Columbia River, the typical picnic table and fire ring, and the restroom was close by. This campsite could also be another disastrous site for winds.

I unhitched the trailer at our new home, then we drove to the main entrance to pay our camping fees. They charged $20.00 per night. And we paid for 8 nights. We paid $5.00 less per night at this much nicer campground, then at our last.

Back at camp, the first thing was to set up the tent before any winds prevented us from doing so. I had no problem getting the tent up with the little wind we had. The boys approved of their new home with soft grass to lay on, and lots of things to watch for.

The Camp Host dropped by our camp and we had a nice little chat. He was telling me, he saw a moose crossing the river where we were at. I thought that would be cool to see. I mentioned to him I notice a lot of Marmots in the campground. He said, “They were a big nuisance.” Jokingly I asked him if I could set snares for them? He said, “Go for it.” Of course I wouldn’t do that in a State Park. I am sure if I got caught by a Park Ranger, there would be a stiff fine that came with it. And it is not a good place to do it in a State Park campground anyway.

We headed for East Wenatchee to do Some shopping for food. A quick 15 minute drive away. I also found a good source for firewood, and called the person to pick some wood up tomorrow.

With the exception of a little wind, it was a beautiful day, and a nicer evening at our new home in nature. We found a beautiful spot to camp that feels very remote, quiet, and peaceful. I heard some wind blowing this evening, but it did not seem to bother our camp much. We have a lot of critters running around to keep the boys busy watching them. They never saw these over sized squirrels (Marmots) before. They were running all over the place and chirping their warning calls, “Be aware! There are intruders.”

We had two campers come in later in the day for only a one-nighter.

The Camp Host was telling me there were lots of critters here including Red and Gray squirrels, Golden eagles, Osprey, Canadian geese, a variety of ducks, Marmots, and Quail. And we saw Juncos, Robins, and Crows.

The noise from the highway isn’t bad.

We are just upstream from the Rocky Reach Dam, and power station. We can take a short walk there from our camp.

We took a walk to the dam this evening while it was still light out.

I am very pleased with our choice to camp here. We do have a concrete pad, unfortunately where the picnic table and fire ring are. And the picnic table is metal. We also have bees and yellow jackets around, so I will have to be care with the boys, and their food. The Host also told us the wind comes in through the River Canyon from the north, which I already had guessed. If we get strong winds from the north, our campsite will be the first to get hit.

April 18, 2018 – Wednesday

I didn’t sleep well last night. This morning is 40 deg., and overcast with high clouds. The weather forecast is suppose to be nice for the week.

The boys and I went for our morning walk to check out the campground.

Getting back to camp I fixed breakfast for the boys. I thought I would try the Cafe down the road for my breakfast. It was pretty good, but over priced. I got the boys a side order of bacon. It was cold and dry, but the boys did not seem to care. The people who worked there were nice, and they enjoyed seeing the boys. They always bring attention to themselves.

Today I was getting a bit irritated because I misplaced my note pad. I thought I may have left it at the store yesterday. I use the note pad for my grocery list, for notes, and phone numbers. I did not want to lose it. I did find it, but in reminds me how I have to be more careful, and attentive when placing things down just any where, like keys, glasses, cash, and anything else that has importance. Sometime I will put things in a pocket, instead of where they should be put, or putting them in a different pocket. Then I have to frantically search for where I put it. Constantly moving makes it very difficult to replace things, and can put me in a deep pickle of a situation if they had to be replaced.

The drive to get the firewood was a little longer than I wanted, but we finally got there. The guy was a tree cutter and had all kinds of wood and different species. They were all piled up in unorganized pile heaps. I had to go through these piles of wood selecting the ones I wanted then loading them in my truck. It took a lot longer then I wanted, but I was happy with the different species of woods. I got about a quarter cord of wood. I got birch, and many types of fruit and nut trees. I probably paid more than I should have though. So far the birch I thought was the best burning. Each time I burned a different wood, I got to experience the smells of that particular wood.

We also picked up some groceries today. It was a long day.

Evening Entry

It was a bit breezy this afternoon. At 6:30 pm the winds calmed.

The boys are being distracted and pulling a lot more with all the scents of animals around us while we are on our walks. I had to scold them on occasion for their pulling on the leashes. It was hurting my arms.

I put some bird feed out today, and so far only one junco came to feed. I am sure the word will get out about the feed in our camp. It always does.

I was thinking whether we should continue onto Alaska, or head east to Idaho. I will have to ponder on that. That will change everything if we head into Idaho.

April 19, 2018 – Thursday

We awoke to beautiful blue skies. It was a little cool, but nice. Very seldom have we had days like this. I was still thinking about whether we should head to Alaska or Idaho? I threw it out to my friends on Facebook and there was no one for Alaska, and 6 people for Idaho. Ninety percent of me is leaning towards Idaho. If we head to Idaho, I have to start planning on where to go, and finding horse packers to take us into the back country. I didn’t think that would be that hard, but it was becoming very challenging. I was hoping to find private property for a summer camp, and a winter camp. I did not want to move from camp to camp like we have been doing, but the forest service had their rules on how long one can stay in one area, and that was usually 14 days max. My goal was to spend as much time in the backcountry of Idaho rather than bouncing from campground to campground, and dealing with people.

The boys and I went for our morning walk, and I fixed breakfast for us.

Soon the weekend crowds will be coming in, usually starting on Friday. It has been nice having the whole area to ourselves. It is very peaceful here without people. One of the campers that came in on the same day we did, left the next morning. They were sleeping in a small SUV. They are likely homeless I am guessing. They then came back, and left again this morning. People do this to avoid paying for camping. I have not been thinking too much about how many homeless are doing this, but I suspect many are. Through a little observation, I can tell if they are homeless or camping, or doing what we are doing, living in nature in campgrounds, or boon docking. I tend to be the longest staying. I like to stay in our camps usually the full two weeks to really experience the area and just relaxing in nature. I would hate constantly moving every few days to each camp. It would be a lot of work, with no time to appreciate and enjoy nature, and being able to relax in one spot. Each campsite we go to feels like we are going home, because we get to know it more than most people do.

While sitting in my chair I saw a female junco fly to a pine tree next to where I was sitting and the two boys lying. She was checking things out in our camp. She then landed on the grass next to us. Then another female junco flew into camp, then a male followed. We may have a full house soon. Once an osprey flew over camp, the juncos quickly split the scene.

Evening Entry

I did not get much done today, but some battery charging done with my solar. We just relaxed on this beautiful sunny day. I was also checking new routes to go, and talking with some friends, telling them our new plans. The wood I am burning this evening is a cherry wood. A good burning wood with a pleasant smell. We had a peaceful evening.

Only one camper came in this afternoon.

April 20, 2018 – Friday

We woke to another beautiful day. The sun was shining with an endless blue sky, and the birds were singing their songs. I feel so grateful I chose to do this, living in nature. Each day being able to step out into the natural world refreshes my soul. And of course having Takota and Nanook with me on this journey is always a joy.

Last night after going to bed, gusts of wind was blowing against the tent, and with it’s low roar moving through the trees. I felt I was part of nature, I felt at peace.

Another day, more magical moments in nature. A cup of coffee in hand, a nice fire going, and the boys close by me. What could be better than this moment? As with me, it seems the boys are thoroughly enjoying being in nature.

While walking the boys I heard a faint sound high above me. It looked like tiny flying ants, I then realized it was a flock of Canadian geese flying north bound.

No other campers came in last night. Maybe it will be a peaceful weekend?

April 21, 2018 – Saturday

We woke up once again to another beautiful day. We took our morning walk.

It is 10:45 am and the breeze is kicking up bringing a chill in the air. I made a fire to warm up, then fixed breakfast.

Our blackbird friend with no right foot came by to munch on some feed. A junco joined him. I am not sure what happened to his foot. I first saw him a few days ago in camp eating the seed on the ground. It looked like he has a red band above his foot. With a closer look it looked like a red thread wrapped around it. It seems he is getting around just fine with his handicap.

It was pretty windy today, as with a good part of the evening.

Last night one camper came into our camping area. This makes four campers including us. They are all sleeping in their cars or trucks. Two of them have been here for the past few days.

April 22, 2018 – Sunday

This morning was overcast, and no rain predicted.

The few campers that were here on the weekend, are leaving today. One young couple got in late last night, and left early this morning.

I am finding I am using my smart phone much more often. Sometimes I use if for my journal entries.

Today, as with yesterday, we will stay in camp to observe nature. We have such a beautiful view of the river, and mountains.

The pair of blackbirds, especially Gimpy, comes all the time now. And only one junco coming into camp to feed. It has been pretty quiet as far as the birds coming to camp for a visit.

I will have to figure out what our next camp will be.

It is 11:45 am, we finished a late breakfast. And all the campers in our area have left. We are once again alone.

The sky is beginning to clear for another nice day weather wise. We also had a nice evening at camp last night with a nice campfire.

April 23, 2018 – Monday

Waking again to another beautiful day. We are getting spoiled with this nice weather we are having. It is nice when I can look out through the small tent windows and see the trees. The trees always having a healing effect to my very being.

I talked with a Facebook friend and she said she may have a cousin who may let me stay on his property in the winter. I will look into that as an option. I will meet with him when I get into Idaho.

We did a little shopping prior to our move to our next camp on Wednesday. And I called a couple of Outfitters in Idaho to find out if they do Drop Camps, and for how much.

April 24, 2018 – Tuesday

We woke up early, usually when the morning light begins to illuminate into the tent. We got up at 8:00 am, but before that I did a short writing on Facebook and gave the boys their morning loving and scratches. I spent some time warming next to the fire, and sending photos and short writings again on Facebook.

Finally we got more than one junco that came to visit us in camp to enjoy the bird feed. We got four of them critters.

Overall we have blue skies with a small breeze keeping the air cool.

When I studied Art in college I always enjoyed nature landscapes. I would imagine being there, experiencing what the painter was experiencing. I am now doing this in real life. What a gift.

I will take a shower today, and do a little organizing for our departure tomorrow.

We are now getting more birds coming to camp, with our reliable blackbird, Gimpy.

Going through my messages to Mountain House Foods, I thought I do a follow up call to them. When I got a hold of a customer service person on the phone. I asked them if they have done any improvements as far as making their products healthier by eliminating GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) from their products? I was surprised to here that they were working on it, and are getting close to being certified as being “GMO – Certified Free.” I told them that was great! I also asked if I had anything to do with their decision with my constant hounding for them to change. They told me, they had been thinking about the change for some time. That was a pure lie. When I first spoke with them back in 2011, they had no intention in changing. I also talked with other companies at that time on their freeze dried foods. It seemed some companies were making an effort to change, and others like Mountain House didn’t really care. It was all about the bottom line of making a profit over providing a healthy product.

In writing this blog (January 5, 2024) I checked Mountain House’s website and they did mention in Bold Letters – NO GMO. But looking on their packaging for each product, there was nothing about being certified GMO Free or “Non GMO.” I wonder why that is? Mountain House only has one snack food that I could see that is labeled “Organic, and non GMO,” but this does not mean that the rest of their foods are GMO Free. And maybe that is why it is not labeled on all their foods as being GMO free, or being organic.

When I talked with other companies that make these freezer dried foods back in 2011, one of their issues was finding organic products including GMO free. Which at that time was a legitimate case. They weren’t available to get such products as easily as they are now, and if they found such products, they would be very expensive. That is one excuse for Mountain House in the ingredients they put in their products. They told me, If it is good for the FDA, it is good with us.

I really have to question Mountain House, if they are really telling the truth about their foods, and are they really healthy for us? The upside for Mountain House is that they are good tasting.

For those who may be concerned about Mountain House and other food companies with what is in their foods, I would suggest doing your own investigation, and call these companies. Only if people are proactive can change happen. It is time food producer take responsibility for foods they sell to the consumer – providing safety over profit.

Evening Post

Once the wind stopped I could feel the warmth of the sun come through my body. It got up into the high 70s during the day. The evening was very comfortable, and pleasant.

We went to the Cafe down the road for lunch to check on emails and messages. An Outfitter got back to me, saying they could do it. So that was exciting.

I took a refreshing shower when we got back to camp.

We were lucky not to have bad winds here, because we were totally exposed to the winds. We could have easily found ourselves having to replace yet another tent. One might ask, just get a different tent? Good question. I didn’t trust the quality of most of the other tents Fred Meyers was selling. I wouldn’t buy Coleman tents, and the others I know nothing about. I figured I would get one Columbia tent that would last longer. It was obvious the 8 person tent wasn’t one of them.

Our drive to Alta Lake State Park is about an hour drive from our current location. I like these short drives to our new camps.

Alta Lake State Park

April 25, 2018 – Wednesday – Alta Lake State Park, Washington

I wasn’t in a rush to take down the tent. I just took my time. We had a pleasant morning weather wise, and I just wanted to enjoy it, rather than being in a rush mode.

We left Lincoln Rock State Park at 11:30 am. Takota and Nanook were excited to explore a new camp on our adventure. Takota showed the most excitement by rough housing with Nanook, and telling him, “Come on Nanook, lets get going to our new camp.”

We arrived in the City of Chelan around 12:30 pm. It was a nice little city. We drove through the west side of town with the large lake running partially along side. The lake looked nice, but the view of the snow capped mountains were much more spectacular.

Originally we were looking at Lake Chelan State Park to camp, But when we drove through looking for a site I was not too impressed. So we tried Twenty-five Mile Creek State Park, and I thought that was a joke. So we headed back on the highway to Alta Lake State Park, a half hour north of us from Chelan. I missed the turn off to Alta Lake and had to turn around and backtracked about 20 minutes to the turnoff. Once turning onto the turn off, we where driving through a beautiful mountain landscape. I was getting excited from what I was seeing. I was hoping the campground was just as nice. I pulled into one campsite I liked, and was told it was reserved and was guided to other campsites a little bit further from the one I liked. The lake and camping near the lake was very busy because of a Fish Tournament they were having on the weekend. The lake was small, but beautiful, and was surrounded by mountains.

We drove through one camping area that was part forested, and part dirt and rocks. It looked like a good habitat for rattle snakes, and we would be exposed to the sun most of the day, as with the wind and rain if we got any. I decided to pick a site with a nice treed area. The only problem was that I had to carry all my gear down to a lower area from the parking place. And when we leave, carrying everything back up the hill. But, it seemed to be a good site for us.

The Camp Host stopped by while I was unloading our gear. He asked if we got settled in okay. He told me we were lucky to find a campsite because of the fishing event and the expected crowds this weekend.

Every time prior to us leaving for a new campground, I say a little prayer, asking for support, guidance, protection, and in finding us a good campsite. So far, it seems to work.

We have enough food for about three days before we have to go for a resupply of food. Until then, we will just hang out in camp, explore the area, and the beauty.

April 26, 2018 – Thursday

The first campsite I wanted that was already taken for the weekend, it overlooked the lake, and mountains. It was also where many of the campers were camping with their RV’s, all in a row that we would have to look at everyday, and I am sure it would be a noisy group. We are happy with our spot in the trees, and overlooking the mountains to the west.

We had a late breakfast this morning.

Today I got our our camp fully setup and we walked around the area. We just stayed in our camp for most of the day. It was a warm day today and nice being able to stay in the shade of our camp.

April 27, 2018 – Friday

We got up at 8:15 am, and we went for our walk around the campground, with clear skies welcoming us to a new day. It is suppose to be in the 80s today. We didn’t have a morning fire yesterday, but today will be a good day for one.

The birds we have seen are quail, robins, crows, and heard a great horned owl hooting close by our camp last night. There is also a pair of Bald eagles at the lake. Another bird we saw flying around could have been possibly a meadow lark.

It was nice smelling the smoke of the campfire this morning, and I noticed a birch log burning and a layer of it’s bark curling by the heat of the fire, then catching from the oils within the bark. Because of the high flammability of the oil, and it’s thin layers that can easily be pulled off, birch bark makes a good tinder material for fire starting, and can easily be started with a spark from a metal match. The wonders of nature.

On occasion a nice mountain breeze would blow through camp, that helps take some of the heat off. Tomorrow we should have a full moon.

I was told by the Park Ranger that there was a big fire here, back in 2014. The scars from the fire can still be seen. It was named, the Carlton Complex Fire. It was a massive wildfire that burned 256,108 acres and was caused by four separate lighting strikes that merged into one fire. The fire caused an estimated $98 million in damages. It destroyed 353 homes total, as with other property damage. This area was much more wooded prior to the fire. I believed the fire had stopped at the point of the campground.

We had a nice day today. It was warm and pleasant.

April 28, 2018 – Saturday

The Fishing Derby begins today on a wet and dreary morning. The temperature is cool, but not cold, and with a very light rain falling. Due to the weather, the excitement seemed low key to get out into it.

And I once again got caught with my pants down in not being prepared for any foul weather that might befall upon us. But it happens. For those who read my blogs, I try to follow the weather the best I can, and it is not always predictable. Mother Nature does what she wants. With the nice weather we have been having, who would have thought? But livings in the outdoors one always has to be prepared for any type of weather that could effect our safety and well being. This wasn’t a big deal this morning, things got a little wet like my chair, and the firewood. Now if I needed wood for a fire quickly, I could be in trouble. In this situation, I did without a fire, and I covered my chair with a tarp to sit on. It was no big deal, but I always think, “What if it was a survival situation, not having a fire could be bad, or at least very miserable and uncomfortable?” One would need good fire starting skills in wet weather, and most likely with wet wood. Back in 2009 I was in the backcountry with my other dog, Shiloh (in my blog, “Our Journey Into The Wilderness”), working on survival skills, and failed miserably in getting a fire going. I did finally get a fire going, but with great frustration. It was a good learning lessen for me though. I was not as prepared as I thought I was. The next time I was in that situation, I had better tools to deal with that situation and got a fire going easily. It obviously takes longer to prepare and gather the right materials than in normal situations, but it can be done. It was a big confidence builder for me in achieving this fire starting skill.

Now, on this morning, it might be nice having a fire on this misty morning. I could have put some firewood in a dry place, protected from weather in such occasions as we are having now. Or just making the effort and time in getting a fire going. But having a fire was not that important to me on this morning.

Maybe if we make enough mistakes, maybe we will eventually learn from them. If I would have just simply kept an emergency supply of dry firewood and kindling stashed away I could have had a nice fire going. Now if it was a down pour, maybe not!

I had noticed the campers below me had took the firewood from the campsite that was being remodeled, that I was taking ownership of. It is first come first serve on the free lying firewood. A lesson for me in sharing, and not judging in the very act I would do in their situation. And does it really matter since I have enough firewood for our stay here? Firewood has become like gold when living this lifestyle, at least for me.

I did tell the Park Ranger that those campers were flying a drone in the campground that is not allowed. I dislike those drones especially when they are not allowed. It is a privacy issue, and a noise issue. And a safety issue for flying aircraft in the area.

I did close the tent up as far as closing all the window openings except one that was next to me. The rain did rain at the time it was forecasted. The window flap was easy to close without having to get up. We had clear skies last night, and I didn’t think it would rain. And obviously I was wrong. It is better to be prepared then wrong.

I did spot the Great horned owl next to camp on the very tip of a pine tree. They are such magnificent creatures.

While the coffee was perking on this fine morning, I put up the canopy. It is almost 12:00 pm.

Today we will go shopping for groceries. The weather forecast says rain until Tuesday, with Wednesday being nice.

Yesterday I went to the golf course to purchase some block ice. The golf course is only a short distance from the campground. When pulling out of the drive I hit something hard on my right tire. It didn’t good. It was a concrete barrier for a manhole that I did not see. It ripped off a plastic guard from the underside of my bumper, and damaged part of the tire rim. Luckily the damage did not prevent me from driving the truck safely, and I did not have to get it repaired if I chose not to. It also did not impact the alignment of the wheel.

I mentioned it to the pro shop of the golf course that they should mark that obstruction better so people can avoid it. They just told me, there was never a problem until I hit it?

Evening Entry

After doing some evening journaling, I received a text message from my oldest sister that our sister Sue had just pasted away. She was the middle sibling of the five of us. I felt a great loss and a numbness within. Sue was the first of our siblings to die. She was also the sister who went with us to pick up Takota and Nanook from the breeder in Michigan. Such a loss is hard to grasp or believe. She was a wonderful sister, and will be missed by all of us. “I love you Sue.” When I was thinking about her, I just smiled with all the wonderful memories I had of her, as with what she had given to our family. She was a wonderful soul and a gift for all of us.

April 29, 2018 – Sunday

I slept pretty well, but the loss of my dear sister being gone was always on my mind. I felt sadness knowing her bright presence in the world was gone in her physical form, but knowing her spirit will always be with us. I am grateful that she was part of my life. I remember in one of my earliest memories, her teaching me how to tie my shoe laces. It was a little more challenging because I was left handed. I remember her voice, and her laugh, as with many memories with her. Without my siblings giving me guidance after our Dad had died when I was only four years old, my life would have been much different.

Tears come to me unexpectedly when I think about her, and when I feel her, smiles also come from the joy she gave to me. She was a wonderful gift to all of us.

Sue was the first loss of a sibling, and I guess the hardest. It is just part of getting old. We see family go, and friends go, and then it will be our time to go. I am finding I think more about my family, and how grateful for what they have shared with me, and shaped me, in my life. And maybe this is part of getting old? Just trying to find our place in the world can be difficult, But having sibling can help. I have gotten support from my sisters on our journey. As with my oldest sister, maybe some support, and mostly concern for her youngest brother and his venture. But not so much with my two brothers. Maybe they think I am crazy for doing this? Or they just don’t understand?

I believe being in nature, I am dealing with the loss of Sue, much better. I feel more connected to all life when I am in nature with the boys. They are my family. Before going to bed, I talk to Takota and Nanook silently or out loud, while giving them rubs, scratches, and kisses, thanking them for being with me. When being awakened by the songs of the birds each morning, in feeling the aliveness in the plants, and trees. And being removed for the most part, from the synthetic world we have accepted to be in, in this mad, mad world most see as normal. We live in an illusional world of materialism.

It is Sunday when most campers leave for home on their short weekend trip in nature. What it means to me, is being able to experience the silence and solitude in nature, with no time line being in nature. Just moving to different spaces in nature.

I was fortunate enough at a young age to experience a little camping with my Mom and my brother, Ron, who was three years older than me. Ron had an adventurous spirit, and I got involved with him on certain things that I probably wouldn’t have had without him. So he had a lot in shaping me into what I am today.

I am sure I am being watched by my family who are in the spirit whelm, especially Dad and the beautiful great outdoors we are experiencing, and with Mom who loved trees, and with Sue who loved the tiny creatures, like the butterflies, and humming birds who visited her gardens.

We have been living in a tent now for over five months, and it is never getting old. We are always in nature, and have no intention in going back to the so-called modern world.

My dear sister Sue will always be in my mind, and who knows, maybe she will appear to me as a bird singing a beautiful song, or a butterfly fluttering around our camp.

Waking to clear skies, it soon turned into overcast with a short shower. It is always beautiful in what nature provides to us in her endless beauty. She is always changing, even if we are not aware with our numbing senses.

The campers below my camp left, but before they did, they dumbed the remaining wood they collected and put it in the fire pit, stacked high and left to burn, while they left for home. I had to put water on the fire to extinguish it. This is what some stupid people do in nature. This is how forest fires start, by stupid people doing stupid things, with no regard for nature, for all life, and the impact they have on her.

April 30, 2018 – Monday

We woke up to more cloudy skies. It may sound like I am tired of these overcast skies, but these are just my observations. I am bit tired of the rains, but overall the very light rains can be very pleasant as long as we have a dry place to escape to, to stay dry while they are here.

The clouds are slowly disappearing into clear blue skies, and the air is becoming warmer.

We took our morning walk, the campground is close to being empty of campers. It is very peaceful here. We took a back road behind the lake where there were cabins spread out among the woods. They were lucky to be saved from the wild fire back in 2014. They were lucky.

Returning to camp from our walk, I got the coffee going and was just enjoying the moments in nature with the boys.

Earlier this morning while we were still in bed, I heard a couple of trucks roll in just across from us, then parked. I was curious what that was about. Back at camp I noticed they were returning back to their trucks, I couldn’t hold my curiosity and I walked over to talk with them. I asked them what they were gathering? They told me, morels. Then one guy opened up his plastic bag with a pretty good quantity of them. I mentioned I have not yet had the opportunity to try them. He asked me if I wanted some? And I couldn’t refuse. So he grab some and gave them to me. I thanked him, and told him I will have them for breakfast this morning. The morels they were picking were small. They had harvested the bigger ones on their prior gatherings here. Morals will flourish in burned out areas after a forest fire. It also brings out many searchers of this mushroom delight. And for many foraging these very popular mushrooms, there was no limit. They would pick as many as they could find or their bags could hold.

They left, and I returned to camp to prepare the morels for breakfast. I soaked them in water for cleaning. I would cook them in bacon fat with my sausages, then mix them in my scrabbled eggs. It was a pretty tasty meal. I was thinking maybe I should try to gather some for my hamburger tonight.

Today, we will run into town for a few food items, and get the gas tank filled for the truck. Tomorrow I will take a shower and begin getting things packed up for our move on Wednesday.

I was using pine limbs and twigs for our fire. It makes a good fire starter, but can also take a little time to gather. It took me a few trips to gather.

Today feels like it will be a warm day.

This afternoon we took a walk for to the area across from camp where the other people we searching for morels, I did finally spot to very small morels together, but I did not pick them due to their small size. I thought I would let them grow up so some other person can enjoy them hopefully. I wanted to be a responsible forager.

May 1, 2018 – Tuesday

The first day of May began with clouds in the morning then quickly clearing up nicely, Today I will get part of the camped packed up for tomorrows move.

The week we were here went quickly. A week never seems to be long enough, unless our camp did not turn out well for some reason. We had a nice camp. Everything went fine with the exception of a few dings to the truck that was not serious and more just cosmetic, and did not prevent us from moving forward on our road trip.

May 2, 2018 – Wednesday

This morning was bright and sunny. A good day to travel. We went on a quick walk, then I began packing up camp. And packing up it was. I had to carry everything up hill to the truck and trailer.

Our next camp was about three hours away. We left this camp by 12:00 pm. As always, the boys were excited for a new adventure, as I was. Because we started late in the week, I was hoping we would not have any issues finding a campsite at Curlew Lake State Park, Washington.

My focus now is to find Outfitters to take us into the backcountry for the summer months that will soon be upon us. And I am finding this task in finding Outfitters to do drop camps won’t be that easy.

For those who do not know what “Drop Camping” is? It is for usually a group of campers who want to stay in the wilderness for about 10 days or so. The Outfitters will take the campers into a wilderness area on horseback, and pack in their supplies on horse or mule pack animals, will then drop them off at a certain location and pick them up at designated time to return home. It can be expensive, but it gives those more time to truly experience the wilderness areas.

When I began doing this back in 2009, I thought this was a good way to go, but we did it alone. Just me and my dog, Shiloh. It was a little scary doing it alone for our first time, but we survived for seven days. After that we were hooked on experience the wilderness alone this way. We would always hike in and hike out. The Packers would bring our food and gear on pack animals. We usually had three to four pack animals bring everything in with two packers. One of the down sides, especially doing it alone, and in an area that is unfamiliar to us, is knowing where to set up camp and where to have the packers drop our stuff off? Were we able to find the drop off point with all our gear?

Our journey originally began with me and Shiloh in 2009 that is described in our blog, “Our Journey Into The Wilderness.” And now in our new blog, “Our Journey Living In Nature,” with Takota, Nanook and me.