Oregon creek side boondocking
After the weekend of driving, and finally leaving California, we needed a spot to call home for the work week. Kerri, as usual, was on it and already had multiple places earmarked for scouting. She is getting more and more bold about the locations she sends me too. Clearly marked four wheel drive roads not scaring her away at all. Big Blue has proven fairly competent on most of these roads, but then again we don’t really push our luck much once we see any seriously poor road conditions.
Still, this one was a rough one. With a half hour or so crawling down a very rough mud/dirt/gravel/rocky road leading us well into the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest towards some old mining areas along a creek. We passed a few spots – with other campers – along the way, but we risked worsening road conditions to go that extra mile out, eventually arriving at the spot Kerri had chosen. When we arrived we felt the spot was a solid five, or maybe a six. A bit dried out, and nothing of real interest in view.
However, a short walk down the slope from Big Blue the old road crosses a creek. It was there, the most perfect swimming hole one could find. That swimming hole turned this spot into a solid ten, especially considering how hot it got each day. So, each day after work we jumped in our suits and went for a swim. The waters in the creek were a very mild temperature with only the slightest of chill when first entering. The depth ranged from knee-deep to a solid 8 feet or so. I even spent one evening with my snorkeling gear exploring the bottom, finding nothing but a few crayfish.
The dogs came along each day with Moose opting out of the swimming of course. Byron, on the other hand, swam with us the entire time we were in the water. He just swam out to Kerri or myself, then turned around to swim to the other, and repeat. It was as calm and playful as I’ve ever seen him, and it was a joy to see him that way.
We were not as far from civilization as we thought. Through out the week we had a few visitors. One was the daily passings of a couple mostly-toothless guys in a very beat up but large 4WD truck that left a huge trail of oil every where it went. They had an old mining claim way up the road that they commuted out to each day. Another evening a couple showed up to enjoy the creek with us, but left within two hours of arriving (whew!). On our last evening a Forest Ranger arrived and we small talked for a few minutes. He left us with a warning about vagrants that frequent the area (Yea, we saw the signs of those folks. Kerri already picked up all their trash in the area) and wished us good travels. They are always good Mr Ranger… always.
Do the vagrants usually leave you alone or do they hang around..? Did you feel unsafe? Just found your blog and loving it!! Can’t wait to go on a trip!!
Welcome Rebecca,
We are usually left alone, although that has more to do with that we do not camp near them or in areas that it is clear they frequent.
I feel a whole lot less safe within city limits. That feeling is backed up by the statistics too, I am in much more danger of a human attacking me within any city or town than when I am out in the wild. Animals are a possibility I suppose, but that is extremely rare.
That’s true. I’ve only camped in areas where there were a lot of families around, so don’t know what to expect or do if they get too close for comfort. Thanks for the reply!
There are two realities about living on public lands that help with this issue;
1) I don’t own the land you are on any more than the people who just showed up and are giving me grief. They have just as much right to be there as I do. Sure, there is the “I was here first”, which will hold a bit of weight when I call the Ranger or Sheriff, but that is some drama none of us want to deal with, so…
2) My home is on wheels! If someone pulls up to camp beside me that rubs me the wrong way, I can simply move. Yea, I may have been there first, but it is so much easier to just move along and find new adventures.
Agreed. They can be close (I know a lot of campground are pretty close to each other) to my tent, but as long as they don’t threaten me or my family in any way, I’m totally fine with whomever camps next to me. Can’t judge a book by it’s covers :)
Keep up the good work! Love reading all of your blogs!