(Above Photo: Bodega Bay, California)

At the end of April 2021, almost one year to the day since I returned to Washington to wait out the Coronavirus, I headed south to be a volunteer for California State Parks.

What a difference a year makes. Nellie the Newmar was no longer my home, I was fully vaccinated against COVID, the people I stayed with in Port Orchard moved to Arizona, and I had gained, then lost, about 20 pounds.

I packed up the furry copilots in Toad to make the journey. I would meet up with Hunker Downs in California, where it was transported by a shipper I found on UShip.com. (UShip collects a $100 fee for matching the parties, and the shipping cost was $1,500 for 1,100 miles.)

It felt more than a little odd to be back on the road after such a long time, especially without my own bed (or toilet). Boss Tweed’s litter box sat next to me in the car’s passenger seat, and the Luggable Loo was stowed in back (as always) in case of my own urgent needs. We would sleep in hotels rooms instead of RV parks for the first time in six years.

Day One: Belfair, Washington to Depoe Bay, Oregon

Leaving Washington, I breezed through Astoria, Oregon, a place near and dear to my heart since my visit in 2018. We stopped 30 minutes farther south for a visit with Lance and Trixie – dear Seattle friends who moved to Seaside, Oregon a few years ago. While Lance grabbed us fish and chips from local fave, Grizzly Tuna, Trix and I walked to the seashore.

Lance is a photographer, and he was happy to have a subject in his studio for the first time since the Coronavirus.

He spent many hours during the lockdown perfecting the art of tintype, and he graciously showed me the process of preparing the metal with an ether compound, dipping it in silver, creating the image with a camera, then developing it, which he ended up demonstrating twice because I blinked on the first one. Oops!

Seeing this image, I realized that all those people in the Wild West photos weren’t as haggard as they appeared, or at least I hope so, for my sake! Honestly though, there’s so much character and depth in this image (and it’s not just the wrinkles). I think it looks like I have a really juicy secret.

Day Two: Depoe Bay, Oregon, to Brookings, Oregon

I’ve spent some time on the Oregon coast, both pre and post full-timing, but on this trip I focused on a section mostly new to me: Depoe Bay to the California border. Other than a Sisters on the Fly event in Lincoln City, Oregon around 2009, I was in new territory.

Day Two was one of those perfect days – no finer example of why I love to travel. Every bend on Highway 101 revealed a new discovery. Normally it takes less than four hours to drive from Depoe Bay to Brookings, but I spent eight hours getting there.

Here’s the Harbor in Depoe Bay, the location in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo‘s Nest“ where Jack Nicholson’s character hires a boat to take his fellow patients fishing.

Oregon State Bridge Engineer, Conde McCullough, designed the Depression-era bridges that grace this section of the Oregon coast on Highway 101.

There’s the Devil’s Punchbowl:

Yaquina Head Lighthouse,

and Heceta Head, with a gorgeous beach, Lighthouse, and Keeper’s Quarters.

I stopped for lunch and a little windowshopping in charming Florence,

resting for the night in an oceanfront room in Brookings.

Days Three and Four: Brookings, Oregon to Bodega Bay, California

While I felt a tad off-kilter without my wheel estate, it did afford me some flexibility I didn’t have when I was 52 feet long. I took the scenic route through the redwoods!

You’d think that after all those years of living in California and all the passes I have made through the state, I would’ve visited Bodega Bay by now, but it just never happened. This trip I decided to stay for two nights, and I invited friends from Sacramento and San Francisco to meet me there.

The pets and I stayed at an adorable little two-star motor hotel, which was short on amenities but long on earnestness and charm.

The Sonoma Coast is rugged and beautiful and close to wine country. What a great combo!

Bodega Bay is of course known as the location where Alfred Hitchcock‘s “The Birds“ was set, and filmed. Fifty years on, the town still banks on its cinematic history.

Michelle and Scott from Sacramento rented a house near my motel, and we prepared ourselves for sightseeing by watching the movie.

One of the most iconic scenes was filmed a few miles down the road in the town of Bodega itself,

at the school house that is now a private home.

We chatted with a neighbor, who’s adorable little dog was named Tippi Hedren; I kid you not.

Right next door to the old school house is the Saint Teresa of Avila church, made famous by a photo by Ansel Adams.

For a town of 230 people it has a couple of major attractions! Well, for nerds like me anyway.

Back in Bodega Bay there were other movie sites, like the overlook at the beginning of the movie when Tippi Hedren drives into town on the PCH in her convertible (thanks for finding this one, Scott!),

and of course the historic Tides Restaurant.

While I was in Seaside Lance recommended we check out the little Sonoma County town of Occidental, an artists’ community with quaint shops and restaurants.

One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to follow off-the-cuff and on-the-fly recommendations. You can bet that if someone tells me there’s something nearby I should see, I’m going to go find it.

Back in 1989, Michelle and I worked together at UCSB as part of Summer Orientation for incoming freshmen. Another coworker, Jamey, and his husband Dean live in San Francisco, and they came up for dinner one evening.

It had been a very long time since we had all been together, and we thoroughly enjoyed each other‘s company, especially since we were all recently vaccinated and just emerging from our hidey-holes.

Michelle and Scott had been to Bodega Bay before, so they knew a beach where our dogs could romp around off-leash. A good time was had by all at Dillon Beach.

What a great re-introduction to this nomadic existence! New places, beautiful vistas, history and kitsch, good friends, good food, and good wine.

Day Five: Bodega, California to Santa Barbara, California

By the time I hit San Luis Obispo I was back in my old stomping grounds. I stopped off at Andersen‘s in Buellton for some split pea soup, arriving just as the sun was going down at El Capitan State Beach, where I will be volunteering this summer. Here’s the peekaboo view of the ocean (and the bathrooms!) from my campsite.

I’ll check in with you every month and let you know how it’s going.