Campy... looking for a good home

I didn't realize how emotional it would be to make the decision to offer campy to a new home.  Campy has been part of my travel family for six years now and has been in my loving care as well as the loving care of our partner, GoWesty.  

Max and I traveled with a 4 runner and a tent for two years before campy and we are going to go back to that for a while.  Before Max, my dog Maggie and I traveled in a teardrop trailer for a year.  We don't know exactly what's next but we know for sure that whoever is Campy's new caretaker will be in for some amazing #vanlife experiences.  I will never forget the times I spent with her.  Below are some of the amazing images taken with Campy.  

The details:

2002 VW Eurovan Full Camper Arctic White

145K Miles 

Asking $36,000 

(For more details, including inside images, click HERE )

The good:

Campy has been in the care of GoWesty for much of her life. As such, she has had extensive work done over the years.  Most recent work and included amenities: 

New:

Fiamma Awning - 10 ft

GoWesty Lift Kit & wheels - This has been a game changer

New Brake Pads

New Battery and Aux battery

Includes additional passenger bench seat

After market stereo with AUX plug

Two inch memory foam mattress topper included

Trailer Hitch

Rebuilt Transaxle (have all receipts if you want more technical info)- Including...

Chain Lower and upper timing

Rail for tensioner

Guide rail timing chain 

Guide rail EV upper between cams 

Guide Rail lower left

Gear, timing chain 12v & 24V

Gear, Intermediate Timing VR6

Valve Cover Gasket

Valve cover bolt seal

Seal, upper chain cover

O-Ring Upper timing chain cover

New Coolant

Oil Filter and Oil change 

Seal Crankshaft

Flywheel Bolt

Air Filter 

Cabin Filter

Outer CV Bolt Kit 

Tensioner Upper timing chain

Timing chain guide rail

New PopTop Struts

New Ignition Coils - 6

New Spark Plugs

New AC Compressor 

New refurbed NorCold Fridge

All Appliances work - 

Including, Heater, A/C Water Pump, Aux battery, outside shower pump, 3 way Norcold Fridge, two burner stove. Sink, Grey tank.

Includes all original manuals and receipts from work done from my 6 years of care taking as well as the previous owners care taking.  I bought Campy in 2012 at 30K miles from an older professor who kept it in his garage.  That's the good news, you can park it anywhere...even a garage and she runs like new. 

_____________________________________

The Not so good:

Skylight is cracked so it’s sealed shut - needs to be replaced

There are a few one inch pop top screen tears - I have screen patch kit I will include or eventually you can purchase a new pop top canvas from gowesty HERE.

_________________________________

All Eurovan Campers are built the same way so you can see detailed interior shots online.  I will be happy to show more interior images to serious inquiries, by request.  I will also consider delivering her to a serious buyer. 

If you are interested or have additional questions, please email me at alisontravels@gmail.com

Winter in Iceland

For someone who avoids being cold at all cost and wears a puffy vest in the summer, a trip to  Iceland during the winter would seem like something I'd want nothing to do with.  However, I have a deal with myself that if I keep thinking of something day after day, I have to figure out a way to do it.  That something on my mind was seeing the Northern Lights in person.  I knew that it would be a hit or miss situation to see the elusive nature show and there are no guarantees, but I knew I had to give it a try, even if that meant camping in the snow.   The fact is, the weather is cold but not that cold compared to a lot of places in the winter.  I decided to make the voyage and packed several layers, found a $99 deal on Wow air, and squeezed all of my things in a small carry on bag to head out for an adventure.

Taking a walk at 10am.

Teaming with CampEasy camper vans, I was able to travel in a 4x4 heated van for the week.   I have to say, Iceland is pretty magical in the winter.  But I'm sure you already knew that.

Waking up and having the waterfall all to myself for a few minutes.

After I arrived, I started driving the Southern route on the ring road until I reached my favorite waterfall, Skógafoss.  I tried to make the best of the limited daylight hours and plan my route the next day but that didn't always happen.  Last April, I drove the entire ring road but didn't travel to the West Fjords.  I decided to find a route to the area that was the safest to drive since many of the roads are closed during this time.  

I took the ferry across and found a camping spot all to myself.  Even though I was off of the main road in the area, I only saw about 3 cars pass by.  The further you get from Reykjavik, the less and less people you will see and that's why I changed direction and decided to travel Northwest instead of Southeast on this journey.

I love the Icelandic Horses

It was 4 days into the trip and since I only had a week, I wan't sure I would be lucky enough to get a glimpse of the elusive lights.  Then one night in the West Fjords after I settled into camp, I set up my go pro for a time lapse of the moon over the ocean and forgot about it.  I cooked dinner in the camper and about 20 minutes later, I decided to go out to check on the camera.  To my surprise, the Northern Lights were out in full force and I was completely overwhelmed with excitement.  There wasn't anyone around but I still burst out with a, "are you kidding me?!!" (over and over again). There was a bright green swirl with a long stretch of light that went beyond the horizon.  I quickly grabbed my go pro on 1% power and put it on time lapse to record the movement.  I had each image 20 seconds apart and I quickly realized that 20 second was too much time between shots.  As soon as it appeared, it was gone.  That five minutes I had of Northern Lights made the entire trip.  I was so excited like a kid and stayed up to see more of the show but sadly, it wouldn't be as brilliant as it was when it first appeared. I'm just glad I was able to capture some of the magic. I will never forget that moment.  You can see some of the time lapse footage I took in the video below.

For the remainder of the trip, I drove around the western fjords, the Snaefellsnes National Park, golden circle to the secret lagoon, Pingvellier National Park, and took a dip in the icy Lagoon near Fontana spa.  A close second to seeing the Northern Lights was plunging into a frozen lake for no other reason than for the experience of doing it.  Many say that there are a lot of health benefits to submerging in an icy bath and I have to say that once I took that first step in the water, everything in my being told me not to continue.  Once you're in, it's a feeling I can't describe besides the obvious numbness and shock.  After defrosting from the first dip, I did it again just to be sure... of what, I am not quite sure.  To my surprise, the second time was a bit easier.

My second dip in the icy lake...keeping an eye out for the exit

To say that I camped in the snow in the winter is a bit of a stretch.  Even though it was winter and I was sleeping in a van... I had a heater, stove, and everything you'd need to stay comfortable.  The vehicles at CampEasy made the cold bearable and actually enjoyable for someone who isn't a fan of extreme temperatures.  

Warm water at the secret lagoon

The only thing I missed was Max.  However, he would have hated the cold and everyday looked at me like I was crazy.  Come to think of it, that's what he does normally.

If you can, I would recommend a trip to Iceland in the winter, or any time of the year.  Seeing the Northern Lights was an experience I will never forget.  To rental a camper van to tour the country, check out CampEasy.  To check out my video from my last voyage to Iceland, click HERE.

My 4x4 Camp Easy Camper for the week

Surfing With Amigas In Nicaragua

“First Breakfast at 5:30a.m.”, she said.   I know Jackie was talking about the plans for the following morning but I kept looking at the dry erase board for a “just kidding” below the time in which all 15 strangers were going to meet to have breakfast.   I just arrived in Nicaragua after a 24 hour travel day and my introverted self was immediately challenged to be social, share a room with a stranger, and be chipper at.... yes, 5:30a.m.  

Enjoying the Nicaragua countryside from the window of our airport van.

To those of you outgoing morning people... what’s wrong with you?  In all fairness, I have never been a morning person.  As a kid, my mother would turn the lights on and off over and over before ripping all the covers off of me, all the while singing some annoying good morning song. I would still lie there in a body outline pose until she pulled my arm and dragged me out of the room.

Being the team player that I am, I woke up on time and joined the group for the first breakfast at 5:30a.m.  It wasn’t just the first breakfast of the trip, but of the day.  Each day, we ate two breakfasts... no complaints there! One before we surfed and another after surf and before yoga.  Then it was lunch, another activity, dinner and sleep and then repeat for the next 7 days. A month prior to the trip, I  told myself that I would start a workout routine to get in shape before camp but somehow, that never happened.  On day 2 and 3, being able to walk normal was an accomplishment since every muscle in my body was sore.

Locals enjoying a long walk on the beach

Each morning, we would walk about a mile to a secret surf cove where our assigned boards would be waiting for us.  Yes, we were spoiled to have a board on the beach each day for us.  Once we were taught a quick lesson of popping up, it was in the water we went.  A few ladies paddled out far and immediately popped up and surfed.  I was a bit nervous since the last time I stood up on a surfboard was about 10 years ago.  I took the first few waves, stood up, and by the end of the day, everyone in the group stood up.

Camper Kelly standing up on the first day

Our second breakfast was a welcome treat after swimming and surfing all morning.  Yoga followed breakfast and lunch after yoga.  I started to get the hang of the meal, surf, meal, yoga, meal, activity, meal, sleep routine. I have to say that the food at the coco loco resort was the best I’ve ever had on vacation.  That evening, we had paddle school in the pool to prepare us for the following day when we would pass the white water to surf the green waves.

Paddle School in the Pool to prepare for the next day

To my delight, the schedule allowed us to sleep in until 6:00am the following day.  The daily walk on the beach was a welcome warmup before heading out to the waves.  I was a bit nervous on the second day but the instructors would have such an upbeat attitude that it was nearly impossible to feel anything but excitement.  I got up again on the second day and took the board in a little early so I could swim around with my gopro on a stick and try to capture some photos and videos of my new surfing pals.  It only took about an hour for a big wave to forcefully strip my go pro from my hand.

Instructor Ruby making it look so easy

Catching a wave... 

Paddle, paddle, paddle...

I didn’t have a strap or a floatie attached so my immediate reaction was panic.  After an audible underwater  "nooooo! Fuuuccc", I swam after the wave with arms stretched out, looking and feeling the waves and on the ocean floor.  After a few minutes, I borrowed some goggles to swim around for a few hours, hoping that I would get a glimpse or feeling of it on the ocean floor.  No such luck.  After my search and an instructor saying, "dude.. it's gone.", I put it behind me and was thankful that it happened towards the beginning of the trip and not the end.  

Amigas waiting to catch a wave

Michelle watching for waves

All abord the people mover to play kickball

The next morning, I took a drawstring out of my sweat pant waistband and tied it to my wrist and to my go pro session.  It was my backup camera that I almost didn’t bring since my trusty gopro 4 has been with me for about a year and didn’t think I would lose it.  The session is a two inch cube and I was determined to pick up where I left off.  Suddenly, swimming and taking photos with this cube was my priority. I wanted to surf too, but I really enjoyed swimming all day trying to be in the right place at the right time so I was able to get close enough for a photo.  

On our daily morning walk to surf

Not always easy...

Each evening, a new activity was listed on the board.  The second evening was a sunset surf session and then the following days included going out to town for dinner, playing kickball with the local women's team, watching turtles being released to the ocean, volcano boarding, and horseback riding.  

Instructor Jackie taking a stroll on her board

Frothy Wonderland

Once you spend every meal with the same people and experience activities together, it’s not surprising that everyone become friends.  Looking back, I can’t remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did with these ladies. On the third day, an impromptu dance broke out and I quickly realized that the ones hanging out on the side with me were my fellow introverts... team introvert is what we called our group of 5.  It was comforting to know that I wasn’t the only quiet one.  What I loved about the group of campers is that everyone got along and cheered each other on.  Not because you felt you had to, but because you really wanted to.  

Shira and her shark swimsuit

Enjoying some down time as we wait for waves

Self Portrait holding my go pro session

On the 5th morning, I decided to sleep in and have the second breakfast at 8am.  There were a few who went surfing that morning so when I greeted them at the breakfast table, each person seemed a bit too chipper and enthusiastic to see me.  Most mornings I headed to the coffee before I said anything to anyone.  This particular morning, they all smiled and said “Good Morning, Alison!” together.  Thinking I was the bud of the joke or in the twilight zone, I responded with a mumbled good morning greeting.  They asked if I was hungry and proceeded to tell me to eat and get a plate.  Not suggesting, but telling me to get a plate, as if there wasn’t going to be any food left to eat.  Wondering what the hell was wrong with everyone, I glanced at the plates and sitting on the top plate was my go pro on a stick!  My response was, Holy...s%^*.  Turns out that Tammy saw something sticking out of the rocks at low tide and found my baby and brought her back to me.  I couldn’t believe it.  It was the start of another good day.

Playing Kickball with the Local women's team

Baby Turtle making his/her first journey to the sea

Playing catch with the session

A wave with what looks like a super moon flair 

Feeding the birds in Leon

We drove out to spend the day in Leon and then drove to the Cerro Negro volcano to do some volcano boarding.  After about 40 minutes of hiking up the volcano, you've arrived at the top of the youngest and most active volcano in the country.  The most exciting part of the hike  was next.  Each one of us had a wooden sled with a metal bottom that we rode down the steep mountain at around 30mph in our bright orange outfits, safety goggles, and bandanas to cover our mouth to prevent rocks from flying in while you’re screaming.  This was one of the most unique experiences and a highlight of my trip.

Waiting to board down the volcano

Boarding down the volcano - photo courtesy of Bigfoot Hostel 

The last surfing day was a bit bittersweet since we all knew that it would be over in the morning.  The last sunset ended with horseback riding on the beach or a sunset surf session.  After a final supper, we all made plans for the following morning to our final destinations.  It was surprising to me how much we all grew to care for each other after just a week.  It was a trip I will always remember fondly.  Thank you to all of the instructors that made the week so much fun.  I would highly recommend one of their surf trips.  You can see all they have to offer on the Surf With Amigas website. 

Amigas horseback riding

Crashing into the wave during sunset

The last Sunset Surf of the week

After I returned home, I woke up at 5:00a.m and missed seeing my roommate and my new found friends.  I already miss them. 

Now on to the next adventure!

Banff and Jasper National Parks

For the 100 year anniversary of our National Parks in August, I wanted to celebrate that milestone by taking a tour of the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, Banff, Jasper, Olympic and Redwood National parks.  I’ve been to all of them before except for Banff and Jasper.  Evan though they aren't included in the 100 year anniversary,  I’ve always wanted to go to Banff ever since I saw the crystal blue water images in books and on social media.  It seemed unreal and the experience I had was just that... unreal.

Max in front of the Tetons

Bison on the side of the road in Yellowstone

Before I talk about the Canadian Rockies, I want to mention my time in a few of America’s National Parks.  I remember setting foot in Yellowstone for the first time in 2008.  It was the height of gas prices and because of that, I pretty much had the park to myself.  I went in late August and remember talking to the ranger about over 200 sites still available at the time.  It seemed that I had the park (almost) to myself.  I’ve been back to Yellowstone a handful of times since then and every year it gets more popular.  I love our parks, but not crowds so I had mixed emotions on this visit.

Max and I enjoying the view of Yellowstone Lake

Be sure to drive the speed limit through the parks.  You never know what will dart out at the last minute.

If you’ve never been to our first national park, you should plan a visit.  It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been to Yellowstone, I still get that excited feeling inside as I get to the entrance gates. I usually don’t plan ahead of time and have always lucked out somehow on a camp site.  This wasn’t the case in Glacier so I did a tour of the park and went on a hike while Max slept in campy.  

Greeting a local on my hike in Glacier

Max playing near the teepees at Chewing Blackbone outside of Glacier

It was Campy’s first time in Canada and the minute we crossed the border, it was a sight to see.  Beautiful rolling hills, snow capped mountains... it was as if we drove into the pages of a travel magazine.  The closer we got to the rockies, the more amazing the scenery.  You never really know the magnitude of the mountains until you get close and see how insignificant you are.  Although I have wanted to visit Banff for a long time, I didn’t do that much research for the journey.  I figured that all the kids would be back in school and it would be empty.  That assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.  As luck would have it, I found the last campsite at Lake Louise in the RV section.  The ranger asked if I was able to sleep in Campy without popping the top and since I agreed, I was awarded the last spot.  He gave me his usual bear speech with a seriousness that I haven’t seen in a while.  Quite frankly, it felt a bit uneasy.  I settled in campy and started to read about the area from the leaflets he handed out and realized that the tent section is surrounded by an electric fence to deter the bears. Needless to say, I dusted off my bear spray and kept it handy.  

Unedited iPhone 5 photo of Lake Louise in front of the tourists

A few steps back and this is your view

The following morning I headed out to see Lake Louise.  I read that it can be popular but I wasn’t prepared to encounter the madness of people that were there.  It was just before 10am and I was the last vehicle to pull into a dirt patch on the side of the road to get a spot to park.  I was amazed at how many people were there.  I took the hike up to the tea house and it was a challenging uphill climb but wasn’t quite the experience I had hoped for.  Although the lake was beautiful, the resort and amount of people led me to the exit to headed north for Jasper.

Taking a salt lick break

The highway between Banff and Jasper was one of the most beautiful roads I’ve ever been on.  The views were stunning and it was encouraging to see most of the traffic heading south.  There are a few camps to stay at along the way and I pulled into honeymoon lake early afternoon to secure the last spot.  I decided to relax for the remainder of the day and take a swim in the lake.

Max taking in the view at honeymoon lake

Swimming in Honeymoon Lake

The following morning, we headed to Jasper and rented a canoe at Maligne lake.  I would highly recommend a visit to the lake and the park.  Jasper has about half the crowds and the park is just as beautiful as Banff.  It was a nice relaxing day of touring, hiking and floating in the lake.  Max was allowed to join me on the canoe ride which was surprising for a National Park.  The life jacket was his own.

From Jasper we headed to Olympic National park, along the Oregon coast, and then to the Redwoods in California.  There is so much to talk about with these parks but to keep the blog short, I will have to talk about them in another blog.  Know that in just a few short weeks, you can see all of these parks on a road trip.  If you are able, I would recommend a visit to see it for yourself. 

Max watching the sun rise in Campy

Max and I playing on the Oregon Coast

Iceland

I never thought that a country would wow me as much as Iceland did.  It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my life.  Granted, I’ve never been to Europe so this was my first time in this part of the world, but I have to say... it was love at first sight. 

Waking up to the sounds of glaciers grazing the rocks as they float by

I partnered with Camp Easy CamperVan rentals for the nine days I had in the country.  As much as I wanted to be present in the moment, each day had me wishing I had more time in the country.  Each day was a unique experience in every way.  Although I only had a little over a week, I decided to drive around the country on the ring road.  All of the travel books said you need at least 10 or more days and looking back, that would have been a bit easier to have more time but I am so glad I took that route.

Morning at the Blue Lagoon

My first stop was the very popular Blue Lagoon. Tourists come in bus loads so I wanted to be the first one there when it opened at 9am.  For anyone wanting to go and experience it with the least amount of people, I would recommend doing the same.  I have to say that the experience was surreal.  I’ve read so much about it and looked at photographs so actually being there to experience it was something I will never forget.

Once I soaked for a few hours, I started my journey on the ring road.  I didn’t prepare where to go or what to see.  I had a guide book that I would look at each day and look for some of the sights it mentioned.  Most of the time, I would drive and pull over if I saw something interesting.  Needless to say, I pulled over a lot.  

Icelantic horses greeting me as I passed by

I soaked up the waterfalls towards the South.  I spent the night near one and woke up to an amazing sight without a tourist in sight.  Once you veer off the ring road, you are pretty much on your own and alone.  The further west I traveled, the less busses and tourists I saw.  Traveling in April, the weather was still cold but I had sunlight until around 9pm.  I came across the Glacier Lagoon and decided to stay overnight.  Hearing the seagulls while the sounds of ice crashing against each other was unreal.  Also, there were endless families of seals weaving in and out of the glaciers.  It was pure magic.

I headed to the Western Fjords which was a sight to see.  I suppose I should just say that everything was amazing.  Once I turned the corner on the ring road to head back East, it got colder and a tricky windy unpaved road of snow kept my heart rate up.  That was the only time I kept thinking, “is this right?” “is this the main road?”  After about 40 minutes of steep incline of snowy road with no guardrail, I got to a valley of snow and at least I knew I wouldn’t slide off the side of the road.  The snowy hills went on forever without a human in sight. 

The next few days were spent exploring the North until I came around to the Peninsula on the west.  This area had to be my favorite.  Although, it’s difficult to choose a favorite experience.  The key to being able to travel during this time is heat in the van from Camp Easy. Having wifi was a huge bonus for directions and looking things up on the spot.  

If you want to visit Iceland, I would recommend booking one of the many different camper vans from Camp Easy.  Sure, you can stay at a hotel and take the huge tour bus to the few attractions nearby, but you won’t have the freedom to explore.  

As usual... my head in the clouds

It was an experience I will never forget. 

To see more images of my trip, follow me on Instagram

To book at camper van with CampEasy, click here or on the photo below

My camper van for the week. 

Forest Service Fire Lookout Rentals

I'm not sure how I found out about renting old fire towers that are no longer active, but once I learned about it, I knew I had to do it.  I believe the biggest challenge in renting one is finding availability.  The good news is... if you're persistent, you may score a spot that's been cancelled at that last minute.  That's how I was able to secure these reservations.  Since I am not much of an advance planner for such things, I rely on the last minute cancelers to open it up for me to reserve.  

Unlike many top notch resorts you can find in the middle of nowhere to rent, these come without power and many do not have running water. The gas that's available in some of the towers is just to heat a pot on the stove, so bring your layers if the weather turns cold.  Also, the restrooms are a hike from the tower so prepare for that as well.  Just think of it as a hard tent shell high up in the trees with views that go on for miles.

The past year, I stayed in two fire towers with one more experience in October at a different tower.  The first tower I stayed at was Oak Flat near Sequoia National Park.   Let's just say that the first experience was one not to forget.  

I was browsing the fire tower site and found an open reservation on the website the day after I was to have a tooth pulled.  I wondered a bit if it was a good idea to book, but my excitement got the best of me and I reserved it without hesitation.  Little did I know that my road to recovery was longer than people made me believe it to be.  Since this was my first tooth pulled, I wasn't sure what to expect.  Everyone chimed in with their experience, so combining them in my head made it seem as if it was going to be a piece of cake.  It wasn't. 

After the extraction, my cheeks decided to double in size.  With that swelling came extreme pain and a comedy of errors trying to eat with my head tilted.  I suppose a smart person would have cancelled a camping trip to a fire tower in the middle of nowhere after oral surgery, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity, even if I was in pain and the sight of my face was slightly concerning. 

I packed up campy the day of my reservation and headed to the tower, following the detailed directions on the forest service website.  As I made my way to the tower on "four wheel drive vehicles strongly recommended" roads, I came across a locked gate.  In my last minute planning, I forgot to call the forest service for the combination to the lock on the gate.  I arrived after hours so I was unable to find the code.  Slightly discouraged, this locked gate was not going to spoil my trip with Max and my swollen cheeks!  I loaded up everything I thought we would need on my back and hiked about a mile up the road to the tower.  Horray! It's in my sight!

As I let my backpack slide off my back and fall to the ground, I took a long glance at the tower and at the steep, see-through stairs.  I stared at the stairs and started to quietly panic from my fear of heights.  I told myself that it wasn't a big deal as I started to make my way up.  As I climbed the stairs, I didn't realize how high and steep they would be until my hands started to get slippery (from fear) and I made the mistake of looking through the stairs and back down to the ground at what looked like a teeny toy size Max looking back up at me.  Panic started to take over from the height so I slowly made my way back down the stairs. Once on the ground, I glanced at my huge pack on the ground and wondered how I was going to bring that up into the tower.  On top of that, there was a closed hatch at the top of the stairs.  At this point, I had no idea if it was locked as well.

As I often do in similar situations, I tell myself what a great story it will be.  If I chose to hike back to campy, I would never forgive myself for not trying.  After my internal pep talk, I headed back up the vertical see-through stairs with my mouth throbbing in pain while my cheeks continued to swell.  Even the gentle breeze hurt my face.  I looked up at the hatch, focused on that, made my way up and didn't look down.  Once I got to the top, I wrapped my arm around one stair and used the other to push up the wood hatch.  It didn't budge.  I saw that there was a place to put a lock but to my delight (a word I use cautiously), it appeared unlocked.  I gripped tighter with my stair arm and stepped one more step up and instead of using my arm, I pushed the hatch with my shoulder, back, and the back of my head.  I felt it give a little so I knew it was possible to open.  At this point, my legs were shaking and I was doing everything in my power to keep my hands dry so they wouldn't slip, being that I was three stories in the air, after all.  I pushed as hard as I could to wedge my body between the hatch and pulled myself through the opening.  Just as my feet cleared the opening, the hatch slammed shut.  I made it.  I was on the outside of the fire tower top.  At this point, I am completely exhausted and exhilarated that I made it.  I took a moment to look at my surroundings to notice that I could see through the wood slat gaps to the bottom through the bending floor boards surrounding the walkways of the tower.  It was like walking the plank on rickety boards while seeing three stories down to the ground between your feet.  More excitement!

I latched the hatch open and secured it to the side, while heading down to get Max and our supplies.  Oddly enough, going down is much easier, although at this point, my legs were shaking from the medication I was taking for my tooth, the stress of opening the hatch and from the sheer terror my brain decided to communicate to my body.  I scooped max in one arm as we made our way up and once he saw the gaps in the slats at the top, he ran in the tower, found the cot, curled up and laid down. 

I went back and forth to get my supplies and as the sun started to set, I was finally settled. Max and I watched the sunset and marveled at the sheer beauty of the mountains and trees while adjusting to the silence.   As the sun went down, the wind started to pick up while the stars came out.  The amount of stars, deafening silence, and darkness was unreal.  Although I was in pain from my tooth, It was a moment I will never forget and so worth it.  

Max in bed while the sun rises at Oak Flat

Now, you can avoid my mistakes by calling the ranger and getting the code to drive your car right to the tower.  If you are not afraid of heights, the stairs are a piece of cake.  Also, there is a pulley system to get your supplies up (instead of carrying them up with you on the stairs as I did) that I noticed once I was settled. 

Stars at night

Staying at McCarthy Point lookout was quite the opposite experience.  I was not suffering from the pain of a tooth extraction, and there weren't any stairs to climb.  Unlike Oak Flat, this one was perched on the top of a mountain.  Views for miles, it was the first time I didn't see any lights surrounding me at night.  There was no sign of civilization for miles and the stars were brighter then I've ever seen before.  To top that off, the sound of rattlesnakes rattled me to sleep.  

Max in the doorway at McCarthy Point

Max soaking up the view at McCarthy Point

If you are looking for adventure and something unique to do, rent a fire tower.  There are several in the western states that you can reserve from FireLookout.org.  Be sure to do it soon since many close for the winter. 

Watching the sun set together at McCarthy Point

I look forward to my next fire tower experience in October.  Like before, I was able to reserve it from a cancellation.  I would recommend to keep searching if you find one you like.  I am so glad I did.