August-September, 2020
The last morning of a camping trip is always … well, it’s always a number of things … getting ready to head out, getting ready to roll, tidying up the trailer and the truck, hitching up, checking the tires, making sure I know the route I’ll be driving, etc. But more and more, as I’m getting used to this camping thing, I also take time on my last morning to walk around the campground one last time. This morning at Dungeness, that’s exactly what I did.
When I neared my campsite at the end of my walk this morning, I could see Towhee the Trailer through the trees, waiting patiently for me. She knew she’d be heading out soon and she was ready … she’s always ready to roll and always ready for another adventure!
And of course Little Towhee is always right there when I hitch up. She knows the drill and is happy to make sure I’ve done everything exactly perfectly. I appreciate the help.
After everything was tidied up, hitched up, checked over at least twice, I pulled the truck and trailer out of the campsite and started driving out the campground road, starting the trip towards home.
I didn’t get far!
Earlier this week, Little Towhee had heard me talking about the parking lot that had caved in and had fallen off the bluff and was then fenced off so I couldn’t walk out to the edge. She thought that was mighty interesting and kept bugging me to stop the rig and show that place to her. She thought maybe she might fly just a tiny bit and take a look over the edge where the parking lot had dropped off.
So that’s what I did. I pulled over just at the entrance to the campground, parked the truck and trailer in a spot that wouldn’t interfere with other folks, and then I took Little Towhee to that fenced area where the parking lot looked like it had fallen off the face of the earth.
Little Towhee perched herself on the wire fence and looked out over the cliff. But the sun was so bright this morning (what a morning!) that she couldn’t really get the full affect of the drop-off. She could smell the salt air, and feel the breeze coming in off the ocean many miles away, but still, she couldn’t really see that 240-foot absolutely frightening straight down drop-off.
So … I picked her up, walked over to the right a bit, leaned out over the fence as far as I dared, held her securely in my hands, and let her get the full affect.
Oh my she squawked! “No No NO NOOOO! That’s too high! That’s too far! That’s too … oh no that’s too everything!” That view scared her big time, especially considering that Towhee birds don’t fly much at all, even when they’re right down on the ground, not to mention hundreds of feet in the air. Her little talons dug into my skin. I was kind, and just kept her in my arms as we walked back to the big white truck. We got safely back in the truck, with doors locked and the windows securely rolled up tight, but still she kept whispering “no no no nooo!” Eventually she seemed calmer and so I started driving from the campground back out through the greater Sequim area and towards the highway that would take us home.
On my way out through Sequim, I drove past this street sign (photo right). I loved it. I thought it was really super, man … super!
Little Towhee seemed ok to me initially after her scare, but all the way home, she would wake up every now and then and peep “no no noooo!” I didn’t blame her. That was one scary cliff!
We got home safe and sound. The trailer is parked in the storage lot where I live. Little Towhee and I are settled and snug in our house. And we are already planning the next trip. Stay tuned … come on along!