Proper hydration is so important for cats! Meowmy loves the UAHPET Battery Operated Automatic Pet Water Fountain that she got back in December. You charge it with a cable and then it runs on battery so you can put the fountain anywhere. The battery lasts a really long time too — I don’t think my human has needed to charge it for over two weeks! Currently it’s on the kitchen counter in my special corner so that I have access to clean, filtered water at all times for proper hydration. The little bit of sounds it does make reminds Meowmy of a waterfall so she doesn’t mind the noise. If you’re looking for a good pet water fountain, you can save 15% using code MAVE15RICK on this product in the Amazon store — just drop the discount code during checkout! Stay hydrated my furriends!💧
Meowmy wanted me to tell you about our new van! That’s right, I am going from being an RV Kitty to a Van Cat!
The main reason I haven’t been posting much about travels is because Meowmy and I didn’t go on many trips in 2019, and now with COVID in 2020, we are once again stationary, spending time at home.
After driving the 20 ft Mini-Class C RV we had for 2.5 years and approximately 19,000 miles, Meowmy decided to sell it in Spring 2019 and she found a good home for the motorhome with a nice young couple. Then she started her search for a Sprinter van and the perfect van builder to make her vision a reality. That whole process took almost a year!
If you’re the type of person that likes reading about van builds, then we encourage you to check out the whole story, with all the details on every component of the build. The van looks amazing and will be more versatile for trips, plus the ride isn’t as bumpy as the RV was since the van handles more like a car. Best part is the license plate: VANMEOW
We also got our first stickers in! Let me know what you think of the design, courtesy of our roomie Devin! If you would like a sticker, we’d be happy to mail you a few.
Pretty soon we will take the new Sprinter on some trips and I can share those stories with you. In the meantime, I hope you’re all staying safe!
In early 2019, Meowmy found out about a local adventure cat meetup through Instagram. We went to our first “cat hike” with the Bay Area Cat Adventure Club on January 21, 2019. We met up at Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley at the Vollmer Peak Trail. I got to meet 5 other cats that like to go on adventures with their humans! Let’s just say we didn’t all get along, but we all hung out together at this cool tree while our humans bonded. Check out some more of the photos of the group!
For 30 minutes we had no issues. Dogs on leashes passed us by without problems. But then came a human with three dogs off leash. Our humans saw him coming and warned him that there were a bunch of cats hanging out by the tree and he said not to worry, that his dogs are well trained. I was closest to the trail and Meowmy instantly blocked me from the dogs, but then two of them decided to flank me from both sides. Meowmy did her best to keep them away, but as you can imagine, I freaked out! I couldn’t run away because I was on leash, so the whole situation was terrifying. The dog owner finally grabbed his dogs away and Meowmy had grabbed me as well to calm me down, but I did accidentally claw up her hand real good and she was bleeding. When the dogs were gone, Meowmy let go of my leash so she could tend to her wounds, at which point I ran up the tree really high and decided to stay there. Can you blame me?!?
Meowmy coaxed me for an hour to come down, but I was not moving. She finally called a tree service to come get me out of the tree. When I saw the man climb up the tree next to me, I decided to come down on my own and Meowmy was so happy when I was finally in her arms. Let’s just say that dog owners that don’t follow leash laws ruin it for others!
On June 1, 2019, the Bay Area Cat Adventure Club had another meetup for Give Your Cat The World Week, sponsored by CatExplorer. This time we all met at Calicraft Brewing Co in Walnut Creek. We were at a table furthest away from the brewery with a nice grass field next to us, which made it easier for the cats and owners to hang out in peace. There was a total of 9 cats (including me) and our humans were getting to know one another and all the cats for a few hours. I chilled in my cat backpack the whole time and got a lot of attention from the humans. At the end, everyone decided to take a group photo, which was hilarious because the cats were not that excited about the idea. There are so many photos to check out from that afternoon!
As always, my human is very late posting. I’m a cat, so I don’t really understand how time works for humans, plus I spend a lot of time sleeping, as cats do. I hope you bear with me as I catch you up on our 2019 adventures!
In late March, Meowmy took me and my favorite cat sitter Devin to Santa Barbara County on a beautiful stretch of land near New Cuyama for a vanlife meetup. The ride down was a bit nerving due to all the wind, but once we arrived, it was a haven of vans, skoolies, and various other types of vehicles! Everyone was in great spirits, ready to bond with one another and enjoy time together as a community with a variety of events lined up. There was a swap meet, a raffle, a potluck dinner, sunrise meditation, pancake breakfast, and various panels about vanlife, sustainability, and more! Turns out the meetup was The Vanlife App Launch Party, which is a cool new app that vanlife humans can use to find one another, build community, and share tips and places. Every night there was a big bonfire with live music by Moxi & Loon, two vanlifers that met and started a band. Meowmy and Devin kept talking about how good the duo was, but to me all human music sounds weird. There were a lot of dogs around (many not on leash despite the rules), so I stayed in the RV a lot, but we did go for some nice walk into the fields away from chaos. There was even a white kitty named Cash that hung out in a cage outside a van! I know that Meowmy and Devin had a great time, but I would have preferred a place with less dogs. Why is it that many dog owners don’t feel the need to follow leash laws? Dogs aren’t the only pets that humans have in vans and we should all get equal time outside!
We could see some of the spring wildflower bloom in the mountains, but heard from the land owners that it was even more spectacular on the other side and that we should take the detour home, which we did. We drove through the Carrizo Plain National Monument to see all the stunning yellow flowers EVERYWHERE! I got to play in the pretty flowers and do a photoshoot with my brand new Fat Cat Backpack. Let’s just say that I look good with yellow flowers surrounding me! Meowmy said that the superbloom was so incredible, one could see it from space; can you imagine that? On a side note, space sounds so empty and scary but I’m sure the view of our Earth-ball would be cool. The detour turned out to be 4 extra hours of driving with a good stretch of bumpy dirt road, but we also stopped the see the San Andreas fault, which was quite interesting for the humans for some reason.
Meowmy sold the Majestic RV back in May and bought a new Sprinter van which is getting custom built up for us. I can’t wait to see how it turns out! Meowmy will be posting about the build on her Instagram, so I recommend you follow her if that interests you.
I hope you enjoy our pictures and continue to read about our travels despite my sporadic posting. It would be great it you followed my blog to get notified when I do post so you don’t miss anything.
After our lava adventures last October, Meowmy took us to Lassen Volcanic National Park, home to steaming fumaroles, meadows freckled with wildflowers, clear mountain lakes, and numerous volcanoes. Jagged peaks tell the story of its eruptive past while hot water continues to shape the land. First we hit the Subway Cave in Lassen National Forest. Since I’m a cat, I don’t get to explore these caves in order to not disturb the bat ecosystem, but Meowmy walked the 1/3 mile long cave and took some awesome photos. It really does look like a subway tunnel!
From there we headed to Manzanita Lake Campground where we spent the night. Being that it was now officially off-season, the campground was only partially full and very quiet. Meowmy made a lovely campfire for us while I explored the forest.
We woke up to blue skies the next morning, so Meowmy walked the trail around the stunningly beautiful lake. Did you know that Manzanita Lake is one of the most photographed lakes in Lassen and the centerpiece of the park’s main visitor area? Trust me, it’s easily worth a week long camping trip.
After the trail hike, Meowmy and I took off down the main road through Lassen, stopping at all the various points of interest, starting with gorgeous view of Chaos Crags, the youngest group of lava domes in Lassen. From there we hit the Devastated Area interpretive trail, an easy walk that introduces visitors to effects of the Lassen Peak eruptions and offers excellent views of the east side of Lassen Peak. Then we headed to Kings Creek, Brokeoff Mountain, and Sulphur Works. We almost did the hike to Lassen Peak but due to weather and the peak being covered in thick fog, we decided against it. Sadly Bumpass Hell Trail is closed as they rebuild the boardwalk, so we didn’t get to see the cool geothermal activity there. We’ve heard it’s the best part of Lassen.
After leaving Lassen, we headed to Lake Almanor, near Chester, California. We found a wonderful overnight spot right along the lake. Normally we wouldn’t have stayed there since this area is well-patrolled during the high season, but since it was off-season and the lake campgrounds were already closed, we decided to risk it. Meowmy and I watched a beautiful sunset and I chased little forest animals around. What a perfect end to a great trip! As hard as it was to leave this gorgeous place, we left the next morning, taking the scenic route home along the Feather River. I can’t wait for our next adventure, though Meowmy is selling the Majestic RV in order to get a custom van conversion built. I know she’s really excited, so I’m excited too!
After our lovely trip to Descend on Bend, Meowmy and I headed to Lava River Cave with our new friend Stavros whom we met at Descend. The Lava River Cave is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument in the Deschutes National Forest between La Pine and Bend in Oregon. No pets are allowed in this mile-long lava tube, so they explored it without me, which took about two hours. I heard it was really dark and cold inside and that they went so deep that when they turned the flashlights off, it was eerie and darker than one can imagine!
Afterwards, Stavros and Meowmy headed to Lava Butte, a cinder cone on the northwest flank of Newberry Volcano. They headed to the top of the cone where they had a 360* view of the land and enjoyed a stroll around the whole rim. I heard there’s a fire lookout at top because you can see for miles and miles!
Saying good-bye is always hard, but this is where we parted ways with Stavros, who headed North while we headed South. We spent the night in Hagelstein County Park near Klammath Falls, which is a great place to overnight if you’re looking for free camping in this area.
The next morning we headed to Lava Beds National Monument in northeastern California. It’s definitely off-season at the beginning of October because we barely saw another person or vehicle the whole time we were exploring this beautiful volcanic park. We stopped at Devils Homestead Flow and Fleener Chimneys, plus Meowmy did some easy caving, exploring Merrill Cave, Skull Cave, Sentinel Cave, and Valentine Cave. I even got to explore some of the lava near Valentine Cave before we headed out and made our way towards our next stop, Lassen Volcanic National Park, which I’ll be blogging about soon!
Meowmy was really excited for the 3-day vanlife camping event called Descend On Bend, which takes place an hour southeast of Bend, Oregon. She decided to make a 10 day trip out of it, with stops along the way there and back.
We left on Tuesday, September 25th and worked our way North to Burney Falls. Since no pets are allowed on the trail to the falls, Meowmy went by herself to see these magnificent falls while I stayed in the RV. We spent the evening boondocking off a forest road near McCloud, which was great cuz I got to roam around the trees chasing small animals while Meowmy made dinner.
The next morning we headed to McCloud Falls near Mount Shasta, which is a three-tiered waterfall off Highway 89. There’s a nice trail you can walk from the Upper Falls to the Middle and Lower Falls, where there was a bunch of fisherman. From there, we passed through Weed and Mount Shasta, then enjoyed lunch at Veterans Memorial Park in Klammath Falls.
We drove the final stretch to Bend and found a great overnight spot next to a park where Meowmy took me for a walk before heading to the Descend pre-party at Silver Moon Brewing. The parking lot was a vanlife haven with an assortment of Vanagons, Sprinters, Promasters, and even a huge Class A! Meowmy had fun walking around meeting people and seeing their van builds, all while enjoying some awesome beer.
Thursday morning we headed South through La Pine and then East towards the Outback Station, where Descend Cinco was taking place. Hundreds of RV’s, vans, trucks, and cars ended up camping at this high desert oasis near the famous Hole-In-The-Ground in Fort Rock Basin, a maar field of former volcanic activity. Meowmy chose a nice shady spot in the trees and made friends with our neighbors for the next three days. These guys from Portland had an awesome old fire truck from Germany that they remodeled; it even had sirens!
Descend is a cool event with live music, potluck, BBQ, raffle, swap meet, sunrise yoga, salsa contest, ladies cocktail hour, syncrorun, and bonfires at night. There’s even a huge teepee in the main community area! Meowmy attempted to ride her bike to the Hole-In-The-Ground on Friday and ended up bailing hard due to no traction on the sandy dirt. We met tons of cool people and had an absolute blast, so Meowmy said we are coming back next year!
When Meowmy heard about the Margarita Taco Festival in San Luis Obispo from her friend Heather in Paso Robles, she knew she had to make a weekend trip to the Central Coast of California to attend. Caravanning once again with our friend Chris and his cat Michi, we headed out after work on Friday June 1st to Paso Robles, where we spent the night. The next morning we drove to Morro Bay State Park for breakfast and a stroll on the beach. From there, we headed to El Chorro Regional Park for the festival. Meowmy and Chris found the perfect shady spot for their rigs so that Michi and I stayed cool while they went to enjoy tacos and margaritas.
As the evening drew near, we headed over Cuesta Pass and took a dirt forest road off the top to our overnight spot (found on freecampsites.net), with beautiful views of the valley and all the way to the ocean. I got to roam around while the humans watched a gorgeous sunset.
Sunday morning we headed to Carmel-By-The-Sea, but sadly Meowmy damaged her awning on a leaning tree trying to park near downtown. After a quick lunch in the park, we drove to Sand City (near Monterey) so Chris could practice paragliding while we hung out on the beach. From there we went our separate ways so Meowmy could stop off and visit her friends Joel and Rachel and their kids, where I made friends with Bella the chihuahua and two cute bunnies!
Looking forward to our next trip!
Early last month, Meowmy and I took another trip down to Southern California, this time with the objective to see Death Valley and the Alabama Hills. We started out driving South on Highway 101 while the sun was rising, ending up in San Simeon to check out Hearst Castle. I chilled in the RV while Meowmy took the tour of the house, gardens, and pools. I heard my human grumbling when she got back about Neptune Pool being under construction, but it sounded like the Roman Pool was gorgeous. Meowmy was also bummed that she didn’t see any zebras roaming the hills since they are supposedly abundant on the castle lands. We had lunch by the ocean but sadly the fog rolled in and made it very misty. We then headed to Paso Robles to visit our friend Heather and spent the night there.
The next day we headed to Ventura and Agoura Hills to meet up with Meowmy’s college friend Lisa. After exploring the neighborhood a bit, my human took off to see some tribute band called Led ZepAgain at the Canyon Club. Plus we spent Easter Sunday with Lisa at Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas.
The following day we had a really windy drive through Mojave, but totally worth it to see Red Rock Canyon Park, where Meowmy took me for a beautiful hike. Then we continued on to Death Valley National Park, making it just in time for dinner and sunset at our campground. Meowmy told me it’s quite amazing that you go from 4,500 feet to sea level in such a short drive. I enjoyed a lovely sunset walk and we met some cool camping neighbors in Stovepipe Wells. The next morning we drove to Zabriskie Point to see the view of the badlands, then headed out with a quick stop at Father Crowley Viewpoint.
We spent the afternoon in Lone Pine at a nice park where we met a hippie couple named Diva and Bram who were quite friendly. Then we headed into the Alabama Hills to check out Mobius Arch and the interesting landscape around there. There’s even a rock that’s heart-shaped! Meowmy drove down some bumpy dirt road until we found a spectacular overnight spot with a view of the Eastern Sierra mountain range and Mount Whitney, which is the highest summit in the contiguous United States! Meowmy made friends with other boondockers named Younghee and Willie hanging around a campfire, while I chased little mice around. Meowmy & I really loved it there and can’t wait to come back!
The next morning we took off for Bishop, where Meowmy had a delicious sandwich from Schat’s Bakery. From there we headed to Bakersfield to meet up with another college friend named Mike, who took Meowmy to a nice basque dinner. After a peaceful night’s rest, we drove passed the infamous James Dean Memorial Junction as we headed back to Paso Robles for another visit with Heather, and then we headed home the next morning.
Another great trip for this adventure kitty!
The Bay Area RV Life group went camping at Anthony Chabot Regional Park at the end of February and it was a fun weekend! There was a total of 14 humans on 6 campgrounds that met up to enjoy this huge 3,314-acre park in Castro Valley, including my pet friends Michi and Tennessee. There was a pot luck dinner around a bonfire and I got to roam around the woods. Even though it was chilly night, it was sunny and warm both days making it the perfect weekend getaway. Before heading home, Meowmy, Jesse, and Jojie took a hike to Lookout Ridge where there’s a beautiful view of Lake Chabot. There’s so many amazing places in the Bay Area to explore so I hope Meowmy takes me on more weekend camping trips like this!
At the end of January, Meowmy and I took a lovely trip down to Southern California for a week. We headed down Highway 101 towards Santa Barbara, stopping for the night at Arroyo Hondo Vista Point between Gaviota and Goleta. It’s a perfect overnight spot on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where we watched a beautiful sunset and met a local van dweller who stays there often.
After a nice stroll down to the beach, we continued South with quick stops in Santa Barbara and Emma Wood State Beach, just North of Ventura. We saw a lot of beach front RV campgrounds between Carpinteria and Faria Beach too, something to note for future trips. Then we headed to Aliso Creek Rest Area, a popular overnight stop a few miles after San Onofre State Beach and ten miles North of Oceanside. Meowmy highly recommends getting there before 8pm because it’s fill up quickly, despite being a fairly large rest area with a lot of parking. Meowmy took me for a long walk around the big park, I even climbed some trees and made some new human fans that took photos of me. Due to it’s busy nature, this rest stop can be quite noisy at night with all the traffic coming through, especially the big rig trucks.
The next morning we headed to Fiesta Island for the San Diego Vanlife Connections Meetup. We were one of the first ones there so we got a nice spot with a view of Mission Bay. Over 100 vans and RV’s showed up that day for a fun and successful meetup! Meowmy made a lot of new friends and many people liked our turn-key solution rig. There were a lot of great van builds to see and the night ended with a bon fire. A bunch of vanners decided to overnight outside the Fiesta Island gates, but it was pretty busy that night, so we didn’t stay there. We heard that you could overnight at Ocean Beach Park as it’s only closed from 2-4am but Meowmy thought it looked a bit shady, so we headed to the San Diego Zoo, where we heard you can overnight in the parking lot without any trouble. What a peaceful place to spend the night!
Our fourth day consisted of driving back North to Westlake Village where Meowmy visited with her best friend from college. Lisa took us on her pontoon on Westlake Lake and I enjoyed watching all the ducks and birds. We spent the night in Agoura Hills, then took off to visit Kyna, the lead singer of the band The Go Ahead that Meowmy manages. They went out bar hopping in the historic Montrose downtown area where some movies have been filmed while I lounged in the RV.
We took off for Grover Beach the next morning to visit JC and Carly who just had a baby, then headed to Paso Robles where Meowmy went cider tasting with her friend Heather and we spent the night watching the amazing Super Blue Moon. The next morning we headed home. What a great week!
During our Thanksgiving Trip, Meowmy went to the Portland Japanese Garden on an overcast day while I slept in the rig. She took some beautiful pictures of the foliage and said she absolutely loved strolling for a few hours through the whole garden, enjoying all the different toros (garden lanterns), the groomed bonzai trees, the bamboo stalks, asymmetrical ponds, zen gardens, and stepping stones throughout the different levels. There was even a display of gorgeous kimonos for her to see! I do remember her saying that she wished she came earlier in the autumn to see more of the bright red and orange fall colors as only a few trees and bushes still had their vibrant leaves. Did you know that a traditional Japanese garden consists of six key elements? They are water, rocks, trees and flowers, bridges and fences, stone lanterns and water basins, and fish! Meowmy definitely saw all of those on her journey through this sunning garden that is worth seeing if you’re ever in the Portland area. I hope you enjoy the collage we put together for you!
When Meowmy got invited to Vancouver, WA for Thanksgiving by her close friends, she jumped on the chance to drive up Highway 101 again to see her beloved Oregon Coast. Turns out our buddy Chris and his kitty Michi were heading to Portland at the same time, and so the plan to caravan together came into play.
We left the Bay Area on a beautiful Saturday morning and headed up towards Northern California with a quick stop at Cherry Creek Rest Stop (aka Irvine Lodge in Mendocino County), then a nice detour and lunch stop along the Avenue of the Giants near Myers Flat. All those tall redwood groves were spectacular to see, there was even one tree that looked like it had a door in it!
We were lucky enough to enjoy a spectacular sunset near Moonstone County Park, where Meowmy and Chris made a steak and asparagus dinner while Michi and I explored the cliff area. Then we headed to Trinidad Rest Area off the highway, which is a nice forest-adjacent rest area without a lot of traffic noise.
After a morning stroll in the Trinidad forest, we headed North to the Oregon coast with a lovely rest at Harris Beach State Park in Brookings and quick lunch at Natural Bridges in the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor.
That night we found a gem of an overnight spot near Coos Bay, where there’s this little speck of BLM land called Bastendorff Beach, which is approximately 2 miles west of Charleston and has fantastic sunset views with Cape Arago Lighthouse off in the distance. Sadly Meowmy fell stepping out of our rig that night due to a precarious step and hit the back of her head on a rock, which gashed her scalp open pretty good. Luckily the bleeding stopped and she didn’t have a concussion!! It was a scary moment for me and our caravanning friend Chris, but it all turned out ok and the doctor said it would heal fine.
After a quick pit stop at Cook’s Chasm to see Thor’s Well and Spouting Horn, we ended up in Manzanita where there’s a whole stretch of road along the beautiful beach. Turns out the cops are really nice in this town, knocking on all the vehicles after sunset to let them know that you can’t overnight within the city limits, but also letting us know that the city limit ends just further down the same road. Nothing beats waking up to an amazing beach view, even if it was misty the next morning!
Being that it was our last day en route to Vancouver WA, Meowmy didn’t mind the wind and rain, stopping at Neahkahnie Viewpoint, Hug Point, Arcadia Beach, Silver Point, and lastly Cannon Beach, where she took a stroll all the way to Haystack Rock without another person in sight.
Stay tuned for Meowmy’s afternoon in Portland Japanese Garden coming soon!
People ask Meowmy all the time how she managed to potty train me. It’s important for me to point out that not all cats will accept this training and learn to use the toilet. It isn’t really normal for cats to go to the bathroom this way and some would say it goes against nature. So if your cat isn’t picking it up, don’t punish them or force them to do it. I also think it’s important to train your felines when they are a kittens, as it’s always harder to teach an old cat new tricks. Meowmy used a cat toilet training kit by CitiKitty, a product featured on Shark Tank, and I was 6 months old when she started the training with me.
The first step is to place the litter box next to the toilet, mainly to associate that room as the place to go for peeing and pooping. It helps to have a dedicated bathroom/toilet for this training as well so you don’t have to move the CitiKitty when humans are using the toilet.
Secondly, you place the CitiKitty Training Seat on the rim of your toilet basin, lower the lid, and fill the training seat with litter. The litter is used to attract your cat to the training seat. Your cat will then use the training seat just like they use their regular litter box. I recommend buying flushable litter too, like the kind that is made out of paper.
After one week or so, remove the first ring in the center of the training seat. This will allow your cat’s waste to go into the toilet. Don’t be surprised that litter will also fall into the toilet, hence why using flushable litter is important.
Continue to remove the rings as your cat adjusts to the widening center of the training seat. Your cat will begin to stand on the toilet seat for support as the hole in the training seat grows in size. Meowmy recommends removing a ring every two weeks.
When your cat is completely standing on the toilet seat and their waste is going into the toilet without accidents, remove the CitiKitty Training Seat from the toilet. You now have a toilet-trained cat!
Meowmy encouraged me using the toilet with treats after each time, so rewarding your cat helps with the training. Also, don’t be surprised if your cat resists at first or has some accidents during the training. I had three accidents during training where I missed the toilet, went on top of the toilet tank, and went next to the toilet. Like I mentioned before, it is not normal for us felines to go to the bathroom this way, so we may struggle a bit with the concept. Remember, don’t punish your cat if they have an accident. Meowmy was very patient and loving with me. Also, if your cat has problems adapting, or needs more training, the CitiKitty kit comes with an extra insert so you can start the process over again.
If you want the cat to use multiple toilets, you may have to train them using the CitiKitty kit on each toilet. Though some cats like myself will understand that a toilet is a toilet and use any toilet. I used the RV toilet once we started going on trips, though it’s a bit smaller and I have a harder time balancing on the seat.
Here’s a video of me using the home toilet, and another one of me using the RV toilet, in case you want to see how well trained I am!
You can buy CitiKitty on their website, or if you’re an Amazon Prime member. It costs $29.99 on both sites. There’s also multiple packs available for those homes with multiple cats that need training.
One final thought — humans, be sure to look before you sit! Meowmy almost sat on me once in the middle of the night. Luckily I hadn’t started yet, so I jumped off just in time!!
I should note that I mostly do my business outside these days. I prefer to dig a hole and then cover it up. But I know that if I’m locked inside, I can use the toilet.
Meowmy and I took a two week trip to the Pacific Northwest back in August and it was one amazing journey! We traveled north to Oregon and Washington along Highway 101 and then worked our way east to Seattle, then south to the Vancouver, WA, and Portland area, then into the Oregon wine country, the Columbia River Gorge, and finally home along the Interstate-5. I got to see so many wonderful places, met some amazing people, even “hung out” with two dogs, and watched the sun get eclipsed by the moon!! I also figured out how to get extremely comfy in Meowmy’s lap while she drove our home on wheels and never needed to grab on with my claws. As much as the trip was a lot of fun and I got to explore cool places, it’s good to be home and back in my neighborhood. I hope you enjoy all the beautiful photos of our journey, Meowmy really likes to capture all the wonderful moments and places we saw!
The road trip started with a few stops in Northern California along the coast. Meowmy heard about Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, but was disappointed that most of the glass is gone. You have to walk a mile or so north or south to find glass. Further north is Westhaven-Moonstone, which is a lovely community on the cliffs with spectacular views. We spent the night at the Trinidad Rest Area, a rest stop along the forest and far enough away from 101 to not hear the freeway traffic, making it a decent overnight spot with some exploring opportunities in the trees. False Klammath was our last stop in California, before crossing into Oregon.
The Oregon Coast is absolutely incredible with so many places to explore! Due to our travel schedule, we couldn’t stay too long but saw quite a bit over our two day trek. First we hit the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, which is just breath-taking, full of great places and vista points to stop at such as Harris Beach State Park, Whaleshead Viewpoint, Natural Bridges Viewpoint, and Arch Rock Picnic Area. Then we worked our way up Highway 101, past many other state parks, quaint beach towns, historic lighthouses, and beautiful recreational sites, including stops at Myers Creek Beach, Sisters Rock State Park, Humbug Mountain State Park, Battle Rock Wayside Park, Cape Blanco State Park, and Bullards Beach State Park.
We spent a good amount of time in the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area near Yachats to see Thor’s Well, the Spouting Horn, and Cook’s Chasm, and even spent the night Neptune State Park despite the Day-Use Only sign, tucked away in the corner under some trees.
The next day we stopped at Devil’s Churn, Little Creek Cove Scenic Point & Seal Rock, Yaquina Head, Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area, Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, and Manzanita. It was just breathtaking and both Meowmy and I fell in love with the state! Meowmy even found her dream house in the gorgeous little beach town of Manzanita, and we both wished we could have stayed longer.
Knowing that time was limited and we had to reach our overnight spot south of Forks, WA, we didn’t have a chance to stop at more places in Northern Oregon, including the famous Cannon Beach. Instead, we drove over the Astoria-Megler Bridge into Washington, stopped real quick at the Dismal Nitch Rest Area, then heading north past the Quinault Reservation. Along Highway 101, there’s this cool spot Meowmy found last year with a beautiful cliff view of the Pacific Ocean, so we raced against the sun and made it there just before it got dark. There were two other vehicles in this awesome overnight spot, which led to us making friends with Matt & Pat from Seattle and Lennon & Dillon from Arizona. Together we enjoyed the most magical views of stars and the Milky Way you can image (no light pollution), and even witnessed the end of the Perseid Meteor Shower! The next day we stopped at Kalaloch & Ruby Beach, Forks (made famous by Twilight movies, and Lake Crescent, with a quick stop at La Poel day use area, though no RV’s per sign). Meowmy wished we had gone to La Push, but missed out on this trip due to time.
After passing through Port Angeles, we worked my way over to Kitsap County via the Hood Canal Bridge to meet up with a cat owning van dweller named J.P. we met through the United West Coast Vandwellers Facebook Group. He told us about Kitsap Memorial State Park, which is a beautiful park along the water with nice showers and campsites. After Meowmy enjoyed a nice early bird dinner at The Point Casino & Hotel, J.P. showed up a fabulous overnight spot with a secluded beach overlooking the Hood Canal between Port Gamble and Hansville. We watched the most spectacular sunset I’ve ever seen!
The next day, we headed to Point No Point Lighthouse in Hansville, where we met a cool lady named Mimi and her dog. Then I got to take my first ferry boat ride over the Puget Sound from Southworth to Fauntleroy! We headed to Alki Beach, which is very boondocking friendly, where we enjoyed another beautiful sunset. From Alki Beach we headed to Seattle, where we met up with Meowmy’s high school friend Lou who lives on Queen Anne Hill. We parked at Kerry Park, which is known for it’s amazing view of the Seattle skyline.
Saying good-bye to Seattle and the Puget Sound wasn’t easy, but we needed to head South to Vancouver / Portland area, where Meowmy met up with some good friends who moved here a few years back, ate some delicious food at Tidbit Food Farm and Garden, went cider and ginger beer tasting at Portland Cider House and Rachel’s Ginger Beer, and enjoyed a local Vancouver farmer’s market.
From there we headed through Oregon wine country to McMinnville where we watched something called a total eclipse, which was really eerie and amazing at the same time! The air got cooler, everything went quiet and dark, there were even these things called shadow snakes that happened right before and after the corona. What a spectacular experience, plus I played with a dog.
Our next stop was the Columbia River Gorge where we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls Overlook, Wahkeena Falls, Multnomah Falls, and Horsetail Falls, then headed into Cascade Locks to an overnight spot we found on Freecampsites.net.
The next morning we dumped our tanks for free at Hood River Waste Water Plant, then headed to Maryhill, WA, where there’s a full-scale replica of Stonehenge built as a WWI Memorial. We continued down the Lewis and Clark Memorial Highway with great views of the Columbia River and stopped at Horsethief Butte, Coyote Wall, and Beacon Rock. We passed the famous Bridge of the Gods and Bonneville Dam along the way, as well as the overnight spot Meowmy boondocked at last year near the railroad tracks.
Satisfied with our Columbia River Gorge exploration, we headed South on Interstate 5 through Portland, Salem, Eugene, and Grants Pass, and ended up at Valley of the Rogue State Park outside Medford, which turned out to be a great overnight spot, though it was a bit smoky from the fires burning in the Cascade Mountains. Meowmy let me roam around a lot of the park before we headed off the sleep on our last night of this incredible PNW journey. Waking up to even smokier air from the Oregon fires, we headed home over Mount Ashland, through Weed by Mount Shasta, and finally passed Shasta Lake after a quick stop at Castle Crags State Park (which doesn’t allow RV’s to scenic vista point or camping area). It was a long day of driving, but we finally made it home to the San Francisco Bay Area and I was happy to see all my neighborhood friends.
For a fun end to this long post, I wanted to share all my crazy poses in the RV and Meowmy’s lap. Thanks for reading and following along on our #rvlife adventures!
Back in late July, we had a Van/RV Meetup in Alviso Marina County Park. Surprisingly, this was the first time Meowmy has been in Alviso despite living 20 minutes away most of her life! It was great to meet some new South Bay full-time vandwellers (Jim, Barbara-Lynn, and Linda & her dog Tennessee) and bond over a great potluck lunch with some regulars (Jesse, Jojie, Nate, Chris, Chrystal and Hunter & their dog Spaceman)! Since it was hot out, half the crew ended up at our house for a pool party, as well as some fun VR demos.
Meowmy and I took a week long trip to Lake Tahoe and the Eastern Sierra back in June. We saw so many beautiful places and explored a bunch of lakes in the region. Meowmy even swam in all but one of the lakes, even though they were really cold! I’m pretty sure she loves to swim and doesn’t mind the cold water. We also had some engine trouble en route to Bridgeport, but we met the nicest mechanic in this small town the fixed the coil pack on the 7th cylinder and we were back on the road a few hours later. Did I mention I walked on snow!!! It’s this white fluffy stuff on the ground in the mountains. At first I didn’t understand what this white, cold, and wet substance was but Meowmy tried to explain it to me and said it falls from the sky when it’s really cold out, kind of like solid rain. I even left the state of California and officially been in Nevada where there’s lots of neon lights and something called gambling. Uncle Eric had met up with us by then and I heard him and Meowmy talking about losing money on black jack. I hope you enjoy all the pics of our journey into this beautiful area that we need to explore more in the future.
Hot Creek Geological Site & Pulkey’s Pool (aka Hilltop Hot Spring):
Back on April 29th, Meowmy took me to another RV Meetup, this time at Marina Green in San Francisco. We met a few new vanners named Stephen and Rob and a lovely lady named Kim that lives in a School Bus! It was a gorgeous day in the city and the park was bustling with people.
The group played frisbee and drank some beers, plus Jesse got his kite out which Meowmy flew like a pro (even though it was her first time flying a kite)! After much debate, Nathan and Meowmy decided the kit was a Power Ranger, but due to his resemblance to Gene Simmons from the band KISS, they named the kite Gene and let him fly tied to a chair. It was fairly entertaining watching Gene fly, almost crashing into the parking lot and few times!
Last month Meowmy took me to Crissy Field Beach in San Francisco for two meetups. The first one was an impromptu one on Thurs March 9. It was a beautiful day with some minor winds and I got to meet Finding Simon, a photographer from Ottawa, Canada living in an old camper van exploring the world and vlogging about his travels. He was there with his dog Champ, another van dweller, and our buddy Jesse, who’s organizes the SF Bay Area RVLife Mobile Chapter. We enjoyed the beach and a potluck dinner with a gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Simon took this amazing photo of the bridge at night with all its lights reflecting on the water. He also posted a cool video of his day in San Francisco, which shows the potluck dinner and Meowmy at the way end.
A few weeks later on Sun March 26, we drove up to the same spot for Nathan’s Van Coronation with the SF Vanabonds. Approximately 10 vans & RV’s showed up for this get-together and it was cool to see the progress some of the van dwellers did on their rigs. Meowmy got to show off our new kitty backpack in which I look like a space kitty. It was a huge hit! Not sure I’m sold on the backpack idea, but I know it’s a safe way for me to be outside when there’s a lot of people and dogs around. At least I look cool in it, so that’s a plus! On a side note, Meowmy also takes me on her bike rides in the blue backpack.
I keep telling my human that we’re due for a longer trip. I think she’s coming up with a plan to go somewhere in June for a week or two. She often mentions how pretty the Eastern Sierras are so hopefully that’s where we will go. I’ll keep you all posted.
Meows and purrs to all our readers. We just hit 1000 Instagram followers and the account grows daily!!! I’ve heard cats are popular on the internet, even though I’m not sure what that is…
This past Sunday, Meowmy drove us to Baywinds Park in Foster City for an SF Vanabonds & SF Bay Area RVLife Mobile Chapter Meetup. From what I understand, this area is well-known for windsurfing and it’s right along the Mariners Point Golf Center. It was cool to see so many people that live in their vans and truck campers! There was a few dogs there on leashes, so I mainly stayed in the grassy area and in a bush while Meowmy chatted with everyone. I got to look inside a few of the vehicles and it was pretty neat to see them all lined up in a row with everyone checking out everyone else’s rig. We made a lot of new friends, including Dan, a former wrestler from Michigan living in a van, and Anastacia and Trevor, who make awesome grilled cheese sandwiches at Burning Man, plus there was talk about meeting up monthly, which is pretty exciting.
