#GoodMorning #Folks! Wow, did I sleep like a log last night… I had the pitter patter of #rain playing the drums on #TheMillenniumFalcon’s roof while the constant roar of #rapids from the #river below played in the background… There is nothing like it… Nothing at all but the real thing…

Here’s my #campsite… It’s so breath taking, you don’t even know… I highly recommend this site and it’s free… Utter seclusion, from people that is, while you are kept company by all of #MotherNature’s children…

But enough dilly dallying… The Millennium Falcon was not in a good spot to #park… It wasn’t level at all and there was a spot behind me that looked very appealing… I will be staying in the same campsite, I just need to adjust The Millennium Falcon so I’m not walking at a constant lean for the rest of my life…

Here’s the spot I want to back into but there were two #robins, the male and female, looking for #worms, as you can see… I actually witnessed the male picking one up and gobbling it down… The male is on the right… You can tell because he has the brighter, prettier feathers, which the males usually have in the bird kingdom so they can attract a mate…

I couldn’t disturb this determined couple as they searched for #food, probably for their young in a #nest close by… I seem to always run into Robins everywhere I go… I don’t know if this is because there are so many of them around here or it’s some sort of a message… I’m keeping my mind open to everything, regardless of how crazy it sounds… As I get older I realize how much we really don’t know… Sure we have books and books trying to explain our #existence but let’s face it, we don’t have a fucking clue…

So I did like a ten point turn… God it is hard maneuvering her in such tight spaces… You have to constantly get out and check that you are not hitting something or driving off a #cliff, God forbid…But I got her back into the spot, stacked the pyramid leveling blocks so they were three blocks high and backed her onto them… As you can see on my level, which is on my dash board, I got pretty close… Considering the ground was wet and the blocks were sinking into the ground, this was close enough… If it was way off, then I would either try hoisting another #tire along with this one or just add more height to the blocks… It’s really simple to figure out but hard to master, as you can see…

So now the #vehicle was leveled, it was time to hunt for some #firewood… Now it was still very damp out and #raining here and there… So finding some somewhat dry #wood was very important…

Right across the river it looked like they were clearing an area for another #campsite… And, what do ya know, there was plenty of firewood… Now I know if it will be somewhat wet but when you stack the wood, it dries out easily and doesn’t get saturated with water like the logs on the ground… So all I needed to do was get across the #river and find myself a good, sturdy, small #log that was stacked on another…

The problem is, how the hell do I get across this stream? Now I could go up to the #road and just cross the #bridge and make my way to the other side, but what fun is that? This was a challenge and I was up to it!

So, here was my first option… It looked like a good one but if I slipped, I would be swimming and it’s just too early for such mishaps, especially since my injured foot was almost fully healed…

Then there were the #rocks and #boulders I could hop from one to another but the problem here was, the #stream was so violent that every #path I found across had at least one area that was channeling the aggressive #water… Way too dangerous and I was not trying to get wet here…

Every path I looked for around the #camp area was not feasible… Remember the rocks are slippery also and even with my so-called waterproof #HikingBoots, it was too dangerous to try and cross… So it was time to go for a little #hike and see if I can cross…

But first I decided to use that thing between my ears and prevent a possible disaster… Which is my ass falling into those #rapids with my #iPhone in my pocket… So I went into my #RV and got a ziplock bag… Better safe than sorry and just because I have insurance on this phone, doesn’t mean I would want to go through the timely, aggravating process of picking up a new one and having to reprogram it… That would take up to a full day at least, I guarantee it…

So I made my way up river and immediately saw this crossing… But the problem with the log crossing is, there is nothing to hold onto and the log is slippery from the rain… So I continued on, looking for another spot…

Here I found someone had stacked some rocks… Now I heard that #MountainClimbers use this to tell the other mountain climbers that there is a good trail to climb in that location… I don’t know if this was what this camper intended but the path was no longer good, as you can see… The river was way too strong as it tried to expel 3 days worth of rain…

Up river showed no promising #crossing so I decided to head down river… Here is The Millennium Falcon from the river’s view…

Jack pot! Here was an uprooted #tree from one of last year’s #storms and it made a perfect crossing because it laid right next to another tree that I could hold onto as I crossed… If I was still a kid, I would have been over there already… But I’m not taking any chances after that huge spill on the #MountainBike… That was #nature telling me “You better respect or you are going to get hurt…” Well, Ima listening!

A successful endeavor indeed! I had to straddle the log in some places but I got to the other side… You can barely see The Millennium Falcon hiding in the woods across the stream…

And the prize folks… Only problem was that most of these logs were way too big… I really had to hunt for the right one but if you can see the log in the center, right… It was perfect for my #fire… But now I need to get that thing back over to the other side… I sure as hell couldn’t carry that fucker while crawling across the fallen tree…

So I found the most narrow spot, stepped on a secure #boulder close to the middle of the stream and flung the son of a bitch over to the other end… It ended up getting a little wet but I got it over there… The first picture is from the other side of the stream and the second is when I made it back over… Then I just picked up the log and carried it back to camp…

So, now the log was on the fire but there was no fire to burn. It was now 4pm and I wanted to start the fire early… I knew it was going to take some time and effort considering it was so damp…

Now, I don’t know where the hell I learned this but I saw this tree (I think it’s #birch) and knew it was perfect to start a #fire… I think I saw it on some #survival or #NatureShow… I used to watch a lot of t.v. #folks and I love #nature shows… Probably my #soul trying to tell me I need to be out in the #wild… Finally I listened…

But for some unexplained reason I do know that this crap #burns like #gasoline and no matter how much it rains, it pretty much stays dry… If it isn’t dry enough, you just put a bunch of it in your pocket and it will eventually dry out enough to light… It doesn’t take much and as you can see in the picture to your right, it lights up like crazy…

So, it took me about a half hour to get the fire blazing but as you can see, I was successful… Not bad in this damp weather…

I immediately started #cooking because a #drizzle started to #fall and I was afraid this fire wasn’t going to last long… So I cooked up one of my hearty meals… ate… then sat back and enjoyed the fire…

I was enjoying the fire so much, when it started to come down a little heavy, I just put my hoody on… There is nothing like sitting out by the fire you created… I blasted some classic radio out of the #RV, #smoked a little and just sat memorized by the burning #beast… Sitting by the fire is like meditation for me… My mind wanders to all kinds of places, some not thought about in a long time…

You see, a #campfire is a #ceremony because you are essentially #burning the #dead… #Trees have souls also, you know… Contrary to what we believe, we are not king of this #earth because trees have had this earth conquered long before we got here… We can’t kill them all because we rely on them so much… How can a #beast so strong and sturdy not have a soul? Not only do they provide us with beauty, smell and fresh, clean air… They provide for us in #death just as much with fires, #shelter or just a place to sit your ass… I am so glad I get to have ceremony after ceremony with this mighty beast… For every campfire is different… Stacked differently… Burns differently… Has its peaks at different times… Because each #log has a different soul and every soul burns in it’s own way…

With that said, I picked up my trash like #HootyTheOwl told me to… I remember this guy from #childhood… He wasn’t as famous as #SmokeyTheBear but he held his own peddling his #forest safety to the youth… I still remember him anyways… Don’t know if I got his name right though… lol.

I walked over to the stream to admire it once more before I called it a #night… I was feeling very at #peace tonight… The radio was playing Floyd and Zeplin as I danced around the campfire… I felt all the #spirits around me and the peace nature provides… Why I don’t seek out this feeling more often in life is beyond me… This feeling could never get redundant or boring…

And look who was waiting for me inside… I momentarily forgot it was #shower night until I took off my coat and got a good whiff of myself… Ewe… So, I hopped in for a nice, short hot shower… Absolutely amazing how it feels… I don’t think I have ever appreciated a shower as much as I do now… I actually stop and enjoy the #ritual instead of rushing to my next task… Thank you, whoever, for such a spectacular, peaceful day… Now for some #TwilightZone and a good nights sleep…