Devils Tombstone

Camping at Devils Tombstone was a success.  I rolled in a little after 10 pm and families were already nestled into their campsites. Scattered glows of campfires beneath the dense forest canopy.  I decide to park my bike behind a large sign on the edge of the entrance parking lot, so that my bike isn't easily seen.  I first get my camo tarp draped, so I can conceal my headlamp while I get the tent tied to my bike.  I crawl inside the tent and try to close my eyes, but I can hear the strolling voices of some Irish tourists. Or at least I like to assume they are.  I'm set up between the sign and a park bench, other benches are scattered about 100 feet from one another on a large picnic area.  Some late night campers gather at one of the neighboring tables to discuss how their sons look just like them, how easily it would be for them to go down the wrong path at any moment in their youth, how much that scares them, and to smoke heavily on some weed which the fathers are passing amongst themselves.  I find the whole thing very endearing.  One of them says "is that a motorcycle over there?" My front tire pokes out from the front of my tarp.  I'm ready to shank anyone who approaches my tent.  They realize someone is probably sleeping g under that mess of tarp, and they ease up on their flashlights and conversation to make their way back to their accommodations.  I again try to shut my eyes.  The sounds of buzzing and cricketing and chirping things roars all night in this Catskills land.  I wake up at 2am to what I think might be a growling animal a ways off.  I imagine a yogi bear coming to scrounge for picnic scraps, hoping it doesn't smell nor desire my richly odorous "Parmigiano Reggiano" naturally imported from Italy. I think the store was trying to move it off the shelves because it was so cheap.  Got to love those markdowns.  My 5am alarm was too early so I reset t for 6 and then consecutively 7, and that's when the Asian tourists rolled up, and I finally succumbed to the warming of the morning and a committal to rolling up my camp.  I whisked off a couple friendly little 8 legged wayward hitchikers from the motorcycle, and I utilized my picnic bench for breakfast. Devils Tombstone was a success.

DirtyFree 2016: Road Trip

Ive been in NYC for two weeks, namely enjoying my "visitor" status, and wrapping up, or at least trying to wrap up some loose ends.  Don't you just love loose ends?  Stuffing keepsakes into a large green Seabag to mail home, and whether or not to mail home a game of Settlers of Catan, or bring it with me on the road.  Life's pending questions.

       It's sunny and hot as hell back in California right now, and the east coast has been some rain, mostly nice, and now the humidity and thunderstorms are upon me.  I had this whole week cut out to take off, and I'm fairly ready with everything, but dealing with utilities that are in my name, and a good day to cut out between the days of eastern seaboard thunderstorm.  See I'm headed right along the route of traveling storm, from Brooklyn to Boston.  Thats how the clouds like to flow.  That's my first leg.  I'll be camping at Provincetown, MA before I get to Boston, cause I wanna cozy up with the folks who live where the Pilgrims landed.  And I hear they know how to "get down."  The drinks will flow.

In the meantime, I'm sitting on the couch, next to two pairs of fresh underwear and socks that I just folded, and they're about to get stuffed into my gear.  I was able to compile a simple set of minimalist gear for this trip, granted I don't have too many 0 degree nights, I'm mainly layering small for compactness.  Here's what my items consist of:
*Hammock
*Mosquito Net
*Tarp
*Spring sleeping bag 50deg
*Waterproof bivy sack, compact & light.
*Tent:  (I tailored a tent to make it much smaller.)
*Cowboy Duster coat, full-length, freshly waxed
*Guitar: I go everywhere with my Martin Mini.  I sewed extra pockets on to it for all my nicknacks.
*Stove: the size of a mug.
*Tools: fits into pouch top of my forks.
*Oil filter, and Primary oil (the good stuff).
*anything else I can stuff into cracks and crevices, probably more tools.

And that's about it!  My rig is fairly light and I love that.  Because the less I feel I have to lift with my left leg, the better.  Lucky for me, the two days I rode around on the bike, the leg rode great, and actually liked its riding position.

Two weeks ago I did a maiden voyage, 3 months from my Knee busting, and finally reunited with my bike.  I leisurely rode down to Rockaway Island, and did the whole little spit from Fort Tilden and Rockaway Point, down along Atlantic Beach, Long Beach and out to Jones Beach.  That's when the rains finally caught up to me.  I had been doing a good job of staying in front of them and under the bluish sky, but it was finally as far as I was gonna go that day.  I had a nice slow trafficy ride back to Brooklyn in the steady rain.  There was a good amount of splitting lanes cause that shit can get pretty ridiculous at times.  But I got home, and I felt great that my leg performed nicely, maybe an ache here and there, but over all, I felt ready to get this puppy on that long adventure to the west coast, via the Northern States.  I've been stoked about doing this for a long time.  I'll write periodically from the road.  But in the meantime, that's my digs, and I hope to see and hang with great peeps all across my route.

See you on the Road.

J.W. Dirty and Free.