http://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm
I returned to the van and ate my poorboy sandwich (yes it was actually called that) and we followed the rim around occasionally stopping to gaze in awe of the spectacle.
When we reached the highest point the road edge disappeared and there we were with no barrier and a sheer cliff edge a foot away from the vans tires. Needless to saying we were all bricking it, but if you haven't guessed we made it round. Unfortunately the campground near to the lake Mamza village was fully booked so we set off for pastures new. Union Creek was our unfortunate decision where a tap was a luxury and we picked the worst spot imaginable, as far away from the toilet and bins as possible. It was made worse when a local walking her dog claimed the campground was pristine, BS! The boys set up the tent and I went and paid (with Pennys money, Bear Grills rule #76 No cash machines in the wilderness.) I say tent but it was more like a mosquito net with a small awning, it would keep the rain off but allowed the wind in, not good for camping at height but all our budget could afford. In the evening the campground flooded with smoke and made my several trips to the ammenities unpleasant. The one saving grace was the creek.
After a BBQ dinner expertly prepared by Pen we played card drinking games around the fire and managed to polish off our full supply of booze in one sitting.
Savage vommed alot including mid sentence and I slept in the tent. To my entertainment I woke to find I had written drunken notes, which included:-
*Message sister about Mardy Bum (a favourite song of ours)
*Get Stoney to message Scissor Sisters with respect for canning album (that they spent 18months writing and recording) because they didn't believe in it, you'd be proud.
*If I get the right to a funeral I want Norb (my younger bro) standing on my coffin playing knocking on heavens door with an electric guitar.
And my favourite
*Slept in tent, h8 it Bear Grills head.
Contrary to this I was comfortable, warm and slept well.
The next day we left at 8am for Lake Shasta in California, very tired and very hung over and having miscalculated the distance an easy two hour drive turned into a four and a half hour epic. We drove through the town of weed, and had to stop and it genuinely was a hippy establishment, very funny. We got to a camp ground on the edge of Lake Shasta and cooled off with a swim, and enjoyed nature and cards until the evenings entertainment arrived. A hick family complete with tatooed oldies, children playing in the road, bull dogs fighting or getting over by drunk hick sons on motorbikes and heavy boozing but heavier arguing. We carried on playing cards and I tried to convince Savage that his eyes were further apart than his nipples, to my delight he measured. I made a Chilli which was so so as we could only cook it once and not let it mellow in its flavours over a few hours. We went for another swim, this time at a secluded spot and for no reason other than reporting it I swam a big rock across the creek, my competitive nature being either to win or drown, I won! After the swim I took a while to think about life and I realised that my impatience is a problem, I struggle to sit still and on several occasions of down time I cracked on and started the dinner/fire hours before I should have and we have nothing to do after. I must also note my thanks to Savage (and earlier in the tour Penny) for allowing me to hijack his phone for un-travel related reasons (girls).
Also some other realisations I had during my wilderness downtime is that nothing stays the same and as we grow our priorities and feelings change, friendships and relationships falter, restructure or become more cohesive, people can and generally do come and go but we must live in the now and plan for the future the best we can. Although in the same respect the future must be observed positively but never over planned as variety and spontaneity tend to be the moments of fondness and adventure that we recollect and regal of. Have goals, but not too many, have dreams but not too specific and if you look before you leap what you can achieve is limitless.
After my moments of Zen the band started up and Johnny son of a bitch next door decided to start scrapping with his dad and brother. Repeated shrieks of 'do you want to go back to jail' and 'you beat my mom infornt of me you bastard' echoed out into the otherwise still night. Then they started properly fighting, twighlight was turning to evening, a glowing moon had risen over us and the glow of the fire gave way to the backdrop of these people battering each other. Man on man, man on woman, goat on jew ( I think), as cries of get the gun or call the police came from which ever side was losing at that given point. Fortunately by this stage the children had been ushered away as it wasn't pleasant to watch......just entertaining. We felt helpless, with no signal and too drunk to drive (and especially after the last time I did the right thing I had my face rearranged) all we could do is watch it unfold and hope no-one was killed. Fortunately they finished with only death threats and by 10pm had all left in small groups. A full moon and a cloudless sky greeted their departure and created a light that outshone our lantern, and looked beautiful over the still lake (although the houseboats at the other end continued to party till late).
We returned to our site to see that Johnny son of a bitches sight had already been filled but they had managed to crash into the spot taking out a tree with them. Very funny, but I thought that that was a good time to call it a night and clambered back into the tent.
The ground was hard but the temperature nice so although I got a bad back, I got up early, read my book, went for a walk and prepared left over Chilli for lunch. We went skinny dipping, then swimming and I saw a Brown snake in the water next to Savage, no-one believed me till I got of the water as a precaution, then they moved. Back at the camp we played cards, I sucked and threw a hissy, then my chair, but fortunately while i was sitting out a few hands I managed to book the next four nights at Lake Tahoe. That night I tried to spray insect repellent but once again got a lungful. Our neighbours at the camp were two Californian couples in their senior working years but seemed to be having a great time, so I obviously perceived they were and dubbed them as the swingers. In the evening they gave us glow sticks and the materials to make smores, which was very kind, then I presume they went off to swing.
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