van

Catchin’ Some Crabs on the Oregon Coast

As I mentioned in the last post, while on the coast we’ve been on a mission to catch ourselves a crab dinner! And on the Oregon coast, we have primarily Dungeness, which is a meatier, sweeter crab than all the others. It’s YUMMY.

We’ve learned a bunch since we first dropped our rented crab pot over the 12th Street bridge in Seaside. And as we just attended the Crab Races in Garibaldi today—yes, that’s a real thing—this is an appropriate time to discuss what we learned and if we ever caught anything. So let’s talk crabs!

While we were in Seaside and Wheeler, we talked to loads of locals who were happy to share their knowledge with us. And here’s what we discovered about the best way to catch crab:

Drop your pots at high tide
Crab rings are the very best
Drop your pots at low tide
Crab traps are the very best
Always use only chicken for bait
Always use only fish carcasses for bait
Always use a combination of fish and chicken for bait
Never try for crabs after a storm
It’s best to try for crabs after a storm
. . .You can see where I’m going with this.

It’s likely that there’s a very best way to catch crabs all the time, every time. What we ended up liking best, after numerous trials, was a simple combination of a crab trap, chicken odds and ends and fish carcasses, and dropping our traps in whenever we felt like it—because you really just never know when a crab will be dropping by.

We left Wheeler with no luck, but right as we were leaving we met a guy who mentioned that if we were interested in some delicious crab and fantastic people-watching, that we should look into the Garibaldi Crab Races that were happening the following day. I said “WHAAAAAT? We’re going.”

So we did. But first, we had to stop at Hug Point, which we had passed by on our way north. If you’re driving by, do not miss this! We thought initially that it was a fair hike around the rocks to get there, but it takes all of 4 minutes. And it’s breathtaking!

Fun times were had by all—mostly Scout I think—in the driving rain and unpredictable blasts of wind! The Oregon coast is so wild and dramatic when it’s stormy.

Then we got to Garibaldi, and had to wait until the next day to see crabs race. So we parked near the marina, and dropped our pots off the pier.

We parked overnight in the misty parking lot there, after asking permission from a shop owner on the pier. He said people do it all the time, so we settled in for some coastal boondocking.

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast at Fisherman’s Korner, we headed to the Crab Races. They did not disappoint.

Six crab “coaches” volunteer to race a crab. They are allowed to coax the crab down the ramp any way they like, though the preferred method seems to be pounding the ramp, to get the crab to fall into the net at the bottom first. There are prizes, and varying categories for entries. Andy participated, but his crab was a real bum. He barely even moved, despite Andy’s superb coaching job.

They sold whole Dungeness crabs for just $10 each! We shared one, and took one for that night’s dinner too, in case we hadn’t caught anything in the meantime.

The good news is, that we DID catch one! And it just so happened to be a keeper. HOORAY!

The following night, we ate the freshest crab cakes you can ever imagine. A successful crabby weekend, and a happy way to wrap up our time on the coast, as we’re now headed inland on our way to Montana!

Let’s Refurbish a Van – Part 3: Tires (by Andy)

A Post by Andy

Maybe you noticed the tires. Maybe, like me, you love tires. We have fancy tires, and I would like to tell you all about them. Let’s start with what we had.

Pretty standard look for an 80’s era Class-C RV. The Turtle’s stock tire size was 215/85R16 on 8-bolt Ford rims. Single wheels in front, and dully rear.

We wanted to be able to go most everywhere, up dirt roads, over snowy passes, through water and mud, so we wanted a taller tire for more clearance, with an aggressive mud and snow tread. Also, as a general rule I am a fan of tall, skinny tires. Pizza cutters, some people refer to them as. Lots of trucks these days have big, fat tires, and they look pretty cool, but for most conditions they are less than ideal. I really like the Cooper A/T3 tread and have run it on other vehicles, so that was the choice for sure. As to the size: to get added clearance, a greater load rating, and to keep it nice and narrow, we went with 235/85R16.

Image source

The new tires are almost 32″ tall- a significant improvement over the stock height of about 30″- so we gain almost an inch of clearance with the new tires. Additionally the 235’s have a load rating of 3042 lbs per tire vs. 2680 lbs for a typical 215. The additional load rating does not increase the load we can carry, but it is just a stronger tire so they will live a long and happy life rolling along far below their load limit.

After selecting a tire and size, special consideration was given to the rims. It seemed reasonable to replace the 30 year-old rims, and due to the tire size change, this was actually necessary. You see, dual tires need an air gap between them to stay cool. The gap is a function of how wide the tires are, and the distance between the center of the rim and the plane where the rim bolts to the hub (a measurement called wheel off-set). Because the new tires chosen will be slightly wider, we needed rims with a greater offset, so we ordered 7 new rims with a 5.35″ offset (the old rims had a 5.15″ offset).

The rims actually lived in our house for many months before we were ready to get the tires. Though they did finally get their tires attached.

And they finally made it onto the Turtle.

Some additional touches included new lug nuts all around, and lug nut covers. We could only find the covers in stainless steel, so we ordered them, had the 32 brand new covers powder coated black for $40, and installed them. They add a nice, finished look, and will keep the threads clean too!

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You can see we have a nice narrow tread but a taller traction tire. I did add a 1/4″ wheel spacer for the front tires to cancel out the additional offset of the rims and preserve (within 0.05″) the stock wheel center line for the steering. Luckily, the front hub was just proud enough to accommodate that and still have the hub-centric wheels centered properly.

The spacing between the rear tires actually increased slightly. All in all, it really worked out pretty great. The new tires will keep us safely stuck to the road in all kinds of weather and terrain, and I sure think they look pretty nice too! Maybe someday we’ll get even bigger tires…

The Oregon Coast: Seaside

We’re almost all caught up here! Hooray! We’ve only just left Seaside, so one more post update and we’ll be reporting our adventures in real time again.

We left Astoria on Sunday the 21st with Lisa and Rhema and drove down to Seaside to have lunch before they headed back to Portland. After lunch at Seaside Brewing, Andy and I checked into the RV park where we’d be staying. We were treated to another day of unseasonably beautiful weather on the coast that lasted almost an entire week!

We were so pleased with our spot—the bright indoor pool, hot tub and sauna, and the bike-able proximity to town—that we decided to stay a while longer. Not to mention the fact that one of the main reasons we went back to Seaside instead of going north to Long Beach, WA, is that we’d had our hopes set high to catch some crabs, and we could get our in-state shellfish licenses if we stuck around!

We rented crab pots and rode our bikes up to the 12th Street bridge to drop them in.

If this isn’t evidence that Andy’s the cutest, then I don’t know what is. He duct taped a box onto his bike rack and wrote the tide tables on it, marked the minimum size for keeper crabs, and illustrated a reminder of the difference between the males and females. You can’t keep the ladies!

Halfway through our stay, Andy ordered some crab traps online so we could leave them in longer. With the rings, you’re supposed to check them every 20 minutes or so, but with the traps, if a crab comes in, he’s there to stay! Andy strapped them onto the crab box with bungee cords and we tried again.

This guy.

Throughout our stay, the locals were eager to share their advice on the best crab bait. Fish heads, chicken, squid, frozen turkey legs, cat food, herring. . . the list goes on, but we stuck with chicken. We were also told that this month has been especially bad for crabbing, proven by the fact that we didn’t see anyone catch any, despite all the traps hanging from the bridge. Sadly, we had no luck crabbing either, but we have high hopes for Wheeler! (That’s right, we’re heading south now. . . details to follow.)

Of course, the other appeal to Seaside is beach time. . .

Patio lunches at Seaside Brewery. . .

Outdoor kitty time. . .

The Wine and Beer Haus (they have Stone Ruination on tap, so Andy was a very happy camper!). . .

And having friends come to visit! Lisa and Rhema came to spend the weekend with us again, and we had a blast. Rhema climbed a huge rock.

Just kidding.

The wind was blowing like crazy on the beach!

Rhema gave us some pointers on throwing a frisbee golf putter. I’ve never seen anyone throw a frisbee as far as this guy can!

Every frisbee golfer could use a fetching-obsessed dog while practicing.

Lisa and I were cracking up watching Kona dig rows of holes!

When the weather turned stormy, we visited the Aquarium, played some Cribbage and Settlers in the Turtle, swam, shot some pool, and ate pizza. A great weekend!

Well, a mostly great weekend. When we got up on Sunday morning, Andy noticed that my bike had been stolen! Boooooo. I’m heartbroken. I loved that bike. And it feels so ratty to know some jerk was skulking around outside the Turtle while we slept. Grrr. 😦 Also, what gives?? First my phone and now my bike! *Sigh*

But we’re all still healthy, happy and active, so in the grand scheme of things, I suppose it’s a minor setback. Anyway, as a bike is a necessity for our lifestyle, we picked one up at the bike shop in town, so my heart will heal and I’ll still be able to get where I’m going. Plus, it’s purple!

The following weekend our friend Dan came up to visit with his friend Sarah. They stayed at the most charming hotel called Ashore. It’s quite small, but it has loads of accommodations. A small deep pool, a wet sauna, and a darling wine bar that stays open until 11pm! We enjoyed them all. Plus a night walk through town to check our traps and admire the little coastal homes.

We had breakfast at a place called The Firehouse Grill, and YUM! Perfect fluffy biscuits, fat strips of bacon, spicy sausage, fresh grilled veggies. . . wait, to be clear, I didn’t order all those things—we sampled each other’s breakfasts. It was a relaxing and enjoyable weekend; so fun to see Dan again, and great to meet Sarah! Thanks for coming up, guys! 🙂

We left that morning, which was yesterday, which means we’re all caught up here! We’re back at our middle-of-nowhere tent site outside Wheeler on our way to Montana. But more on that next time!

The Oregon Coast: Cannon Beach and Astoria

In our third installment of the Oregon Coast catch-up blogs, we begin our new day in the tent camping sites just south of Wheeler, Oregon. Gracie was running around outdoors, having the best time of her life since October, when she was a free range kitty.

The weather had turned from mild to stormy as we left the park and headed north toward Astoria. We had made plans with our friends Rhema and Lisa to spend the weekend near there at Fort Stevens State Park, so we moved slightly more quickly than normal along Hwy 101 to cover more ground. We did, however, have to make a quick stop on our way through Cannon Beach. While researching places to see along the coast, I’d discovered Cannon Beach Hardware and Public House, and we had to check it out. Plus we had a number of items on our hardware store list, so it was a win-win!

It’s an adorable little pub on one side, and a hardware store on the other. You can take your beer along with you while you shop, so of course we did! For lunch we shared the pastrami melt, after rave reviews from some of locals who informed us that they brine and smoke their pastrami in-house. The same people also highly recommended the meatloaf sandwich, but after having the pastrami melt we’re still going to have to get one again next time we’re there. Sorry meatloaf. It was just sooo freakin’ tasty!

We met Rhema, Lisa and Kona dog at Fort Stevens and got settled into our site for the evening. The following day, we drove into Astoria with a mission: to see the Astoria Column, get stickers and beers from both local breweries, visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum, and pick up some oysters to cook at the camp site. We did it all!

First we climbed the 164 steps to the top of the Astoria Column. The view is amazing from up there! Though my fear of heights made it a short trip for me. They sell glider planes at the gift shop that you can throw from the top, and there were a number of planes laying in the grass surrounding the column. We grabbed them and rebuilt them to see whose modified plane would fly farthest.

Rhema’s was the winner!

Lisa is not really a miniature person; it’s just the perspective. 🙂

We then went to Fort George brewery for a beer and clams, Andy and Lisa pegged their pants on a bet (just including that to explain a few upcoming photos), and then we were off to the Maritime Museum!

They had a rope-making demonstration set up, where you use the old tools to make your own rope! Gracie thanks Rhema and Lisa for letting us have the rope Lisa and Andy made; it’s a new favorite toy.

We also got to tour The Columbia, a ship that served as a floating lighthouse beginning in the 1950’s and was decommissioned in 1979.

Then we stopped by Buoy Brewery for some dinner and beers, and to see the adorable sea lions through the window in the floor to the pier. I wish I’d taken a photo! Since I still don’t have a phone, my photos are a compilation of the ones taken by Andy, Lisa, and Rhema, and none of us thought to take one of the sea lions! I also don’t have any photos of the delicious oysters from NWWP Fish Market that Rhema and Lisa made that evening. But they were so yummy! Lisa’s butter sauce was so tasty that Andy and I included the remaining butter in all our meals the following few days.

It was a great weekend! Thanks to Rhema and Lisa for making the trip out to see us, and of course thanks to Kona for putting up with us and wearing Andy’s hat. 🙂

The Oregon Coast: Manzanita and Wheeler

Where we last left the much-belated blog update, we were boondocking on a stormy cliff just north of Garibaldi. Not a typical Sunday morning in the old life! We keep talking about how funny it is that we’ve gotten used to not knowing where we are every morning when we wake up!

It was Valentine’s Day, and we spent it the best possible way—walking around and admiring the tinier towns on our way up the coast. We eventually made it to Manzanita, one of my favorite towns on the Oregon coast. We had lunch at a super-tasty Mexican restaurant called Left Coast Siesta. They are best known for their well-stocked hot sauce bar and display of over 500 hot sauce bottles, but I love going there for their enormous, yummy burritos.

He was commemorating Valentine’s Day with the heart, but he also loved the burrito. After lunch, we walked down the beach with Scout in the blustery wind and rain.

I was delighted to find the beach covered in Valentine’s love notes written in the sand! Some were sweet, and some were hilarious.

We packed the wet dog back into the Turtle and backtracked a bit to reach our RV site, just south of Wheeler. As we checked in, the manager saw our rig and said that due to our small size, we were welcome to stay in the tent camping sites if we wanted. And of course we did!

The tent camping sites followed a winding road into the trees, and there was not a single soul around. We had the whole place to ourselves, but still had water and electric hook-ups so Andy could work. The best part was that since we were so isolated and there was no traffic or other foreseeable dangers around, we got to see how Gracie would do on her own outside.

It was the best day she’d had in months! We were also so pleased to see how well she did. I thought with her first taste of freedom, she’d be gone for a whole day before coming back as she remembered her outdoor kitty roots, but she stuck right with us. She followed along on walks with Scout up all around the tent sites, and came running every time she was called. She would even race off with Scout when we’d throw the frisbee for him, and then follow him back after he caught it.

FREEDOM!

The other great part about this spot was that we were a quick 20 minute walk from Wheeler, so one night we walked into town and had some fish and chips and a few beers at the Tsunami Bar and Grill. Our bartender Justin was stellar! He gave us excellent suggestions on beer and food, and was friendly and attentive the whole time. Thanks Justin! (It’s been a while since we were there, so if I got your name wrong, I apologize!)

Additionally, due to our isolation, we could work on projects all day. While we did have some rain, a few days were clear enough to work outside and get the Turtle in ship shape. And as we saw how great Gracie continued to respond when called, she got to spend whole days outside. She’s like a whole new cat now!

Spoiler alert: We’re going to be back in this same spot in a few days! I’ll continue the expedient updates so we will soon be caught up to present day in Seaside, but in the meantime, here’s a picture of Scout trying to get us to play fetch with an enormous stick.

Scout and Gracie: First Class Co-Pilots

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope it was as relaxing and refreshing for you as it was for Andy and me. We drove the Turtle and spent Christmas day with two of my three sisters in Battle Ground, playing games and eating (and eating and eating, oof!) and playing with all 8 nieces and nephews who were present. We missed you others! We then urban camped in Portland so we could spend the rest of the weekend with friends, playing games and bowling. It was great.

I was so thrilled to receive a few requests for this next post—not only because it’s exciting that the blog is really keeping us connected to our family and friends, as we’d hoped—but also because the request was to highlight Scout and Gracie! I love to talk about these two; they’re the very best animals of all time. Aside from yours, of course.

If you find it absurd that we have a dog and a cat in a little 21′ Class C RV, you’re in the majority. Especially considering Scout is a Border Collie with all the sheep-herding energy that entails, and Gracie is what you get when you cross a panther with a circus clown. But we knew that sacrificing their beloved back yard would pay off when they realized that every time we open the door, they get a new back yard with exciting new smells and lots more time in the day to play!

We’ll start with the bigger success story. Scout has been loving the new life. I’ve been working from the Turtle most days, which means I’m available to take him out for more frisbee time and walks. Gracie, on the other hand, has had a harder time. While we’re on the island, she’s confined to the Turtle since we’re right next to a road where some people drive by at 45 mph. Better safe than sorry for now. Their very different personalities have dictated much of how we have dealt with their needs in this transition.

So this is Scout in his natural state—begging for frisbee time.

He absolutely hates having his picture taken, so it’s really difficult to capture his sweetly relaxed moments. The moment he sees you raising the camera up toward him, he darts away! We’re not sure why this is, though we think it has something to do with clicker training, as he has a panic reaction to snaps, beeps, and clicks. Every now and then, he’ll bolt into his den, cowering and fearful, and after some detective work we’ll realize it was because we were clipping our nails, or chewing gum. . . you never know with this guy!

We got Scout when he was 2 years old (he’s 4 now), and he’d already had three owners, so we have a lot of unanswered behavior questions. Consequently, we are just happy when we can sneak up on him and grab a half-blurry photo as he exits the room! The only exception is when we hold the frisbee in front of him. Frisbee trumps all fear for Scout. So you can guarantee that in any picture of him where he looks like a proper dog, there is a frisbee being held behind the camera.

When we have no Bribe Frisbee, we end up with far more photos that look like this one:

Or they’re like this one, where he is slinking out of the shot like a feral African wolf:

Or just the back of his head.

But when he’s not avoiding photos, he’s just a loving, hilarious, playful, awkward, sensitive, strange dog. He’s the best adventure companion, and is up for anything!

And then we have Gracie. I call Gracie the Gateway Cat, because even people who insist they have no positive feelings about cats have to admit that they love this weird girl. She is curious, and lovey, and adventuresome, and bizarre, and is essentially the Dennis the Menace of the animal kingdom.

She’s always getting herself into trouble! The world is her playground. She’s also earned herself the nickname “The Anti-Project.” Any time we begin a project, Gracie is there to interfere in some way.

When you’re trying to change a lightbulb:

When you’re trying to do the dishes:

When you’re trying to change the bobbin:

When you’re trying to carefully measure and cut fabric:

You can imagine that with this much energy, we’ve had to work out a few modifications to make indoor life tolerable for Gracie. I bought a number of toys to keep her active, and we play much more together than we did when she played outside all day at the old house. I will also admit here that we bought her a tiny harness! I agree that it looks absurd to take a cat out on a leash, but on those days when she sits at the door and yells and yells about it, we’ve just got to let her out. We connect her leash to a thin length of paracord, and it seems to tide her over until we travel somewhere she can run off leash.

Gracie is either operating at 100% or 1%, and when she’s done causing trouble, she sleeps like a log! The adorable positions she finds herself in are so sweet.

We just love our strange pack. Enjoy the new year with yours! Ok, got to go to take Scout out for a frisbee break now! 🙂

The Turtle “After”

So now is the point where we get to show the result of a year of hard work on our tiny home! I’m typing this while drinking coffee at the table and listening to the rain on the roof while keeping nice and warm inside the Turtle. Looking back at the “before” photos, it feels a little unbelievable! This crazy old van is now our cozy home.

I was going to post side-by-side “before and after” photos today, but realized that since I took the “after” photos on a grey and rainy afternoon, the impact doesn’t do it justice, as the “before” pictures were taken on a bright sunny day! So that post is on the horizon.

Here we are!

It kind of feels like a boat. I like that.

Kitchen and Dining Room

Bunk beds!

Love the Tardis painting by my talented brother-in-law David

Andy cut down and refinished an old desk he’s had for years to make the table

We love the no-spill bowls for the pets

Andy picked this fabric! We promise not to over-do the turtle references, but it was super cute and coordinated nicely with the other prints

Maximizing the limited closet space

Nothing we own can be larger than 10″H x 9″D

I love the wood Andy installed next to the new upholstery pattern.

And there we have it! I’ll post more pictures soon!

Why We’re Here

Hello!

So as you and everyone within earshot knows, we are absolutely loving life in the Turtle! It is a great experiment and a serious adventure. So while we’re starting out here, I thought I’d briefly explain that as we are very new to this lifestyle, I began the blog for two purposes. The first is to document our journey so family, friends, and anyone at all who is interested can follow along with us and enjoy our exploits.

Andy adventuring.

The second–and the one we are most passionate about–is to discuss the process and how much we’re learning in order to help out others who may be interested in a similar venture! Especially for those who are adopting an older vehicle to refurbish, we have learned so much that we’d love to share, and we want to be the resource for others that we felt we were lacking when we started out.

Gracie adventuring.

The bulk of the full-time RV-ing books we found are written for those who are retired, bought a relatively new vehicle, and plan to live primarily in RV parks. We will certainly find ourselves in parks as needed, and as our first few weeks on Sauvie Island have proven, it’s a comfortable and relaxing way to enjoy your RV. But our main goal is to generally be surrounded by nature for most of the time, with the remaining time spent visiting friends who we aren’t able to see nearly as much as we’d like to, due to jobs, and bills, and air fare, and never, ever enough vacation time.

Scout adventuring.

So keep up with us for whatever reason suits you best!

Amy adventuring.

If you’d like to hear specific tips on gutting and refurbishing your RV, we are excited to share! We did nearly everything on our own, from painting the exterior, to upholstering the interior, to welding the front bumper so we could bring our bikes along, to installing solar panels so we can boondock for longer periods of time.

If you’re interested in seeing what National Parks we explore first (we’re aiming to see them all!), tales from of all corners of the US (and eventually South America), and most importantly, lots of photos of Scout and Gracie (obviously), then we’d love to have you join us!

Oh, and please bear with me as I learn the ins and outs of WordPress. The posts will eventually look brilliant, I promise, but for now at least they’re live! 🙂

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