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.