I need a coccoon.
Here we are in Crescent City, California, not far from Redwood National Park, and I have lost all interest in it. I know what’s wrong with me. This summer has been rich, full of new places, people, and experiences. We’ve traveled hundreds of miles, and we’ve played tourist all over. Now I need to hide out somewhere with my crew.
A person can only stand so much fun.
Instead of delving deeper into California with its expensive gas and pricey, coastal campgrounds, I turn us northeast on Highway 199. Soon I see redwoods for the first time! Of course, I’m awed but not enough to find a place to stop. The view from the road satisfies my need to see redwoods . . .
The crew and I are on our way to Panther Flat.
It’s a national forest campground less than twenty miles from Crescent City and situated on the Middle Fork of the Smith River.
We pull up to the self-pay station.
Good! It’s only $15 a night regular, so we only pay $7.50 with the Senior Pass. This is more our speed.
It’s a pretty campground shaded by Douglas fir, cedars, and several other types of evergreens.
I search for a sunny campsite.
Ah-hah! This confirms my theory!
“If you rely on solar power and camp in a dense forest campground, the one and only sunny campsite will be occupied by a motorhome relying exclusively on generator power.”
I might upgrade this theory to law status. RVsue’s Shady Campground Law or something. Darn it!
I park the Best Little Trailer and the Perfect Tow Vehicle in a shady site with occasional sunshine.
Well, there’s no internet connection here anyway, so I won’t be concerned with keeping the laptop charged up. The batteries are charged up now. Tomorrow I’ll park the PTV in the day use area for a while and get some sunshine on the panel.
Panther Flat Campground, northern California
The campground is almost empty.
I like that. Bridget and Spike can hang around the campsite off-leash and nobody cares. I can coccoon without being expected to socialize. An abundant variety of plants and trees make for interesting walks. We’re at about 500 feet altitude and the temperature is perfect.
Hanging around the campsite doin’ nuthin’
We make our nightly walk down to the day use area which is next to the river. However, to get close enough to get a photo of the river requires climbing over rocks. Bridget’s tired of hopping on three legs, so I put her in the stroller for the walk home.
Report on Bridget’s leg injury:
I haven’t yet brought the blog up to real time. However, I know some of my readers are interested how Bridget’s leg is doing, so I’m moving forward in time to the present to report on the situation.
Here’s the diagnosis:
“I don’t wanna have an operation.”
Bridget has a “partially torn cranial cruciate ligament.” The vet advises surgery to stabilize the knee, even though the tear often resolves itself in small dogs.
So why have surgery?
Here’s some information on the injury I pulled from a website:
“Partial cranial cruciate ligament tears are difficult to diagnose in the early stages of injury. . . . Later, however, as the ligament continues to tear and the stifle becomes increasingly unstable, degenerative changes worsen and lameness becomes more pronounced and does not resolve with rest.”
The vet advises the surgery be done within a month.
She writes a prescription for 28 anti-pain/anti-inflammatory pills for Bridget to take once a day. The bill for the exam is $42 and the pills are $22.68. The cost of the surgery is estimated at $1,000.
Ouch! That’s a lotta tires.
rvsue
rvsue and her canine crew 