Early to Bed and Early to Rise...

Cali

May 14

The highlight of the morning was waking up to a sunrise over the White Mountains while temperatures began to warm. First order of business: back in the hot tub with hot coffee. We enjoy good coffee. In the condo we grind coffee from a roaster in Portland. In the teardrop it’s easier to make instant coffee. We used a French press on a previous trip but didn’t care for the cleanup and disposal of the used grinds. So after some experimentation our palates will reveal the top two brands of instant coffee: Starbucks Columbia Via and Medaglia D'Oro Espresso.
Ross jumped on his bike for the 6 mile ride to Benton but made a wrong turn right out the gate. He ended up riding 2 miles straight up the mountain gaining a gazillion verticals along the way. The view was tremendous and ride down exhilarating. He did manage to find Benton after all. Thankfully, he didn’t blink or he would have missed it.

The afternoon winds picked up considerably. Not only did the winds chase us into the teardrop for refuge, the freaking winds tore our new Nemo Bugout tarp shelter. It’s only a small tear in the mesh, but the “first cut is always the deepest”.
The Inn at Benton Hot Springs placed three port-o-lets at the campground. They were filled to the brim, meaning everybody’s deposits were a little too obvious. Nasty.

We have gotten in the habit of going to bed at sunset and rising at first light. This is not the norm in most campgrounds. Most people light fires and visit into the night, and then sleep late. Not us. We’re up hours before the campground begins to stir.

California

Ross Judice