Flagstone rock itself is a short half mile walk down the road and one wouldn’t know it is there except for the narrow path cutting into dense foliage at the side of the road. The path zigzags up between huge bearded pines and one feels like Indiana Jones by the time the moss covered rock opens up in front of you. After Smith Rock we found it interesting to adjust to the Flagstone friction slab climbing. Most of the routes are pretty long, requiring either a walk off or a two rope rappel. Luckily I have a canyoneering rope that we could use for this purpose but we also ended up doing several multi pitch routes.

During our first day on the rock we were buzzed by several hummingbirds which seemed attracted to the red webbing we use for anchors. They just flew straight at us hovering inches away from our harnesses. A quick search on the internet confirmed their affinity for all things red and I rigged a feeder with the red webbing. We hung it from the RV awning and filled it with nectar (¼ cup sugar per cup of warm water). It didn’t take long for our friends to start visiting and by the second day they were literally sucking our feeder dry.

We stayed a full 10 days before attempting the treacherous retreat from Forest Road 2618. The 1 mile backup maneuver went smoothly and we didn’t add to our tally of 2 punctured tires (on the way in). The helpful auto shop down the road filled our two half deflated tires and we were on our way to the coast where we are now relaxing at Cape Lookout. This morning we hiked the 5 mile Cape Lookout trail in beautiful misty conditions and tomorrow we are heading for Portland.

The only familiar thing is my brother’s face and his unwavering ability to find adventure. Some people go in search thereof, and others have adventure thrust upon them. I’m part of the latter category which is a direct result of the fact that Andre belongs to the first.

I am the long lost sister living in South Africa and finally having the opportunity to visit my dear brother in his RV. It started with a family reunion as Andre had mentioned in the previous blog and is quickly racing to a much feared end for me.

Just to recap: after dropping my mother at the airport we quickly made our way to Smith Rock - “The birthplace of American sport climbing”. This is indeed a BIG title to claim, and therefore needed to make a BIG impression, which I’m glad to say - it did! The climbing was superb and the scenery beautiful!

The only complaint is that the routes are to scarcely bolted. The first bolts were exceptionally high (in some cases 5 meters of the ground). Andre did have a close shave when he came peeling off the rock unprotected to land on his butt in front of me. Strangely this incident unnerved me more than it did him, who immediately got up and climbed on, in the process conquering his first 5.10!

Smith Rock should also be known as “he home of the American Rattle Snake”. I have never seen so many snakes in my life! We had a daily quota to meet: three climbs and a rattle snake sighting – something that was easily done. One even surprised us by sneaking into the climbing bag when we weren’t looking.

At Skull Hollow, our camping site, we solemnly hoisted the “skull” flag in the hope to ward off “evil spirits”. It was extremely successful, as we succeeded in warding off not only unwanted attention, but also all forms of human contact…

Anyway, after two weeks of superb climbing, we decided to move on. We did our homework on Google Earth and identified possible “boon-docking sites”, set the gps waypoints, stocked the fridge, had an oil change and off we went to Flagstone, another climbing area.

The adventure started when we missed our first turn-off and came to a screeching stop next to a very surprised mechanic. Once the dust had settled we politely apologized to him and turned around (not an easy feat with a 32 foot RV attached to a 20 foot truck)

We were not sure whether or not the road would be big enough for the RV (one of the climbing sites advised against it), but Andre’s adventurous spirit got the better of him, and we drove on.

As the road was getting narrower, we stopped to unhook the RV and go exploring with the truck only. This is when a hissing sound drew my attention. One of the wheels was deflating at a rapid pace!

Luckily Andre had some wheel patch moetie* which worked great.

After fixing the tire we moved on only to find a massive tree lying across the road. It had been cut to let normal sized vehicles through, but for a RV it was a very tight squeeze with a huge drop on the one side. This only encouraged us to go bravely where no other RV has gone before!

Andre was left with the daunting task of maneuvering an eight foot wide RV through a six foot wide hole in a tree, I was in charge of recording this amazing feat on camera.

I took care to take my passport, credit cards and cellphone with me as I got out – rather safe than sorry!

This is when we encountered our second puncture of the day. Luckily with all the recent practice we’ve had, we had it fixed in no time. As we started moving again, we passed another truck of which the passengers were staring at us in utter disbelief and amazement!

Turns out they often frequent the area, have never seen a trailer up there and would strongly advise against it. We couldn’t have asked for better motivation!

So, I am currently blogging for the first time, perched on a cliff with a beautiful view of Flagstone, in a spot where I dare say: no RV has ever been before.

In three weeks I am returning home - this is of course only if the moetie* lasts (we are dangerously low), if Andre manages to back down this mountain (there is no space to turn around) and if I don’t wake tomorrow morning at the bottom of it (did I mention the cliff we’re balancing over?)

Just to be sure, I’ll leave my passport and wallet in the truck tonight.

*Moetie is a word in South Africa for a concoction with magical properties usually used by the Sangomas or Witchdoctors to cure all sorts of illnesses.

Life in the RV has been fantastic. I love the independence and the flexibility it affords and the change of pace have been terrific. Considering my beautiful surroundings, it is ironic how little I get outside. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise; after all I have been working much harder than ever before. It is what happens when you do your own thing – suddenly the chore of a job is replaced by a challenge, a disaster and a gratifying endeavor. Despite the work I have had some wonderful adventures and I have been to extraordinary places. Whenever I leave a town I ask myself, can I live here? So far the answer has been NO every time!

Life in the RV has its own routine. The RV’s got a knack for generating an endless list of things to fix. If it is not the door lock or the window blind, it will be the water pump or the cabinet hinge. When out boondocking (like I am most of the time), you have to make sure you have enough water and groceries. Going to town become a special event and one that is planned for long in advance. Town Time takes up most of your day… laundry, mail, trash, propane, groceries and then the hunt for water. Surprising how difficult it can be to locate life’s most basic necessity. I have become an expert public spigot spotterer.

Life in the RV makes you intimately aware of how much water and power you use. You quickly realize how little you really need. Using less than 10 gallons of water a day, I am still able to take a nice hot shower, cook and clean to hearts content. I have no generator but my solar panels provide enough juice to run two computers, a 24” monitor, satellite internet and all the RV equipment for at least 12 hours each day. I even use less diesel than before because I don’t need to commute. With today’s environmental issues I consider it imperative to live a low impact lifestyle and to strive for carbon neutrality. It is surprisingly easy to change and to break from unnecessary wasteful habits. While this is partly out of necessity (while living in the RV), I certainly plan to continue this lifestyle after my RV trip.

Regular life is beckoning… I expect to make yet another change fairly soon.