The Honey got Stoned!

Often while traveling in the Honey days start or end quite differently then expected!


The Honey was chugging along more peacefully after having survived hours in second geer down steep twisters coming from Klamath Falls, Oregon that day.  It was in caravan with the Rave Queen, a small motor home that was once a popular Travel Queen.  Forty years later, and a few missing letters, it now had a name much more suitable for attracting law enforcement agencies, as my daughter can attest to.


We had finally arrived at one of our most desired destinations, Jedediah-Smith National Park, on the border of Oregon and California, where the Smith river feeds into the Pacific Ocean.  This would be our next starting point driving South on the famous Pacific Coast Highway to Mexico.  This forest was home of some of the worlds most stunning, redwood trees.  A tree-hugger friend had recommended it as one of the most magical and enchanting forests ever visited!

The sun was starting to sink when we arrived in the most beautiful section of the park.  We were enchanted climbing amongst these guardian, grandparent trees!  One had to be limber --to climb over a fallen limb!   Every thing was large except us and our vehicles looked like little toys! We felt like children exploring a wild untamed forest!  Just walking on the super-soft and cushy ground was pure pleasure!  Built up of thousands of years of decomposed foliage!
The sun barely peaked though anywhere, yet it was warm and quiet and safe feeling.  It was indeed a magical place!  I wanted to stay and live there, I thought!

We talked about how we wished we could stay longer but it was getting darker so we should find a place to camp for the night.  We decided to drive through the rest of the park and check-out if there might be a campground or some pull-off where we could park overnight.   It was a short drive to the end!  Suddenly we were at an enormous stone riverbed on the Smith River!  Since I could clearly see big tire tracks through the riverbed leading towards the trees, it seemed fine to drive across.

Oops!  The stones sunk under the weight of the Honey, dragging it to a surprising, immediate halt!  I jumped out and gave a eek "don't follow me!" signal!   Fortunately the Rave Queen had already stopped!  All six of the Honeys tires were imbedded in stones!

Sometimes even though you know what won't work you try anyways because well...you never know!  Yes, trying to drive the Honey out only caused it to sink deeper!  Now, when I stepped out of the door of the Honey I was on a flat surface. This would be the first and only night the Honey ever felt solid as a rock!

Since our phones didn't work we decided we definitely had the excuse to camp here for the night.  I was super excited to stay in this primitive and pristine spot in nature on the edge of the forest!

There  were so many unusual sounds coming out of the forest after dark I didn't even want to venture up close to it contrary to what I thought earlier!  My imagination went a little wild with thoughts of what types of creatures were making all those unusual sounds!  Maybe just Ewoks...

Deep into the night I heard a few sprinkles fall and then my imagination began with a new topic of dreading that the great river will quickly fill and the Honey and I would soon float down it into the great ocean that was nearby.  Would I be giving up her too, I wondered?

The next morning we were all chipper and happy, after all we did get to spend the night in the national park, the rain had stopped and it was indeed, a beautiful morning in a glorious setting!  I was making coffee in the Honey I heard a truck pull up.  Yay!  Our rescuer --so soon?!

But when I stepped outside there was a serious looking park officer next to his SUV holding up a mega-phone shouting "Everyone step out of the vehicle!".  "How many are in the vehicle?!" he demanded!  At first it seemed like a joke.  I ignored his seriousness and said "Yay, our rescuer has arrived!".  I think he was disappointed we weren't anything worth calling in back-up for!  He told us our long list of infractions, the costs, then called a tow service, he sure wasn't going to pull the Honey out for us!

Oh no, not a tow service, I thought!  That would cost a fortune!  And way out here...



When the tow service showed up half an hour later we felt like kids again, cheering on the sidelines watching a big truck pull out another big truck!

When that amazing feat was completed, a comedy show with the tow-truck owner began.  I have never laughed harder, internally!  We were given his best advice for all the best things to do in the area!  This included the always packed, nudist RV park with live country bands, where to skate-board, where to buy raver shoes and other california-style souvenirs, where the mystery tree shop was and on and on he went.  In an animated way he told us every thing that we would avoid!  It was so fascinating I couldn't stop smiling!

Then it was time to pay up!  He eye-balled both our vehicles and us and said "just give me $50!".  I couldn't believe my good-fortune!  I knew that fifty dollars didn't even cover his fuel to get here!!  His red-white and blue clothes matched his fancy rig with flags and he beeped all three of his horns on the way out, including the good ole' Dukes of Hazard horn!  The park officer did not give us tickets and relieved off we went to our next adventure!