Sunday morning we climbed out of our tent around 8 AM, tired and sore. We were sore from the previous day's hike and tired from the restless sleep in the unfamiliar surroundings. The tent, sleeping bags, and air mattress had done their job admirably and we were very happy with the choices we made selecting them.

I took our one cooking utensil, a Calphalon One 4 quart sauce pan, down to the spigot to fill it with fresh mountain water for our coffee. I set it up on our new mini-burner and three and a half minutes later we had boiling water. Carole had ground up some fresh Columbian coffee beans for our trip so I dumped about half a cup into our Java Press coffee maker, let the grounds steep for about 4 minutes and then poured ourselves what had to be the best coffee I have ever tasted! I'm not a fan of overly strong coffee but Carole's suggestion to go for it with the Java Press made me understand what the term "Rich Full Bodied Coffee" was all about. This is now how we'll drink coffee at home on weekends. I was also extremely pleased with how well the Calphalon Pan works when camping. It looks like expensive cookware works well indoors as well as out. Granted, we were just boiling water but we didn't end up with scorch marks or fire stains on the pot like you typically do on stainless steel pots and pans.

After our morning coffee we set about the task of breaking camp. I timed our breakdown and it took 45 minutes to pack the sleeping bags back in their compression bags, remove all the air from the mattress and pack it in its carry bag, break down the tent and return it to its carry bag, and then put all the gear back into the backpack. And I'm sure it will be quicker in the future as we get used to it. Worse case scenario: it takes us 25 minutes to setup camp and 45 minutes to break it down. Perfect! We dallied around for another hour before I focused on loading the bikes. We were ready to roll at 11:00 AM.

Our ride home was as relaxing as our ride in. Carole took the lead all the way out on Hwy 4. She enjoyed the few times we had to pass large trucks and other slow traffic, getting a better feel for the throttle response on her ST. As we neared Tracey we felt the afternoon side winds were in their full fury and enjoyed the excitement they offered to the otherwise boring section of road.

We pulled into our driveway at roughly 3:30 PM and had our bikes completely unpacked in 10 minutes. After showering and relaxing over some left over pizza from a couple of days before we came up with the following "Lessons Learned":

Once again we had packed too much. We had never changed clothes in the 30 hours we were gone so we may as well have left the changes of clothes behind.
  • The only camping gear we missed was paper towels. They will need to be added to our check list.
  • Although the "food pack" we carried on the ST was nice, we need something a little more heavy duty and useful for future longer trips. We have since purchased an Eclipse Seat Bag.
  • We might consider purchasing a collapsible camp site water container if we can find one small enough.
  • Whenever we go on a hike we will be sure to carry energy bars. We are way too guilty of forgetting to eat.
  • When getting ready for a hike look at the elevation markings on a good trail map. They are there for a reason.
  • I have to figure out camping pillows. I cannot sleep without a pillow. Carole had brought along some pillow cases and we thought that stuffing them with some of our clothes would make them like pillows. WRONG. I have to figure out a way to pack pillows or make them on the road for camping. Our daughter is a hard core rock climber and camping geek. I need to ask her about a solution for pillows.
  • Consider wearing earplugs when sleeping. Other campers might want to stay up late and make noise regardless of the rules.

Positives:
  • The Sierras are God's gift to the west. Parking them so close to the Pacific Ocean was genius!
  • Camping can be a weekend adventure or a vacation. Either way, it's fun.
  • Off really works! I've heard that Cutter is better, but the Off we had did the job.
  • Sipping campfire coffee in the morning at a camp site is just like the commercials say it is... perfect.

Negatives:
  • There are all kinds of people that go camping. Late night partying and hollering drunks are unavoidable.
  • Although camping is less expensive than hotels, the initial investment is pricey for quality equipment.
  • Always keep your bikes and valuables locked or in sight. There are lots of curious folks out there.
  • Campground showers are sometimes worse than not showering.
All in all our camping experience was extremely positive and something we look forward to doing many more times in the near future. Unless pulling a trailer, camping is a one-up experience. Riding two up does not leave enough space for camping equipment. Fortunately we both ride our own bikes and can use the back seat for holding things other than people. Tailoring limits the way we like to ride, but I know that if we only had one bike we would end up buying a trailer simply to enjoy the motorcycle camping experience. Camping adds a lot more physical activity to the motorcycling experience. I imagine that some day we will lose our ability to be as physical as we are. But until then we will try to hit every camp site we can find.

To anyone that has read this far... if you know of a great little campground or obscure camp site west of the Rockies to which you find yourself constantly returning, please drop us a line and share it with us. We promise to keep your secret close to our vest. We know there are lots of great little spots out there but are hard for novices such as ourselves to find. Please give us a leg up and we'll privately share what we find with you as well.

As Forrest Gump would say, Motorcycles and camping are like peas and carrots, they belong together.