The day has finally come that I hit the road for my trip. I had lots of feels the night before, but felt at peace with everything as I left in the morning. I rolled into Silver Falls State Park campground in hopes of finding a site early afternoon. They were all reserved online, but the perk of showing up on a weekday is that I may have a chance to get a spot in case no one shows up or left early. I chatted with the campground host and he informed me there were two sites available. I felt a wave of relief as I know finding places to sleep is going to be a challenge throughout this entire trip.
After I reserved my campsite, I headed out to hike the Trail of Ten Falls. It is roughly 9 miles and as the name suggests, there are 10 waterfalls on this hike. I was excited not only for the hike but to just simply move after sitting all morning. The trail did not disappoint. I saw all 10 waterfalls and what’s also neat is that you’re able to go behind some of the waterfalls too. Um, how cool is that?!! I loved every minute of the hike and seeing and going behind the waterfalls. I could sit, listen, and watch them for hours.
After about 3.5 hours, I made it back to my car and to the campsite. Honestly, I couldn’t wait to get in my car and lay in it. First night in my little Honda HRV! I made dinner which ended up being Annie’s Mac and Cheese with toast. I quickly washed up, rearranged my car, and laid cozy on my blowup mattress, snuggled in my pillows with the warm string lights and some jazzy tunes in the background. I was feeling so comfortable and relaxed. I’m so used to sleeping in my tent (which I love), but sleeping in my car has been a game changer. I can’t believe how nice this is – I’m genuinely feeling so happy right now. Like is this real?
Today was better than I expected. The hard part is always starting and I knew I would feel better once I’m on the road. This day has gotten me excited for the rest of my trip and I can’t wait to see how the rest of it goes!
Random stats of the day:
# of miles driven: 225 miles
# of miles hiked: 8.7 miles
# of people that said hello to me on trail: 22
# of bars ate: 1
# of times I said “pretty!”: Lost count
# of times slipped from stepping up to my cargo box: 1
# of times my car battery died: 1
Song of the day: “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey
Quote of the day: “Taking a moment to figure out how you really feel instead of letting old patterns decide for you is one of the most authentic things you can do.” – Yung Pueblo
Cheers,
Vivian
Me and Viv 