The first day of the trip from Portland, Oregon, to Los Angeles, California "officially" began on top of Mt. Tabor in Portland, OR. My friend Megan rode to the top of the mountain and back down with me on her motorcycle. With a late start to the day I traveled to Albany, OR.
After my first night in the woods, today would be the day I would tackle my first steep incline. Traveling up to over 5000' I made it over the Willamette Pass. I met an ODOT worker on my way up the mountain who followed me to a tunnel and let me know of a cool camping spot. I made a stop at the Saltcreek falls before heading to my next camping location. It was right next to a small stream. My first encounter with a rain storm took place during the evening, luckily I had stayed up late enough to see some lightening and put the rain cover over the tent for the evening.
Leaving Albany, I headed down towards Eugene, OR. After reaching Eugene, I headed towards the Willamette National Forest. I made a stop at the Lowell covered bridge, and decided from there I would take my first road less traveled. Traveling about 10 miles on complete gravel, I found a fantastic camping spot right next to Lookout Point Lake. This would also be my first time going "off road" with the 50cc scooter taking it down right to my camping spot. Not 1 car went by me the entire evening.
After my first evening dealing with a thunderstorm I made my way down to Klamath Falls, OR. I actually purchased a real map, just in case I ran out of power or my gps didn't work right I though it a good idea to have one with me.