Overlooked photos from a hike at the most northwestern point of the State of Washington...Cape Flaherty. Remote, rugged and unbelievably beautiful. And, not crowded!

Moving on...

After nearly ten months traveling in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington and British Columbia), and enduring 170 inches of rain in six of those ten months, I'm headed south to Palm Springs. Kinda, sort of...counter to the normal snowbird rotation. But, I'm anything but normal. Had some major truck engine upgrades, and it performs perfectly. If you ever need a mechanic in the Florence, Oregon, area, I have a great recommendation.

Currently, I'm in Santa Rosa, California, visiting family and friends; I depart tomorrow on my journey southward. I'll stop on Interstate 5 near the Grapevine, and the following day head on to Palm Springs. I'll have the wonderful pleasure of skirting the Los Angeles metropolitan basin using Interstate 210 to Interstate 10.  The traffic will be highly congested, with, I'm sure white knuckle moments. 

I'm scheduled to stay in Palm Springs until early December; if I make it that long. I may pull up stakes and head east to Tucson, Arizona, or Santa Fe, New Mexico. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the heat and drying out my tiny home on wheels.

Updated interior photos:

Japanese Tonsu stairs leading to an elevated queen size bed. Stairs can be slid entirely beneath bed to add space in the living room.  Additional storage beneath bed accessed to the right of the stairs.

Entry way into living room with floor-to-ceiling multi-level storage cabinet. Floors are reclaimed bamboo throughout home.

Living room with large window giving glimpse into kitchen.  

Hanging entertainment center / workspace / dining table with marine propane heater to the left. Clerestory window above provides additional light.

Full kitchen with 9.2 cu ft refrigerator / freezer, stove / oven, farmers sink, and open and closed storage throughout. All LED lighting throughout home.  Bath, with sink, composting toilet and shower to right of sink.

Went wildcraft plant foraging along the Sweet Creek Falls trail, just outside of Mapleton, Oregon, with Jen Nelson, from Homegrown, a local vegetarian and vegan restaurant and deli in Florence, Oregon. Found, tasted and collected wood sorrel, Siberian miner's lettuce, lady fern, salmonberry, stinging nettle, sitka spruce, and others.  Here are some photos of the trail that paralleled the creek.

Although this does not qualify as a fermented food, it's the waste products from previous ferments I've posted here earlier. Essentially, it's bits and pieces of asparagus, carrots, leeks, cabbage, sweet potatoes, radishes, beets, onions, shallots and garlic slow simmered for 4-6 hours to create a rich, flavorable vegetable broth. Some cracked pepper, a few ounces of sea salt brine, and fresh sage and thyme from my garden are added. I'll strain the broth twice, and refrigerate. The vegetable pulp either goes into the compost pile or I blend it into a medium paste for use in soups and sauces. I'll post follow on photos of the final products later today. And, BTW, my home smells so good right now as the soon to be broth gently simmers.

Freshly made kimchi: before and after photos

Latest holiday ferments (left to right): one quart pickled green, purple and white asparagus spears with crushed garlic, diced chipotle peppers, and red, green and black peppercorns in a sea salt brine; one half gallon shredded Brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, kale, arugula, minced garlic and onion in sea salt brine; one quart of West African sweet potato ferment with minced garlic and onions, diced habanero peppers, cracked black pepper, black and yellow mustard seeds and coriander seeds in dry sea salt; and, last, one quart of shredded carrots, red and green cabbage and broccoli stems in a sea salt brine. All should be ready for New Years Eve!!