Fermenting Friends & The “Lighthouse Diet” – Our Last Week in Bandon, OR
Believe it or not this is our last week at Bullards Beach State Park. Two months have gone…pfffft…just like that. It seems like only yesterday we showed up and arrived “home” and now we’re ready to pick up the jacks and leave. It’s a bittersweet moment. We’ve loved our time here, enjoyed Bandon, adored the beach and gasped at the sunsets…but we’re ready to move on if nothing else so we can at least tell a different lighthouse story (2 months of the same tale gets a little monotonous, ya know).
Of course there’s no reason to panic. We’re only moving 30 miles south to Cape Blanco so we’re not exactly migrating here. In fact, in the grand scheme of things most RVers would consider this the equivalent pace of a pack of petrified logs. From our new spot we’ll still be coming back to Bandon for our weekly farmer’s market fix, but we’ll also be submersing ourselves into the sublime poetry that is crazy Cape Blanco. There is no place quite like it, wild winds and all, and I am totally ready to be there. We’re also about to hit the “sweet” month of the year -> September. It’s gorgeous just about anywhere in the country and all the more so here on the Oregon coast. We’ll break out the smoker, grow some more mushrooms and party with a whole new set of folks.
Because socializing baby, is what we DO…
This past week has been yet another social extravaganza. Nealy’s On Wheels rolled into town last week-end and immediately tracked us down with their 3 lovely doggies. They’re a young couple from the South who’ve been bitten by the RV bug (more and more of us young’uns on the road, I tell you) and, as usual, we totally hit it off. We went out to lunch, had happy hour…then had happy hour again…then progressed to yet another happy hour…and dinner. In fact we enjoyed each others company so much we spent all of 4 days together and I only took one picture (go figure). They have jello plans to come back and see us in Cape Blanco so we may well meet again.
We’ve also been hanging with next-door neighbors Kim, Else (and super-cute Buddy) with whom we’ve discovered a shared love of fermented foods and the fascinating biology of gut microbia. Kim has an elaborate fermenting kitchen in his RV and has been feeding us home-made Kimchi and Kefir (he even makes a kefir ice cream which is out of this world….OMG!!). We’re now totally hooked and have started our own Kefir-factory which will hopefully be in full swing in a few days. We’ve even toyed with the idea of starting an RVing arm of the Weston Price Foundation which we shall call the Butter RVers? Fermenting Roamers? Nourishing Nomads? Ahhh…so many options!
And as for Bandon? Well, what can I say. We took our time doing less sightseeing than last year, but a lot more “RV homesteading”. Our cute little lighthouse has been our office for the past 2 months, and has even morphed into our workout room. I’ve lost 5 pounds on the “lighthouse diet” just roaming around downstairs while Paul has developed buns of STEEL (I’m talking pure sculptural concrete here) going up and down 29 sets of stairs 20 times per day (I would take a picture, but fear it might ruin my PG rating. Suffice to say his derrière is looking goooood). Who needs fancy diets when all you need is a lighthouse…?
So there it is. I may slip in another post before we leave, but this is really the end of our summer months here. The winds have shifted, fall is in the air and the road calls us south…for the next 30 miles anyway.
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Glad to here that working at a lighthouse has been so healthy:) Those steps will really work that back side just like rock scrambling.
Enjoy your remaining time and safe travels to your new lighthouse with Technomads!!!
Yup, nothing quite like rocks and lighthouses to keep your backside in shape.
Nina
That would be Weston, not Western, Price.
Doh! Darn auto-spell-correct. Got it & updated. Thank you!
Nina
I had a Diane roeder in my scout troop in Saginaw. Would that be you?
Awesome dinner. We will miss you guys. Let’s make sure we stay connected, in our travels. Nourishing Nomads sounds great. Here is to a healthy gut, and safe travels. Else and Kim.
We’ll miss you guys too…and Buddy as well (he’s too cute for his own good). We’ll hook-up again while we’re in Cape Blanco. I owe you a Kombucha baby.
Nina
Sigh….all those pictures of Paul but from so far away. I guess its only right to keep the “steel” all to yourself.
Happy travels.
Sue and Dave et al
Tee hee…a girl has her privileges 🙂
Nina
FTW! Nina, we are WPF followers too! Blend in a little Mark Sisson and a pinch of Robb Wolf, and you can call us lacto Paleo. I’m a great fan of Chris Masterjohn. I am a hashi sufferer so we eschew all grains and legumes. Cooking this way in our coach is so easy. I love the idea of the RAW BUTTER RVErs. I actually got a head start on a ferment last week LOL. Happy to report smell is gone. Smelled like sauerkraut that went the wrong way. No more cilantro and scallions down the sink drain.
…erm, make that RVers.
That pretty much describes us too. We’re whole food folks, mostly Paleo, no grains but we do throw in some fermented milk products (and bone broth). I KNEW there were others out there! Butter RVers unite!
Nina
It’s certainly a tough life, but someone’s gotta do it! 😉
It’s tough indeed 🙂
Nina
Have so enjoyed your blog off and on for awhile! We are also fulltimers and are on the hatchery circuit while you are on the light house circuit. We are currently at a hatchery outside Lincoln City…..Cape Blanco is magnificent for sure.
If you are ok with it, we might give you a visit at some point ?
Jim and Gail Graham(2 pups, no kitties)
We have friends of ours who just spent 3 months at the Sixes Hatchery. It’s one of the volunteer jobs we’re considering at some point. DEFINITELY come to see us in Cape Blanco. We’ll be in one of the 4 lighthouse host sites (just off the main campground loop).
Nina
Thanks for the invite…..we hope to get down your way. The ODFW program is very good…highly recommend it. We have been to three different hatcheries so far…..all very different, but very enjoyable and we have learned a lot as well. We are more dry side people so love the ponderosa pines of the Sisters area and the Wizard Falls hatchery…..there three months last summer and three this. Enjoy the CAPE
At first I was afraid the title “fermenting friends” was a commentary on the wine that we consumed…. glad to see you actually meant friends who ferment food! By the way, we’re at Armitage Park in Eugene and someone just came up and introduced themselves because they just read this post and recognized us. How funny is that?!
Teehee…there was a little play on words there and you guys caught it 🙂 How funny that you met folks over there from this post. The RV community is such a small world!
Nina
It’s fun to arrive, it fun to leave and it’s fun to enjoy the in between!
Nice photo of you and Polly! Buddy looks adorable!
Enjoy your last week there!
It’s the joy of the journey, indeed! Buddy IS adorable…far too adorable.
Nina
We plan to travel the central and southern coast of Oregon during the first few weeks of October. Do you think the weather will still be decent by then?
October can be hit or miss. You’ll be hitting the beginning of rainy season. The first weeks may be fine tho’ so you never know.
Nina
The cowboy said to tell you he will stick to wine and beer as his fermented food after I read him the definition of kefir! 🙂
I bet he will 🙂 it’s sure not for everyone.
Nina
My favorite…Another crowded beach day. Very clever indeed.
Hehe….it’s fun. We’ve had very few people on the beach all summer, but now it’s getting even less “crowded” (if you can believe that). Often there’s no-one else out there when we go especially early in the AM.
Nina
Enjoying the heck out of your site so far. Especially the Oregon coast campground descriptions. We’re an early 50s couple (husband still works from “home”) and we’ll be heading out full time next June! I LOVE that you make mention of cell service in your descriptions. Since being connected is a MUST, I’m hoping with MIFI/satellite that it won’t be too difficult to figure out. Have you been able to get reliable service on the WA/OR coast? We also like to be in state/local campgrounds/boondocking.
Thanks!
Congrats on your upcoming fulltime travels!! We’ve had VERY good MiFi reception all along the OR coast. No problems at all.
Nina
Hard to believe it’s been two months but I’m sure 30 miles south will be every bit as nice.
Yup, we’re looking forward to it!
Nina
That rare pic of you and Polly is pretty darn good! Time flies fast when you are having a good time especially at the beautiful Oregon Coast. We are also meeting friends out here in the northern east coast.
Yeah, Paul did good on that one. The light was also fabulous that day…perfect late afternoon “sweet” light. Hard to believe you guys are all the way over on the NE coast…seems like only a few months ago we crossed paths.
Nina
I love the photo of you and Polly! I had such good intentions of making kimchi this summer but here it is September and none to be found, other than what I bought at Whole Foods. Your post has inspired me to get busy and also to try making some kefir and growing a mushroom, much easier on the budget than purchasing these all the time. Enjoy your time at Cape Blanco.
I can highly recommend the grains we bought. They’ve been very productive. The great thing about Kefir too is that it brews in only 24 hours. We have a fresh batch each day. Very yummy.
Nina
Good to know. I love kefir and will be sending off for it soon. Thanks again Nina. 🙂
I’m not fulltiming yet, but I would love to be a part of your RV fermenting group. I love raw milk kefir (for smoothies) and have also bottled homemade kombucha. It is so refreshing! And healthy!
Yum, yum…a persona after my own heart!
Nina
Kefir? I am going to try making some. Uh, do you drink it straight? I see smoothies but what else?
Yes, you can drink it straight (what I do most of the time – I really like the taste) and/or make smoothies out of it. You can also let the kefir separate and make cheese. Plus you can use the Kefir as a base for ice-cream. Lots of options!
Nina
Hello! Is there a RV fermenting group? Or does Kim have a webpage on the fermenting kitchen? I just started getting into fermenting when I moved into my RV full-time. I’m just trying to find some ideas on how to ferment not only in such a small space (I have a 21′ Sprinter) but since this is my only vehicle, then what ferments are best with occasional movement/agitation. I’d love to get in touch with anyone whose been full-timing and fermenting!