Sierra Madre Range, California

Took route 101 down the coast from San Francisco to south of San Luis Obispo, where we turned east on state route 166.  166 cuts through the scenic Sierra Madres and offers sweeping views of mountains and valleys, as well as the cattle that dot its landscape.  There are few homesteads and no services (read: gas).  It's a great drive, I recommend it.  The mostly public land along 166 is a destination for four-wheelers, dirt bikes and other such off-highway vehicles (OHVs), as well as hikers and rock climbers.

Norbie loved CA 166

The plan was to find some free camping at a rock climbing spot ("Silly Rocks") that Sanch had researched on rockclimbing.com, but as many western rock destinations go, the road to the rocks was a rutted, washed-out dirt road.  Besides that, it was gated and therefore impassable.  Never fear when National Forest land is near -- just so everyone knows it is legal and free to camp in National Forests, provided you are 200 feet from the hiking trail, and not within 1/4 mile of an established camp site or shelter.  If you are car camping you should camp near your vehicle.  The dirt parking lot provided a perfect campsite this night.

 Sierra Madres

It was here that I first noticed my itchy ass, which we later diagnosed as full-blown poison oak.  We (me, Sancho, Halie) got into the oak gathering wood during our rainy camping trip to Mt. Tam back in San Francisco.  Poison Oak grows only on the Pacific coast, so naturally I'm completely ignorant to its shape and virgin to its poison oils.  You win some, you lose some.