Slept well as it was nice and dark in the caravan, which was under a wooden awning. Made my way across the site up to the house which consisted of navigating some steep steps and crossing a stream on a handmade bridge. The house itself was quite amazing - a single room wooden structure with a central log burner which in the winter piped hot air under the main seating structure. They had built everything themselves after the site was cleared by loggers. Sat and had coffee and bagels and chatted about lots of things, including the cycle trip they had taken last summer down the west coast, through Mexico and then flying to Colombia. I said I was keen to explore some of the stuff in the area and they said I was fine to stay for another night. 

 

With that I set out on the bike to look around the nearby lava beds which were formed by a volcanic eruption around 1700 which destroyed and buried a First Nations village. There’s still a big First Nations community so lots of interesting stuff to look at. In the afternoon I cycled out to a hot spring for a relaxing soak in the sulphuric water. Met some more mushroom pickers who knew Cat and Colin. 

 

Got back to the house and Cat had cooked a lovely meal (including mushrooms), so we sat and ate and chatted some more. Conversation drifted in some strange directions including AI and the forthcoming connection with UFOs and aliens. Slightly surreal at times but they were very respectful when I said I didn’t necessarily feel the same on every topic. It was close to midnight by the time I made my way back across the creek to the caravan.