A Day At The Beach

Who goes to the Redwoods and doesn't see the trees?  I know it sounds crazy, but Kathe and Jim went hiking at the beach today instead of the Redwood Forest. 

Established in 1850, the harbor of Trinidad is the oldest on the Northern California coast.  It was a whaling port and also served to bring the miners supplies during the gold rush.  Today the area brings tourists from all over, including Kathe and Jim.  After checking out the memorial lighthouse, they walked (and climbed ) a trail that took them along the cliffs overlooking the bay.  Once the fog lifted, it was beautiful.  Those tiny dots are pleasure boats anchored in the bay.

After the ceremonial final fish and chips lunch they headed to Patrick's Point State Park for a couple of cliff side hikes.  The Wedding Rock trail is a short steep trail to the top of some rocks that overlook the ocean.  It was high tide and the water was slamming against the rocks.

Meanwhile, back at the campsite my day was very exciting.  I helped Kathe pick blackberries and discovered that there are critters that live in the blackberry patch.  I think they must be mice because I chased a nasty looking cat out of the berries and back into the dumpster!  Exciting!

This was our last official day of vacation, we will head to Santa Rosa tomorrow to visit with family for 3 days, and then on to Pismo Beach to meet up with our Komfort Kruiser club.  It's not over yet, but things are winding down and we are all kind of sad tonight.

Welcome to California

We crossed into California this morning and are officially on the way back home.  Kathe and Jim tried to get an early start this morning and were actually on the road by 10 AM.  I think that's a new record.  Good thing we got an early start because it was a long and difficult drive down the coast.  We drove 197 miles today.  It was a very beautiful drive, but many times we had to slow to 30 MPH to make the curves.  And there were LOTS of curves.

This morning as we drove through Bandon-By-The-Sea, Oregon we saw about 20 cranberry bogs.  After visiting the Cranberry Museum we now know what to look for.  The farmland gave way to beautiful cliffs and rock formations out in the sea.  It was hard to stop for pictures, but Jim got a few.

By afternoon, we were in the Redwood Forest.  After all the trees we have seen on this trip, the redwoods are still the most beautiful.  On the Redwood Highway the trees are so close to the road we were worried we might clip one on a turn.  It was a beautiful but tiring drive for all three of us.

We stopped at the "Sounds of the Seas" an RV resort near Patrick's Point, so expect some pictures of trees tomorrow!  We will be here for 2 nights to
rest up for the long drive on Sunday to Santa Rosa. 

Kathe found some blackberries here in the back of our site.  She has been looking for blackberries the whole trip with no luck, it's too early for them in Oregon.  She picked enough for a cobbler for dessert tonight.  I got to lick the bowl!

We are all really  tired tonight, so I guess we will all go to bed early.

Windy Day in Coos Bay

The plan this morning was to drive out on the Cape Arago Highway and go for a hike.  There are several State Parks along the way and Kathe and Jim were going to find an interesting trail at one of them and hike along the coast.  As soon as they crossed the bridge into Charleston they were fogged in.  It was so windy and foggy that the hike became a nice drive all the way to the cape.  It's hard to think that this is really summer when it's so cold and windy!

They stopped at Sunset Bay State Park and Shore Acres State Park before getting out of the car to take pictures at Cape Arago of the Simpson and Rock Reefs.  They could hear sea lions and seals on the reef, but in the fog they just looked like big blobs moving up and down the rocks.

After eating their picnic lunch in the car, they decided to visit the Indian casino.  Seems like every town in Oregon has one, and Coos Bay is no exception.  The casino is called the Mill and is built on the site where once stood a lumber mill.  They only stayed for a short time and so they left with some money in their pockets.

Yesterday I told you that the main lumber product that is shipped from Coos Bay is wood chips.  Here is a picture of one of the huge piles of wood chips waiting to be shipped to China.  There were two other piles just as large along the 101.  I hope you can see that they are as high as the telephone wire.

A Clean Day in Coos Bay

We only had to travel about 45 miles today.  I thought when we arrived here in Coos Bay there would be plenty of time to have an adventure.  I was so wrong.   We have no limitations on water use here at Alder Acres Resort as we have full hook ups, so all the things we couldn't do in Florence were done today. It became "clean everything day" and my plans for an adventure went up in suds!

They vacuumed, they sprayed, dusted or waxed every thing in sight.  He washed the motor home outside and she did five load of laundry.  Somewhere between the sheets and the towels I landed in the sink and I got washed and then blow dried.  It was such a flurry of activity that the afternoon disappeared before anyone had any fun.

At about 5:00 they went down to the port to take some pictures for me.  Coos Bay is one of the world's largest ports for forest products. Wood chips are the major export from this port.  Tons of wood chips can be seen on the highway coming into town.

The historic wooden tug boat, Koos was on display at the port as well as many more modern tugs which help move the lumber barges out to sea.

Dune City

There is one thing I do like about this campground, other than the millions of squirrels.  We don't have full hook-ups here and that means no sewer and so no bath for me.  We have 50 amp power and plenty of water at our site, but the holding tanks are limited.  Kathe and Jim won't waste water on me!  They did try to find a dog groomer here, but if you remember the last time we were in Florence, I got scalped and ended up looking like a Pomeranian.  It took almost a year for my hair to grow back.

I wish they would turn down that darn Dean Martin CD so I could concentrate.  Amore, a bore ah!

Any who, today they took off for another hike and left me watching the squirrels from the front window. They went to Tahkenitch Dunes which is a little south of Dune City.  They said it was really pretty in the forest for the first 3/4 of a mile.  Then the trail took off into the dunes and they had to hike the next 1/4 mile in soft sand.  They kept hiking uphill hoping to see the ocean on the other side of the dunes, but all they saw was more sand.  All three of these pictures are from the hike. It was a strenuous walk back into the forest where they could finally stop and pour the sand out of their hiking shoes.  Needless to say there was a lot of moaning and groaning this evening.  Pass the Advil please!

They went to the Three Feathers Casino for about an hour before dinner tonight.  They played the penny slots and Kathe won $74.00.

Well,  tomorrow we head to Coos Bay, a place that the three of us have never been.  That will be our last stop in Oregon.  California here we come!

Sand and Sea

Another day here in Florence, Oregon.  It was sunny all day today, but very windy.  I've been taking Kathe for walks around the campground about four times a day.  I'm looking for squirrels and she's looking for exercise.  I came so very close to catching one this morning.  Kathe was so sleepy she wasn't paying attention to my sneaky techniques.  I got so close the critter I could almost taste him, but Kathe pulled me back so fast I fell over in the pine needles! Drat! 

Jim went for a long bike ride today out along the dunes.  It started to get really windy after about 10 miles so he turned around to come back home.  The only problem was that the road back home was uphill and against the wind and it felt more like 20 miles to him. 

And what, you might ask, was Kathe doing?  There is a little "Old Town Florence" shopping district on the Siuslaw River.  That is where she spent her afternoon.  Shopping is a form of exercise, right ?

They went out to the dunes to watch the kids riding their ATV's for a while this afternoon.

Tonight they are out to dinner again, but I don't think it's steak.  These towns along the ocean mean only one thing, Fish!  I wish I were a cat.

Relaxing in Florence

Not much to say about today. Except that we made it to Florence.  It was a hairy, scary ride down the 101 along the coast.  Right along the coast, I might add.  Just a metal guard rail and with a cliff on the other side of the two lane highway.  Luckily, it was Sunday and we didn't see any logging trucks coming head-on, just a lot other motor homes and tourists like us.

The road was uneven and every time Kathe tried to take a picture, we hit a bump and oops, out of focus!  At least that's her excuse.  Here are a couple that she took when we stopped for a break.  It really was a scenic drive, if you could keep your eyes open!

We arrived in Florence and set up camp at the Thousand Trails Park in South Jetty.  We will be here for 3 nights.  The Dunes are all around us, and we could hear the dune-buggies in the back ground this afternoon.  It's getting dark now so things are starting to quiet down.  Our campground has lots of trees and is rustic,  as you can see from this picture which was taken out on the front steps. 

Slow Day in Lincoln City

I had a hard time getting my breakfast this morning.  I finally got Kathe out of bed at 6:30 but she just took me straight to the dog park and went back to sleep.  I tried again at 7:30 and same thing, we went out and she went right back to sleep.  I didn't get my breakfast until 9:30 this morning.  They have certainly gotten into this vacation mode, and I'm not so sure I like it.  At about 11:00 she finally took me for a long walk and then we settled down in front of the fireplace. 

I thought Kathe and Jim were never going to leave the house today.  I was really ready for a nap by 12:30 when they finally put their windbreakers on and went out for a hike. 

The ranger at Devil Lake Park sent them out to the Cascade Headlands Preserve.  A Preserve is what Oregon calls the bits of land that haven't been logged out.  Timber is very important here and the land that has been left is now valued as a Preserve.  It was a very beautiful hike through a wooded forest.  The only problem was that it was very difficult.  They hiked about 2 miles straight up, up, and up.  There were lots of stairs and Sitka spruce roots to climb over and they almost turned back before reaching the view point.  I'm glad they took pictures because if I had gone on that hike they would have had to carry me back in a doggie bag.  At least the way down was fast and easy. 

When they finished their hike it was after 4:00 and they realized that they missed lunch.  So, they went out for an early dinner at Mo's, and rewarded themselves with a marionberry cobbler and ice cream for dessert.  Oh yes, and some Advil.

And me? I got a meatball in my bowl.

Welcome to Oregon

We drove today from Long Beach, Washington over the Astoria Bridge, and down the 101 to Lincoln City, Oregon.  It was only 117 miles, but it was a rough trip.  The 101 South hugs the coast and it's very curvy and the pavement is uneven.  And if that isn't bad enough, it's only a two lane highway most of the way.  It took FOREVER to get here and we were very all tired when we finally arrived here.

We are at the "Premier" RV Resort and although we are very close to our neighbors we do have a nice view of the Pacific Ocean.  They are very friendly to doggies here, they gave me two dog biscuits when we arrived, and the dog park has an ocean view. 

Kathe and Jim did absolutely nothing this afternoon.  No museums, no hikes, nothing!  Finally at around 6 PM they had cabin fever and went out to the Chinook casino.  Kathe lost $35.00 and Jim won $36.00.  They should have stayed home with me.  I would have given  them the dollar.

I went to the dog park after dinner and attended a Yorkie convention.  A bunch of Yorkies that didn't even know I wasn't one of them!  Well, I have to get up early tomorrow, so I better turn in.  They deliver a paper here to your rig every morning and I have to help Kathe carry it in.

Discovery, Disappointment and Destruction

No, that's not what happened to the gopher.  Those are places we've visited on this trip.  The gophers are just fine, they are also just beyond my reach.  I remain ever hopeful that one will pop it's little head up just when I have my nose to the ground.  I'll have one last change  to get one tomorrow morning before we leave.

Kathe and Jim went out this morning for a short hike in Cape Disappointment State Park.  They hiked part of the Discovery Trail and visited the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.  From the front of the building you can see the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. There is no public access to that Lighthouse but they did hike to the North Head Lighthouse on the other side of the rocks.  They walked up the 69 steps of that Lighthouse to view the place where the Columbia River flows into the Pacific Ocean.  It has the distinction of being one of the most windy places in America.  There were so many ship wrecks in these waters that they had to build two Lighthouses to help ships navigate safely through the gap.  Both Lighthouses are still in use, because even today with the violent storms, winds and rough seas sometimes the GPS on the ships can fail.

If you are wondering about Destruction, remember we saw the Destruction Island Lighthouse from Ruby Beach in Olympic National Forest, and it's Fresnel lens is in the Newport Maritime Museum.

After all that hiking, they stopped for lunch and Kathe finally got her crab. Yes, she ate the whole thing!
 

Gophers Galore

Boy, am I in trouble.  Kathe is so annoyed at me tonight she won't even give me a treat.  I love this place, there are a million gopher holes and I just know there is a gopher in one of them.  We are at a KOA in Ilwaco/Long Beach, Washington for two nights.  She's mad because I have to stick my head down every single hole looking for a gopher.  I can't concentrate on anything else! She says she's tired of walking all over the park while I fool around.  I'm not fooling around, I really need to find that gopher!

On our drive down from Westport we passed acres of cranberry farms.  We were surprised to learn that cranberries have been grown in Washington since 1883.   Of course Kathe and Jim had to stop and visit a working cranberry farm and museum in Long Beach.  They learned a lot of facts about cranberries.  The fruit grows on vines, not bushes that are planted in sandy soils or peat soils.  Cranberries do not grow in water.  The plants are a perennial and a plant can produce for 100 years or more.  A good yield is 20,000 pounds per acre.

This is a picture of a cranberry bog.  The fruit will be ready to harvest in the fall.  Cranberries can be harvested wet, when a bog is flooded with water a few inches over the vines and a machine is driven through the bog to free the berries from the vine.  The berries float to the top and are taken out of the water.  95% of all cranberries are wet harvested and used for processed products like juice and cranberry sauce.  Dry harvesting is a process that uses machinery to pull the berries from the vine and prune the plants at the same time.  Dry harvested cranberries are the ones you buy in the bag at Thanksgiving.
Pictured here is the equipment used in harvesting.

Now you know why I want to stick my head in a gopher hole!

Beach Day

The weather report said that today was going to be sunny! When we woke up this morning it was a typical beach day, low clouds and no sun.  To make matters worse it, by the time Kathe and Jim finished their pancakes, it started to drizzle.  So the bicycle ride on the beach path was cancelled and they went to the Westport Maritime museum instead.  Leaving me home, again!

This museum's star attraction is the Fresnel lens from the Destruction Island Lighthouse.  This type of lens was invented by a French physicist, Augustine Fresnel in 1822.  A first order lens, it is 7'10' high and the inside diameter is 6'1" and it is visible for 25 miles.  It was installed in 1891 and illuminated by a kerosene lantern.  Since 1942 until it was deactivated in 2008 it was illuminated by a 1000 watt electric light  bulb.  The current value is estimated at 5 million dollars.


 
 


It was still raining after lunch so Kathe and Jim went wine tasting at the Westport winery.  No grapes are grown in this area of Washington, only cranberries, so all the grapes are brought here from the various wine growing regions of the state.  The wines were interesting, but the garden was really a treat.  Hope you like this sand sculpture.

When they came back from wine tasting the sun was out!  All three of us went for a long walk on the beach path in the State Park. 
Now that was FUN!

Going South

I realized today that for the first time that we are now traveling South on the 101 Freeway.  That can only mean one thing, we are headed back to California.  Oh, we still have a few more fun adventures to look forward to, but it's still kind of sad to think about going back home.  It's just not as much fun walking around my same old neighborhood day after day.

We drove out of the forest today and into the lumber towns of Hoquiam and Aberdeen.  We passed by the Hoquiam River RV Resort on our way to Westport and when we saw it, we were happy that they cancelled our reservation.  The town was all lumber mills hundreds of little identical houses down every street. Westport is so much better, a cute little fishing village just for tourists!

We arrived here in Westport and breathed a sigh of relief.  The RV Park is the best one in town, but everything here has a laid back beach feeling so it's clean but nothing special.  No wildlife to speak of, but lots of other dogs to sniff.


Kathe and Jim went out after lunch to walk to the lighthouse only to find they were on the wrong trail and would have to walk 8 more miles to get there.  So, they took the car and finally found it.  Grays Harbor Light Station dates back to 1889 and at that time it was actually on the high waterline. In the picture you can see trees all around it because it's now 250 feet back from the water.  Once they built the jetty, the movement of the water deposited sand and silt between the light house and the sea.  It's very strange to see a lighthouse so far away from the ocean and on dry land!  Jim walked up the 135 stairs to the top to take a picture while Kathe went to the gift shop.

Later that afternoon they walked the boardwalk, which is actually a pier out in the ocean.  A ramp takes you down to the marina and then you walk on a bridge out in the water away from the shoreline.  Lots of people were fishing and crabbing on this boardwalk and having fun.

Another Day in the Rain Forest

I'm sure glad I took my mosquito pill this month because everybody else keeps complaining and swatting while I relax.  Folks, that's what you get in a Rain Forest, BUGS!

After a couple of spins around the campground I let Kathe and Jim leave me home while they went to the beach.  They drove down the coast along the 101 to the beaches that are part of the Olympic  National Park.  They decided to do this today in the car even though they will cover the same territory tomorrow on the way to our next destination.  It's a little hard to find a place to park at the beach with a 40 foot motor home with a tow car attached.

They first stopped at Ruby Beach and then Beach #4.  They never did find Beaches #2 or #3!  Apparently it was quite a hike down the cliffs to the water as Kathe took the trail fanny first.

You can see that there is a lot of driftwood on the beach. The tremendous amount of rainfall causes the weaker trees to be up-rooted and carried down to the ocean. 


After walking on the beach they drove to the Kalaloch Lodge and had a fish and chips lunch overlooking Beach #1. I guess the Park Rangers haven't thought up any wacky Indian names for the beaches yet, so they just go by the numbers.

Tomorrow we head to Westport, WA (another deviation from the "Plan") as when we tried to rearrange our Hoquiam reservation they told us to go elsewhere.  The next resort has a pool, so I guess chipmunks are out of the picture for now. 

Hoh Rain Forest

We had another deviation from the "Plan" today.  Jim wanted to see the Hoh Rain Forest in the Olympic National Park and that stop wasn't on the "Plan."  After an awful lot of discussion last night it was agreed that we would try to see if we could find a place near the Rain Forest for the night.  We did, and boy am I happy! This place, Bogachiel Sate Park is loaded with chipmunks!  Oh yeah, the campground is okay too.  It took a little work to squeeze into one of the open sites, but we are here now for two nights.  Kathe will just have to figure out where to go to next, but Jim and I are happy!

They left after lunch for the Visitors Center and to take a couple of short hikes.  The mild winters, cool summers and annual precipitation of 12 feet produce the giant conifers that dominate this rain forest.  One of the spruce trees Kathe and Jim saw was over 200 feet tall 12 feet in diameter, and over 500 year old.  The Spruce Nature Trail was an interpretive trail past many of these huge trees.

There were also many biting flies and mosquitos so stopping to take pictures was a real challenge. 
Many pictures were out of focus due to the slapping of bugs.

They found a banana slug on one of the trails and took a picture to show how large it was, however with Kathe's size 11 clodhoppers next to it, it doesn't look so big after all.

Port Townsend

I'm glad we are leaving tomorrow.  I haven't seen a squirrel since we got here.  I've been watching out the front window for three solid days with no luck.  Guess with a million acres of wilderness around here, no self respecting squirrel would hang out in an RV Resort.  Wish me luck tomorrow.

Kathe and Jim went into Port Townsend today.  In the 1850's Port Townsend was one of the leading cities on Puget Sound when it was a prosperous trading center.  Today there are still many of the Victorian era homes with turrets, and gingerbread trim in the historic district of town.

They visited the Rothschild House which was built in 1868 by a prominent businessman.  His daughter inherited the house and never wanted to change or modernized it.  When she died it became a State Park Heritage Site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  As usual, Jim was fascinated with the antique plumbing fixtures.  Kathe enjoyed seeing the kitchen with the wood burning stove, and all of the period furnishings.

After they had lunch on the bay and watched the ferries coming and going to Whidbey Island, they toured the State Park at Fort Worden.  Decommissioned in 1958 there is a Coast Artillery Museum, Marine Museum, a Conferences' Center, and a campground within the park.  Many of the officer's quarters are now used as vacation rentals.  The Commanding Officer's Quarters has been turned into a really great museum.  It's a 5,000 sq. ft. home that was built in 1904 and completely renovated by the Heritage Foundation in 1970.   They didn't get a picture of it but it was  a wonderful step back in time.  As they were leaving the docent told them that most of the movie, "An Officer and a Gentleman" was filmed here at Fort Worden.
 

Sights and Smells of Sequim

According to The Sequim Chamber of Commerce, the sun shines here 300 days a year.  I guess today just wasn't one of those days! It looked like it was going to rain today but the dark clouds stayed  up in the Olympic Mountains, and we just had cool winds all day.

Kathe and Jim drove down to the John Wayne Marina where two of the Historical Tall Ships were docked.  The Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain were open for tours today so they boarded both ships and talked to the crew about life on these ships.  The ships are part of an  non-profit educational program that sails into 50 west coast ports each year.  After the tours they staged a "battle" in the harbor, shooting their cannons at each other.

On the way back to the motor home Kathe and Jim stopped at one of the many Lavender Farms here in Sequim. 

Purple Haze has 12 acres of Lavender fields and a gift shop with everything from lavender body lotion to lavender ice cream and lemonade.  It smelled heavenly.  They are tucking some sprigs in my bed tonight to make me a sweet smelling doggie.





On the way back from the Lavender Farm on a gravel road, a rock hit the windshield of the tow car and caused a crack.  It was a little bit of a problem, because they wanted to go wine tasting, and then had to hurry back to the glass shop to get it fixed. Priorities!

They got the windshield fixed.  It's as good as new, and they brought home three bottles of wine.

Seeing Puple in Sequim

Tonight we are in Sequim, Washington at the Gilgas Oasis RV Park.  It's a quaint little town located between the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan De Fuca.  Many people refer to this area as the "banana belt" of Washington State because they only get 16 inches of rain a year.  The climate is similar to Provence, France the lavender capital of the world.  For this reason, a lot of lavender is grown here as well. There are about 40 lavender farms in the area around Sequim, and everywhere you look there is the color purple.  We are here for three nights and hope to visit a lavender farm while we are here.  By the way, it's pronounced  "S' Kwim"!









Today after a trip to Walmart for Kathe, and a trip to the barber for Jim they set out for the Olympic National Park.  The entrance to the Visitors Center is about 20 miles from Sequim. 

Once they spoke to the rangers and found out that campgrounds in the Park are limited to rigs 22-35 feet long, they gave up the idea of camping in the Park.  So, they drove up to the Hurricane Ridge (another 18 miles) and took some pictures from the top of the ridge.  The Olympic Mountain Range can be seen in the distance with snow and glaciers.  The Park is over 1 million acres and 95% is protected as wilderness.

A Day in Poulbro

We had a real adventure today.  After breakfast we drove about 40 miles up to the town of Poulbro to visit our Los Angeles next door neighbor, Elaine.  Elaine's grandfather built a house on Puget Sound in 1914 and every summer she comes here for a few weeks.  It just happened that we were here at the same time she was, so we spent the day with her and her family.

Her house is right on the water and has a million dollar view out towards Seattle and Mount Rainer.  We sat in the shade admiring the view while we ate a picnic lunch.  After lunch Elaine took us on a tour of the area.  First we toured the pretty little town and shopped in the famous Poulbro Scandinavian bakery.  Then we drove over the bridge  to Bainbridge Island, where we stopped for coffee and a bowl of water.  She drove us to all the places she loves in the area like Indianola and Suquamish to see the sights.  We even stopped at the burial site of Chief Seattle.





After our tour we went back to her house for dinner.  Jim roasted hot dogs with the kids while Elaine and her cousin fixed the corn on the cob.  We had a really fun day, but had to leave before the some-mores were ready as it was getting dark and we still had a long drive back to the RV Park.