SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

Another day in McMinnville and everyone had a different idea of what to do today. So, they did a little bit of everything.

Jim and Warren wanted to spend some time back at the Air and Space Museum, Kathy T wanted to visit the famous Blue Raven Pie Stand, and my Kathe wanted to taste some more local wines. 

With a little planning they were able to do all three and make everybody happy.

First thing this morning they walked over to the Air and Space Museum and spent 2 hours looking at the Spruce Goose and lots of other historic planes. After a quick lunch it was off to the pie shop where they bought 2 small fruit pies and a large turkey pot pie for tomorrow night's dinner. Then after a stop at the fruit stand on the highway they drove to the Maysara Vineyard for a tasting. 

Maysara Vineyards had a pretty setting and they relaxed outdoors and tasted several Pinot Noirs. One of the wines was a sparkling rose that no one liked, but the white Pinot Gris and the three reds were a hit.

We are expecting rain for our trip tomorrow to Seven Feathers Resort. We are planning to stay there for five nights.

AROUND MCMINNVILLE

This morning the Kathies and Jim were up early to go for a bike ride. They rode from the RV Park across the bridge to the Evergreen Air and Space Museum following the bike trail that wove all around the museum campus. There are three large buildings, the museum which houses over 150 aircraft including the Spruce Goose, an IMAX theatre that features air and space films, and a huge indoor water park with an aircraft on the roof that is one of the water slides. There is a large vineyard around the complex and a really nice trail through the evergreen trees surrounding the buildings. This is a picture of the waterpark building. Pretty crazy!

After lunch the humans went into the historic McMinnville shopping area. Lots of fun was had going in and out of the touristy shops and a large antique mall. Not too many purchases, but a fun afternoon.

Later, they decided to look at model homes. They were very impressed with the homes they toured. My Kathe was ready to sign on the dotted line for a house that backed up to an old grove oak forest. The Taylors liked a house a couple of blocks away that was larger with 4 bedrooms and a separate granny suite. Something to dream about tonight.

WATER AND WINE

The Stone Village is a really nice RV Resort, but last night we had a tsunami. I went out at about midnight and there was water spraying everywhere. The sprinklers are supposed to be underground here, but something went terribly wrong. Water was spraying so high up in the air that water sprayed inside the coach through the open door. I got completely soaked. And this morning we were walking in mud puddles. Water was all over the coach and the car, which didn't make Jim one bit happy. Kathe complained to the park, but I don't think anything will change. Going to stay in tonight until the sprinklers are finished.

After all that excitement last night, they were in no hurry to do anything this morning. At about 11 or 12 the humans still were trying to figure out what they were going to do. Everyone is getting lazy, but eventually they made a decision to go wine tasting. There are about 25 or more wineries to choose from!

First stop, however was Country Johns Farm Shop where they purchased local fruit, pastries, and produce. Everything looked fresh and delicious. With them, it's all about the eating and drinking.

Next, they drove to the Couer De Terre Vineyard. They spent about two hours tasting some very special wines. They were the only people there, so they received the VIP treatment. The wines were all excellent and the experience was one of the best due to the knowledgeable people in the tasting room.

SLOW DOWN

We set off this morning for McMinnville and the Old Stone Village RV Resort, thinking we had an easy 74 miles to cover. It was a beautiful drive through a fairy forest of giant spruce trees that were covered with hairy moss. We kept expecting Big Foot or a troll to jump out into the 2-lane highway. Then all of a sudden, we came to a complete stand-still behind a line of cars and RV's. We couldn't see what the holdup was. We watched as many cars as possible U-turned and went back in the other direction. Of course, we couldn't do that because we are too long, so we had to wait over 30 or 40 minutes until we could see what was up ahead. 

First, we saw the giant tow truck backing up, then as we got closer, we saw the wreck. An eighteen-wheeler must have missed the turn and flew over the side of the road into a ditch. The truck was wrecked, but the driver appeared to be okay. Eventually we were able to get past the incident and continue to McMinnville. A few more minutes and we were on our way.  

We finally arrived here at the Old Stone Village and set up in two adjacent sites. It's warm, but both sites are under large shade trees. The Taylors and their doggies are already relaxing in their lounge chairs right outside my window. Can't wait to get outside and start enjoying the sunshine. The beach was nice, but so cold and foggy every night.

Looking forward to having a great time here for the next four nights.

MUNSON FALLS STATE PARK

Our last day here in Tillamook and most of the day was spent on housekeeping chores. The worst part of the morning was my bath. Kathe brushed me and plopped me in the kitchen sink and the next thing I knew I was in a bubble bath. Good news, Gianni and Lady Bella got a bath today too. I think the next place we are going must be another fancy RV Resort and they don't want us to show up with dirty doggies. This place here has a lot of dry grass and pine needles so all three of us looked a little worse for wear.

After lunch today the humans were looking for some exercise, so they decided to take a hike. They drove to a nearby State Park for a hike to the waterfall. The road into the park was a gravel one lane road over a couple of very narrow bridges. The parking lot was just about empty, so they had a very nice quiet hike up to the falls. The short trail followed a stream where the water flowed over the rocks through the tall pine forest. It wasn't possible to climb all the way to the top of the falls, there was a barrier to keep you safely away from the cliff. It was a really nice way to spend the afternoon.

Another tough ride for us tomorrow as we head to McMinnville, Oregon for the next four nights.

THINGS TO DO IN TILLAMOOK

Last night we had some surprising weather. First the lightning and then the rain and thunder. We were already snug in bed, so it wasn't much of a problem for Kathe and I. Jim spent a few hours yesterday straighten out our fancy chrome mudflap with help from Warren. He had it all shined up and covered it with a towel until he and Warren could reinstall it. The towel got soaked and so did the mudflap, so the darn thing had to dried and all shined up again today. As a matter of fact, he's still working on it.

Well, there are other things to do in Tillamook besides visiting that factory, eating their cheese samples and ice cream. Turns out there is another cheese factory just down the highway.  Today they visited the Blue Heron Cheese factory for wine and cheese tasting. There was a fabulous gift store and deli restaurant. It was a completely different adult experience. They did have a petting zoo and a candy store so there were some kids around, but it was a day and night experience from yesterday's tour.

You know by now that my humans can't resist visiting a pioneer museum whenever they have the opportunity. So, today they spent a few hours in the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum. The building was once the county courthouse, and the three floors are filled with over 55,000 items from prehistoric specimens to modern day. Room after room of treasures of the past. Great way to spend a cloudy day at the beach.

THREE CAPES DRIVE

I haven't been feeling my usual tip top self for the last day or so. I fasted and slept for 24 hours and now I'm really hungry, and ready for anything.

The humans went exploring today driving to two of the three capes on the Three Capes Drive. Maybe they will hit the third one tomorrow. It was a beautiful coastal drive under the Sitka spruce trees to Cape Meares and world's smallest Lighthouse. The lighthouse sits 200 feet above the ocean and the view is amazing. Three Arch Rocks are below and that is a National Wildlife Refuge. Thousands of sea birds call this area home.

Cape Lookout was next, and they toured the State Park with hopes that maybe we could stay there the next time we are in this area. They had a picnic lunch on the beach there and walked the coastline looking for treasure.

The trip to Tillamook wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. After tasting some of the various cheeses and watching the process of packaging large blocks of cheese, they stopped for some of the famous Tillamook ice cream. 

NOT QUITE TILLAMOOK

Having some trouble this evening with the internet. I'm afraid I'll have to make this short.

We had another beautiful drive today up the Oregon coast, we had a few crazy turns, but arrived here a little after 2 o'clock. Our RV Park isn't exactly up to our standards, but we've stayed in worse places. Our problem was that we didn't start to plan this trip early enough in the summer, so we have to take whatever is available. On the bright side we don't have to worry about trees blocking the satellite or worry about sprinklers spraying our coach. No trees, and dead dry grass. We will make the best of it.

Oh, and we are not exactly camped in Tillamook, but Bay City. Tomorrow we will do some exploring and find the ocean, the lighthouse, and the famous cheese factory.  My humans did have a delicious fish dinner tonight at the Fish Peddler in Bay City but that's about the only exciting thing that has happened so far. This is a picture of the bay in front of the restaurant.

We are here four nights, so there's plenty of time for fun.

WHALES AND WINE

Last day here in Newport so it was time for sightseeing. We woke up this morning to the best day yet, it was sunny and clear with no wind at all. Kathe and I enjoyed a walk around the resort meeting several friendly doggies and sniffing good morning.

The humans got a late start on the day, it seems like they are getting lazier every day. They had a plan to drive north, and the first destination was Otter Rock State Park. Up high on a cliff above the ocean was observation area. There was a lot of excitement, there were several whales down below in the kelp beds. They stayed for a while, just watching the action.

Next stop was Devil Punchbowl State Park. Looking down from that cliff they were able to see the water flowing through a hole in the rocks. Waves enter the bowl and churn and foam. On other side of the cliff there were several surfers trying to catch a choppy wave

Not too far from the Devils Punchbowl was a small touristy area with shops and a winery called the Flying Dutchman. You know my humans just had to taste the wines. Kathy T liked a sweet blackberry wine, but Jim and Warren were more interested in the clam chowder next door.

Last stop of the day was a little shopping area in the town of Depoe Bay. Lots of little gift shops and saltwater taffy along the coast with the usual tourist treasures. Warren said that the ship from China must have stopped here, and every shop filled their shelves with the same stuff.

ANOTHER DAY IN NEWPORT

Not too much to report today. Another very cool and windy day so everyone stayed in bed until late this morning except for yours truly. Kathe is getting really good getting back to sleep whenever we get back to the coach in the early morning.

Last night with all the celebrating, no one really felt like doing much today. They had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant called Tidal Raves in Depoe Bay last night. Great drinks and seafood with the most spectacular ocean view. Lots of birthday fun for Kathe ending with a brownie cake to share. Hope her wish comes true.  Here is a picture of the happy group at dinner and one from the deck outside of the restaurant at sunset.

After lunch today they drove to the Nye Beach area for some shopping. I thought they would be taking a walk on the beach, but instead of that they walked around and investigated all the small shops. The stores were only about a block from the beach. No tourists, just a quiet afternoon. Just chilling today.

BEACH DAY

This morning the sun was shining, and it was clear with no fog for a change. Kathe and I took advantage and went for a long walk around the resort. Then it was back to the coach for me while they headed out for an adventure.

Warren likes to walk the beach looking for agates and special treasure just along the tide line.  About three miles away is the Agate Beach State Recreation Site, so they decided to dress warmly drive and drive there this morning. The beach is really wide, and you have to cross several high sand dunes to get out to the water. Jim and Warren headed south to look for treasure on the beach. Kathy T brought out her kite and was able to fly it so high that we could hardly see it in the sky. My Kathe took a photo, but Kathy and her kite are tiny specks in the picture. So, all you see here is a picture of the beach.

Next, they drove to see the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. It's a few miles up the coast from the Agate Beach. Turns out that today was the 150th birthday of the lighthouse and admission was free. They stayed and ate a snack while watching the surf and the hundreds of birds on the cliffs along the ocean.

Today is my Kathe's birthday and she has been celebrating all day. Thank you to all the friends and family who called and messaged their good wishes today. Tonight, they are all going out to a special dinner to continue celebrating.

How great is it to spend your birthday at the beach!

NEWPORT HARBOR

It's cold and windy! I like the wind in my hair, but Kathe not so much. It was colder here this morning than anywhere in Canada on our last trip, especially at 4:30 in the morning. Kathe pulled out one of the down comforters for me to sleep on, and I curled up and went back to sleep till 8:30. 

The humans left here this early morning to find the Newport farmer's market. It was a very good one with lots of great produce. They came home with tomatoes, peaches, strawberries and several tasty pastries. Unfortunately, nothing that interests doggies. 

After the market they started on a quest to buy some fresh crab for dinner. They went down to the harbor area, which was very touristy, and stopped at several places without any luck. Warren wasn't going to give up until he found a shack where they were selling live crab. He was planning a crab fest for tonight and he was pleased to buy four nice big ones for dinner tonight. My blog is a little late tonight because it took so long for Kathe to finish cracking and eating almost 2 whole crabs herself. It was an early birthday treat.

The harbor area was fun, lots of little shops and restaurants. They stayed to look at all the sea lions napping on the pier. But everything was so busy and crowded that they decided to go back home in the early afternoon to get away from all the people and traffic.

FANCY SMANCY

Boy, this is some RV park! Kathe says it the Beverly Hills of RV Parks, and she's not too happy. Everyone else thinks it's just beautiful. You know my Kathe, she's not too great with rules and regulations, and this place sure has a lot of them. All of the sites are owned here and so the only way you can rent a site is with the owner's permission. Our site has a view, but it is not of the ocean as we were led to believe, but a view of the grass and some other higher end coaches. Not my style, and I can't even figure out where to do my business without breaking some rule.

On the bright side, it's very cool here and the ocean isn't that far away. We have a nice grass area behind our coach but it's not private enough if you know what I mean. Gianni and Bella are nowhere near us, at least a block away. We all got together for cocktails and treats before dinner. It became super chilly, and the wind came up forcing us all inside for dinner. Maybe it will be sunny tomorrow, I sure hope so. Even with my fur coat, it's really chilly tonight.

Here are a couple of pictures that Jim and Kathe took on a hike they took down to the ocean. It's a long rocky trail down there from our site, and I'm afraid I'm not up for that. As you can see for all my complaining, it's really a beautiful place.

TWO MOUNTAINS

Vacation number two is now in full force. Everyone is sleeping late, and they aren't even making any plans for activities for the day. I'm the only one that keeps things on schedule. Up early, eat breakfast, go for a walk, then go back to sleep. They just seem to be lazy now, sitting around until the spirit moves them.

At just about noon the humans decided to explore the area. First, they drove north to the Myrtle Wood Factory to look at the trinkets for sale. No interest there, so then it was back to Coos Bay to check out the Coos Bay History Museum. 

It's a beautiful new modern museum with lots of interesting exhibits on the history of Coos Bay. Highlights were on the logging, fishing and cranberry industries of this area of Oregon. Lots of antique tools and hardware nicely displayed. There were copies of newspaper articles which helped to get a better understanding of the life of the people around the Bay area.

Then it was time for Fish and Chips! As they exited the museum the air smelled like lunch, so they scoped out the best place to stop and enjoy the local specialty. 

Okay, so what about the two mountains? The top picture is the mountain of sawdust from the mill next to our RV Park. The picture was taken about six blocks away and the sawdust is so high you can't even see the casino and RV Park. The bottom mountain picture is the twenty-foot-high pile of oyster shells at the oyster farm they visited this afternoon. They purchased lots of oysters for Warren to grill tonight.

I hope tomorrow will be more exciting, we are traveling up the coast to a resort in Newport.

SUNSET BAY

This morning it was so foggy that we couldn't see across the bay. I heard some of the locals talking about how they were glad that the heat wave was over, and the fog was in. Heat wave, you're kidding me, the only heat wave we knew about was the furnace that Jim turned on this morning. It was 62 degrees for heaven's sake. Even with my fur coat I was a little chilly.

After breakfast all the humans piled into the Jeep and headed across town to the ocean. The destination was Sunset Bay State Park. Warren and Kathy had been there before, and they acted as the tour guides. We toured the Campground but there were very few sites that could accommodate rigs our size. It was very close to the ocean and would be a great place to stay next time.

They drove further south to Cape Arago where they had a great view of the many small islands off the coast. There were many sea lions on the rocks, but even so far away, they sure were noisy. After a short hike to get the best reef views, they took some pictures.

Next stop was Shore Acres State Park. This was once a mansion built by the Simpson family as a private estate with flowering trees and formal gardens, complete with a 100-foot lily pond. In 1942 it was purchased by the State and is now a State Park. They toured the over 5 acres of beautiful gardens.

COOS BAY

Long, but beautiful drive today. Lots of trees, and lots of logging trucks passing us as we drove across the state of Oregon from the I-5 to the coast to highway 101. Also, lots of twists and turns as we followed the Taylors to our home for the next three nights. We are staying right on Coos Bay at the Mill Creek Casino RV Park, conveniently next to a huge casino.  And not too far from a mountain of sawdust at the Mill.

Our site has a view of the bay right out the front window. And as an added treat for me, two giant dog parks. I can see dogs all day long, but no barking allowed until we go outside.

And it's cool here. They weatherman said that there is an excessive heatwave warning for Coos Bay; it's going up to 80 degrees. Lots cooler than the 107 we experienced last night. No need to sleep on the tile floor tonight, we will all cuddle up in the big bed. Nice and quiet without the air conditioning running all night long.

Tomorrow Jim will clean the windshields for both coaches without using a ladder! My pictures will be a lot better after that.

BIKE RIDE ALONG THE RIVER

Another "early" morning for my humans today. Jim and the Kathies wanted to go for a bike ride along the Rogue River before it got too hot. Warren couldn't go because the doctor was told him that if he had another accident he could damage his arm again. He stayed home and roasted the peppers he bought yesterday at the farmers market. Gianni, Bella, and I were happy just to stay home in the air-conditioning all morning.

The bike ride was really fun, a wide paved path past farms and lots of black berries, out of the park all the way to the city of Rogue River. My Kathe didn't ride quite as far as Kathy and Jim did, but she stayed upright and even had fun riding about 5 miles up and back.

After lunch they decided it was too hot to stay outside and started looking into the wineries to visit in the area of Grants Pass. They drove about 30 miles into the countryside to the Wooldridge Creek Vineyard. The area reminded them of Paso Robles, with lots of Oak trees and farms along the narrow roads. They tasted both red and white wines in a beautiful outdoor tasting room. Luckily, they had misters which kept the area cool. They purchased a few bottles of wine and some local cheeses which were also for sale at the Winery.

On the way back to the campground, they stopped for another tasting at Del Rio Vineyards. They had been at this winery many years ago and they liked several of the white wines that they tried. They came home with four more bottles of wine which they all agreed were the best of the ones they tasted.

Tomorrow we head to the coast, and we are hoping that it will be cooler than this area. It's above 105 again today. It's only fun to go outside in the early morning and after dark.

SQUIRREL HUNTING

If it wasn't so gosh darn hot here this place would be paradise. Just walk out the door and you can see lots of wildlife, that is if you walk out the door at 4AM. Not especially the most fun for Kathe, but wow there are squirrels all over the place. Other than checking out the new squirrel digs each morning, there's not much else for me to do. I stay inside until someone forces me to go out in the heat for business purposes.

As for the humans, they always find something to do wherever we camp. This morning they were planning a bike ride on the great bike path that runs all along the river. At least that was the plan until they found a farmers market that opened at 10 AM.  It was a very small market, but they managed to buy some delicious home-grown vegetables and fruit.

By the time that they got back to camp they decided that it was too hot to bike, so they did some more shopping, ate some lunch and that's about the time when staying inside sounded good to everyone. Afterall it was 105 degrees outside.

Kathe and Jim did manage to take a short hike down to the river to take some pictures, so I guess the bike ride will have to be tomorrow. 

SISKIYOU NATIONAL FOREST

Today we drove from Redding, California to Gold Hill, Oregon. Such a scenic drive, all through the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest.   We left a little later than normal this morning because we had a shorter drive, and we couldn't check into the Valley of the Rogue State Park until 4:00.

First thing this morning, we drove past and over Lake Shasta. Boy, that's a big Lake, it goes on for miles and miles. Last time we were here the river was very low, but with the rains this past winter it looked really full. Lots of boaters enjoying the water at last.

As we drove along the freeway, we started to see Mount Shasta in the distance.  You can't miss it! It's over 14,000 feet high and still covered with a lot of snow. Taking pictures through the window is challenging, so no comments please.

We arrived here at the State Park and are camped across from the Taylors. They are actually in a different loop, but one loop is inside of the other loop, so we are only about 50 feet apart. It's hot and a little bit smoky because there is still a fire burning in the Forest. It just smells like a campfire, so we are okay. Who wants a campfire anyway when its 105 degrees outside. We love this place, and we get to spend 3 nights here.

WHISKEYTOWN

Today we all slept in, even me! By the time 10:00 rolled around Warren was ready to tackle fixing the damaged bin doors on our motor home. Jim pulled out all the tools and Warren supervised the repairs. Warren was the brains and Jim was the brawn of the operation. Warren still doesn't have full use of his right arm and has to be careful not to cause additional injury. They worked together for a couple of hours and were able to make all the doors function properly. Still not pretty, but at least everything closes and locks again.

After lunch, boiled chicken for me and ham sandwiches for my humans, it was time to explore Redding. First stop was the Olde West Gun and Loan Company, the best antique pawn shop in Redding. While Jim explored the rifles, Warren spent time checking out the silver dollar case. Of course, the Kathies spent the whole time looking at the jewelry case.  Lots of bling for sale!

The next adventure was a drive to Whiskeytown. No whiskey, but a beautiful National Recreation Area with a crystal-clear lake with more than 36 miles of shoreline.  The plan was to hike to the Whiskeytown Falls, but in this heat, they just took pictures. Made everyone wish that we had a boat instead of a motor home today.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Well, we didn't have a very good beginning, but things are looking up. Yesterday we spent several hours at the tire shop and then we caught up with Warren and Kathy in Lodi, CA. The ride was a hot and long one, but we were very relieved to have a safe new tire under us. We traveled on the Interstate passing lots of big rigs and many trucks carrying tons of tomatoes. The area is known for growing nuts so we also passed lots of almond and pistachio trees, with a few cows thrown every so often. The best part of the day was when we finally arrived at the RV Resort Warren had prepared dinner for all of us. 

So, now for today. This is a picture of way I like to travel now. They tried to coop me up in a new crate, but I'm not having it. As soon as they zipped me, in I started crying so loud that they had to take me out and put me in this chair. I sure liked that! I know it's not too safe but I like riding like the little princess I am. I sat there for the entire five hour drive. No more crates for me!

Now, we are relaxing in Redding, California at Boulder Creek Resort. It's really nice, we have a nice big grassy site and Gianni and Bella are right next door. It's 102 outside right now, but we're staying inside till it cools off tonight.  We plan to stay here for two nights.

AUSPICIOUS BEGININGS

 

Here we are back on the road again. We’re trying to save the rest of our summer vacation now that Warren’s arm is healed enough to start having fun. 

Everything was going well, we even caught up to the Taylor’s when they surprised us at the first rest stop after the drive down the Grapevine.  

We were to spend the first night at the Almond Tree Oasis but when we stopped for fuel we had a problem. As we pulled away from the pump we heard a horrible noise.  We were stuck against a concrete pillar and had driven over a steel plate on the drivers side.  With a lot of head scratching, Warren and Jim managed to get us unstuck. In doing so we scratched and dented three bay doors. That’s not so bad right? Only problem was that the front drivers tire was so badly damaged we were afraid to continue up the Interstate at a high speed.

While I stayed home, the four of them went out to Harris Ranch for drinks and a steak dinner to figure out what to do. No tears were involved.

So, this morning I’m waiting in the coach with Kathe at the tire shop in Colinga while they send someone to Fresno for a new $900 dollar tire.  Planning to meet up with the Taylor’s tonight in Lodi California.