THATS ALL FOLKS

Tonight is our last night of the trip. We’re in Coalinga, the RV is called Almond Tree, where there are no almonds in sight, just fields and fields of pistachios. It’s unfortunate that this is the only place to stay on the I-5 between Lodi and Los Angeles. Maybe one day they will actually open the RV Resort at Harris Ranch.  Keeping my paws crossed for that day. 

While my humans are at dinner at the Harris Ranch restaurant celebrating the final night of this trip, I’m here at home reminiscing about all the places we have been the last two months. We visited Solvang, we drove the Cascade Loop, stayed in Leavenworth, and we slept on both the Washington and Oregon Coasts, we even stayed several nights on a farm. The weather was hot, then cold, then foggy and hot again. We had a great time. Lots of fun and lots of adventures for the humans, hiking, biking, eating, and drinking for 48 days on the road. Sounds like fun doesn’t it, and it was. It’s been another great adventure.

Now it’s time to go home and celebrate my 20th birthday in October and plan the next adventure.

WINOS

Bet you didn’t know that there are over 85 Wineries here in Lodi. We usually only spend one night here. Since we are here for two nights this time, the humans went on a search for some delicious wines. 

First stop was supposed to be Michael David Winery. When they drove by the tasting room there were so many cars that they decided to skip that one for the moment.  Kathy T. looked on Google and found one that looked interesting called Nostra Vita. Their specialty was sparkling wines! It was a beautiful outdoor setting under some large pepper trees. They each tasted a flight of six wines. The men tasted only reds while the Kathies tasted the sparkling flight. There were several wines that they liked so they purchased them. The favorite was a red sparkling wine. They are saving that one for Christmas!

Next, it was back to Michael David Winery to see if the crowd had thinned out. They ate lunch in the winery farm shop restaurant before going to the tasting room. Still way too many people there! Lots of brides-to-be and children running around. So, off they went to find the next winery.             

They picked another family winery, Van Ruiten, which also had an outdoor tasting area. The table was under some large vines with grapes hanging down. A very pretty setting. They were able to choose 5 wines each to taste from a very large tasting menu. Warren and Jim purchased a couple of bottles.

It was a fun afternoon and there was still time for a nap before dinner. Tonight, there were no cocktails, but a delicious surf and turf meal which everyone enjoyed. Kathe made smashed potatoes, Kathy T. made a spinach soufflé, Warren grilled colossal shrimp on the grill while Jim grilled steaks. Our last family meal of the season as tomorrow night they plan to eat dinner at Harris Ranch.

ROUGH RIDERS

Five hours of torture for me. The road from Willits to Lodi today was one of the worst ever. I hardly got any sleep, maybe twenty minutes. Nerves are shattered, and not just mine. I’m just really glad Kathe didn’t toss me out at the rest stop. I used to be such a good little traveler, but I guess old age has made me crabby, which in turn makes her really cranky!

The drive through Mendocino and Sonoma counties was very scenic and a little bumpy. Marin county and highway 37 was slow and rough, but once we were on Highway 12 the road was worse than the roads in Alaska. I wonder, do they have frost heaves in California?

So happy to be here in Lodi where it’s sunny and we can relax for a couple of days before we have to hit the road again.

Cocktails tonight were Aperol Spritz and Chambord Spritz. Water for me.

FORT BRAGG

Another sunny day in Willits this morning. Big plans for the humans while Bella and I stayed and guarded the home front. They drove up to Fort Bragg on Highway 20 through the redwood trees,

The plan was to visit the famous “Sea Glass Beach.” It was very a very foggy day at the beach. They learned that long ago all of the trash from the fort was just dumped into the ocean. Lots of bottles, trash and even automobiles were tossed over the cliffs. Eventually all that glass became sea glass and was deposited on the shore. It’s all still there, piles of it, but impossible to collect due to the rugged and dangerous coastline. The sea was wild, and no one was able to climb down to the beach. 

Plan “B” was to get a hot cup of coffee and explore some of the town. But then, they saw the “Guest House Museum” which looked like an interesting place to visit. The three-story house was built completely with redwood in 1892. It was a showplace home for the Johnson family, the owners of the Union Lumber Company. The docent was very knowledgeable about the building and the history of the home which survived the great earthquake of 1906 when almost everything in town collapsed.

In the garden outside there was a huge redwood stump which was from the largest redwood ever cut down. It took over 60-man hours to cut it down. The stump is 21 feet in diameter and was estimated to be 1,753 years old when it was felled 1943.

But wait, that’s not all they did today! My Kathe insisted that they visit the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens before going back to Willits. The gardens encompass over 47 acres of land with four miles of trails. Unfortunately, they only had time to visit a few of the displays. They chose the Dahlia Garden and the Display House with an amazing display of prize-winning fuchsias and begonias. There was so much to see that they could have spent hours in all the various gardens, but they had to go back home to us doggies for dinner time. 

WELL ITS WILLITS

Tonight, we are in the town of Willits, which is known as the “Gateway to the Redwoods.” There is only one problem, we spent the whole day driving out of the Redwoods. We are going in the wrong direction. We’re driving south! Anyway, it was a beautiful if not scary, twisty trip through some of the most amazing trees in the world. I didn’t like the drive much, as a matter of fact. I cried and screamed until they stopped to let me out for a comfort stop. All that twisting and turning had me in fits. When I came back in, Kathe gave me a calming treat, and I slept the whole rest of the drive.

We finally arrived 5 hours later due to all the construction on 101 and found our sites here at the Mendocino Redwoods RV Resort. This place must really be something in the summer season. There’s a pool, a putting green, an arcade, and a petting zoo. Some of the ultra-deluxe sites have a personal hot tub spa. We have deluxe sites which has full hookups that are on uneven gravel. We were happy to set up and start enjoying the evening. Because it’s September it’s very quiet and there are very few people here.

Tonight, Warren cooked the trout that Kathy T. and Jim caught in Twisp along with the Ling Cod that our neighbors in Honeyman gave us last week. Warren made delicious fish tacos and Kathy T made the margaritas. Early to bed for everyone after a long day.

SOUNDS OF THE SEALS

We can almost see the ocean through the trees from our campsite. Each night we hear the waves and the barking of seals, although we are at least a half a mile from the ocean. This morning it was clear and warm, and everyone was dithering about what to do on our last day here. There was some talk about a bike ride, and then a longer conversation about hiking back into the State Park.

At about noon the decision was made to hike the Rim Trail. They started at Wedding Rock and began a moderate, two-mile hike in the forest where they saw some fantastic views of the ocean. Kathe and Warren found some wild evergreen blueberries along the trail that were quite tasty. The trail ended at Palmer Point where we used to climb down to the tide pools. Unfortunately, that area is now closed due to coastal erosion and it’s not likely to be open anytime soon. The pictures were taken today on the hike.

Before turning around and hiking back, Warren and Kathe found some really ripe blackberries and feasted on those as they returned to the car.

It’s been a great three days here, just relaxing and enjoying the beauty of the area. Tomorrow, we head further south, and our drives will be longer and our stays shorter so we can be home by the end of the month. 

ANOTHER FOGGY MORNING

It was so foggy and dark this morning we all slept in. Good news for me, no sunshine means no bath. The bike ride was postponed again due to the low visibility and the fear of cars on the road.

After a leisurely breakfast or two or three, the humans left to go into the town of Trinidad for some shopping. It didn’t take long as there are only three shops in the little town not counting the grocery store. They spent more time in the grocery store than anything else. Lots of specialty foods and treats that they don’t carry in other stores.

A trip to the pier was the next stop. Watching people trying to catch fish was disappointing, so they decided to stop for a bowl of chowder before going back to the campground. The bike trip was now postponed until tomorrow if the weather cooperates. 

This afternoon while Kathy T. stayed home with Bella and me coloring, the others drove into the State Park to hike. Warren, Kathe, and Jim hiked the steep Agate Trail and spent time walking the beach looking for agates. They came home with a bag of treasures. The hike down to the beach was fun, but the hike back up was definitely not. But who knows there might be something they found worth the trip. 

One more day here and we travel again.

PATRICKS POINT

A short but twisty drive today. Still on the 101 with the Redwood Giants on either side of the highway. We are moving south, sad to say, but getting closer to home each day. 

We are camped here at what used to be known as “Sounds of the Sea” RV Resort. There are new owners and a new name, “Camp Trinidad.” There are a lot of changes, they have built tiny houses on the upper level and turned the owner's home into a hotel. The grounds have been renovated, but unfortunately, they took out all of the blackberries that Kathe and Warren loved to pick. It’s still a very nice campground and very close to the State Park. The park used to be called Patrick’s Point and now is named Sue Meg Park, a Yurok word to describe the enduring beauty of the park.

Kathe and Jim drove into the park late this afternoon and took a picture this picture of Agate Beach for me. I’m sure that tomorrow will bring some more exciting tales to tell. Tonight, while I get some well needed rest, they are going to have a campfire and cocktails. Does a Mermaid Water go with S’mores?

OREGON REDWOOD TRAIL

Another foggy morning. The only thing good about the cold, wet mornings is that my bath is put off for another day. I’m so glad I get to stay inside where it’s warm and eat my breakfast (this morning I had three) while they venture out into the wilderness.

Today they drove south nine miles to the Oregon Redwoods Trail. Everyone thinks that all the redwoods are only in California, but they are here in Oregon as well. There is a 450-mile-long strip of a “fog belt,” and the coastal redwood forest extends from Monterey County, California, to just over the Oregon border. 

To get to the trailhead they had to drive another four miles on a one lane gravel road through the woods. Not too bad until they encountered a large truck coming in the other direction. They pulled over in the bushes to let him pass. He was nice enough to tell them to stay put as a truck pulling a trailer was right behind him. Seems a guy was camping where he shouldn’t have been and broke an axle on the road. Next, came another big truck. That driver wasn’t so nice, and they had to back down to let him pass.

Finally, they reached the trailhead and started on the hike. So beautiful. A great easy interpretative trail the first mile with large redwoods. That trail connected to another moderate trail, down into the heart of the redwood forest for another mile. Huge old grove trees which were so tall you couldn’t even see the tops. They were the only hikers for almost the whole afternoon. So quiet and peaceful.

ROCKS

It was a foggy and rainy morning and the plan for the day was to do some hiking and exploring in the area known as Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor. The sun just started coming out when they left at noon. 

They drove north for several miles to the viewpoint for Arch Rock. There was a short easy hike through a forest of large spruce trees to the actual viewpoint. It was a place they had visited before, but the views were still as stunning as ever. 

Driving a few miles south they stopped at viewpoint, Natural Bridge. The hike down the cliff was very steep and rocky and Jim attempted to climb down. The other humans stayed on the wooden platform and took pictures. Jim came back shortly saying the climb down was more than he bargained for.

A few more miles south they stopped at the last viewpoint, Whaleshead Beach. That was an easier climb down for everyone. The rock really looks like a whale popping up out of the water. When a big wave hits the rock just right a spray of water comes out and looks like a whale spout. Unfortunately, I can’t figure out how to add a picture of that, you’re going to have to use your imagination.

The final destination today was Harris Beach State Park. No famous rocks here, just a nice walk on the beach. There were some people flying kites and sitting on the beach, but no one was brave enough to get in the water.

LISTEN TO THE SEA

Not a whole lot to report today. We woke up to a very foggy morning. We are all just chilling watching the waves crashing on the sand. High tide then low tide and high tide again. Kathe and I walk slowly on the path and listen to the sea. Each morning there are lots of people and dogs walking the same path. Most of them are friendly, it’s the humans we have to watch out for. In Oregon they don’t seem to watch where their dogs are going and don’t clean up after them. It makes Kathe real mad, so she picks up after them. 

Late this morning they set out to find the Brookings Old Town. After driving around for a while they realized that was a bust, so they ended up at the State Store to replenish their cocktail supplies. Getting low on coconut rum, Chambord, and raspberry vodka. Can’t let that happen. Then a quick visit to the Fred Myers store before going home for some clam chowder.

In the afternoon the Kathies went to the antique stores where my Kathe found one of the angels she collects. It was worth $40 but she only paid $14.95. Don’t tell Warren and Jim but I smelled Dairy Queen on their breaths when they returned. 

They perfected the Mermaid Water cocktail tonight by omitting lime juice and replacing it with 7-up.

RIGHT AT THE HARBOR

Today’s journey was another twisty one on the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway or the 101 as we know it. Very beautiful scenery, but it took forever to get here. Traveling these two-lane curvy highways for five hours would make anyone bark! 

So, that’s all we did today. Drive! We are all settled in and our new site is right on the ocean. It’s a lot different from the places we have been camping. No trees. No grass. The coaches are lined up like soldiers, but we look directly into the sea. We are here for four nights so there will be plenty of time to explore the area.

This is a picture taken on the road today. One beautiful view of many.

CAPE PERPETUA

Another sunny day here on the Oregon Coast. We all really like it here, except for the pine needles and the trailing blackberry vines, it’s a paradise. This park is known for all kinds of dune adventures. We did hear one sand rail motor this morning, but because it’s the end of the summer season even that noise is gone. 

Today, after breakfast the humans decided it was time for some hiking activity. The drove north to Cape Perpetua which is known to be one of the most scenic areas on the coast. There was a visitor center with an amazing panoramic view of the ocean as well as all kinds of interesting exhibits.

There were over 26 miles of hikes to choose from, and they hiked the trail to Thor’s Well and Devils Churn. Thors’s Well is a sinkhole, a 20 foot deep collapsed sea cave. As the seas surges in and out and water washes violently over the rocks and funnels into the sinkhole. It was pretty amazing but impossible to capture a picture of the surge. There were some tide pools to explore before climbing back up the trail.

They planned a second hike in an old grove spruce forest. The Kathies hiked about 1/2 a mile before they were too tired to continue. Warren and Jim continued on for another while before heading back as well. They drove south along the coast and stopped at a wayside for a picnic lunch before heading back to camp. This is the view from our picnic area.

Tonight was Taco Tuesday with pulled pork tacos and margaritas. Tomorrow, we head south again to Brookings and the Beachfront RV Resort. 

FLORENCE

Nope, I don’t think we aren’t in Italy. Kind of wish we were as it’s really chilly here tonight. Our day today was sunny and warm, almost 70 degrees. It’s been so cold and rainy under the pine trees that the sun this morning was a welcome pleasure. 

Our site here is in H loop and we are at number 393. I want to record this so when we come here again, we can request the same site. There is a trail to the sand dunes right next to our site and we have big backyard behind our coach with shrubs and wild blackberries. Kathe went foraging for berries this afternoon and made a blackberry cobbler for dessert tonight.

This morning my humans had a little catching up to do as we didn’t have full hookups at Fort Stevens. No sewer meant days of short showers for the humans and lots of dirty clothes that now need washing. When the chores were done, there was a trip to the hardware store for a part to fix a broken cabinet brace. After that, the humans could explore the town of Florence.

There’s an “old town” with lots of shops for the tourists. The summer season might be over, but there were lots of people out enjoying the sunshine and shopping. My humans must have had a good time as they brought home lots of bags and boxes.

Tonight, I accidentally walked into a giant blackberry vine and got twisted up. That didn’t feel so great. Kathe was able to unwind the brambles and set me free, I think she got more scratches than I did. I won’t do that again if I can help it. 

WE MADE IT

We traveled today from Fort Steven’s to Jesse Honeyman State Park. It was a very, very long drive. Only 185 miles but driving all that distance was really hard. The 101 is a two-lane highway with very few exceptions and there are lots of small towns with stop lights to slow us down. The views were amazing along the coast, but the roads had so many curves that we had to drive very carefully. We left this morning at 10:30 and we didn’t arrive until 4:45. That’s a long day for all of us. 

Needless to say, we didn’t do anything much once we got settled into the campground. After a couple of adult beverages and a seafood dinner at MOs in Florence for the humans, it’s bedtime for everyone. 

HISTORY LESSON

Did you know that dogs aren’t allowed in many places. Pretty much all we can do is walk around the neighborhood and go back to the motor home. Not so with the humans, they can everywhere.

They started the day in the park at another historic site. Apparently, there are still many more bunkers all over the place that they hadn’t seen. After a quick tour of the visitors center they explored the area where several bunkers and mounds were still visible. There are even underground World War II gun batteries which they were able investigate. The original fort was completed in 1865 and was built to protect the mouth of the Columbia River until it was decommissioned in 1947.

There were several large guns which both Warren and Jim found interesting. There was a replica of a 6 ten-inch disappearing rifles that were the primary weapons with strategic locations on the river. The 10-inch, 617-pound shells were designed to penetrate the armor of enemy ships.

Later in the afternoon they toured the Coast Guard Floating Lighthouse, Columbia. The ship was once anchored at the mouth of the Columbia river, as a floating lighthouse with a light beacon, foghorn, and radio beacon. They toured the ship and engine room of the ship which is now anchored on the dock behind the Maritime Museum. Here’s a shipwreck that happened in 1909 on the very treacherous Columbia River.

BUSY DAY

It was a very cold and cloudy morning with rain dew drops making Kathe and I cold and crabby this morning. Kathy T and Jim took a long bike ride all over the park and returned in time for trip to Costco for a hot dog lunch. Some more food shopping followed.

This afternoon they all decided to visit the Colombia Maritime Museum. It’s a big, beautiful building that looks like a ship. It is located along the river downtown at the wharf. They spent several hours there learning about the history and dangers of the Columbia River. One exhibit was all about the shipwrecks at the mouth of the Columbia. There have been over 2000 shipwrecks as the waves can reach 40 in height during the severe winter storms. There were some other interesting exhibits about the U S Coast Guard and the Columbia River Bar Pilots. Some of the exciting films of Coast Guard rescues could make you sea sick as the waves were so rough. In one hall there were several boats on display which were used for fishing including a gill net boat donated by my Aunt Vicki’s family. 

After the museum closed at 5:00 there was still enough time to drive up to Astoria most famous landmark, the Astoria column. Build in 1926, it is 125 feet high and sits on Coxcomb Hill, which is 600 feet above sea level. You can see the whole city from the top. There’s a 164-step spiral staircase inside to column that leads to an observation tower. Jim says he wants to go back tomorrow and climb to the top. We shall see!

WILD LIFE

Here at Fort Stevens, we had a day to explore the area and see some wildlife. There are a zillion chipmunks. They are so busy eating and storing pinecones for winter that they hardly notice me. I saw a whole family of deer on my early morning walk, and I might have even gotten closer but for the two loudmouth French bulldogs that scared them off. In the late morning, we drove past a mama elk and her baby munching on the grass in front of the ranger station. Last night we saw a whole herd of elk on the way back from dinner. Those guys are twice as tall as a Great Dane. We kept our distance when we took this picture.

Later today we had a nice visit from Doreen and Jerry and their friend Candy. Doreen brought us treats from Trader Joe’s which we really enjoyed. There is no Trader Joe's here in Astoria.

In the late afternoon my humans explored the park. Fort Steven’s has a lot of history including that of being a military installation that guarded the mouth of the Columbia River since the civil war. It is the site of the only attack on a military installation in the United States by a foreign enemy ship since the war of 1812. In 1942 a Japanese submarine surfaced off Fort Steven’s and fired 17 shells from her deck gun. This is a picture of the Fort.

FORT STEVENS

We are here in Oregon at Fort Steven’s State Park. A rough drive today, lots of ups and downs and curvy roads. We didn’t arrive till 4:00. The Taylors took a wrong turn getting into the park and arrived 30 minutes after us. Here is a picture of the 4-mile-long bridge that we drove across to enter Oregon.

Fort Steven’s is really huge. Ours sites are narrow and close together and worst of all, for the human, no internet or cell service. It’s a state park! I’m lucky, Kathe and I have AT&T but everyone else has Verizon and is unable to use their phones or internet in the park. On the bright side, there are lots of big trees and over a million pinecones right in our site, so it’s not so bad. 

There are lots of elk in the park and I will try to get a picture tomorrow. It’s late now and Kathe wants to go to bed. They went out for Mexican, and she drank two Mojitos, so I guess she will take the iPad away from me now and we will all go to sleep. 

TOKELAND

That’s really the name of a town. Late this afternoon Kathe, Jim, and Warren went for a drive to the small town of Tokeland, eleven miles south at the end of the peninsula. There are only 99 residents that live there and probably about a million oysters. 

They drove to the end of the pier and watched boats out in the bay harvesting oysters. Then they noticed several people pulling crab pots off the pier. One of the men let them watch as he checked his trap. It was full of crabs. Unfortunately, so many of them were either female or too small to keep that he only ended up with one crab large enough to keep. He must have tossed a dozen back into the bay. Then he took a salmon fish head and baited the trap again and lowered it back into the water. 

Kathe and Warren decided to see if there were any crabs for sale. They were told to see the captain of the boat “Jim Bob” to see if he would sell them a couple of crabs. They were able to buy 2 live crabs for $10.00, and he threw in a third for free! What a deal. At the fish market in Westport, they wanted $19.00 per crab. When they got back to camp Kathe helped Warren cook them and she plans to make crab cakes with the meat tomorrow.

In honor of the International Mermaid Museum tonight’s cocktail was “Mermaids Water”.