Pacific Coast - September 12-October 3, 2017

Walnut Creek, United States

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0700

Day 21 - October 3, 2017 Walnut Creek, CA All the Amazing Sites I've Never Seen Today was truly a marathon driving day and the least enjoyable of all the days on our trip because of it. We got up while it was still dark (6:00 a.m.) and were on the road by 7:35 a.m. We stopped once the entire day! We got home at about 4:00 p.m. I'm so glad to be home though! The trip was amazing, but it's always good to be home. It was a beautiful day and aside from some construction traffic here and there it was pretty uneventful. That is, until we got into California. There is a stretch on Highway 101 that has one amazing thing after another... Avenue of the Giants Mystery Trees Confusion Hill One Log House Big Foot Souvenirs Drive Thru Tree World Famous Tree House None of which I've seen, but I am hopeful. And now I'm home...Home sweet home...Doing laundry, going through mail and trying to finish up this blog! On to planning next year's adventure!

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Feeling a little anxious before taking off.

Driving to Walnut Creek.

Driving to Walnut Creek. Construction on 101.

Driving to Walnut Creek. Lunch place.

Driving to Walnut Creek.

Driving to Walnut Creek. Mare Island.

Driving to Walnut Creek. Vallejo bridge.

Driving to Walnut Creek. Daisy is smelling home!

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, United States

Mon, 02 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0700

Day 20 - October 2, 2017 Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Crescent City, CA Homeward Bound! This morning, sadly, we got up and hit the road leaving Cape Blanco behind. It really was probably our very favorite campground. I think we were distracted by how sad we were to leave because as we were driving down the road out of the campground, I looked in the side mirror and noticed that one of the roof vents was open. Then, when we stopped to close that I noticed that the back of the truck was left open after we stopped to drop off our garbage! Luckily, that was not a sign of things to come during the day. Our destination was Jedediah Smith campground in the redwoods. It was a choice between Patrick's Point and Jedediah. Although Patrick's Point would have put us closer to home, I chose Jedediah because I hadn't been here before and part of the trip was to explore the different campgrounds in the areas. So Jedediah it was. It really is magnificent with the redwoods. The camp sites are a bit small and there are no hook-ups. But we're troopers and found a really nice, private spot. We had time to take the dogs for a nice walk through the campground and then come back to have our cocktail hour and get the evening fire started. Tonight will be my last write-up on the road. Although tomorrow is going to be a marathon drive, we will return to 412 Silver Hollow Drive. Our plan is to get up nice and early and take off in order to avoid commute time on Highway 37 in the afternoon. So I've already got breakfast and lunch ready to be eaten on the road. No lolly gagging for this crew! It really has been a fantastic 3 weeks on the road. Thanks to Steve for all of his driving, set-ups , take-downs, cooking, walking of dogs first thing in the morning and, of course, thanks to Charlene for being our home away from home.

Cape Blanco - Interesting RV setup.

Driving to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Thought I'd sneak into a picture so people would know that I was on this trip too!

Cape Blanco State Park, United States

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0700

Day 19 - October 1, 2017 Cape Blanco State Park, Port Orford, OR Seeing the Light At Cape Blanco Today was a busy day. We had many things we wanted to see and do for our one full day here. The first thing it turned out was to go into town to get some breakfast since I had forgotten we had but a meager serving of yogurt and I had eaten the last of the strawberries yesterday. When we were driving north from Humbug State Park with Bob and Marilyn, we had stopped at a nice local cafe called "Hook'd" in downtown Port Orford. We thought that would do nicely. So we are driving up and down the main street and it was nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately it has gone out of business! I remembered hearing the owner talk about selling equipment, etc. so it seemed as if she would be closing, but it also sounded like she had more than one place so we just assumed it was another place since she seemed to be doing a thriving business. Well, that was a couple of weeks ago and now there are no traces of the restaurant. Just an empty, plain building. We ended up at TJ's Cafe. I told Steve to just look for a Catholic church and there would be a restaurant...sure enough there was! After that we went to Ray's Food Center to pick up supplies, then we headed out to tour a historical house (Hughes), a pioneer cemetery and then the Cape Blanco lighthouse. Yesterday when we got there 10 minutes too late for the last tour, I told them I would come back today and that they had to guarantee the same perfect weather we had yesterday. Well, darned if they didn't deliver! We had a great tour, got to climb all the way to the top and then came back to camp for some lunch. After that we headed to the beach. Here you can drive right on to the beach so we got to the beach and then let the dogs go free. There was next to no one on the beach so they had a field day. It was a pain trying to get them to stop eating all the dead crab shells though. After we wore them down sufficiently, we went back to camp where i took a nice, long, hot shower and we had dinner. Tonight we decided to go to the lighthouse for sunset. it wasn't the most ideal for seeing the sunset it turned out because the bluff was blocking it but I hiked down a little trail almost to the beach and got a pretty decent shot. I wanted to go there to get a picture of the lighthouse at dusk so I could have a picture of it with its light lit. I did get that so I was happy. Then we came back for a nice, hot campfire. Another great day at Cape Blanco. Tomorrow we head to heaven knows where. Somewhere in California though. As much as we hate to see it end, we go back to the old saying...all good things must come to an end. It's really been a pretty amazing trip.

View from Cape Blanco lighthouse.

Patrick Hughes House.

Cape Blanco Lighthouse

View from Cape Blanco Lighthouse

Cape Blanco Lighthouse - Interesting RV. A couple from France were driving it. A ladder was required to get in the door!

Cape Blanco Beach

Cape Blanco - Sunset

Daisy at Cape Blanco...she doesn't want to leave!

Cape Blanco State Park, United States

Sat, 30 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0700

Day 18 - September 30, 2017 Cape Blanco State Park, Port Orford, OR The Early Bird Catches the Worm, Or Gets the Best Campsite After a really nice dinner and visit with our friends from Walnut Creek, we hitched up the old wagon early this morning and headed south to Cape Blanco. We didn't have reservations and since it was a weekend, we wanted to give ourselves the best chance to get a site. It's a good thing we did get up early and take off because my friend told me that right after we left it started raining and kept up for the next couple of hours! Talk about timing! We didn't hit any rain at all...in fact we had a lot of sunshine on our way down the coast. We got to Cape Blanco State Park at around 12:30ish and were hoping for the best, but not really expecting too much. We were ready to be happy to just snag a tent site...no hook-ups. Well were we in for a pleasant surprise! Not only did we get a site with hook-ups, but it's large and backs into a forest with the ocean beyond that! We can walk behind our site to a path that takes us to a clearing where we have a spectacular view of the magnificent sunsets. You can also drive down to...and on...the beach. We definitely took advantage of our sunset view and then came back and enjoyed a nice campfire. We are going to stay here one more night so we can spend tomorrow exploring the area. There is a lighthouse virtually next door where you can take a tour and climb to the top...there is a historic house right down the road where you can also take a tour and then maybe a trip into Port Orford to explore the town a bit. Fingers crossed for a repeat of today's weather. Great day all around!

Florence, United States

Fri, 29 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0700

Cape Lookout State Park, United States

Thu, 28 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0700

Day 16 - September 28, 2017 Cape Lookout, OR We're In A Fog Today Today we had to move to a different spot (no hook-ups) because our spot had been reserved. We got up and decided that since yesterday had been so warm, we were going to do our lighthouse exploring (Cape Mears' Lighthouse) first so that it wouldn't be too hot for the dogs in the car. The drive there (on 3 Cape Loop) was just spectacular. The sun was out and not a cloud in the sky. The views from the road and the lighthouse area were magnificent. We even did a side-hike to see the octopus tree (a spruce tree in the shape of an octopus). We stopped and had lunch at the Schooner restaurant near Cape Lookout and I had one of the BIGGEST grilled cheese sandwiches I've ever seen! I told the waitress it was a cheese loaf! Steve thought they should put little flags on the skewers sticking out of it so that it looked like a real schooner! At any rate, I ate about half of it and asked for a box. Delicious, but oh so much! We then went back to the campground and moved a few spaces away to a beautiful site but one without hook-ups. Honestly, I like this one more than the other one. We can get by just fine without all the hook-ups. After we got that all finished, we decided to do the Cape Lookout trail. It goes through some beautiful forested areas with some spectacular views. As we started driving up the mountain to the trail head, we were blanketed with fog. You could see the wind blowing it across the trail. We decided to soldier ahead since a lot of the trail did have a wind break and the fog was going over our heads. Unfortunately we also started feeling some pretty large raindrops so we decided to turn around. Pretty disappointing. Another disappointment was arranging our dinner so that we could go over to the beach and enjoy another beautiful sunset like we had last night. Well, that was not to be. Only grey clouds. Two big disappointments and we weren't even AT Cape Disappointment! Tomorrow we head to Florence, OR. A friend of mine that I used to play tennis with is also on an Oregon Coast trek and we're going to meet up with her, her husband and their dog. Another night without hook-ups but you take what you can get when you make reservations the night before you need a spot!

Cape Mears Lighthouse.

View from Cape Mears Lighthouse.

Cape Mears Lighthouse.

View from Cape Mears Lighthouse.

Cape Mears Lighthouse.

View from Cape Mears Lighthouse.

Cape Lookout State Park, United States

Wed, 27 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0700

Day 15 - September 27, 2017 Cape Lookout, OR We're On The Lookout for Some Brie! This morning after a walk with the dogs to a nearby lake, we take off to Cape Lookout, south of Tillamook. It was another beautiful day but traffic was horrific! It seemed like road construction was ongoing no matter where we went! We finally got past the major backups and proceeded down the coast. It was interesting because when we were going up the coast it was raining and foggy so coming back down in the sunshine, it was as if we were seeing the places for the first time! The views were spectacular and when we finally got to Tillamook we decided to revisit our favorite cheese store (Blue Heron) and stock up on some brie cheese! After that we found our campsite at Cape Lookout and settled in...right next to a 16' airstream! You really do meet the nicest people in an airstream! They were a lovely couple from Portland (formerly the Bay Area) and after taking the dogs for a romp on the beach and after I went to watch the lovely sunset, we invited them over to enjoy our fire with us. All in all, a really great day. The camp site is a quick walk to the beach (we can hear the ocean waves). Tomorrow we have to move to a site with no hook-ups but it's only one night so I'm pretty sure we can survive. The only down side to the day is that my internet problems continue to persist. It looks like my travel blog won't be getting sent out until AFTER I'm back home! So, so frustrating!

Worthy Eagle Scout project!

Driving to Cape Lookout.

Driving to Cape Lookout. (original mill smokestack in Tillamook)

Driving to Cape Lookout.

Driving to Cape Lookout. Blue Heron Cheese Factory - Tillamook.

Driving to Cape Lookout.

Cape Lookout Beach.

Cape Lookout Beach. Scary smoke.

Cape Lookout Beach.

Cape Lookout camp site - Charlene's little sister?

Cape Lookout Beach. sunset

Fort Stevens State Park, United States

Tue, 26 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0700

Day 15 - September 26, 2017 Fort Stevens State Park, Warrenton, OR Fort Stevens State Park - Take Two Well, we enjoyed Fort Stevens so much on our way up the Oregon Coast that we decided to visit there again on our way back. Of course, the day we leave Lake Quinault and the Rain Forest, the sun is shining and there isn't a rain cloud to be seen! Oh well, what is a rain forest without a little rain, right...on to Fort Stevens where we arrive to our camp site, which is lovely, with not only abundant sunshine but warm temperatures as well! It was great to be back and we liked this camp site even better than the one we had last time. After a nice hot shower, it was time for cocktails by the campfire. A lovely way to end the day.

Lake Quinault.

Lodge at Lake Quinault.

Driving to Fort Stevens.

Fort Stevens campsite.

Fort Stevens.

Fort Stevens campsite.

Cute puppies.

Relaxing at the camp site.

Amanda Park, United States

Mon, 25 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0700

Day 14 – September 25, 2017 Lake Quinault, WA In A Rainforest and It’s Raining – What?! Yes, the rain has returned but since we’re technically in a rainforest, I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised…although everyone tells us that beautiful weather is coming the rest of the week…AFTER we leave! No problem. It’s raining but that won’t stop us from getting our hike on! I put on my hat, grabbed my warm muffler, gloves, rain jacket and umbrella and set off on one of the paths close to our campsite. Although it was raining steadily, we only felt it sporadically because of the thick mantle of trees throughout the hike. When we were in the clearing I had my umbrella. We made It to some beautiful waterfalls and then turned around. It really is gorgeous. The trees all look like they’ve been decorated for Halloween with all of the moss hanging from the branches. It really reminded me of the trees in Savannah, GA. We saw a bit of wildlife…I’m pretty sure it was some type of grouse. The dogs really zeroed in on that! After we finished, we went in search of DVDs to fill our time while it was raining. After a couple of miscues, we found a small store in a town close by that rents them and we picked out a couple. Then we did a little exploring in the car. It really is such a beautiful area. For dinner we decided to treat ourselves to a dinner at the restaurant where we were staying and it was definitely worth it…scallops wrapped in bacon and broiled salmon. Yum and yum!!! Tomorrow we start heading south and will go back to Fort Stevens on our way home. Hopefully I can start getting caught up on the blog while we drive in the car tomorrow. This lack of wi-fi and cell service is really driving me crazy!!!

Rain forest hike.

Drive around Lake Quinault.

Campground.

Lake Quinault.

Resort Restaurant.

Amanda Park, United States

Sun, 24 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0700

Seattle, United States

Sat, 23 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0700

Seattle, United States

Fri, 22 Sep 2017 16:30:00 -0700

Day 11 – September 22, 2017 Seattle, WA It’s All Relative Today was the big move from peaceful campsite living to trying to negotiate life in the big city with a truck and trailer. Not easy and definitely a bit on the stressful side. When we finally got to the hotel we could tell immediately that Plan A was out the window. There was no way that we could fit the trailer in their parking lot…we barely could fit the truck in there! So we went straightaway to Charlie and Claire’s and true to their word, there was a lot of level street parking (no time limits) right in front of their house. So that is where Charlene was going to spend the next couple of days. We had a quick visit…Spike was there and I got to meet my very first great-nephew! What a cutie-patootie! We did want to get settled at the hotel and I was anxious to get some laundry done so we left them to their visit and went to the hotel. Naturally, I forgot the dog food and bowls so when I went back to do the laundry (which just happened to be right around the corner from Charlie and Claire’s), I got the things that we had forgotten. We ended up having pizza in the hotel room for dinner and called it a night. Tomorrow was discover Seattle day and visit with the Nordloh clan day! Can’t wait!

Driving to Seattle.

Fort Stevens State Park, United States

Thu, 21 Sep 2017 12:00:00 -0700

Day 10 – September 21, 2017 Fort Stevens State Park, Warrenton, OR Experiencing Disappointment – Cape Disappointment That Is As my daughter says, “You’ve got to appreciate a state that doesn’t set lofty expectations of a place.” Actually, she also said it sounds like the Pacific Northwest needs some good anti-depressants. Honestly though, Cape Disappointment wasn’t…a disappointment that is. We drove there this morning and checked out the park and campgrounds. To me they were a dream come true…sites that had a view of the ocean! The sites weren’t overly grandeous, but were certainly adequate with electric/water hook-ups. There also is a lovely beach AND a lighthouse! I didn’t get to go to the lighthouse today, but I did get a picture of it. Big score! There were also a lot of hiking trails. Even so, Steve was less than impressed so my dream campsite will have to wait for another day. I guess that would be my own personal brand of disappointment. We got back to Fort Stevens and tried to take a driving tour of the historical sites that we missed yesterday. They are very spread out and not very well marked on the map so we did see a few and then decided to call it a day. The dogs and I set out for a walk and found yet another trail to take that took us to a lovely park/lake. While we were there I tried to get a selfie picture with the dogs which they very astutely figured out because I had them on the top of a picnic table and every time I tried to take a picture with them they turned their heads around away from the camera. It started to rain so I called it a day and headed back. Good walk though. Oh…we also found out that they spotted a funnel cloud in Tillamook today so I was feeling pretty happy we got the heck out of there! Today we had to move campsites because when we went in to sign up for another night they said our site had been reserved but the pull through across the way was available. All day we kept waiting for the person to show up and just when we got to the point that we were sure they were going to be a no-show, this HUGE rig showed up towing a volkswagon beetle. It must have taken them an hour to get the car unhitched and then park the monstrosity of a camping vehicle in the site. You’ve got to give the guy props for getting it all in there, but seriously, how can they call that thing camping?! It’s like a rolling hotel! Whatever floats your boat I guess. Appropriate saying since you don’t park those things…you dock them! Tomorrow we pull up anchor and head to Seattle. We’re taking a chance with whether we can park the trailer at the hotel. Plan B will be to park it at Charlie and Claire’s. Hopefully Plan A will work out.

Cape Disappointment Light House.

Cape Disappointment.

Cape Disappointment jetty.

Cape Disappointment beach.

Happy in the sunshine at Cape Disappointment.

Cape Disappointment.

Cool bridge.

Drive to Cape Disappointment.

Lake at Fort Stevens.

Tree at Fort Stevens.

Sweet puppies.

Fort Stevens State Park, United States

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 12:20:00 -0700

Fort Stevens State Park, United States

Tue, 19 Sep 2017 12:20:00 -0700

Day 8 – September 19, 2017 Fort Stevens State Park, Warrenton, OR Good Day Sunshine! Who would have thought that when the day started that it would turn out as spectacular as it did! We had torrential downpours last night. It was so loud that we thought we would find dents in the camper from hail! Both dogs jumped into bed with us. We did get a bit of a break where we had time to take the dogs for a walk and get packed up to leave. I was definitely not sad to be leaving the Barview Jetty Campground! It was the most like an RV parking lot campground that we’ve stayed in so far. I really didn’t feel very comfortable at all. Plus, the showers not only were fee based, but lukewarm at best! We hit the road heading north and had rain most of the drive. We ended up at Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, OR (not far from Astoria). We really had our pick of places to stay…some with full hook-ups and others with electricity and water, which is what we ended up with. We also are next to an airstream very much like ours only an older model. The campground is beautiful. Oregon State Parks really have it all over California in campgrounds! After we got situated, we went for a long hike (great paved paths) and ended up at the beach looking at a historic shipwreck. The sky was blue and the sun was shining! We had a lovely fire, delicious dinner and watched another movie. We checked the weather and saw that it was supposed to rain tonight (which it’s doing right now) but would clear up tomorrow with no rain the rest of the week.

Path to the beach.

Shoreline.

Blue skies...finally!

Our camp site # and neighbor.

Campsite.

Puppies enjoying some fresh air.

Tillamook, United States

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 23:00:00 +0800

Day 7 – September 18, 2017 Barview Jetty, Tillamook, OR Say Cheese! Wow! Did we ever get the weather last night! Charlene was gleaming today from the thorough washing she got from the rains going through! Although we did have rain (and thunder storms) throughout the day, there were breaks and a couple of times even saw some sunshine. A great part of my day was spent sweeping and vacuuming up dirt from dogs and humans coming into the trailer! Yes, I’m definitely going to have to find a Laundromat soon! After some breakfast we took advantage of a break in the weather to check out the jetty (Barview Jetty) and then head to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Unfortunately, their super duper visitors’ center won’t be complete until next summer, but their temporary one provided a lot of information…and samples! I was surprised at the variety of products they produced…including ice cream! Too early to sample the ice cream though. We did leave with some souveniers and gifts and when we finished there, we went to the Blue Heron Cheese Factory right down the road…French cheese! Of course there were more samples AND wine…we got some of both! You’d think after all of those samples we would have no appetite for lunch, well au contraire! The sales person at the Blue Heron Cheese Factory recommended a restaurant further down the road…a working oyster company that included a small restaurant. She said the clam chowder was great. Well, on a cold and rainy day, that sounded like just the ticket. I have to say the chowder was as promised…delicious! From there we stopped to pick up some supplies and some redbox movies since more rain was expected for the evening. When we got back to the campground we had another break in the weather so I took the dogs for a walk to the water and took a bunch of pictures. After that I decided to use the campground showers (instead of making the camper even more humid than it already was) while Steve watched a movie I had no interest in watching. BIG disappointment. First of all, the Oregon State Parks we had been to so far didn’t charge if you were camping there…this one charged quarters. It was hard to know how many you needed since it didn’t say how many minutes each quarter was good for. Then, the water was barely warm! Since it was pretty chilly outside, I was really looking forward to a nice, hot shower! After that we had some of our new cheese and wine, had dinner and then watched a movie. This one I did want to watch…Hidden Figures. During the movie we had rain go through (and more thunder and lightening) that was so intense, we had to turn up the sound for the movie because we couldn’t hear it! Luckily that cleared out so the dogs could go out before bedtime. Tomorrow we push north. Hopefully we’ll be able to steer clear of the severe weather they’ve been having. I definitely don’t want to be in the camper when there are tornado warnings out! Yikes!

Bird at bar view jetty.

Bar view jetty.

Driving to Tillamook.

Cool bridge on the way to Tillamook.

Blue Heron French cheese factory.

Lunch restaurant.

Oyster shells.

Girabaldi, OR

Driving to Tillamook.

Bar View Jetty.

Coast guard station at Bar View jetty.

Bar View jetty camp site.

Cozy in the Airstream.

Tillamook, United States

Sun, 17 Sep 2017 23:00:00 +0800

Day 6 – September 17, 2017 Barview Jetty County Park, Tillamook, OR Don’t Rain On My Parade – Or Camping Trip! As I write this, I am sitting in Charlene listening to the rain on the roof. Yes, true to the weather app, we have had rain today…and plenty of it! It started as a mist and the further north we got, the harder it came down. The drive to Tillamook was quite breathtaking along the coast…rain or no rain. The traffic we encountered in a couple of towns wasn’t too fun, but overall it was a beautiful drive. Knowing that it was going to be raining, we wanted to be able to have access to electrical hook-ups so that we could have heat and also use the TV (I brought a couple of videos just in case). We found a place just south of Tillamook. It’s very close to the water (you can easily walk) and not only can I hear the rain, but the fog horn as well. It’s along the lines of an RV park in that there is very little vegetation and just rows of RVs, but “Any Port In A Storm” as they say. It will serve us well. Tomorrow we’ll head out to explore some places indoors…like the Tillamook Cheese Factory and possibly another cheese factory – French Cheese! Ooh, la, la! One thing that this has shown me is how “close” the trailer can become! Every time the dogs go out it’s a real ordeal to get them cleaned off before they come back in. I think I’ve already cleaned the floor about 5 times since we got here this afternoon. Add to that raincoats, dirty shoes and wet towels. Luckily the weather looks good for when we’re in Seattle. It will give us a chance to dry out, do some laundry and clean poor Charlene! But back to the rain on the roof…it really will make for good sleeping. The challenge will be who gets to take the dogs out in the morning!

Cool Bridge.

Bob is with us in spirit.

Cool Bridge.

Another cool bridge.

Interesting Restaurant on the drive to Tillamook.

Driving to Tillamook.

Cool bridge in the rain during the drive to Tillamook.

View from trailer.

Everyone cozy in the trailer at the Bar View Jetty Resort.

Comfy puppies.

Florence, United States

Sat, 16 Sep 2017 23:00:00 -0700

Florence, United States

Fri, 15 Sep 2017 23:00:00 -0700

Day 4 – September 15, 2017 Humbug State Park, Port Orford, OR – Honeyman State Park, Florence, OR Is it sugar mister? No, it’s Honeyman! This morning we packed up and got on our way for two reasons…we wanted to do breakfast in town and since it was Friday, we didn’t want to chance the campgrounds filling up for the weekend. So we said goodbye to our lovely campground by the beach and headed into town. We had a delicious breakfast at the Hook’d Café (truly delicious omelet called The Truly Fruity omelet with apples, cinnamin, bacon and cheddar cheese) and then headed north. What a beautiful drive! I thought the coast of Northern California was incredible, but so far Oregon is really giving it a run for its money! We went through a town known for its cranberries, one for its blueberries, a working port… I know there were lighthouses, but unfortunately didn’t get to see those. Hopefully that will be tomorrow. Since we’re staying an extra night (or two), we’ll have some time to explore the town of Florence, as well as some of the places we sped by on our way here. The campground where we are staying is really huge! The spaces are pretty close together (and we are close to 101 again), but there is enough foliage to provide a decent amount of privacy so that you don’t feel like you’re right on top of each other. The bathrooms and showers are close by and very nice! It’s nice that the Oregon State parks have lovely facilities and don’t charge extra for things like a hot shower! Come on California! The day ended perfectly (and early) with some of Marilyn’s DELICIOUS turkey chili…so good! Let’s see what adventures await us tomorrow!

Sweet dogs on their bed.

Breakfast!

Give me some of those big ass bacon pancakes!

Charlene's cousin?

Coos Bay, OR

Cool bridge.

Humbug Mountain State Park, United States

Thu, 14 Sep 2017 04:50:00 -0700

Humbug Mountain State Park, United States

Wed, 13 Sep 2017 04:50:00 -0700

Day 2 – September 13, 2017 Patrick’s Point, Trinidad, CA-Humbug State Park, Port Orford, OR Harris Beach? Bah Humbug! Our original plan today was to travel to Harris Beach in Brookings, OR. Once we got there and saw the sorry excuse for a campground, we hopped back on 101 and headed north. The next closest campground was Humbug Mountain State Park, OR about 50 miles away. There are varying stories as to how this mountain got its name, but suffice to say that it came about based on disappointment and abject failure. http://web.thedailycourier.com/zachsadventures/stories/adventure.html?h=humbug But I’m getting I’m getting ahead of myself here. Before we got to the campground, we made a quick stop in Port Orford for lunch at a lovely seafood restaurant overlooking the harbor, The Porthole Cafe. Just my cup of tea…or plate of fish and chips! We are now happily settled into our campground for the tonight and tomorrow night. It’s lovely with super clean bathrooms and free showers! Another upside is that it is walking distance to the beach where dogs are happily welcomed. When I mentioned to the camp hostess that dogs are definitely not welcomed in California, she just opened her arms wide and said, “Well, welcome to Oregon!” They also have an adorable 11 week old yellow lab. One downside is that it’s across from 101 so there is a bit of road noise. Compared to Harris Beach, it’s like the Ritz! Cocktail time…gotta go!

On our way to Humbug Mountain State Park.

Lunch Spot

Cheerleader in trunk of car...priceless!

On our way to Humbug Mountain State Park.

On our way to Humbug Mountain State Park. Cool bridge.

Perfect upside down fire.

Tired pups

Campsite

Humbug Camp Site

Classy Wine

Fire...in the right spot!