Monthly Archives: May 2011

Wait ‘Till the Sun Shines (Charley)

So – the rain finally caught up with us. Really can’t complain, though, two or three days out of about 80 isn’t bad. And, all it did was make us change our thinking for a few days – we went inside. Gary opted for a massage and Elizabeth went for that mani/pedi she has missed for 11 weeks! We also did a quick ‘car tour’ of the areas in Newport we had not yet gotten to – including the Yaquina Bay lighthouse (this made the third of the nine Oregon lighthouses for us) and yet another of the McCullough bridges (this is claimed to be the most photographed of his bridges). The Yaquina Bay lighthouse is the only wooden lighthouse on the Oregon coast, the only one with living quarters attached and the oldest of the Oregon lighthouses.

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse – the oldest.
Yaquina Bay Bridge.

A nice Chinese dinner with a couple we met at the recent coach park was also in order. (We hope to meet up with them again in Astoria and then at the Tiffin rally in Welches.)

Then it was time for a moving day. So, other than the fact that Gary had to drive in the rain, the weather was not a factor. We moved another HARD 70 miles up the Oregon coast – from Newport to Tillamook. Sound familiar?? Yes – it is the cheese place. So we drove through a lot of cow pastures on the way. After finding a place to park and setting up, we were off to the Tillamook cheese factory. VERY INTERESTING!!

The Tillamook cheese factory is a century old dairy cooperative producing 58 million pounds of cheese each year. A visitor to the factory has the opportunity to see milk come in the front door and go out the back door as packaged blocks of cheese. And then, of course, you have the opportunity to taste – and then buy;-)


This joint was really cheesy.

BUT, you will probably never guess the best part of the cheese factory?!?!?! It is the ice cream!! Yes – ice cream. Being a dairy cooperative they don’t JUST make cheese. AND, their ice cream is delicious. Especially the chocolate peanut butter ice cream with hot peanut butter topping;-)!!!! What more could one ask for to make them happy on a rainy afternoon?!?!

Saturday we awoke to sunny skies again, which led to a road trip to the beach on the Three Capes Scenic Loop. First stop was Cape Meares to see – what else – the Cape Meares Lighthouse. This is the shortest of all the Oregon lighthouses (as you must have noticed by now all lighthouses, bridges, trees, etc. have to be the ‘-est’ of something – oldest, shortest, tallest, etc.).

Cape Meares Lighthouse-the shortest.

As is typical of the spots where a lighthouse is placed – the views are magnificent! Especially the view of the Three Arch Rocks.

3 Arch Rocks seen from the Cape Meares Lighthouse.

The candelabra-shaped Octopus Tree also lives nearby. This is a large Sitka spruce that is thought to have been ‘shaped‘ by the Killamook Indians.

This tree really spruced things up.

The rocks and trees are homes to many forms of bird life and the park includes many interpretive viewing areas. Today the bald eagle was the rare sighting. Unfortunately, we were about 30 seconds too late to ‘capture’ both the parent and youth – but, Gary did a good job of getting the youth as he was catching the upward thermals and going heaven bound!

Gorgeous young eagle..too far away for a really clear shot.

By the time we reached Netarts Bay, we had worked up an appetite. The patio at The Schooner Restaurant was a perfect place to enjoy the ocean, Cape Lookout view, sun and good food. Almost couldn’t pry us away. But, we had more territory to cover – so, on to the third Cape – Cape Kiwanda. What a kick this was – cars right on the beach and sand surfing!

Parking on the beach was the norm in this little village.

Might have some sand in your knickers after slip-sliding down this hill.

Tillamook is not just farmland – it adjoins gorgeous woodlands. Unfortunately, in 1933 catastrophic fires blackened some 550 square miles of northwestern Oregon’s old-growth Douglas fir. A favorite hike in the area is a quarter-mile walk to Munson Creek Falls, which winds through stands of gargantuan Sitka spruce and red cedar trees that managed to escape the burn. At the end of the walk is the highest (there is that ‘-est’ again) waterfall in Oregon’s Coast Range – a clear stream that plunges 319 feet over basalt cliffs. Truly a beautiful spot –

A very potholed road led to this charming waterfall .

Perhaps you can tell that the rain did not slow us down much. We just moved inside until the blue skies returned.

One other ‘sunny’ thing happened on Friday – Gary’s Mother’s house closed;-) This is a great relief for Gary and his brother – so, we celebrated BIG!!


Still more to experience here in Tillamook – will let you know about that next time.

Happy the sun is back – Elizabeth & Gary


Just Thoughts and Observations

It was a rainy day to start, so we decided that a car trip was the order of the day. Corvallis was our target – we could investigate the Oregon State campus and whatever else came our way.

What a delightful afternoon. The little shopping area (we assumed it to be the old downtown area) adjacent to the campus was a wonderful little walking area with our kind of shops – sports, camera, men’s and kitchen shops. Oh yes – and the proverbial Starbucks! Couldn’t ask for anymore than all of that.

The Oregon State campus was beautiful and charming. There was a baseball game about to start (perhaps you would remember that the underdog Oregon State won the College World Series in 2006!?!?) – and, had it not been for the rain and cold, we surely would have clambered into the stadium to take in the game.

The thought struck us on the drive back to Magic – we had just driven 50+ miles (one way) for an afternoon’s activity. This was twice the distance we had moved Magic some of our days wandering up the coast of California and Oregon!!!! But, the drive was beautiful and the activity was FUN!! So – who cares???

No pictures on this outing – just thoughts and observations.

More later – Wandering Souls (E & G) from rainy Oregon

Good Food, Good Views, Good Weather, Good Golf

Believe it or not – today marks ELEVEN (11) weeks on the road!! When we left Park City on March 8th, it seemed like we had soooo much time to travel ahead of us and that thinking has remained with us. Until today – and the realization that there is a little less than three weeks left in this adventure;-(

Monday (May 23), we said a fond farewell to Florence with the promise to return. Another tough travel day was on the agenda – about 65 more miles up the coast to a State Park just south of Lincoln City. The Seal Rock Bakery & Espresso Drive-thru presented itself early in the drive and we couldn’t resist! Neither should you if you are ever in the area. They have the BEST home-baked breakfast goodies;-) (We did the walk-up ‘thing’ in order to save them the drive-thru with Magic).


Man, did they have good pastry!


We never made it to Lincoln City!! Found a great place (Pacific Shores Motorcoach Resort, a sister resort to where we stay in Las Vegas) just north of Newport, OR – and couldn’t resist the views.

Hmmm, so what do you think of our view?
Pretty good?
Damn good!!


Perhaps one of the most notable ‘must dos’ in Newport is the Oregon Coast Aquarium, which is ranked in the top ten in the nation. I am just NOT an ocean/sea person – much prefer bears. It was interesting, however, to walk through the “Passages of the Deep” exhibit where one walks through a suspended underwater acrylic tunnel to see sharks, bat rays, and other deep-sea fish swimming. All this visit did was confirm why I don’t eat anything that comes from the ocean!!


The Newport Aquarium was nicely done.

A visit to the historic Nye Beach district seemed as though we were in Manhattan Beach , CA – with far fewer people. In the 1890’s the “summer people” began coming to Nye Beach by train (here is the railroad in development again!). Today, Nye Beach attracts tourists to shops, restaurants, lodging, and – in our case – also in search of the dry cleaner!


Nye Beach.

Tuesday was yet another day with absolutely beautiful weather!! So – we were off to the golf course. Played a beautiful course at the Salishan Lodge just south of Lincoln City – front 9 inland and the back 9 on the water. Again, we had the course all to ourselves. Couldn’t have asked for a nicer round of golf!


Wish my golf game was a pretty as the flowers.
Salishan Golf Course was nicely laid out with some good views along the way.

Heading ‘home’ back down the coast several stops were in order. Just south of Depoe Bay we jumped onto the ‘old road’ – the Otter Crest Loop – which hugs the beaches and sandstone bluffs. It does ascend to the 453-foot headland of Cape Foulweather – named by Capt. James Cook, the English explorer, who discovered the Cape in 1778. The weather was particularly stormy on the day of his discovery – thus the name. If he had been there on a day like our visit the name would have been “Cape Clear as a Bell”;-) (Gary’s contribution to the blog write-up!)

We had great weather at Cape Foulweather.
The view from Cape Foulweather. See the Lighthouse in the distance?
Ahoy, Matey!

Our next two stops could be spotted from the lookout at Cape Foulweather – Devil’s Punchbowl and the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

The Devil’s Punchbowl – which looks like a punchbowl carved out of the lava rock – gives a ringside seat to a frothy confrontation between rock and tide –

The Devil’s Punchbowl.

The Yaquina Head Lighthouse sits atop (and at the tip of) a narrow, coastal headland that extends one mile into the Pacific Ocean. For 4,000 years, Yaquina Head has provided coastal inhabitants with a pathway into the open sea. Native Americans used this pathway as a place to hunt marine mammals. Explorers, marine traders, and pirates used the headland as a navigational marker for more than 300 years before the U.S. Lighthouse Service built the Yaquina Head Lighthouse in 1873. At 93 feet tall, this is Oregon’s tallest lighthouse and continues to cast its light with the original lens in place!!


Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, OR.


These gulls seemed to be having a little airborne spat.

Well, it had to happen. After such a spectacular day yesterday the rain finally moved in and it is pouring! It is a good thing we have days like this every now and again or this blog would never get any postings.

Maybe now that this is done, we will take a little car trip over to Corvallis to check out the University and get our afternoon snack;-)

Sun’s out – gotta go – E & G

Florence – Ti Amo!!!!

Leaving Bandon, we wandered a whole 70 miles up the coast through “Dune Country” – Oregon’s Sahara – traveling the entire 40 mile expanse of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, which is part of the Siuslaw National Forest. This was really something to see – and experience! In order to find out all about it (including hikes, campgrounds, good places to eat up the coast, etc.) be sure to stop at the USFS Oregon Dunes Visitor Center in Reedsport.

These dunes have been formed by the natural forces of wind, water, glaciers and time and are like no others in the world. They are the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America, some towering to 500 feet above sea level. The desert-like landscape blends with lakes, rivers, ocean and forest creating a diverse ecosystem filled with plants and animals that changes daily. These blending ‘systems’ also create confusing pictures for the mind’s eye as you travel from desert dunes immediately into forests then back to the tumultuous ocean against the lava formed rocks. (You will see this in the pictures below – all taken in a 20 mile stretch!)

But – back to the dunes and their history lesson. It has taken about 55 million years for these Oregon Dunes to develop, starting with the building of the Coast and Cascade Mountain Ranges (via lava from the earth’s core). Then glaciers, wind and rainfall began to grind these peaks down to tiny grains of rock and carry them to the ocean. There currents push the sands back onshore, where winds sculpt them into dunes.

There are foredunes – low hills parallel to the ocean, which exist because European beach grass slows the wind causing the sand to drop out and pileup. (The European beach grass was originally planted in the early 1900’s to stabilize sandy coastlines and protect roads, railroads, water supplies, etc. But, now the grass has taken over and become a real problem changing the scape and the ecosystems.)

Followed (moving inland) by deflation plains – areas scoured out by the wind all the way down to the water table. These appear as small lakes.

Then there are transverse dunes – with wave patterns; oblique dunes – the largest and most spectacular dunes growing as tall a 180 feet; and parabola dunes – tangling with the forest to see who wins out!

These dunes provide miles and miles of opportunities for recreation including off-road vehicle use, hiking, photography and camping – to name only a few. We felt it necessary to take full advantage while in the area. First a hike to ‘get our feet wet’. So – a walk out the small path to the rear of our RV park, which had “dune access”. Silly me – I thought up and over the (approximate) 100 foot dune and we would be at the ocean!*#$ When we hit the top of the dune the expanse of sand before me took my breath away!! REALLY. And, as we walked a short distance and looked from whence we came – one had NO idea which direction might be the way home?!?!? So – lots of footprints – like dropping breadcrumbs. Maybe a sand angel or two. And the beginning of a sunset. AND, by the way, the ocean was no where in sight. Turns out, it is about a mile and a half away.


I hope the wind doesn’t blow before we get back.
Sand Angel

Shady characters!

Well, after this little adventure, I just had to do the dune buggy thing. Sand Dune Frontiers provided the ‘buggy’ and a knowledgable driver that gave us a good turn on the rippled dunes – out to the ocean – AND safely found his way home!! What a BLAST!!


And awaaaaaay we go! (Aliens????)

Beach cruisin.
These dunes stretch 50 miles along the Oregon coast.

Our home away from home for the last four days has been just that. Florence – Oregon, that is – not Italy. And, we have fallen in love. This little town on the Oregon coast reminds us sooooo much of Park City. Especially since we just happened to be here for “Rhody Days”!! Perhaps not what you might be thinking – this is the celebration of the Rhododendron, which is in full bloom decorating the roadways, town, lawns, etc.


Namesake of the Rhody festival.

This is the Florence equivalent of Park City’s 4th of July. Everyone from all the surrounding area is in town for all the festivities, which include breakfast, BBQ’s and pie sales by the Elks, a vintage car cruise on Saturday night (I truly felt like I was in a scene from American Graffiti!!), a flower parade Sunday morning, a carnival at the foot of Main Street and the line up of Harley’s on Main Street through it all –


Bikes and bikers galore.
Carnival atmosphere.
Lots and lots of neat old cars.

Our “Road Trip USA” book says this about Florence:

“If first and last impressions are enduring, Florence is truly blessed. Entering the city from the south, travelers are greeted by the graceful Siuslaw River Bridge, perhaps the most impressive of a half-dozen WPA-built spans designed by Conde McCullough and decorated with his trademark Egyptian obelisks and art deco stylings.”


Siuslaw River Bridge in Florence, Or.

As “Road Trip” continues, the best part of Florence is Old Town, along the north bank of the river. Just like Main Street Park City, Main Street Florence is filled with cute little shops, galleries and lots of restaurants. We sampled it all!!

Downtown Florence.

The activity and scenery do NOT end at Florence. Hopping in the car, we headed 10 miles up the coast to discover the Sea Lion Cave, America’s largest sea cave and the only mainland rookery for the Steller sea lion. The formation of these caves began over 25 million years ago. They are the height of a 12-story building and the length of a football field. The Steller sea lion makes its home in these caves in the winter and moves to the rock ledge just outside the cave in the spring and summer. These dudes are BIG! The bulls weigh up to a ton when full grown (and are VERY territorial) – the cows are about half as big. We saw them outside the cave sunning themselves on the rocks (unfortunately, wrong time of year for them to be in the cave) –

At the Sea Lion Caves.

While touring the cave, we met a marine biologist (who also ran a whale watching business a little further up the coast). She suggested we stop a few miles up the coast at Strawberry Hill, where sea lions, with their pups, were on the rocks just off the beach – good photo ops. So – we were off on another adventure to Strawberry Hill. Sure glad the tide was out –

At Strawberry Hill searching for more sea lions.
There they are.

The old Heceta Lighthouse also beckoned (or maybe beaconed?!?!). Purported to be the most photographed beacon in the US, this lighthouse was built in 1893 and named for the Spanish mariner who is credited with being the first European to set foot in the region. Originally, this lighthouse was manned by three ‘keepers’ who rotated their watches. In 1893 this was a VERY isolated spot – so, the houses for the three were part of the facility as was a school for their children. All supplies and materials to build all the structures were brought to Heceta Head via the ocean and carted up the hill to the building sites. A distance view can be captured from the Sea Lion Cave – or an up close and personal from a tour at the lighthouse.

Haceda Lighthouse from the caves lookout.
From a little closer vantage point.
Big glass!! My Nikon has lens envy.

Next stop – Cape Perpetua. Absolutely beautiful area that you don’t want to miss if you are traveling anywhere close! Early explorer Captain Cook observed this magnificent headland in 1778 and named it after Saint Perpetua. In 1933 Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt formed the Civilian Conservation Corps and Cape Perpetua became a base camp for the young men to learn skills. Many of the campgrounds, trails, and plantings are the work of the young men of the CCC. In 1966, 2,700 acres were set aside as the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area for the unique ecological characteristics found where the temperate spruce rainforest transitions to the sea.

Trails lead in all directions from the Siuslaw National Forest visitor center at Cape Perpetua – so stop there for information and to watch any number of short videos about the area and its wildlife. Then start out in any direction for any length hike you want to get the most stunning views. We headed first to Devils Churn – a wild alcove where the ocean crashes in on the volcanic rock –

Devil’s churn.

Then, 700 feet above Devils Churn and the road to the “Best View on the Oregon Coast”!! This is the highest point accessible by car on the Oregon Coast and provides views of 75 miles of coastline and 20 miles out to sea – on a clear day (sadly – this was not a clear day as there was a lot of fog;-( ). Still – some stunning views –

Bird’s eye view of Devil’s Churn.
Great viewpoint. I’m sure even greater on a clear day.

There was also a morning of golf at a wonderful, Rees Jones link design course – Sandpines –

Sandpines Golf Course was lots of fun.

And, a delicious Thai dinner at Best Thai – a recommendation from the Ranger at the Visitor Center in Reedsport.

So – Florence, I love you!! But, it is time to say good bye and move on up the coast to more adventures and new experiences.

We also wonder: We have encountered bridges built by the CCC in Sabino Canyon at the very beginning of our trip – to the bridge into Florence built by the WPA and the lookout at Cape Perpetua built by the CCC – and many projects in between. As we enjoy and write about these ‘projects’ of the WPA and the CCC and are so happy about what they provided us to enjoy today – will our grandchildren enjoy and write about the ‘projects’ of the Economic Recovery Act in the same way in the future???? Hum??

Well, this has been a very busy three days. Hope you have not been too bored by this long dissertation – but, maybe at least enjoyed the pictures. Hopefully, the next posting will be a bit shorter – as this has taken all of Sunday to get written.

Ponder the projects – Elizabeth and Gary

Old Macdonald – E-I-E-I-O;-)!!

Well – the last two days have been sheer bliss – in totally opposite directions!!

Magic was moved back to the coastal area, where we found a wonderful Oregon State Park – Bullards Beach State Park – with full hook-ups, large spaces and almost the whole park to ourselves! (Only downfall was the mosquito population, which pretty much kept us inside instead of at the campfire making s’mores.)

The view from our living room at our parking spot in Bandon, OR.

One whole day was devoted to – NOTHING. Slept late, got massages and manicures, read books, watched a basketball playoff game and played Rummikub. A perfectly delightful day.

AND, we needed it as Wednesday the Old Macdonald Course at Bandon Dunes was on the schedule. For those who aren’t familiar with the Bandon Dunes courses – there are four courses (we previously played three of the four – so, only splurged on the newest – Old Macdonald) designed in the style of the links courses at St. Andrews and right on the ocean – so lots of wind, and often a lot of fog or rain! They are also walking ONLY with a caddie. Oh yes – three of the four courses are ranked in the top five courses to play in the US – Old Macdonald is ranked number 5;-)

We had the most glorious day in terms of weather – some wind BUT NO rain or fog. Just beautiful blue sky with clouds passing by periodically. AND, more glorious – we had the entire course to ourselves!! Seriously, there was one other 4-some we saw once or twice. This course is visually stunning – especially as you walk up a sand dune from the men’s tee at the third hole (the men have a blind shot up and over the dune) to the women’s tee at the top of the dune. The whole rest of the course and the ocean open up before you! Unbelievably beautiful!!!! Even though we have a talented photographer traveling with us – the pictures do not do justice to the views – or our day –


You have a view of almost the entire golf course from the 3rd tee.

Loved the course.. lot’s of fun to play.

The course was ringed by gorse which were in their full, yellow bloom.

There were great ocean views from several holes on the golf course.

This bunker was one “big mutha”! Note Elizabeth’s ball flying safely out of the trap.. it landed on the green, near the hole. GREAT OUT!!

This Old Guy (the TREE not Gary) stands guard over the Old Macdonald golf course at Bandon Dunes.

Time to move on up the road – more later –

Ta Ta For Now- Elizabeth & Gary from Old Mcdonalds

The Saltmarsh Ranch

We have spent the last three days in the Ashland/Medford/Jacksonville, Oregon area being wined, dined and entertained by our ‘old retired friends’ from Chicago, who are busy now raising Soay sheep on the Saltmarsh Ranch.

The weather and scenery did make it hard to leave our wonderful ‘camping’ spot on the Klamath River (Klamath River RV Park). Our last morning there was another beautiful, sunny day – so we broke out the camp stove to make French Toast outside and sat on the banks of the river for one last meal before heading to Oregon.

French toast on the banks of the Klamath River.

Friday the 13th was just another wonderful day in our basket of wonderful days this trip;-) At about 10 AM we were welcomed to the Saltmarsh Ranch by the barking of guard dogs warning us NOT to mess with the sheep and the baaaaaa-ing of the sheep just saying ‘Hi!’.

Welcome to the Saltmarsh Ranch.

Unlike us – who are footloose and fancy free traveling to visit with all our friends and family all over the country – Priscilla and Steve decided to retire from being a Chicago attorney and a PhD professor/Dean at a Chicago university, respectively, move to their little slice of heaven in Jacksonville, Oregon, and raise Soay sheep!%*@! Just like all the handbooks say (if you can find one!) – this means dawn to dusk ‘chores’ every day of the year –

Steve and Shawn relocate the irrigation pipes on the alfalfa.

If my memory serves me right, this little plot of land has gone from hosting a couple dozen sheep to the almost 200 residing here now! This includes the 70 lambs born this Spring, which we got to see learning their way around in the world. It is really fun for us to visit from year to year, as we were here their very first year in the original farm house with the first ‘batch’ of sheep, their very first guard dogs, very first guard llama and when Molly (the sheep-herding dog) was only a puppy learning her trade. Now – there is the exquisite new home, lots of sheep, four guard dogs (including a brand new puppy, Luke), two guard llamas and Molly is an old pro! Not to mention all the new lambing sheds that have sprouted up on the property and the changes in the pastures.

Rams, rams everywhere!
Guard Llama Hank would let Steve approach the fence but gave us the evil eye and kept pffft’ing at us.
Lots of new lambs had arrived in the past few weeks.
Aren’t they cuuuute?

We also benefit from wonderful brunches, lunches and dinners of fresh vegetables, fresh farm eggs (forgot to mention all the chickens – and we went to pick up 12 brand new chicks!! More fresh eggs in future trips;-) ), fresh baked breads and biscuits, home made jams – and on and on and on!! At the end of our stay we were even sent off with fresh eggs (which we had today!!) and fresh baked bread. Who would NOT want to come visit this Ranch?!?!?!

Most important – every year or two we get to renew our friendship picking up where we left off last without seeming to miss a beat. Isn’t that what friends and life are for? And, as we discussed with them, thank goodness everyone’s vision of retirement is not the same – or we would not have this wonderful place to relax and catch up every so often.

So – renew a friendship today – and relax – E & G

PS – A wonderful little golf course also called while we were in Phoenix, Oregon (imagine – Phoenix!) – Centennial Golf Course – one of the most well maintained courses we have played. Met (and played with) a fun couple from the Bend area – and E played really well. SO – really liked this course. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

FINALLY!!

Today will have several “Finally’s”!
It was three weeks ago when we first entered Sequoia NP – the beginning of our ‘Redwood tree’ experience – meeting the Giant Sequoias up close and personal. We continued this wonderful experience/relationship through yesterday with the Coastal Redwoods in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
All of the history, stories, statistics and lore have already been quoted to you in the prior blog postings. So – I won’t bore you again about how these trees are the oldest living things on the planet (some Sequoias more than 3,000 years old), or have the largest mass of any living thing (again – the Sequoias) or how they are the tallest living thing on earth (the Coastal Redwoods at almost 400 feet)!*!#%!
BUT – I will repeat again that they are the most impressive, awe inspiring things to see – and as much as we keep posting pictures of them, the pictures do NOT do them justice. Just to appease us – here is one last attempt to show their mighty stature.

Look at how these awesome giants dwarf our car.
One other thing – if you have seen one redwood, you have NOT seen them all. Each one has its own ‘face’, personality and its own grandeur! The groves of these trees DO bring you a peace that is impossible to describe. If you have never been to any of these National or State Parks, we strongly suggest you ‘bake’ any or all of them into future travel plans. You will not be disappointed.
And so, today we FINALLY say a sad goodbye to the Redwood National and State Parks –

Farewell Big Reds!!

Yesterday we also played 9 holes of golf on a wonderfully, funky little course in Crescent City. It has one of those ‘blind holes’ where you have to ring the bell to let those following know all is clear. I felt like I got a hole in one when I hit the bell with my ball – thought that’s what they meant!!

Elizabeth said that she thought it meant hit the bell with the golf ball. Awww, c’mon!


So – after all of these adventures to date – we FINALLY enter Oregon today. As we planned this trip, it was entitled “Oregon Coast”, as that was to be the primary focus. After two months on the road – we are FINALLY here;-)
More from Oregon in a few days – Elizabeth & Gary, sad to leave the Redwoods;-(

Klamath is Kool

The last couple of days were some more tough ones. Sunday we worked our way another 20 miles up the coast and Monday we took on 60 miles!! Yes – a whole 60 miles – which really made for a long day!!!!!

The Chamber of Commerce writers for the towns of Eureka and Arcata are really something. Based on the “101 Things to Do in Humboldt” (county), we decided a move 20 miles up the road to Eureka was in order to check out these two ‘cute’ little towns. NOT! Don’t think we even have a picture. The best I can say about the two is – a little Mexican restaurant in Eureka provided a venue to watch the miserable Laker game on Mother’s Day and Arcata DID have a couple of cute little shops.

So – not to let any grass grow under Magic’s tires, Monday took us 60 miles on up the road to Klamath. Most of this day was guided by cousins, Walt and Jan, who had provided their wonderful travel log of this area.

Since our mornings are getting later and later – we didn’t pull out of our parking spot in Eureka until around 10:30! (In fairness – a couple of errands had to be accomplished in Eureka this morning. A long overdue package needed to get in the mail and Gary needed a Notary. A good thing is in the works. Perhaps you remember that we spent about 10 days in CA in the early part of our trip getting Gary’s Mother’s house ready to sell. Well it was listed on April 1 – they had an offer on April 29 – and it is to close on or before the end of May!! REALLY, REALLY good!! But, this means that he is regularly getting documents that have to be read, signed and returned. Some notarized. AND, trying to do this with ‘sometime’ internet connections and ‘almost never’ cell connections! It has been a REAL challenge. Thank goodness for his brother, Ken, who is coordinating all of this from California and dealing with the ‘sometime working’ Skype connections;-) )

So – back to our travels from Eureka to Klamath. Barely on the road and it was lunch time. Looking at the map and Walt and Jan’s travel log – it appeared that Patrick’s Point State Park via Big Lagoon would be a wonderful, beautiful place for lunch – and we could hunt for agates. The entrance to Big Lagoon was picked because it had a boat ramp – so must have room for something like Magic, including room to turn around. Turns out it did – it was just the getting there that was – ‘interesting’! But then, we are OK with these roads – and in fact, LOVE them. They make the trip that more interesting.


Watch out for low hanging limbs!

Our lunch spot was exquisite – and the agate hunting was fun and productive.

Big Lagoon.
Hmmm, is this an agate?

Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but almost the entire distance along the beach we encountered these Tsunami warning signs. Would have never given them a thought if not for recent events in Japan.


Paid closer attention to these this trip.

One more quick stop – the Visitor/Information Center for the Redwood National and State Parks to get info to plan the next couple of days’ activities. The flowers were so beautiful at the Visitor Center we couldn’t resist a picture –

A thorn amongst roses?

Time to check out the recommended (again by Walt and Jan) RV parking spot for the next three nights. What a find! Right on the Klamath River just before it empties into the Pacific Ocean. AND, again, we are at that time of the year – just before the rest of the world is drawn to this type of place – so we have it almost all to ourselves;-) AND, what a view out our front window!

Today’s destination.
Views are not bad.
Lots of room and nobody around.
Good morning, river! (View out the front window.)

After a great dinner of flank steak, corn, rice and s’mores, we planned our next day and ‘hit the sack’.

Tuesday, May 10, was a wonderful day! The ‘Ancients’ were calling again – so after obtaining a pass (free) for the Tall Trees Grove from the Ranger Station, we were on our way. Seven and a half miles past the Lady Bird Johnson Grove is a turn-off for the Tall Trees. Then you go thru the locked gate (got lock combination along with day pass) and travel six and a half miles down the dirt road to the trail head.

Let’s see, you put the thingamagiggy in the whatchamacallit and then twist.

Another adventure!


The hike is 1.3 miles in to the loop trail of 1 mile, then 1.3 miles back out (with an elevation climb out of 600’). This is one of the most beautiful – if not the MOST beautiful – hike we have ever taken!! If you are ever in the area – DO NOT MISS this one! While it is described as taking about two hours – we used up every bit of three. Of course, there were a LOT of pictures to be had of the Tall Trees.

Tunnel of love! Trees are too BIG to move off the path.
Elizabeth just about fell over backwards trying to see the tops of these guys.
Not much to say, they are humbling


Part of the reason it took so long to hike in is that Gary has developed a fascination for the Banana Slug – a VERY gross looking ‘thing’ that eats everything on the forest floor and redistributes it along its way. Given the color of the slug and the first color of the old VW vans – makes one wonder if this is where “Slug Bug Van” came from?!?!?


This banana slug is about 5 inches long. BLAH!!

We ‘did’ the loop in the Lady Bird Johnson Grove – which was quite nice – but, after the Tall Tree hike it was more like a manicured garden. Not sure what my fascination is for the redwoods that have been burned out – but, it just intrigues me that they can be hollowed out from fire with a hole that dwarfs Gary and still be living!


Open sesame.

One more picturesque loop on the way back to the bus – The Coastal Drive. Beautiful views of the ocean from the bluffs –

Great view from the coastal road near Klamath, CA.


There is also an old radar installation from WWII. Due to Japanese sub activity off the coast of California, this radar unit was installed and placed in these buildings to appear as part of a working farm. Pretty interesting –


Believe it or not, a WWII radar site.
Did you notice that the dormer windows are just mounted on top of the roof shingles.

All in all – another wonderful day that wore us out!! Gotta get to bed for another busy day tomorrow.

See ya – Elizabeth & Gary from Klamath River

From Fab Giants to Ferndale

Northern California along the 101 is really something to see. Much has already been written about the Giant Redwoods in the prior postings – These Giants with excellent posture standing guard on each side of the road gawking at the passerby. At the north end of the Avenue of the Giants, one leaves the redwoods – drives through farm country that makes you think you are in the middle of our country – ascends a mountain covered with lush greenery that makes one think they have been magically transported across the Pacific to Hawaii – and the ocean appears! This was our day;-)

First there was Scotia – a “Company Town” created in the 1880’s by Pacific Lumber Company to house the loggers needed for its logging operations. Within 30 years two sawmills had been built, with the second becoming the world’s largest redwood sawmill. To support this activity in an ‘out of the way location’ Pacific Lumber built 100’s of homes, a hotel, saloon, bank, elementary school, hospital, theater, the Company’s main office and created a Volunteer Fire Department. Some of these buildings were destroyed by fire over the years and rebuilt. Today Scotia is owned and operated by the Town of Scotia Company, LLC and the still existing buildings serve other purposes – such as the Scotia Museum or medical offices. The town is ‘neat as a pin’ as they say – so much so it almost looks like a movie set – maybe where they filmed the Stepford wives!! Very eerie feel. Since not much was open on this Saturday morning – except for a very wonderful pharmacy/Hallmark store and the grocery store – we hopped back in the car and headed to the next town north for lunch.

While the town of Fortuna is billed as one of the most beautiful natural destinations in all of Humboldt County – we would beg to differ. The Chamber of Commerce clearly pays their writers well!! One of the larger towns, therefore providing basic services, it provided a good place for lunch (Eel River Brewery), a grocery store stop for a few needed supplies and a Starbucks! Otherwise, nothing to brag about and certainly nothing to take a picture of!!

The next stop, however, made our day! FERNDALE. “Road Trip USA” writes this of Ferndale:

“Well worth the 10-mile detour west of US-101, the historic town of Ferndale (pop.1,331) is an odd fish along the woodsy Northern California coast, a century-old dairy town that would look more at home in middle America.”

Strolling through this Victorian village is like a walk through the past. The entire Main St. has been designated a National Register Historic District due to its finely preserved commercial and residential buildings.


Downtown Ferndale, Rexall Drug Store and all.

Ferndale is nestled against coastal hills and near the Eel River. Rich bottom land provides plentiful grass for the area’s thriving dairy industry, which has sustained the community since the late 1800s. The ornate homes built by successful dairy farmers became known as “butterfat palaces”.

One of many Victorian homes in this small community.

A wonderful, picturesque, OLD cemetery is a big part of the town. Many of the headstones have birth dates from the early 1800’s. This time of year it is especially beautiful with all the flowering plants and trees.


The Ferndale cemetary.

A hike to the top provides a great overview of this old Victorian town.


If you look closely, you can see the ocean in the back center of this shot.

Only in a town of 1,300 would one find a sign like this posted on the local grocery store;-) Reminds you of how special a small town is!


I wonder if the 3 or ? boyfriends are all named Schmoe.

Ferndale is also the gateway to the VERY remote Lost Coast (lost because you can’t get there!) and Cape Mendocino, the westernmost point on the coast of California.

Cape Mendocino and “The Wall” in the distance.

The VERY narrow, twisting, 17% grade road leading to (or from) the Coast was included in a century bike ride we encountered on this day. We marveled at those who were completing this ride – as at 85 miles they had this 17% grade (which is referred to as ‘The Wall’) to climb. Sooooo glad it was them and NOT us!!!

Ugh..Glad we are not riding with these guys!

Winding our way through this farm country and cow pastures – I couldn’t resist another ‘Sound of Music’ moment – only this time the ocean was in the background.

Sound of Music moment …Take 3.

All of this activity made us hungry – and the Ivanhoe provided a wonderful meal and evening with lots of local color. Don’t miss it if you are in Ferndale.

In all of these little towns one building or facility serves many purposes. The general store might also be the post office, visitor center and check in for a hotel. For the last couple of nights, we stayed at a pleasant, quiet ‘resort’ – in the redwoods in Redcrest – which also housed the Redcrest Volunteer Fire Department. Thankfully, there were no calls while we were there – as we thought we might get called into duty!


Magic makes nice with the Volunteers’ fire engine.

In the last 8 days we have stayed in 4 different places – and each move was an average of approximately 30-40 miles (some as little as 20 miles!)! We have traveled a distance in the last 8 days that took one travel log writer we are reading on the journey a total of 6.5 hours to drive!! BOY IS IT FUN TO BE RETIRED AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES AND ENJOY THE SIGHTS!!!!

Loving it – Elizabeth and Gary from Northern California

More Big Uns- The Gentle Giants

Cinco de Mayo – We celebrated with another FUN day on yet another GREEN DOT, roller coaster, narrow road. Today was only 80 miles – about 3 hours!*#! Magic is really getting a workout on this trip.

Here we go again!

One stop along the way was the “One Log House” – or as we say, “An older version of Magic – like before slide-outs!”. Seriously, this is one of the Redwood trees that has been hollowed out and made into an actual house. Just shows you how large around these things are.


You can’t see them in the picture but the wheels are still attached beneath this “early RV”.
Kitchen and bedroom.

Dining room/living room.

While at this stop, Gary also wrestled a bear for a VERY large ice cream cone –

Where’d ya get that ice cream cone??

Avenue of the Giants – a magnificent 31-mile scenic drive surrounded by Humboldt Redwoods State Park which has the largest remaining stand of redwoods in the world.

Big sign for big trees.

Fossil records show redwoods originally grew naturally in many places across the Northern Hemisphere. But, due to climatic changes and other factors, Coast Redwoods now only grow naturally in a narrow 40 mile wide and 450 mile long coastal strip from southern Oregon to southern Monterey county in California. And, we are here!

John Steinbeck said it best –

“The redwoods once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always…from them comes silence and awe. The most irreverent of men, in the presence of redwoods, goes under a spell of wonder and respect.”

The majesty of these ‘ancients’ does create an aura, or a spell, which makes one awestruck. Partially due to their size – but, there is just a ‘feeling’ that comes over one as you walk through them.

These Coast Redwoods have been referred to as “eternal” or “immortal” and, in fact, the scientific name – sempervirens – means “everliving”. Most Redwoods live for 500+ years, with some over 2,000 years. Unique adaptations, which contribute to their longevity, include:

*A network of shallow roots which extend radially for up to 100 feet interconnecting with other trees to hug the earth and hold the trees during windstorms.

*A thick, fibrous bark which protects the trees from fire and insects.

*Tannic acid throughout the tree act as a deterrent to insects and decomposition.

*The ability to sprout from root collar burl tissue located near the base of the tree often forming a cluster or ring of trees around the ‘parent’ tree all from a single root.

Unfortunately, the shallow root system also makes them subject to being blown over (the primary cause of ‘death’) – and when one falls it has a domino effect on surrounding trees. These fallen trees become ‘homes’ or ‘nurse logs’ for other plants. It may take 400 years or more to totally decay and become incorporated into the forest floor. During this time, a variety of shrubs and trees have the opportunity to develop part or all of their root systems within the decaying wood. It is in looking at the fallen trees that we really get a feel for how large they are! Even the smaller ones are larger in diameter than either of us – dwarfs even the car – and makes Gary look like an ant!


This one fell right along side the road. At least 7 feet in diameter.
Dwarfs our car!

Even Gary looks small next to this old guy.

A couple of hikes through the “Founders Grove” and the “Rockefeller Grove” brought us up close and personal with these giants! This large redwood is an old growth tree that has been through many fires – but, continues to live –

Believe it or not … this one is still growing, fire and all.

The Dyerville Giant – This “Champion” Coast Redwood stood for as long as 1600 years! It was taller, larger and older than any other tree around it – a tree of another age. The Dyerville Giant fell on March 24, 1991. Before it fell it was at least 362 feet tall – as tall as Niagara Falls or the height of a 30 story building. It is 17 feet in diameter, 52 feet in circumference and probably weighs over 1 million pounds. As mentioned before, when these trees fall it is a domino effect. This was true for the Dyerville Giant – as it was the third tree to fall in a series of falling trees – and many more followed in its wake. When the tree fell, a park neighbor a mile away reported hearing a large crash and thought it was a train wreck! When you walk up to these fallen trees you are humbled.


Can you find Elizabeth? She is only about halfway down the length of the fallen Dyerville Giant .

Another wonder of these trees is the ability to survive floods – BIG floods. This area has had two major floods in the last 50 years, which has eliminated towns – but, not the trees. We were standing below this marker that indicated the water level in the 1964 flood – some 30 feet above us!


Holy moly!!! Keep following the arrows up the pole.

Still – the Giants survived and stand to awe us all!


Tiny road!
Big trees!!

Enjoy the beauty – E & G

PS – Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mothers sharing our travels with us;-)