Oct 15, 2019 - On the road and a change of plans

Off we went from Tacoma, thinking we would head south on Interstate 5. However, when we were just north of Portland, Oregon, we decided we have gone that way too many times, so we drove south and east to Bend. Several years ago we spent some time at Eagle Crest, and a few years after that we had a trip to Sun River. The drive down is lovely; we went through the trees near Mt. Hood. The deciduous ones were lovely, then we climbed to 4000 feet in the evergreens. In Bend we made our way to a Chinese restaurant where we ordered wonton soup;...

Oct 4, 2019 - Portland - Day 2

Today was a day of exploration. We divided, but did not conquer Portland. Sandy and her friends took a "Hop-on and Hop-off" bus tour. I did a small "walkabout." As one might expect, it is not too likely to be able to see all that a city can offer. Sandy's tour included a Japanese Garden, hilltop homes overlooking the city, etc. I walked to the Lan Su Chinese Garden, which is definitely worth seeing. Attached are several pictures of the Garden, which I found a very peaceful setting. As I walked through parts of the city, I spied some unusual...

Oct 3, 2019 - Portland - Day 1

Although this update is entitled "Portland - Day 1," we really only arrived in the city just a little while ago. Our exploration of Portland will await until tomorrow. In the meantime, we hit two places on the way to Portland. The first was the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center, near The Dalles, OR. This is an extremely well done museum, and I recommend it for your consideration. It depicts the Columbia River area beginning in the Ice Age and proceeding through more modern times. There is a good description of the first dam built on the...

Oct 2, 2019 - Mt. Hood

On the way to Mt. Hood, we drove though a place that made Sandy's heart leap with joy. The attached picture says it all, but suffice to say it was Sandy, Oregon. If Sandy had her way, we would have stopped for pictures of Sandy City Hall, Sandy Police Department, etc. Of course, we might not have arrived at Mt. Hood had we done so. We are staying at the Timberline Lodge, regrettably not atop Mt. Hood as I previously indicated in a prior posting but it is above the timberline. The place is old, but great. You'll see pictures of Sandy with...

Oct 1, 2019 - Seaside & Astoria

Our adventure took us back down the Oregon coast to the Cape Mears area where we saw the Cape Mears Lighthouse, the shortest lighthouse on the Oregon coast. A picture of the lighthouse is included in this update. Returning through Tillamook, we stopped at a second cheese producer called Blue Heron, which is a family run business. This is a much smaller concern than the Tillamook Creamery, but has a "homier" type feeling. One can sample their excellent Brie cheeses, some delicious preserves (such a Raspberry or Huckleberry), and even some...

Sep 30, 2019 - Florence, Oregon

Today we began our trek up the Oregon coast. We visited the Sea Lion Caves north of Florence, OR. The cave is considered the largest sea cave in the U.S. and has been in operation since 1932 to preserve and protect sea wildlife. Stellar sea lions shelter there during winter storms and raise newborn pups. They also hunt offshore, sometimes diving up to 1,300 feet for food. Pictures show Sandy & me at a statue of a seal and some of the seals resting on rocks. Also included is a short video of the seals. The Heceta Head Lighthouse is reputed...

Sep 29, 2019 - Bandon, Oregon

We've arrived in Florence, Oregon. We took a fortunate detour to arrive here instead of coming here more directly. We went to the town of Bandon, Oregon on the southern coast of Oregon, and we were glad we did. The place we intended to visit, alas, was closed, but we got to see two of their creations outside their store. Based upon their desire to remove pollutants from the ocean water, they create artistic renditions that are wholly made from junk removed from the ocean. The first photo is of Henry the Fish and the second is Natasha the...

Sep 28, 2019 - Crater Lake

Today's adventure took us to Crater Lake, and what an adventure it turned out to be. Weather in Medford, OR was around 61F when we departed. As we began our ascent, to our amazement, we encountered snow, and not just a little but a lot. Attached pictures will show parts of Crater Lake obscured by snow and clouds, Sandy & me standing in snow, and a really good one of Sandy standing in windy, cold, & snowy conditions. There is also a picture of Wizard Island in Crater Lake with evergreen trees in the foreground. I liked that one. Crater Lake...

Sep 27, 2019 - Along the way to Medford, OR

Yay! We successfully evaded the Oregon BP (Border Patrol and are now in Medford, Oregon. Okay, there is no such animal as the OBP, but it sounded good. Along the way, we drove on fog enshrouded Highway 101 that had great views of the pounding Pacific and evergreen trees with their tops entwined with fog. Alas, our cameras were not quite sufficient to render quality enough pictures to include in this update. There is one picture I managed to capture of this area. We also stopped at the Simpson-Reed Grove of coastal redwoods. Here you will...

Sep 21, 2019 - Greetings from Oregon

I have been delinquent, oh so very delinquent, for not keeping my blog up to date. We have been in Oregon since the last week in August staying in Keizer (Salem), Eugene, the coastal towns of Newport and Florence, Creswell and then finally here we are in southern Oregon in Central Point. Our stay in the coastal towns was punctuated with rain – oh so much rain. So this is what it’s like to be in a monsoon. Of course, the humidity was pegged at 100% - why bother with a shower! We’ve visited these places before so perhaps a future blog on...

Sep 20, 2019 - Burns

Our trip from Diamond Lake to Burns RV Park was straightforward. We took U.S. 97 north (happily there is a Pilot Truck Stop for refueling on that route) to Bend and then U.S. 20 east from there to Burns. East of Bend the landscape changed dramatically as we entered high desert country with miles of straight road with sage brush everywhere. We were pleased with our site at Burns RV Park. It was a long pull thru with 50-amp full hookups and a clear shot at the DirecTV satellite. AT&T reception was excellent and the campground WIFI was very...

Sep 14, 2019 - Gold Beach OR – Cedar Bend Golf Course RV Park

Okay, Roger found this hidden gem somewhere and it turned out to be a quiet place to stay while visiting Gold Beach. The golfers were friendly and so were the workers. In the evening, after golfing was done for the day, the deer grazed on the golf course. Like our last campground at Langlois, it’s a place we’ll come back to if we’re in the area. We had come to Gold Beach in hopes that Roger could go salmon fishing, but all the charters were full until the 19th. There were tons of boats on the Rogue River fishing, so it appears the salmon...