Cape Disappointment WA area

May 16, 2008

Washington.

Cape Disappointment State Park

Another clear & sunny day. Entered Washington at Chinook, on the north side of the Columbia River just across from Astoria, OR. Camped at the Cape Disappointment State Park. This campground isn’t as nearly accessible as Fort Stevens. There was a short path that allowed Carol a view of the river. Gopher & I played on the beach where Carol could watch. We tried a long gravel trail to the ocean but the scooter doesn’t do well in gravel so we turned back. Found a nice viewpoint to park and have lunch.

Saturday: Yet another sunny day. Three in row; a record for the Northern CA & OR part of our trip. We started the day with a trip to the Port of Ilwaco. There is an arts & crafts show on Saturday morning. After that we drove to the city of Long Beach. They have a ½ mile boardwalk that is part of the much longer Discovery Trail. Long Beach itself isn’t much. Your typical summer tourist town. The Discovery Trail follows the original path that Capt. Clark, of Lewis & Clark took along this part of the coast. There are statues & monuments telling of his journey as you walk along the trail. It’s a wonderful paved trail running through the dunes. Later we drove to the far north tip of the Island; Leadbetter Point State Park. On the way back to the campground we stopped at Seaview to walk on the Discovery Trail some more. Much quieter than the Long Beach part. Away from all the tacky tourist parts. Then we did the laundry. Went back to the Port of Ilwaco for dinner. The view from the restaurant was great. We overlooked the harbor and the two tall ships that were in port. The dinner itself, was only fair.

Lincoln City to Astoria, OR

Lincoln City to Astoria.

Heading north on 101. Stopped by a beach area in Pacific city for a rest. Took the Three Capes Scenic drive instead of 101. A much prettier way to travel. Stopped at the Cape Meares Lighthouse. There was an accessible trail to the lighthouse. The three of us enjoyed the walk. Read several informative signs about all the sea birds that live around here. Gopher & I took the dirt trail to the Octopus Tree; a giant sitka spruce tree growing several trunks. (See the photo). We then went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook for a factory tour and cheese sampling. This cheese place is quite famous for its high quality cheddar cheese. Never heard of it but cheese connoisseurs regard it highly. Bought two types; sharp for Carol and garlic/hot pepper for me. Had cheese for lunch and cheeseburgers for dinner. Good cheese but I’m not sure I could tell the difference between Tillamook & Publix cheese. The ice cream they sold was very good. Carol had a scoop of Carmel Pecan, I had Pistachio Pecan. As we were leaving the cheese place, we noticed a lot of police and crowds of people gathering. Asked what was going on. Seems the Oregon presidential primary is soon and Bill Clinton was going to give a speech at the cheese place in about an hour. Having better things to do, we continued on. We camped that night at the Barview Jetty Tillamook County Campground. Took a nice walk to the jetty. Let Gopher run on the beach for a while. There is a very large squirrel that keeps coming around our campsite looking for handouts. If the squirrel gets any closer to Gopher, that’s the end of the squirrel. (See the photo)

Tuesday. Got up about 6am. 50* with a light rain. Took Gopher to the beach for a walk. The plan was to stop at Seaside to walk along the boardwalk. Never stopped raining. Went grocery shopping then to the Fort Stevens SP. It’s 6:30pm now. 50* with a light rain. While walking the dog earlier, I was talking to one of the campground hosts. Mentioned the weather. She just shrugged her shoulders and said “Well, you’re in Oregon”. Reading some Lewis & Clark information. This is the area where they first saw the Pacific Ocean. They stayed in this area for 109 days. It rained for all but 12 of those days. This is the first all day rain we’ve had in the 63 days we’ve been on the road. Can’t complain about that. Carol said time & again how she really likes sunshine. J

Our friends Ted & Liz pulled in late in the day.

Wednesday. Awoke to 50* and rain. About mid-morning we took a drive to see the Columbia River. Found a great spot right on the river. Carol could get a good view and be warm & dry inside the camper. Let Gopher run on the beach.

About noon it started to clear up a little. The sky turned a lighter shade of gray. We drove to the historic part of Fort Stevens. The Fort Stevens Military Reservation guarded the mouth of the Columbia River from the Civil War through WW II. Toured the museum, the old fortifications and some of the grounds. Later in the day the three of us took a long walk to the Coffenbury Lake area. Gopher went swimming. The park has a great selection of paved, multi-use trails. There were a lot of downed trees in the woods and one road was closed. Seems they had a very strong storm in December. Because of all the rain this area gets, the water table is high and trees tend to have a shallow root system. Consequently, strong winds can blow the trees over. Same with the sequoias and redwoods.

On the odd occasion, the sun would come out for a few minutes today.

Thursday; Got up to sunshine and blue skies. First time since we’ve been in Northern California & Oregon. We went into Astoria today. There is a 4 mile paved walkway along the waterfront. We started at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. There were exhibits telling the long history of the Columbia River from ancient times, through Lewis & Clark, and up to the current rescues by the local Coast Guard Station. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here. After that we walked to the downtown area. Had a good lunch. Carol had a fried oyster & bacon sandwich with clam chowder. My lunch was OK; should have gotten what Carol ordered. After lunch we got Gopher and took a long walk to the Port of Astoria; East Mooring Basin. There were dozens of Sea Lions laying on the unused docks. Barking, swimming or just laying in the sun. We saw two eagles sitting on rotted pilings. Waiting to do fishing I suppose. At one time in it’s history, Astoria was a major salmon packing place. There are rotted pilings everywhere from the old over-the-water buildings. Took a picture of the remains of the last of the packing houses. We thoroughly enjoyed Astoria.

Came back to the campground about 3:00. Walked to the lake to let Gopher take a swim.

This is a very nice campground and area. I would certainly recommend it.

Winchester Bay to Lincoln City, OR

Winchester Bay to Lincoln City

It was 38* & sunny when I got up. This morning we had a bunch of errands to run. Found a Post Office where we Express Mailed Mom some cash and a check. She had called last night to say she was broke. Right across from the PO in Reedsport was The Sugar Shack Bakery. Got a loaf of bread, two hot sticky buns and a Danish. Wonderful. As we were driving out of town we saw deer walking down the street. Carol spotted the 101 Barber Shop in Florence and we both got really short haircuts. Next to the barber shop was a hardware store. I got acetone to clean the super glue off Carol’s glasses that I got on the lenses as I was repairing the frame. Added air to the tires and that was the last of the errands. Had lunch near the Heceta Head Lighthouse.

We stopped at the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area Welcome Center to inquire about accessible trails. There were two. First we did the one mile long Captain Cook Trail “through wind-sculptured vegetation, around Indian shell middens and down to the tide pools”. Carol really enjoyed the walk. Going down to the water was easy enough. Coming up required that I push the scooter from the bottom to the top. Good exercise. The scooter doesn’t have enough power for steep grades. Then we walked the Trail of the Restless Waters. A shorter, but equally beautiful, walk.

Tonight we’re camping in a Forest Service campground; Tillicum Beach. We have a limited ocean view. Our friends Ted & Liz are here as well. Ted took some pictures of us by the motorhome. We rarely get pictures of both of us on trips.

Saturday: Woke up to a misty rain and 47*. The forecast is for this weather to continue today and perhaps tomorrow. Since there were not any good places for Carol to walk, and since it was raining, we decided to continue north. Drove to Seal Rock. Foggy & no seals. Decided to spend the night at South Beach State Park. What a great choice. There are several ADA accessible trails. One leads directly to a large ocean view platform. Gopher & I went walking in the rain. Carol opted to stay warm & dry in the camper. In the afternoon it finally cleared up a little. Like walking through a dense fog. We all took a walk to the South Jetty of the Yaquina River and to the beach overlook. The beach overlook gave Carol a wonderful, unobstructed ocean view. Gopher & I played on the beach right by where Carol was sitting.

Sunday. Mother’s Day. The sun was out on & off today. We all walked first to the Day Use area, then to the Beach Overlook, then to the South Jetty. At the jetty we saw a replica of an old sailing ship. Let Gopher off her leash at the beach overlook. About 11am we decided to go to the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area located just north of Newport. My research indicated there were accessible trails there. We toured the Visitors Center. Bought Carol a really nice, warm shirt for Mother’s Day. It’s green and says “Yaquina Lighthouse” on the front. We walked to the accessible tide pool area at Quarry Cove. The Bureau of Land Management built these pools as part of restoring the old rock quarry that was here. An excellent place to visit.

Heading north we drove by the D River. The world’s shortest river at something like 120’. It connects Devils Lake with the Pacific Ocean. Drove by Depoe Bay, the world’s smallest harbor.

Crossed the 45th Parallel; midway between the equator and the North Pole.

Continued north planning on spending the night at the Devil’s Lake State Park. We drove through but were not impressed. We saw a sign for the Chinook Winds Casino and headed there. Had their buffet for Mother’s Day then spent the night in the parking lot.

Called Mom. She's doing well. Received the flowers we sent.

Gold Beach to Winchester Bay

Gold Beach to Winchester Bay

Left our campground on the bank of the Rogue River about 8:30. Overcast & 50*. Drove north on 101 and looked around the very small town of Port Orford. “Port” Orford actually doesn’t have a port. Fishing boats are lifted by a large crane and set on cradles on the pier. See the photo. From there we drove to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse. It was so cold and the wind was blowing so strong that Carol didn’t want to get out. Gopher & I had a nice, but short, walk. Cape Blanco is the westerly most point in the continental U.S. We were at the easternmost point in Lubec, Maine last year. Been to the southernmost in Key West several times. I can’t imagine we’ll ever get to the northernmost point. Continuing our drive up the coast we stopped at the Face Rock Wayside Park. Gopher & I took a nice walk on the beach. Let her off her leash. Drove to the Umpqua Lighthouse. This was the first lighthouse built in Oregon. 1857. We stayed the night at the Winchester Bay RV Resort. It’s owned by the City of Winchester. A very nice place. Clean, riverfront sites, a laundry, & wi-fi. Did four loads of laundry. There is a paved path that runs along the river and around the harbor. It warmed up enough for Carol to join me & Gopher on a walk. Decided to stay tomorrow as well. We met another Lazy Daze couple. Chris & Pam from California. They have been coming north to the Oregon Coast for over 20 years. We had a nice afternoon talking to them.

On Thursday, Chris, Pam , Carol & I, walked into the town of Winchester Bay. It’s just across the harbor from where we’re camped. Had lunch at Kitty’s Kitchen & It’s Christmas Forever Shop. Carol had a turkey/bacon wrap & a huge slice of carrot cake. I had a pastrami sandwich & chocolate cream pie. When we got back to the campground, three other Lazy Daze had pulled in. Ted & Liz from Sturbridge, Mass., Dennis & Penny from Bend, OR and another couple from California. Enjoyed their company.

The sun’s finally out. If the wind would stop it would be a beautiful day. 56*.

We're in Oregon

We’re in Oregon. May 6, 2008

Crossed into Oregon about 9:30. Stopped in a Fred Myers store in Brooking. Carol wanted some warm pajamas. While in Fred Myers, Ted & Liz, some Lazy Daze Camping friends we met in Burlington, VT appeared. What a surprise. After that we went to the OR State Visitor Center and came away with a wealth of information. Stopped at a number of overlooks. Spent the night in the Lobster Creek, Forest Service, Campground right on a gravel bar along the Rogue River. The weather is cool, cloudy and misting rain. Except for a nighttime rain in West Texas, this is the first rain we’ve had this trip. Been on the road for 56 days.

Having the most wonderful time.

California Coast

We headed for Eureka, CA via Highways 1 and 101. Hwy 1 runs along the coast line; a beautiful drive with lots of pull-offs. The road was through mountainous terrain. A very narrow and windey road. Lots of hairpin turns. Around Phillipsburg we got off 101 and drove the Avenue of the Giants which took us through several huge redwood groves. Again, there were a lot of picnic areas & pull-offs. We got to Eureka in early afternoon. Went grocery shopping then headed to our camping destination, the Samoa Boat Ramp Campground owned by Humboldt County. This was without doubt, the dirtiest campground we’ve ever seen. Quite a surprise for a County owned facility. We left. Stopped by the “world famous” Samoa Cookhouse. This restaurant has been serving food “lumberjack” style since 1893. “Lumberjack” style means a shared table with food brought out in bowls to be passed around. Much like in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Tonight’s menu was ham & fried chicken; neither of which Carol wanted so we passed on dinner out tonight. Continued north to the Clam Beach County Park not far north of Eureka. Again a Humboldt County Park. What a pleasant difference. Looks like a campground should. The “campground” is basically a parking lot but it’s right on the dune line. It’s very windy out today. The ocean is rough. Gopher & I took some good beach walks. Since we mostly had the place to ourselves, I took her leash off. It was too cold outside for Carol so she read and looked at the ocean through the windows. Perhaps tomorrow we can find a more sheltered place and Carol can join our walk.

On Monday we continued north on Highway 101 to the Redwood National Park and three California State Parks located between Trinidad and Crescent City. It was cool & foggy when we started our day. First stopped at the Kuchel Visitor Center to inquire about accessible trails. The ranger was very helpful. Our first stop was the Big Tree Wayside. There was a short trail leading to Big Tree; a giant redwood tree. After that we went to the Prairie Creek Visitor Center where there were more accessible trails through the redwood forest. One of these trails was especially nice because it had informative signs along the trail. We continued on and got gas at the Indian Reservation in Klamath. We paid the most we have ever paid for gas. $4.0599/gallon. Off Reservation, gas was going for from $4.099 to $4.129. It cost $192 to fill the tank.

Drove to the Klamath River Overlook but it was so foggy all we saw was fog. We were stopped at the Crescent Beach Overlook, once again fogged in, when an old Class A RV pulled in. The engine was running poorly. The driver kept racing the engine faster & faster and eventually the RV caught on fire!! The driver & passenger got out safely. I called 911 then left fearing the gas tank would blow up. It was a very small overlook with no place to get out of the way if there was an explosion. Saw several police cars, an ambulance and fire truck responding to the 911 call.

In Crescent City we filled up with propane, went grocery shopping, got Carol’s prescription filled at Wal-Mart and washed the RV. It was full of bugs. Our next mission is a haircut for both of us. After doing chores, we camped at the Panther Flat Forest Service Campground east of Crescent City.

California Coast

Heading for the coast.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Left Sequoia/Kings Canyon NP about 9:30. Drove to the Dos Reis County Park near Lathrop, just off I-5. Nice place. Perhaps 25 RV sites. Run by the County. This puts us about half way to the coast; our current destination. One strange rule. We were bluntly informed by the matron-in-charge, that dogs must only be on a hand-held 6’ lease. Can’t even tie them to our lawn chair on a 6’ leash. Hand held only!!. They charge $1/night/dog. Does that mean I don’t have to clean up after my dog since I’m paying extra? Oh well. It’s a convenient, one night stop.

Friday: Continued the drive. Had lunch at Granzella’s Deli in Williams. Read about it in one of the tourist books. It’s a local institution. We got there about 11:15. By noon time the place was standing room only. Carol had a turkey/cranberry sauce/cream cheese sandwich. I had a muffalata(sp). Hadn’t had one of those since New Orleans. We drove to the M & M Campground in Clearlake Oaks. An interesting place; not what we had envisioned from the campground book. The campground is at the end of an island. To get there, you drive through an old trailer park. During the day, it’s mostly a local fishing place. When we pulled in there were two other campers. By the end of the day, the place was full. Seems there was a fishing tournament going on. The group next to us must have had ten kids ranging in age from about three to 15. What a mad house. Rap music, screaming kids, etc. Tied Gopher out so we would at least have a little bit of space. Told the kids the dog would bite so stay away. It worked. Carol & I read for the day and I took Gopher for a swim. Tomorrow we will be staying at a state park on the ocean. Yeah!!.

We left M & M campground by about 7:30. Wanted to be out of there before the neighborhood zoo woke up. The drive to the coast was beautiful. Rolling hills, some farms but mostly woods. Fort Bragg is the first city on the coast we came to. Drove a few miles north and camped at the Mackerricher SP. What a beautiful place. After paying for our campsite, we parked right near the beach instead of going to the campsite. Spent the entire day by the beach. There is a handicapped accessible boardwalk leading past the bluffs and intertidal area to the seal watching station. See the great picture of the mother and baby seal. Gopher & I walked the beach at low tide looking in the tidal pools. Carol was able to enjoy the great view with us. I have found a number of accessible sites. Mostly that's where we will be going for the rest of the trip.