Actually, we bypassed Winslow today, but we have been to "Standin' on a Corner" park. But that darn Eagles song was in our heads ALL DAY just from seeing Winslow on the map ;-)
Our day started off challenging. We knew our tires were low but the truck stop in Salinas was sooo busy the day we left (produce season is in high gear) that we decided to just keep going till we found a good place to stay for a while so the tires could cool off and then fill.
That opportunity came this morning at our favorite RV park in Kingman, which is right next to a truck stop, so the tires could cool all night and we could refill in the morning. Well, darned if that air nozzle was really hard to get to work on our dual rear tires. We got 5 out of 6 tires filled (all were really low--yikes. No wonder we'd had such a mushy ride) but Julie just couldn't get the 6th tire filled. As a matter of fact, I drained it to below 20 pounds (!) trying to fill it. Lisa attempted to work her once-fool-proof flirting charm to get the tire guys to help us; didn't work. They said they only worked on big rigs. So, Julie redoubled her efforts (draining that #*$& tire down to 10 pounds) and finally succeeded in getting all tires to the desired 61 pounds. We have GOT to find a better way of doing this. I even blew apart our tire gauge! We plan to ask for many opinions at the national Skinnie Winnie rally we're attending at the end of this month and figure something out.
Drove most of today on familiar terrain, even having lunch in Holbrook at Joe and Aggie's Cafe (they remembered us!), where we had another divine Navajo meal (see January). But then the adventure began when we turned off 40 and headed down 77 into what seemed like nowhere, on a 1/4 tank of fuel. Very exciting.
Spending tonight at a wonderful state park in Show Low, AZ, with very limited connectivity, so can't post photos. Suffice to say: 80s when sun is out (but cool breeze at 6000+ feet) and 50s at night. Perfection!
11 Hours and to Kingman, Arizona
Departed today at 6:54 AM and reached Kingman, AZ at 6 PM. Yay! Passed through 106 degree heat around Needles, but thankfully reached 86 degrees (and that lovely dry heat) in Kingman: our third stay at this great RV park right off I-40. Nick remembered the "Canine Corrals" from our November stay--we've been twice tonight. And the moon. La bella luna.
Day one of many (60??). We think we're up for this! Tomorrow is part familiar (I-40) but part new (dropping down to US 60). Keep your fingers crossed that people are not camping Sat. night--they are taking their moms out for a nice brunch in town.
Day one of many (60??). We think we're up for this! Tomorrow is part familiar (I-40) but part new (dropping down to US 60). Keep your fingers crossed that people are not camping Sat. night--they are taking their moms out for a nice brunch in town.
The Oregon Coast Completed: Gorgeous!
Since our last post, Sunday at the icky campground, we have had nothing but lovely camping experiences! We are now home and, for whatever reason, I just cannot write as well about camping when I'm sitting in my living room. Can't seem to conjure up the experience. (Maybe I should go up to the coach and write from there? I actually did do that once, when the septic service guy was in the backyard. I took the laptop and the dog up to the coach and worked up there. Awesome to have a "remote office.") But, today is Thursday, and that means all morning at the gym, which we need to do. We did do a good bit of hiking, including 2.5 hours of strenuous hiking at our favorite place in Oregon--Cape Blanco--but we were not good about keeping up with yoga or strength training. Gotta work on that since we will be embarking on a 2-month trip soon. But, I digress. Here's the recap (along with apologies for the several blurry iPhone photos. Wonder if that little lens is dirty? Must check....)
Sunday
Got out of the icky campground early. No showers, just fleeing. Drove down the coast, which just kept getting prettier and prettier. Stopped at many places along the way, including Cape Foulweather, so named by Captain Cook, the English explorer who sailed up this way in 1778. 100 mph winds are apparently not uncommon.
We also got to play on the enormous sand dunes in the national recreation area. It's a unique sensation to walk down a steep sand dune. If you lead with your heel, you create the feeling of "steps" and can securely march down. If you don't, well, we did see a lot of scooting marks down the sand (!).
Lots of lighthouses, too.
A great lunch stop in Bandon, where you can actually rent a crab pot, catch your lunch, and have a place like this cook it up for you. We didn't do that (too cold and windy on this particular day), but we did partake in some raw oysters (so fresh!), BBQ-ed oysters (some with cranberry BBQ sauce on them from the local cranberry bogs: outrageously delicious!), and Dungeness crab. Lisa braved a 1/2 crab, but I went for the "famous crab sandwich," which was indeed quite tasty.
We must go back to Bandon on our fall trip up to Seattle. We've enjoyed making notes of the things in Oregon that we love, knowing that it's really just a short trip back up here.
And just tons of awesome nature. (I didn't get any photos of many herds of elk we saw, but suffice to say that they were pretty. Now, if I get that telephoto lens someday....)
Sunday-Tuesday morning
We ended up staying 2 nights at Cape Blanco State Park. When you look at a map of Oregon, this park is located at the part that sticks out farthest in the west. We heard it described by a few folks as Oregon's "Best Kept Secret." Shhhh. Let's keep it that way. $12 a night off season. Our site was forested and very large. No close neighbors. But a short walk down a pine-needle cushioned path led to the Oregon Coast Trail and a very scenic overlook about 500 feet above the beach. We could hear the ocean roar.
The full day that we spent there was one of our favorites of all time. We have to remember to build more of these days into our longer trips. We had a great breakfast of blueberry pancakes (which we had made at home and frozen) and then hiked from 9:30 till noon down that very steep 500 foot cliff and along the driftwood-strewn beach over to the Elk River and back. Lots of river rock along the beach. We picked up a few small bits of jade and some fossilized shells trapped in rocks. The weather was constantly changing: windy, cold and raining (jackets on, hoods up!) to sunny and almost hot (jackets off, hoods down!). Made for interesting skies.
Back at the ranch: showers, lunch, a little coach cleaning, and some work at the computer. Then, we felt decadent and, almost guilty somehow. The sun was finally out, but we drew the shades, converted the dinette into a couch, and all 3 of us (Nick was worn out from the hike, too) watched a movie. Glorious! We've really found that daily traveling--creating each day and its activities and its overnight accommodations--does take a fair amount of energy. So, it's nice to veg out in one place sometimes. Here is PM vegetation around our first campground fire:
Tuesday
We had planned to stay along the coast another night, do laundry, and continue our meander back home with a stay at the Azalea Glen RV Park in Trinidad and a scenic journey east over the Trinity Alps and Route 299 back to Redding and I-5. But, we got two curve balls: The weather forecast turned ugly for the next few days (no sense going over mountains when you can't see anything) and poor Lisa was really sick. Really sick. So I just got in the driver's seat and drove south on 101, the Redwood Highway. Gorgeous scenery: up into mountainside forests then down to rocky beaches with tons of sea stacks. Lather, rinse, repeat for many miles.
We made it down to Willits, CA, and the most overpriced KOA-campground ($46!). But, this made more sense than staying in any of the very ratty CGs we had seen in this area. And with no internet, we couldn't check online to read reviews. We had to rely on our visual (and gut) assessments. We pulled into one place (Lisa was looking paler and paler and I had a rather roaring headache from not stretching enough during my 8 hours of driving), desperate to secure a spot and stop driving. Thank goodness it said NO VACANCY.
Here's what we read later, the next day, on RVParkReviews.com from another person:
"I made reservations at this park after reading that the rates at the local KOA were too high. We did not pay in advance (thank goodness!) and when we arrived, the office was closed. There was a note on the door as to which campground was ours. We drove-in and felt like we had found a leftover commune from the 60's. Most everyone there lived there full time, including the people staying in their tents. As we started to back into our spot, my husband and I noticed the shirtless man coming out of the trailer next to ours with a long beard smoking a joint, and we both said, "Let's get out of here!" I would have spent any amount at the KOA right then! We didn't actually stay, nor would I recommend this campground to anyone."
Yup, that about describes the place. I felt better about paying $46.
Wednesday
Lisa was feeling better, finally (food poisoning, we suspect), but I wouldn't let her drive right away. Had to be sure. So, off we went, taking one more scenic route, rather than beelining it home. We drove highway 20 through Lake County--had never been that way. What a surprise! Clear Lake is just an enormous lake, very pretty, the "Switzerland of America" they claim, but in reality, while the lake is gorgeous, the man-made parts are straight out of the 50s. Pretty run down, but the natural beauty was something. Then we hit I-5, 505, and 680 before rejoining 101 for our well-traveled route home. I'm glad we didn't stay on 101 and go through SF on a workday. We'd probably just be getting home now ;-)
When we refueled in Gilroy, we saw our 8th View/Navion of the trip, filling up in front of us. Our little coaches are on the road!
Sunday
Got out of the icky campground early. No showers, just fleeing. Drove down the coast, which just kept getting prettier and prettier. Stopped at many places along the way, including Cape Foulweather, so named by Captain Cook, the English explorer who sailed up this way in 1778. 100 mph winds are apparently not uncommon.
We also got to play on the enormous sand dunes in the national recreation area. It's a unique sensation to walk down a steep sand dune. If you lead with your heel, you create the feeling of "steps" and can securely march down. If you don't, well, we did see a lot of scooting marks down the sand (!).
Lots of lighthouses, too.
A great lunch stop in Bandon, where you can actually rent a crab pot, catch your lunch, and have a place like this cook it up for you. We didn't do that (too cold and windy on this particular day), but we did partake in some raw oysters (so fresh!), BBQ-ed oysters (some with cranberry BBQ sauce on them from the local cranberry bogs: outrageously delicious!), and Dungeness crab. Lisa braved a 1/2 crab, but I went for the "famous crab sandwich," which was indeed quite tasty.
We must go back to Bandon on our fall trip up to Seattle. We've enjoyed making notes of the things in Oregon that we love, knowing that it's really just a short trip back up here.
And just tons of awesome nature. (I didn't get any photos of many herds of elk we saw, but suffice to say that they were pretty. Now, if I get that telephoto lens someday....)
Sunday-Tuesday morning
We ended up staying 2 nights at Cape Blanco State Park. When you look at a map of Oregon, this park is located at the part that sticks out farthest in the west. We heard it described by a few folks as Oregon's "Best Kept Secret." Shhhh. Let's keep it that way. $12 a night off season. Our site was forested and very large. No close neighbors. But a short walk down a pine-needle cushioned path led to the Oregon Coast Trail and a very scenic overlook about 500 feet above the beach. We could hear the ocean roar.
The full day that we spent there was one of our favorites of all time. We have to remember to build more of these days into our longer trips. We had a great breakfast of blueberry pancakes (which we had made at home and frozen) and then hiked from 9:30 till noon down that very steep 500 foot cliff and along the driftwood-strewn beach over to the Elk River and back. Lots of river rock along the beach. We picked up a few small bits of jade and some fossilized shells trapped in rocks. The weather was constantly changing: windy, cold and raining (jackets on, hoods up!) to sunny and almost hot (jackets off, hoods down!). Made for interesting skies.
Back at the ranch: showers, lunch, a little coach cleaning, and some work at the computer. Then, we felt decadent and, almost guilty somehow. The sun was finally out, but we drew the shades, converted the dinette into a couch, and all 3 of us (Nick was worn out from the hike, too) watched a movie. Glorious! We've really found that daily traveling--creating each day and its activities and its overnight accommodations--does take a fair amount of energy. So, it's nice to veg out in one place sometimes. Here is PM vegetation around our first campground fire:
Tuesday
We had planned to stay along the coast another night, do laundry, and continue our meander back home with a stay at the Azalea Glen RV Park in Trinidad and a scenic journey east over the Trinity Alps and Route 299 back to Redding and I-5. But, we got two curve balls: The weather forecast turned ugly for the next few days (no sense going over mountains when you can't see anything) and poor Lisa was really sick. Really sick. So I just got in the driver's seat and drove south on 101, the Redwood Highway. Gorgeous scenery: up into mountainside forests then down to rocky beaches with tons of sea stacks. Lather, rinse, repeat for many miles.
We made it down to Willits, CA, and the most overpriced KOA-campground ($46!). But, this made more sense than staying in any of the very ratty CGs we had seen in this area. And with no internet, we couldn't check online to read reviews. We had to rely on our visual (and gut) assessments. We pulled into one place (Lisa was looking paler and paler and I had a rather roaring headache from not stretching enough during my 8 hours of driving), desperate to secure a spot and stop driving. Thank goodness it said NO VACANCY.
Here's what we read later, the next day, on RVParkReviews.com from another person:
"I made reservations at this park after reading that the rates at the local KOA were too high. We did not pay in advance (thank goodness!) and when we arrived, the office was closed. There was a note on the door as to which campground was ours. We drove-in and felt like we had found a leftover commune from the 60's. Most everyone there lived there full time, including the people staying in their tents. As we started to back into our spot, my husband and I noticed the shirtless man coming out of the trailer next to ours with a long beard smoking a joint, and we both said, "Let's get out of here!" I would have spent any amount at the KOA right then! We didn't actually stay, nor would I recommend this campground to anyone."
Yup, that about describes the place. I felt better about paying $46.
Wednesday
Lisa was feeling better, finally (food poisoning, we suspect), but I wouldn't let her drive right away. Had to be sure. So, off we went, taking one more scenic route, rather than beelining it home. We drove highway 20 through Lake County--had never been that way. What a surprise! Clear Lake is just an enormous lake, very pretty, the "Switzerland of America" they claim, but in reality, while the lake is gorgeous, the man-made parts are straight out of the 50s. Pretty run down, but the natural beauty was something. Then we hit I-5, 505, and 680 before rejoining 101 for our well-traveled route home. I'm glad we didn't stay on 101 and go through SF on a workday. We'd probably just be getting home now ;-)
When we refueled in Gilroy, we saw our 8th View/Navion of the trip, filling up in front of us. Our little coaches are on the road!
Deja Vu All Over Again
For long-time followers...remember our escapades in Minot (why not?), ND? The series of foul-ups that led us to a hotel there that--after we told them a hundred times that we had a dog--had a policy of no dogs over 12 pounds? Well, we found another of those jewels today. Our first stinky campground in a long time. I haven't written a scathing CG review in so long, but a PMS-fueled rant shall feel good. This park has so many NO this and NO that rules, but they don't tell you till after you've signed the credit card slip and then you see the NO REFUNDS signs. The first rule on the list is, and I quote, "No Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, Dobermans or large dogs." Huh??? So, we decided that Nick needs to be his 12-pound self again. We got into our spot and then walked him (in the PET WALK AREA--NO POTTYING ANYWHERE ELSE!!!) past the office. They now know we're here. Geesh. The rule police are nasty. We'll be leaving as early as possible tomorrow.
OK, whew. Feel better now. Tracking back to last night--dinner was heavenly. And we're looking forward to a rerun tonight, as we have leftover chowder and salmon. THE most heavenly clam chowder--the predominant flavors are lemon and dill. Not typical. Cuts right through the creaminess of the dairy to highlight the seafoodiness (that is not a word, but it feels right) of the clams. Serious yum. Never had anything like it.
Today brought another brisk walk on the beach. Nick just loves to run and chase balls and sticks on the sand. He didn't have the benefit of all those years of Carmel Beach off-leash heavens that our other dearly departed dogs had. He couldn't be trusted off-leash there, since it was always crowded with little children. But in Oregon? Empty beaches and a tennis ball = 100% trustability.
An aside: We have to revoke our previous opinion (after last summer's 7000+ mile journey) that Oregon had the best roads. Let's just say that US 97 thru eastern OR is great. But all the roads we've been on this trip in OR are horrendous--potholes, sunken grades, bumps, dips, ridges, washboarding, etc. Yikes.
Also, the signs here are the tersest of any state we've been in. One word, always nouns, e.g.: Elk. Construction. Rocks. Slides. No verbs, adverbs, or adjectives indicating what to do, how soon to do it in, severity, etc. Now, I know a rock when I see one. But a sign that says "Rocks"--is that helpful? Are they falling? Soon? Should I watch out? I make all these inferences, but road signs should probably not require that step.
Back to the recap of our mostly rainy day:
We had a very minimal breakfast in anticipation of our first stop: Tillamook, OR and its eponymous cheese factory. What a hoot. Because it was Saturday, we couldn't see the packaging line in operation, but we did see a few folks vacuum sealing 42-pound blocks of cheddar cheese for aging. (They have the capacity to age 5 million pounds of cheese at a time.)
After the tour, we split a grilled cheese sandwich and a cheeseburger--big yums. And nice because the portions were actually reasonably small. Did a little shopping in the various shops (Lisa got a 1/2 price fleece as it's chilly here and she's low on warm clothes), but we resisted buying cheese, ice cream, etc. It helped that the line was enormous. But we did indulge in having a 3 mini-scoop sampler of ice cream. Tillamook is a coop of local dairy farmers, so the milk and butter and cheese products are just outstanding. We get their butter and cheese in CA groceries, but the ice cream is only Pacific Northwest. Julie had Mudslide (the most decadent chocolate ice cream ever), Oregon Huckleberry (wonderful, but not as great as when we had it in CO last year), and Marionberry Pie. Lisa had Cookie Dough, White Licorice (she loved that), and Oregon Strawberry (which was the prize winner, deservedly so). A lovely lunch.
We also stopped at the Blue Heron French Cheese Factory a mile down the road (seriously, dairy cows are everywhere here), and Lisa got a hunk of her favorite blue cheese, which is the one high calorie food that Julie doesn't care for.
Various and sundry other stops down the coast--lighthouses, botanical "waysides." Our internet connection is very low here, so we'll have to upload photos when we get a stronger signal.
OK, whew. Feel better now. Tracking back to last night--dinner was heavenly. And we're looking forward to a rerun tonight, as we have leftover chowder and salmon. THE most heavenly clam chowder--the predominant flavors are lemon and dill. Not typical. Cuts right through the creaminess of the dairy to highlight the seafoodiness (that is not a word, but it feels right) of the clams. Serious yum. Never had anything like it.
Today brought another brisk walk on the beach. Nick just loves to run and chase balls and sticks on the sand. He didn't have the benefit of all those years of Carmel Beach off-leash heavens that our other dearly departed dogs had. He couldn't be trusted off-leash there, since it was always crowded with little children. But in Oregon? Empty beaches and a tennis ball = 100% trustability.
An aside: We have to revoke our previous opinion (after last summer's 7000+ mile journey) that Oregon had the best roads. Let's just say that US 97 thru eastern OR is great. But all the roads we've been on this trip in OR are horrendous--potholes, sunken grades, bumps, dips, ridges, washboarding, etc. Yikes.
Also, the signs here are the tersest of any state we've been in. One word, always nouns, e.g.: Elk. Construction. Rocks. Slides. No verbs, adverbs, or adjectives indicating what to do, how soon to do it in, severity, etc. Now, I know a rock when I see one. But a sign that says "Rocks"--is that helpful? Are they falling? Soon? Should I watch out? I make all these inferences, but road signs should probably not require that step.
Back to the recap of our mostly rainy day:
We had a very minimal breakfast in anticipation of our first stop: Tillamook, OR and its eponymous cheese factory. What a hoot. Because it was Saturday, we couldn't see the packaging line in operation, but we did see a few folks vacuum sealing 42-pound blocks of cheddar cheese for aging. (They have the capacity to age 5 million pounds of cheese at a time.)
After the tour, we split a grilled cheese sandwich and a cheeseburger--big yums. And nice because the portions were actually reasonably small. Did a little shopping in the various shops (Lisa got a 1/2 price fleece as it's chilly here and she's low on warm clothes), but we resisted buying cheese, ice cream, etc. It helped that the line was enormous. But we did indulge in having a 3 mini-scoop sampler of ice cream. Tillamook is a coop of local dairy farmers, so the milk and butter and cheese products are just outstanding. We get their butter and cheese in CA groceries, but the ice cream is only Pacific Northwest. Julie had Mudslide (the most decadent chocolate ice cream ever), Oregon Huckleberry (wonderful, but not as great as when we had it in CO last year), and Marionberry Pie. Lisa had Cookie Dough, White Licorice (she loved that), and Oregon Strawberry (which was the prize winner, deservedly so). A lovely lunch.
We also stopped at the Blue Heron French Cheese Factory a mile down the road (seriously, dairy cows are everywhere here), and Lisa got a hunk of her favorite blue cheese, which is the one high calorie food that Julie doesn't care for.
Various and sundry other stops down the coast--lighthouses, botanical "waysides." Our internet connection is very low here, so we'll have to upload photos when we get a stronger signal.
Sally Sells Salmon by the Seashore
We reached the OR coast today after a gorgeous drive west through orchards and farms. Easily found a Roadfood.com recommended lunch spot in Cannon Beach. This was our first restaurant meal out of the last 15 meals on this trip, so we really enjoyed it.
The freshest of fresh fish, in a setting adorned with enormous photos of the restaurant-owned boat and its fishermen catching the very food they serve. It's that kind of place.
The term "fish and chips" does not describe this delicacy well: included were halibut, razorneck clams, Willapa Bay oysters, a succulent scallop, and Chinook salmon. Out of this world. Fresh, clean taste of the sea, with a lovely, light crunch on the outside. No sauces needed. Well, maybe a bit of malt vinegar on the occasional bite....
Got to our state park campsite early today--yay!--and able to enjoy an hour walk on the chilly/windy but gorgeous beach at low tide. Nick reverted to puppyhood, bucking and running and jumping up and down with joy. Still haven't worn him out yet!
View from 101
The beach that our state park is right up next to:
And now we look forward to dinner: local Oregon Pinot Gris, clam chowder, sourdough bread, and smoked salmon we bought as takeout from the lunch place.
The freshest of fresh fish, in a setting adorned with enormous photos of the restaurant-owned boat and its fishermen catching the very food they serve. It's that kind of place.
The term "fish and chips" does not describe this delicacy well: included were halibut, razorneck clams, Willapa Bay oysters, a succulent scallop, and Chinook salmon. Out of this world. Fresh, clean taste of the sea, with a lovely, light crunch on the outside. No sauces needed. Well, maybe a bit of malt vinegar on the occasional bite....
Got to our state park campsite early today--yay!--and able to enjoy an hour walk on the chilly/windy but gorgeous beach at low tide. Nick reverted to puppyhood, bucking and running and jumping up and down with joy. Still haven't worn him out yet!
View from 101
The beach that our state park is right up next to:
And now we look forward to dinner: local Oregon Pinot Gris, clam chowder, sourdough bread, and smoked salmon we bought as takeout from the lunch place.
Willamette Valley
Gorgeous. Sun, clouds, rain, sun, clouds, rain. Wineries, orchards, organic farms, blooming EVERYTHING. A slow tool north after a very nice visit with our old friends Barb and Jerry. (Here they are. Tulips, grape hyacinth, daffodils, flowering trees--everywhere here.) Some of you will remember Barb as fondly as I do. She was my first "office mom." Looked after me for years, and I'm eternally grateful for that.
Stopped at a beautiful winery, with a great name, today. Forgot to take pictures (which is actually a good sign because it means I'm experiencing the present rather than planning for the blog ;-), but here's a link to Left Coast Cellars.
Hanging out on the river in Tualatin tonight, preparing to visit a "famous" Sprinter store (our RV is built on a Sprinter chassis, which is Dodge; think good thoughts for our warranty as Chrysler starts beating the bankruptcy drum) and then head to the coast for 4 or so days.
Stopped at a beautiful winery, with a great name, today. Forgot to take pictures (which is actually a good sign because it means I'm experiencing the present rather than planning for the blog ;-), but here's a link to Left Coast Cellars.
Hanging out on the river in Tualatin tonight, preparing to visit a "famous" Sprinter store (our RV is built on a Sprinter chassis, which is Dodge; think good thoughts for our warranty as Chrysler starts beating the bankruptcy drum) and then head to the coast for 4 or so days.
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