Shadow Shot Sunday - Gothic Arches

Back of every creation, supporting it like an arch, is faith. Enthusiasm is nothing: it comes and goes. But if one believes, then miracles occur. ~ Henry Miller 

McCullough Bridge ~ North Bend, Oregon

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Our Oregon Adventure Comes to a Close

The final two days of our Oregon Adventure and the beginning of the New Year. Since the day the kayak fell off the camper roof, it has been either on Roy’s truck’s kayak rack or sitting on the ground. However, now that we were heading home it would be time to stow back up there. Or would it?

Hmmm…maybe we can stuff thirteen feet of molded plastic inside the camper. Oh yes, that it the answer! It will be much easier to remove for one night than to hoist up twelve plus feet and strap it down. I wish I would have taken a picture of this feat, but I forgot.

We discussed our routing options – the freeway or Highway 101 and quickly decided on the coast route again. Rather than get into a mindset of freeway autopilot mode and dealing with Portland, it was a no-brainer choice. Our rest stop would be somewhere up near Astoria. We got the camper ready for transit and off we went.

 Effect of the Ocean Winds on Trees

The weather was almost perfect – no rain, light winds and sunshine! The first stop was at an overlook for Heceta Head Lighthouse. What a gorgeous lighthouse. The beam on this working lighthouse is the brightest on the Oregon coast and can be seen twenty-one miles from land. You can visit Heceta Head Lighthouse State Park, but bring your wallet since this is a fee-based park.

 Heceta Head Lighthouse

Continuing north, we passed South Beach State Park and the city of Newport, then Depoe Bay and back into Lincoln City, one of longest cities distance-wise along the road. The dogs needed another break and we found our way back to a nice little park called Devils Lake State Recreation Area, also part of the Oregon State Parks system.

Remember on the way south, we took the Three Capes route coming out of Tillamook. On this day, we stayed on 101 instead of turning towards Pacific City and drove through a nice valley with many dairy farms. This section of the highway stays inland away from the coast.

In Wheeler, we stopped for a late lunch at the Tsunami Bar & Grill. We ordered up fish and chips again (I need to get away from the salty air). We watched a little football on television while we munched on our lunch. The food was okay, but nowhere near as good as the Crazy Norwegian’s.

Leaving Wheeler, we passed the turn off to Nehalem Bay State Park and decided to turn around and go back there for the night’s stay. Am I glad we did! Yet another gem of a state park.

We got camp established (like taking the kayak out of the camper) and then headed over to the beach to watch the setting sun. Although slightly breezy, we stayed awhile and let the dogs romp on the beach before pausing to enjoy the beauty of the evening sky.

Path to the Beach at Nehalem Bay State Park

 

 Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain 

 Karl at Sunset

Spray off the Waves at Sunset

We came back to our campsite and Karl worked on getting the campfire going. The wood was difficult to get burning plus it was getting cold…upper 30’s, with a stiff wind blowing through our open campsite. We lasted less than an hour before calling it a night. We offered our slightly burnt wood to campers across the road from us and then played a few hands of gin rummy before crawling into bed.

Our last day dawned bright and cold. We enjoyed nice hot showers and then loaded the kayak back into the camper. Time to roll on!

We fueled up in Astoria and found a park near the Astoria-Megler bridge that offered up a nice perspective of the massive steel structure. We turned left upon reaching the Washington shore so we could continue on Highway 101. 

 Astoria - Megler Bridge

I saw sign for Cape Disappointment State Park and we followed it into the park. We came to a turnoff to a lighthouse and saw a sign that said “No RV’s”. Bummer! I really wanted to see it. We continued on the loop and came to a four-way stop. To the right was the campground, straight went to the Coast Guard training station and another lighthouse, and left was continuance of the loop. Ooooh, another lighthouse! Arrrgghh, another “No RV’s” sign! Talk about the park living up to its name. Two lighthouses, two not visited because they can’t accommodate an RV in their parking area. I left feeling VERY disappointed and won’t go back, even to camp.

Highway 101 snakes along the eastern shore of Willapa Bay upon leaving the Longview area. At times, it winds inland and then rejoins it. It was a fairly scenic section of the highway.

The “city” of Raymond was very interesting. They have several metal sculptures within a five or six mile stretch of 101. I liked Raymond a lot and would like to go back to see more of the highway art. 

 Metal Sculpture Art in Raymond

Then we drove through an area where we noticed a tremendous amount of logging activity. A sign explained that 120+ miles per hour winds had blown through a few years earlier knocking down acres and acres of trees.

We left Highway 101 before reaching Aberdeen and made our way to Montesano and Highway 12. If you ever need a place to eat on your way to or from the Washington beaches, I recommend the Crow’s Nest in Montesano. Great burgers, fries and milkshakes!

Before long we were back on Interstate 5 and then pulling into our driveway. Our vacation was over but we saw so many wonderful places that will last in our memories for a long time.  We had time to reflect on the events of 2010 and think about what 2011 might bring.

I hope you enjoyed our trip as much as we did.

Day 5 on the Oregon Coast

A little exploration of Bullards Beach State Park was on the morning agenda for Day 5. This is a large state park and we decided to drive around in advance of our return to Highway 101. Good thing. The lighthouse was three miles from the campsite. That would have been a long walk round trip with two little dogs, especially Buddy.

The Coquille River Light was built in 1896 and remained in operation until 1939. It was replaced by the automatic light on the south jetty (seen just to the left and behind the lighthouse below). Of the eight remaining lighthouses on the Oregon coast, this one was the last one built. It is also on the National Register of Historic Places. We had the area to ourselves on this gray morning.

Coquille River Lighthouse

Karl was able to get in contact with a fishing buddy the night before and plans were made to rendezvous with Roy later in the morning up in Charleston just outside of Coos Bay. The guys were going to try to get some fishing in.

Camper at Bullards Beach State Park

(Note kayak on top...it plays an important part later in the day) 

Karl has mostly good memories of the Coos Bay area since he was stationed there during his service in the Coast Guard thirty years earlier. His ship was the USCGC Citrus. We drove by the old dock that definitely had seen better days. It looked like it was falling into disrepair. The new and smaller vessel that replaced the Citrus is now moored a couple of hundred yards further up the river.

The Citrus Dock in Coos Bay

We also had to swing by the auto parts store to pick up the new windshield wiper relay that was ordered for us a few days earlier. We replaced the relay and then tested the wipers. Problem NOT solved. Oh well, it cost under $12 so we weren't out much money. We'd have to postpone the case of the crazy wipers until we got home. At least it wasn't raining for the moment.

We met up with Roy but ocean conditions were not favorable for the guys to launch their kayaks. Off we went to Empire Lakes in North Bend. The sun was trying to make an appearance and was marginally succeeding.

Upon arrival at Empire Lakes, Karl climbed on top of the camper so we could offload the kayak over the side. I would be on the ground to help guide it gently down. As the kayak cleared the camper side, it tilted ever so slightly and water started to drain out and onto to me. I stepped back to avoid the temporary waterfall. A little angel must have been watching out for me because at that exact moment, the kayak handle broke and 70 pounds of orange plastic came plummeting down. Orange crush, anyone?

Silly me, I instinctively reached out to keep the kayak from hitting the truck and camper. It hit my hand and left it stinging for a couple of hours, but fortunately, I was not hurt. Karl was mortified!! I think it scared him more than me.

Things settled down, the yak sustained a few minor scratches but no cracks, and the guys launched to get some fishing in. Both of them are in a year-long tournament and they wanted to catch a large trout to increase their points total.

 A Heron at Empire Lakes

 Karl

Roy

While they were on the lake, I went in search of an RV parts dealer to replace a vent cap that the kayak had knocked off when it moved during the storm two days earlier. The dealership was closed but I entertained myself by looking in the windows of the campers on their lot. It was a good thing they were closed or I might have had to indulge in some retail therapy. Oh honey, I got a vent cap and it came with a "new" camper. There was a used camper that would have fit nicely in the bed of the truck with lots of bells and whistles.

I checked back in with the guys at the lake and found they were not successful in their efforts to improve their standings in the tournament. :(

Later, the three of us went to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant that we previously had patronized. I ordered my go-to Mexican dish of Carne Asada. It was nothing like any previous meals I've ordered in other restaurants. I have an aversion to green peppers and this came covered, smothered, blanketed in green peppers and onions. Ugh! Not only that, I swear the meat didn't have any carne asada seasoning on it. Karl also ordered the Carne Asada. He likes onions and peppers and even he thought it was a terrible dish. Guess we won't be going back there.

We returned to Roy's where we camped out in his driveway. After watching a movie (The Book of Eli with Denzel Washington), we retired for the evening. It had been a long and eventful day, and we didn't even drive far! Less than fifty miles.

Next...are fish in Karl and Roy's future?

Our Oregon Adventure - Days 3 and 4

Day 3 – Rain. Wind. More rain. Whoa! That was a powerful gust.

This day’s journey would see us travel just over 100 miles from the Coos Bay / North Bend area to Harris Beach State Park just north of Brookings, Oregon. Getting there turned out to be a white-knuckle ride.

We opted for a “home-cooked” breakfast at one of the Kozy Kitchen restaurants in North Bend before hitting the open road. A minor medical emergency was dealt with and then it was time to brave the elements.

This was not going to be a leisurely jaunt with stops to photograph the scenery along the way. It was a get-in-your-vehicle-and-stay-there kind of day.

 Turtle Rock As Seen Through the Rain-Streaked Windshield

The state of Oregon has a law that forbids you to pump your own fuel at the pump. Unfortunately, we needed fuel and stopped in Port Orford to fill the tank. We felt so bad for the woman working at the station who had to step out of her warm little shelter to take care of our needs. I thought she was going to get blown away. The rain was practically going sideways as we sat in the comfort of the truck. A quick check of the kayak and we were on our way again. Surprisingly, a sign on the side of the highway as we left Port Orford warning of high winds for the next twenty-some miles was not flashing. Holy smokes! If this wasn’t high wind conditions, I’d hate to experience what was!

The winds kept buffeting our RVs as we traveled south down the coast. Although we thought the kayak on the roof of the camper was secure, one gust of wind combined with the force of driving down the road turned it on its side. Luckily, Don saw it happen in his mirror and we quickly pulled over to rectify the situation. Poor Karl had to climb up on the camper roof to re-secure it. I don’t know how he managed to stay up there, exposed to the strong winds and holding the kayak down while straps were loosened and then tightened, but he did.

At one point along the route, we saw a another sign that warned us of high wind gusts. Gee, ya think? Only it wasn’t referencing our current situation. We popped out from behind a cliff to cross the Pistol River and wham! We got blasted with a powerful side wind that almost jerked the steering wheel out of Karl’s hands. Hang on, Sloopy!

This was turning into a very stressful (at least for me) drive. I was extremely relieved when we decided to stop at Harris Beach State Park and call it a day. Remember, I was already crabby from a lack of sleep the night before.

We all rested for a couple of hours, snug in our rigs away from the pounding rain. Karl and I took hot showers which refreshed our souls and bodies. Then I fired up the oven and roasted a nice pork loin that the four of us enjoyed for dinner.

After dinner, it was time for more games and laughter. Before long, sleep deprivation caught up with me and I went out for the night.

Day 4 dawned bright and partly cloudy. After breakfast, the four of us decided to explore the beach area before leaving the campground. It was still breezy but nowhere near the intensity of the previous day. We could see a squall off to the north of us as we made our way down to the beach on the rocky path. The dog were allowed off-leash and had a grand time frolicking on the wet sand.

 Don & Debi

 Karl and Sally (and the Dogs)

We got a little wet from the passing rain shower but had a good time on the beach and the exercise was good for us, too.

 Enjoyment on the Beach

 Harris Beach Breakers

Upon leaving Harris Beach, we continued south the remaining few miles to the California / Oregon state line. A few miles past the border, we stopped for supplies and then said our good-byes to Don and Debi. Their journey would continue on to Florida and we would reverse our direction and drive back north on Highway 101.

Our initial plan was to return to Sunset Bay State Park near Coos Bay. The weather was much improved from the trip down the day before and we would be able to see the sights we missed. We did encounter a few more rain and snow mix showers but generally it was an enjoyable day's travel.

One of our stops was at Arch Rock. What a cool rock formation! The waves were crashing on the rock and I can just imagine what it would be like if it was really stormy. We also lingered awhile searching for the tell-tale signs of the migrating gray whales. No such luck, though.

 Arch Rock

The pangs of hunger started kicking in as we drove north so we started looking for a place to stop for lunch. We were mysteriously craving fish and chips. Do you think it had anything to do with being near the ocean?

Returning to Port Orford, we passed a little restaurant called the Crazy Norwegian's Fish and Chips. We turned around, found parking and then dined on a delicious platter of thick cod nuggets and fries. Oh yummm…craving satisfied!

 A Most Excellent Lunch Spot!

 Looking South Towards Humbug State Park from Port Orford

With full bellies, we watched a couple of crazy rookie surfers in the Port Orford harbor and then commenced our trip north towards Sunset Bay once again. I consulted the Oregon state parks guide and realized that Sunset Bay did not have pump out facilities. We needed to empty our holding tanks. However, Bullards Beach State Park near Bandon did have a pump out station. Change of plans. We’ll stay at Bullards Beach for the night.

Since it wasn’t raining, we purchased a bundle of firewood and a fire starter from the camp hosts. Hooray! We would finally be able to enjoy a campfire. Karl managed to get the fire going and we sat around the warmth of the crackling flames before dinner. But wouldn’t you know it. As we ate dinner, it started raining again. End of fire. Time for bed.

It was a good day any way. Next, our return to Coos Bay.

Day 2 of Our Oregon Adventure

Day 2 took us from Newport to the Charleston area which is near Coos Bay / North Bend. We were scheduled to rendezvous with our neighbors and friends, Don and Debi, in their RV. But first...

We noticed the day before that our intermittent windshield wipers were acting up. Sometimes we would get one swipe across the windshield and other times would get up to nine. Crazy! We thought maybe the relay for the wiper was going bad. We decided to take a slight detour back into Newport and find an auto parts store. The store did not stock the relay and pointed us to the local Dodge dealer who also did not have the part in stock. We made the call to continue on and order the part when we got to the Coos Bay area since we knew we would be there for a couple of days.

Before leaving Newport, we visited the Yaquina Bay lighthouse, not to be confused with the Yaquina Head Light. It was built in 1871 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also is the Oregon state park system. The morning we were there, it was all shuttered up (maybe to protect it from the recent storms) but I understand that there are hours of operation when you can tour the light. It is still a working light from dusk to dawn.

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

 

We left Newport and started our journey south to Charleston, a distance of just over one hundred miles.

Before long, we came to a pull out along the coast at Cape Perpetua, south of Yachats. Just so you know, Yachats is pronounced YA-hots. This place looked interesting, we thought. We got out and were greeted by two volunteers with whalespoken.org. Seems this was the peak migration week for the gray whales from the Arctic Circle to their winter grounds in the warm waters off of Baja California where their young are born. On this day, the high winds and white-capped waves made whale watching a difficult task. Normally the whales are easily spotted when they surface and blow to replenish their oxygen supply. The wind made it very difficult to distinguish the spray off of the breaking waves from surfacing whales. The cold rain also did not encourage us to spend much time gazing out across the ocean.

Looking North from Cape Perpetua

One neat thing about Cape Perpetua is the chasm there. The crashing waves would come in and blast the rocks, roil up into the chasm, and if lucky, spout out through a small hole in the rocks near the upper end. We walked down the path to try and get a better look at the spout hole. One wave had just come in and launched a nice little demostration that we caught the tail end of. We wanted to see the whole thing! So we waited and watched. And waited and watched. There were a few times we thought here it comes, only to see nothing.

Out near the end of the chasm, there was a large round hole in the rocks that I likened to a witch's cauldron. With much more frequency, water would bubble up out of it. I was able to capture a few pictures of the bubbling brew.

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble!

The cold rain and wind soon drove us back to the warmth of truck. As we got in, I noticed my cell phone was missing. I looked around the truck - no phone. Then I remembered what I did with. It was back in Newport at the campground on the picnic table! In the rain, no less. What had happened was earlier that morning, we needed to resecure the kayak on the roof of the camper. We were using a ratcheting tie-down system that we had threaded wrong. I used the internet capabilities on the phone to look up how to properly rig the tie-down straps. And then promptly forgot to stick the phone back in my pocket. Duh!

Luckily, before departing the campground we stopped in at the hospitality yurt where we were given a nice little magazine with all of the Oregon state park information. I quickly got it out and lo and behold, there was a phone number for the park. Using Karl's cell phone, I called the park and explained my predicament. The ranger said to call back in five minutes - he would go check our campsite for the phone. I called back after the allotted time and sure enough, the phone was still there on the picnic, open just like I left it, but now it was wet. The ranger said it was still working though. I said we were on our way back to retrieve it. We had about 30 miles to back track to the campground.

After picking up the phone and a bag of free freshly popped corn, we were on our way south again. Actually, we tell ourselves that we liked that part of the coast route so much, we wanted to see it three times!

The weather was increasing in intensity as we drove to Charleston, so we kept our stops to a minimum. We made a quick stop in North Bend for supplies and then hooked up with Don and Debi.

The Bridge over the Coos Bay into North Bend

 

The intent was to stay at Sunset Bay state park but we changed our minds and went to Oceanside RV park just up the road from the state park. Don and Debi had stayed here previously so we went with what they knew. We each fixed our own dinners and then played Apples to Apples, a riotous card game that had us practically rolling on their motorhome floor. Then we retired for the evening.

Worst. Night. Ever. Our campsite offered little in the way of protection from the winds off of the ocean. I thought for sure the wind gusts were going to blow the camper over a couple of times during the night. Plus the wonderful ratchet strap was vibrating non-stop throughout the night. I eventually got some sleep from 4:30 a.m. until about 7:15 a.m. Needless to stay, I was a little crabby after that.

Day 3 coming up....Charleston to Brookings

Our Oregon Adventure - Day 1

I hope everyone had a great holiday. Happy New Year!

We got home yesterday after spending eight days traveling up and down the Oregon coast on Highway 101 in our camper. This is a great time of year to visit the coast because of the fierce winter storms that pound the beaches and rocky coastline. I had soooo much fun and Mother Nature put on quite the weather display. One day it felt like if we didn't like the weather, just drive ten more miles and experience something different. Hail, rain, sun, wind, snow...we saw it all during the course of our adventure.

First, if you are a camper and plan on visiting Oregon, check out their state park system. They have the best I have ever visited. Clean and well-run parks, friendly staff and during the Discovery period (aka the off-season), camp fees are very reasonable for full hookups. The most we paid was $22 USD per night with the typical rate being $20. We stayed in five different parks - Nehalem Bay, South Beach, Sunset Bay, Bullards Beach and Harris Beach.

Over the next several days, I will be sharing photographs taken during our trip.

We started our trip by crossing into Astoria, Oregon from Washington state via the Astoria-Megler Bridge over the Columbia River. The bridge is just over four miles long with the highest point being four hundred feet. It is the longest continuous cantilever through-truss bridge in the world (at least according to their sign). I will have pictures of the bridge from our return trip.

We didn't stop in Astoria although I understand it is worth visiting. Instead we headed south on Hwy 101 and made our first real stop in Cannon Beach.

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon

Karl and the Dogs at Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach Sky

As you can tell from the pictures, it was a gray day with periods of wind and rain. Plus it was chilly on the beach, too.

After leaving Cannon Beach, it was on to Tillamook and the Tillamook Cheese Factory. They offer a free, self-guided tour of their cheese making operation. First of all, it's FREE; and second, we eat a lot of Tillamook cheese so why not take a tour? I apologize for the color of the pictures. I was shooting through the windows during the tour and got weird colorations.

Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook, Oregon

Here is where the cheese making starts.

• On average, each of the eight stainless steel vats makes three batches of cheese each day
• More than 1.7 million pounds of milk arrive at the plant each day
• It takes ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese
• Approximately 167,000 pounds of cheese are made daily

Stainless Steel Vats

After the cheddaring process, cheese curds go into the pressing towers where the curds are pressed for thirty minutes. Then a block of Tillamook cheese is born.

• Although the blocks are called "forties", they weigh between 41 and 42 pounds.
• After being bagged, vacuum-sealed, boxed and cooled, the forties are sent to the warehouse for aging.

Pressing Towers in Action (Note the block in front of the upper right tower)

After the blocks have aged a minimum of sixty days in the warehouse, they are moved to the packaging department. This is where the forty pound blocks are cut and packaged into the smaller sized blocks we purchase at the store.

• Blocks are cut into individual pieces on one of three different packaging lines
• Each piece runs over a scale called a checkweigher. Underweight pieces are patched; overweight pieces are trimmed.
• Approximately one million pieces of cheese are packaged in a week
• Tillamook Cheese is the number two brand of chunk cheddar cheese in the United States

Tillamook Packaging Area

At the end of the tour, there were free samples of Tillamook cheese as well as store area for purchasing Tillamook products. We opted for delicious Tillamook ice cream cones. Click here for more information on Tillamook Cheese and other products.

After leaving Tillamook, we thought we'd travel the Three Capes route that ran along the coast rather than Hwy 101. Big mistake.

This was one of the worst roads we traveled. Full of potholes, rough, and not very enjoyable. At least with an RV. Maybe on a bike this would be better suited but never again for us! I was glad to rejoin Hwy 101 again just below Pacific City.

Leaving the north coast section of Oregon, we journeyed into the central coast region. After a quick stop for lunch in Lincoln City, we made our way to Depoe Bay. Just south of town, there is the Otter Crest loop. I had read in our guide of a few scenic stops so we crossed our fingers and left Hwy 101 again. 

Almost immediately you come to the historic Ben Jones bridge that was refurbished in 2001.

Ben Jones Bridge - Depoe Bay, Oregon

Just down the road from the bridge, we rounded a bend in the road and spotted what we thought was a house perched precariously on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. No playing catch in the yard here!

Why??

 

Then we found out the building was a gift shop called the Lookout at Cape Foulweather. We browsed around the shop and looked out the windows. Neat little place five hundred feet above the ocean!

The Lookout at Cape Foulweather

 

Before long, the sun was setting and it was time to find a place to stop for the night. We knew there was a campground at the Newport Marina. It basically was a paved parking lot and with our Good Sam discount, it still would have cost $37 per night! Luckily, we came upon South Beach State Park just down the road and began our love affair with Oregon state parks.

Newport, Oregon Bridge

Until tomorrow...