Elk, Sand and Dunes

June 22 – No major rush this morning.  I made scrambled eggs rounds, Canadian bacon

Two of the Elk

and we had biscuit sandwiches with the last 2 biscuits.  Gathered up what we thought we needed and headed a bit north into Reedsport.  We planned to ask questions and check out the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area Visitor Center.  Here it is summer vacation time and they are closed on Saturdays.  We did talk to a maintenance man who told us where to go see the elk and dunes.

We went to the Dean Creek Elk viewing area a few miles out of town and stopped in a couple of designated spots but didn’t see anything.  Then I realized the grass was really tall

and using the zoom on my camera I spotted some in the back of the field.  They started moving more and we could see them.  We started back to town and saw a car pulled off and we spotted what they saw.  There were 4 more.  Going back through Reedsport we stopped at the post office and I dropped off our mail.

There was a small McDonald’s on the highway so we stopped and we were both going to do some computer catch up.  Well, they didn’t have outlets except in the ceilings.  What they hey?  My laptop was halfway charged but not Bill’s.  So while I put together one post for the day, he went across to Dollar Tree and then to a thrift store where he bought a

Huge Sand Dune - see trailer in bottom

book and a long sleeve shirt. 

Oregon SAnd Dune

We turned down a Dunes viewing road and drove around and got to see some huge dunes where they had lots of dirt bikes, ATV’s and dune buggies.  Then we drove into Winchester Bay area and saw campground after campground filled with toy haulers and RV’s towing trailers for all of the TOYS.  There were little kids on the dunes, men, women of all ages on various types of transportation.  Some parked their RV’s on the base of the dunes.  I tried to get Bill to put the truck in 4 wheel drive and go on it, but that didn’t happen.  I saw a helicopter circling over us, not sure if it was hired or just out for the ride.  Found out later this was a Coast Guard helicopter.

For lunch we ate at Crabby Café.  The food was excellent but the service was lacking.  Bill had a huge BLT with 2 sides and I had crab cakes with 2 sides.  They crab locally and a lot of their seafood is from here in the bay.

On the way back to the RV we drove through the actual town of Lakeside.  It’s a tiny bit inland as it’s on a big lake chain.  It’s a worn looking tiny place but appears to get their share of tourist here for fishing. 

I put a load of laundry in and put a chicken breast on to cook and simmer which I shredded up and made chicken tacos for dinner.  On and off I worked on catching up on my journaling and photos.

More Lighthouses

June 21 – We took our time this morning as we had a rather short day planned and not too

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

far to drive further south in the process.  Newport was the first destination.  Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was the first stop.  It had limited hours and was not open and the shutters were closed up.  It is the shortest lighthouse in Oregon.  I guess  it sits high enough on the cliff to do the job.  The beach area below was beautiful but it was windy and there were not many folks on the beach.

Yaquina Head

Yaquina Head Lighthouse is not too far and it sits out on a small peninsular.  It’s surrounded by huge rocks in the water and they are literally covered with birds, they are seabirds, Murre.  There are occasional seagulls but they don’t get along so if you see a seagull the Murre keep their distance.  The lighthouse is picture perfect if you can get in the

Cluster of Murre

right photo spot.  On the way in we passed the interpretive center where we stopped for the bathroom and to see the information on life at the lighthouse. 

Further south is Cape Perpetua where the Heceta Head Light is.  It was a bit dicey getting in.  It was a narrow curvy lane going downhill and overflow and large vehicle parking had to make a sharp left under the bridge where they were working on the road/bridge.  Yikes!  Bill was driving the truck thank goodness, as that’s the only way I could make the turn without hitting the bridge.  I did, however, run over my first orange cone!  Should have taken a photo of it.  I apologized to the STOP sign guy when I walked back that way!

Keeper's House

Bill and I drove over to the car lot but there were no spaces so he told me to just go and he’d park.  I think when we saw the sign that it was ½ mile UPHILL to the light house he decided to stay behind.  I got my 30 minutes of walking in today for sure.  It’s a breathtaking view from there top.  Halfway up is the living quarters for the lighthouse keeper and now it’s a B & B.  The guests are the only ones that get to drive up.  The hired help and volunteers have to walk up

Heceta Lighthouse

like the rest of us!

The top on my way down

The residents sure have/had a great view but I imagine bitter cold wind in the winter.  I trudged the rest of the way up to the lighthouse.  Too bad you can’t get far enough back to get a really good photo.  I chatted with the couple volunteering today and she’s the one who told me they have to walk up every day.  It was faster going back down, of course.  I was pooped by the time I walked ¼ mile further through the first lot, under the bridge and to the RV.  Bill was sitting in his truck, thank goodness there were unread books in the backseat.  He didn’t realize I left the RV keys in the floorboard of the truck. 

Unfortunately I had to go back out the way I came in but they were cleaning up at the end of

View of the bridge we were going
to cross and the parking and beach

their work day so things were opened up a bit and I made the turn and there was no incoming traffic to deal with.  It was on down the road there we saw a Wal-mart and a Fred Meyers where we were stopping to get diesel in Florence.  We were getting pretty low, it took 83 gallons!   Behind the store were the beginnings of the Oregon Dunes.  If there had been a spot there to park we would have gone out on them.  We did turn in the bottles, cans and plastic bottles we (and Bruce and Sharon) had saved.  We got a whopping $6.30. 

Last stop for the day was William Tugman State Park in Lakeside.  We’re here for 2 nights.  The park has 100 spaces.  We have a nice space with no one on one side and a truck camper with 3 tents on the other.  There are 3 adults males and 5 teenagers.  Not sure of the connections but Bill went over to pet the dog.

I was pooped and didn’t journal or download any photos.  I just wanted to chill!  I grilled burgers on George, nuked 2 ears of corn and made a bowl of broccoli salad.  I made sure I turned the heat on before I went to bed as it’s been rather chilly at night.

Cheese and lighthouse, that's a good day!

June 20 – We woke to a chipper morning!  It was 47 when I got up and 51, I think, when Bill got up.  It was supposed to only be in the 50’s all day.  I put on long jersey pants and a t-shirt and had my jacket on the ready!  Bill wore his usual shorts and t-shirt and a heavier jacket than normal.

Tillamook Creamery

First stop was Tillamook, OR where the Tillamook Creamery is.  We were pretty early and they have a huge parking area.  In the back they designate for Rv’s and large vehicles.  We pulled right in.  Behind us was another big lot for overflow.  The tour here was much better than the one at Bob’s Red Mill.  First there is a timeline about the history of the company, then there’s education

40 pound blocks

about the breed of cows they get their milk from and what the cows are fed and how they are milked, etc.  Then upstairs both sides are huge windows looking down into the various departments.  There are plaques telling what they are doing and above the equipment are signs naming the job, task or equipment.  We could see them processing curds and the 40 pound blocks being cut and packaged, along with what happens to the rejects.  Very interesting and educational.  When you leave there you get in line in the sampling area.  There are 5

What can I say, it was fuller
before I took the photo

cheeses and 1 curds.  The little cups are small but you can pick which you prefer.  Of course there’s a gift shop where they sell ALL of their products and lots of other items.  Then in the huge mall area there is in ice cream shop on one side and a café on the other.  Bill had ice cream but it was too early for me.

We left the RV parked there while we took the truck and

Cape Meares

went into town and out to Seaside to see the Cape Meares Lighthouse.  It is the shortest lighthouse in Oregon.  It’s quite lovely, but it’s small.  The view of the ocean was gorgeous and the sun was out with still a nip in the air.  We saw a deer as we walked back up to the parking area and it was rather tame as it would give a look

as a group of us gawked at it but just went back to eating.  The drive out there was a bit treacherous, and they actually have the road closed right after you turn into the state park where the lighthouse is.  Seaside is a community that is literally on the shore and up the side of the cliff.  The waves were big in that area.

We had lunch back at the RV and then we continued our trek south.  Not the most pleasant road to drive on as it’s a continual up and down, left and right, curvy 2 lane road.  They do have pull outs and I was nice “once” and pulled out to allow the 7 vehicles behind me to pass and then there was road work and we all got backed up in the slow down!  We drove through Newport where there are 2 lighthouses but we decided to get to the campground and maybe go back. 

We found Whaler’s Rest with no difficulty, and it’s an Encore and Thousand Trails park.  Bill went in to check in and they could not find our reservation.  He came back for me and I showed them the email confirmation and with the number and they still couldn’t find it.  Finally they saw that for some unknown reason it was listed as Lake Eola Sams and then Bill’s name.  They had our packet ready!  The sites where we were parked are woody and rather close together.  We did snag a pull through with a concrete pad but it’s a little unlevel front to back.

By the time we got set up I really didn’t feel like driving 20 minutes back tonight so the plan is to leave the RV packed and ready and go in the morning, then come back for the RV.  We have until noon to leave. 

We rested and relaxed a while and eventually I made supper of stewed chicken in broth that I thickened about like in chicken and dumplings, and served it over the Bob’s delicious biscuits with a side of steamed cabbage.  Then we had Bob’s cookies for dessert.  We will be sad when all of Bob’s food is gone!

Bob's Red Mill

July 19 -  Today was a bit simpler!  We left the campground at 9 and we didn’t hook up as we knew once we got to Milwaukie we would be parking the RV at Lowe’s, which was just down the road from Bob’s Red Mill Factory and Store.  We decided to just drive separately as we weren’t sure about the size of parking and it worked out well as the lot was rather full but I found a spot long enough in the back of the lot all the way to the end.

We were the first to arrive for the 10:00 tour so we signed in, got our tour pass and played match the grains and another matching game they set up.  It’s little tins of different grains they mill and you have to figure out which is which.  The other is

With a vintage mill stone

different dried beans.  They show a nice movie about Bob and go over a lot of the products.  Then the tour begins.  We were a bit disappointed as we thought we would see more but it’s just views through 5-6 windows and you can’t really see everything.  The guide went over what the various machines did and what changes they are making and the history of the company.  It started as Moore’s Mill but later he bought a big old barn and painted it red and changed the name to Bob’s Red Mill.  Bob had retired from a

With another mill stone

job in California and he and his wife retired to Oregon and they started the business together.  Now it’s an Employee Owned Company and they are proud to say so.  At the end of the tour they give you 2 different samples and a $1 off

Chatting with Bob

coupon each.  We left there and went a mile down the road to the “big” store where they have a restaurant and bakery.  We had a delicious lunch and bought some day old biscuits that are huge.  There are 6 in the package and they weigh 1 ½ pounds.  One is the size of a cup.  We got some new granolas and some cranberry oatmeal cookies.  They

That's a 1 cup measure

are yummy!  I picked up a few items from the bulk foods area but we only have so much room.

The RV was right where we left it at Lowes but we decided I could not get out towing so the plan was I was lead vehicle and I was to stop when I found a suitable hook up location or rest area.  Well, traffic thru Portland was awful and there was an accident and there were no rest areas once we got out of town. We ended up stopping about 15 miles south of Seaside where we had a reservation.  The GPS went wacky in the RV and I couldn’t fix it without stopping and wasn’t sure what happened so I pulled over and Bill came in and got it back on track.  Circle Creek RV Park wasn’t too far and it’s a pretty nice place.  About 40 sites, mostly back in but I had reserved a full through full hook up. 

Kelly Chambers is on the beach

Here I thought I’d have some “time” to catch up and chill, but no, it didn’t work that way. 

Tillamook Lighthouse

Due to my over zealous scheduling for tomorrow, Bill thought we should go to the first lighthouse just a few miles south today and tick it off the list.  So after a drive into Seaside and a walk on the beach for our first view on this trip of the Pacific Ocean, we headed to Ecola State Park and drove a super curvy, up and down narrow road to the gate, paid $5 to drive to the shore and park and walked a nice trail to the best viewpoint to see Tillamook Lighthouse perched on a big rock a mile away.  Good thing I have a good zoom lens.  On the way in we passed several RV’s leaving and had to pull over.  We could not believe the motorhome could get in

Beach shot

there.  They have no camping so they were just sightseeing we guessed.  Glad we didn’t wait until tomorrow as we would have been in a world of hurt trying to put the RV somewhere.

I had put some chicken in to marinade in Dorothy Lynch special all in one sauce.  My friend Barbara gave it to me and it’s made in Nebraska.  I was waiting for the right time to open it and tonight was it.  I sautéed sliced carrots in coconut oil until they were close to done and then slow fried the chicken and we share one of the giant biscuits for our dinner tonight.  Dessert was a big cranberry oatmeal cookie. 

Ok, I’m caught up on my typing but not so much on my photos.  Might get one post posted tonight!

Long but eventful day, I'm pooped

June 18 – It was certainly a busy day!  We were up and out by 9 so see and do everything we had planned.  We didn’t get home until 7, good thing we had some leftovers and a TV dinner on hand!

Rainbow trout

Bill had mapped out the day as to not backtrack and wait time so we started by going to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery.  It was awesome!  We got to see rainbow trout and sturgeons.  There were a few tanks of tiny babies but the best was the outdoor pond with an area you walk down and watch the fish through the glass like they’re in a tank.  Those sturgeons were some big boys!  Then we went to

Sturgeon from top

another pond there they sold fish food and there were ducks as well.  The ducks were aggressive as soon as they knew you were buying food and we tried to be fair and pitch some to the trout.  I always enjoy fish hatcheries, so we try to see them when we get the chance.  We stopped in the gift shop but didn’t buy anything!

Sturgeon under water

The Bonneville Dam is at the same exit as the hatchery.  We watched a movie on the building of the dam but the most interesting was you can watch through the glass and was the fish going up the fish ladders.   They have an employee whose job it is to count the fish.  I think it

Eels going up the ladder

would be boring and I’d doze off but apparently they find the right people to count.  They track which breeds climb as well.  Through the glass you can see nasty eels as well.  We walked out and could see parts of the locks from the outside and the ladders.

Next we drove into the town of Cascade Locks where we stopped and bought a bag of Bing cherries and started on them right away.  We had over half to bring home but snacked on them quite a bit.  Bill had checked on places there to eat and it’s small with not a lot to offer but they have a Native American owned seafood place, the Brigham Fish Market.  It’s small and they sell fresh catch as well as a number of menu items.  Bill, not being a fish person, had a cheese quesadilla.  I had one of the daily specials, Smoked Salmon nachos.  It was really good  instead of lettuce they used a sweet cole slaw.  It was way too many chips so I left a pile and Bill started eating them with my salsa.  It was a great a choice for lunch.

Sacajawea

Where the tour boat docks the other side is a small county campground, Marine Park Campground, it’s right on the river.  The problem is vehicles must be under 12 feet to go under the archway to get there.  We went down to the small boat ramp area where quite few Native Americans were fishing.  They set their poles and sit in the car!  There’s a statue of Sacajawea and an small train engine that Bill wanted a photo of but it’s in an enclosed building and no matter what side I tried, the glare was too bad to get a photo. 

We needed to eat when we did because we booked a 2 hours boat cruise and had to check

Wind sufers

in at 1:15 for our 1:30 sailing.  It was a sternwheeler boat with 3 decks.  The wind was strong and we were very glad that we took jackets.  We went to the top deck and pretty much stayed for the trip east.  We watched wind surfers and kite surfers as well as watching Native Americans fishing along the shore.  They had designated areas on the Columbia River as well as days they can fish.  It’s all based on the count they do at the locks to know how the breeding is going. 

Bridge of the Gods

The scenery was beautiful as expected and the crowd on the boat was small.  I was disappointed as I thought once we turned around and went west we were going in the lock and experience it.  Nadda!  Oh well, we did get a great view of the Bridge of the Gods that crosses the river to Washington.  It was colder, or so it appeared, as the wind was way worse during the second hour.

Once we landed we crossed the Bridge of the Gods over to Stevenson, WA and checked out the town.  There was a big Interpretive Center but it was getting late and there were a few other places we wanted to get to so we had to pass.  There’s a $2 toll each way across the bridge but the view is fabulous. 



Vista House

We got back on I-84 west and exited on to visit The Vista House at Crown Point.  It began construction in 1916 and was completed in 1918.  It was built strictly for people to go to and see the magnificent views of the river and mountains.  If you drive back west ½ mile you can go to the Portland Womens Forum and park and look down on the Vista House.  Amazing!  These places are on Historic

View of Vista House from Forum

Route 30 so we got back on it and took it east, the way they did before Interstate.  Along the way back to our campground, we passed Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Multnomah Falls and Horsetail Falls.  Since we’d already been to Bridal Veil and Multnomah we stopped at the others.  Latourell and Wahkeena were relatively easy to get to and see BUT Horsetail was a challenge.  It was not

Horsetail Falls

visible from the road like the others and we had to do a trail walk uphill and down hill to get there and then go up about 20 man made stairs but it was quite a site.  The falls were beautiful but what really set it off was there was a family perched on the huge bolder in the valley and they were just enjoying the beauty and tranquility of nature.  We had to stop at the 3 benches scattered along the route on our way back to the car.  It was worth the walk and the exercise was to our benefit as well.

The RV was not far away so once we got there Bill washed the front window after he had his dinner and I eventually had mine.  I was way too tired to think of typing it all out!

The Mighty Columbia River Day One

June 17 – Up and on the road by 9.  Packing up took no time and we were on the road, then we made a wrong turn on a very long road with no where to turn around.  It took us to the interstate but was 14 miles out of the way.  I guess “all’s well that ends well!

We saw so many changes of scenery today!  We started in beautiful flat farmland and from there we were up mountains and down again, we drove through valleys along side rivers, we viewed snow topped Mt. Hood and we think we also saw

MT. Hood

Mt. Rainier.  If not, it was some other tall snow capped peak.  We had beautiful sunny skies but boy, did we ever have wind.  My arms were so tired from my tight grip on the steering wheel, especially when we were driving along the Columbia River edge.

We saw the Bonneville Dam, which is humongous, and a river steamer paddle

Bridge we crossed over

boat, wind surfers, and visited 2 waterfalls and crossed a huge bridge over the Columbia River. 

There was one mishap today – with all the bouncing and jouncing today, when we stopped for lunch a pan of stewed chicken with broth toppled as I gently opened the door.  We salvaged the chicken but the broth was on the floor, in the door tray, the bottom tray and on the top of the freezer door.  What a mess! 

It’s been a long day!  We’re camping at Ainsworth State Park and it’s full!  I had booked 2 nights ages ago and we have a

We made it!

pull thru with full hook up!  The roads to get in are narrow and a bit dicey but we didn’t hit anything!  After our adventure to the 2 falls, I sat out and finished a book and some wine.  Then I steamed some spaghetti squash and covered it with Italian sausage meat balls and red sauce.  I have to careful of the red sauce!  We had some fresh grated parmesan on top and dinner was served!  We went with rhubarb crisp and whipped cream for dessert, although the huckleberry ice cream is calling louder and louder, “eat me, eat me”!

Grand Coulee Dam

June 16 – Further west we headed this morning after several tries to get the leveling lights to stay off and stop making churning sounds.  We were blocking traffic to exit the campground, but put the legs down, then up on a more level surface and they were fine.  It’s got to be the sensors!

So we were back on I-90 and the state line to Washington was not far, then we drove through Spokane where the traffic was a bit more hectic.  We headed south on a couple of different roads to the Grand Coulee Dam.  Bill called as we drove to see about getting on a tour but as our luck would have it they cancelled all tours for today.  No reason given! 

Driving the roads to the dam was so beautiful.  There were crops in different shades of green on rolling hills with another the golden color of mowed hay.  There were big farm homes dotted around and lots of farming equipment sitting in the fields, left for the next work day.   

We arrived at the Visitor Center at about 11:30 and they have great displays!  They tell about the building of it, the meals it took to feed the crews, the amount of concrete it took, the power it generates and more.  There were several interactive activities for kids to learn and understand dams.  It is a huge one!  I managed to get a panorama photo on my

Grand Coulee Dam

cell phone as you can’t get far enough back to use a regular shot. 

It was lunchtime so we had ours in the RV in the parking lot.  Then it was drive back a bit of the way we came from and zig zag southwest.  This part of the trip was entirely different scenery.  There was a lot of water to see; huge lakes and reservoirs

Water ahead...

and rivers while driving along side at time and then driving up high along a ridge looking down.  We certainly were pleased with the scenery all day!

Eventually we ended up in Ephrata, WA at a Wal-Mart.  We

What a view!

arrived much earlier than expected, which was OK, so we had a bit of down time.  Of course I had a short list for Wal-Mart that got longer as I walked around.  We did get the LAST half gallon of huckleberry ice cream they had, made by Tillamook.  I think we had it before, they just don’t make sandwiches!  I’m sure we can survive on it!

I made a 6 serving pan of Rhubarb Crisp.  So that is 3 nights of dessert so who knows when we will get into the ice cream!  I cut up the rest of the rhubarb and put it in the freezer.  I’m hoping to find some at a really good price so I can stock my freezer with that and ice cream!!

We watched Good Witch which is on really earlier than we are used to.  Then I took out all of the leftover containers out of the fridge and we picked what we each wanted.  Only had one to put back in, therefore, we have some space in there for future leftovers.  It’s a vicious cycle.

Bill did up the dishes while I downloaded photos and wrote today’s blog.  Now to see if the internet co-operates with me.