Checkin' out the coast

Ok. For those of you who have been through withdrawal because I've not posted anything in a few days, here's your fix. We left cell phone coverage a few days ago which makes it hard to update the log or answer email. You'll find updates for those days below.

We're parked in Bodega Bay on the California coast today. Been here since last night. We pulled in rather late and didn't have much time to do anything but crash. We did spend some time looking around today. Nick and I walked the dogs this morning and hiked a good two miles to get to the beach. It was socked in with fog, windy and cold, but the surf was nice and the time was actually restful. Only one other person spotted where we were. It was the Sonoma State Beach Park. After lunch we went up the road a bit and all of us walked down a steep incline to get to the beach. The sun was shining and the sky clear but the wind was strong and quite cool. Cat said it was perfect. Nick ran and jumped at the waves, generally having a blast. We'll be heading south tomorrow, making our way to San Diego. It should be interesting. We may do a overnighter in rest areas so there won't be much to report. --- Ok, ok! I will. Keep your shirt on...



July 8, 2003 - 8:30AM

Since my connection is non-existent right now, I have to write this offline and upload it later. Dates will be stamped at the top of each entry since I'm not sure how long we'll be here and I want to keep some sort of chronology going. Also, Cat has expressed an interest in adding her observations so you'll start to see her entries showing up soon.

We made it to Florence, Oregon after leaving the Portland area. We found a national park, Honeyman Park, and stayed there for the night. It's a sea port with lots of fishing activity. Similar to Newport. Nice place. We especially like the Old Town area. You'll find this just before (or after if you're coming North) the bridge. Good place to stop and eat. Mo's is there (we got in too late to eat there) and one next to it that seemed just as good to me if not very similar in decor and provision. International Food Merchants, I believe was the name. Interesting in that it's name sounds more like a cannery house or something. Great food. Not cheap, but very good. Highly recommended.

The only problem with staying in national parks is that most of the campsites are designed the same way. If you've ever spent a night in one I'm sure you know what they look like. Don't get me wrong. There's nothing bad about them except that anyone towing a trailer has to back into the campsite. Depending on how it's situated and what maneuvering room is provided, it can be a real challenge even for an average length trailer. For those that don't know, we're towing a 31 foot Airstream. We love our trailer but I really have to plan when it comes to even just pulling off the road. I've never had much use for all the blacktop everywhere but this is one exception. It seems shopping area parking lots are our friends. Wal-Mart is very R.V. friendly in that many will let you park there overnight, if need be. It's their policy. Too many people have abused that privilege in some cases and certain stores have closed thier lots to overnight campers. Sad. It only takes a few bad examples to ruin it for everyone. But I digress. Backing this silver sausage into a National Park campsite has proven to test all my abilities. I'd consider mounting some sort of camera on the back if I didn't think it would just confuse me more. It's so long that I have to get out to assess where the tail-end is. And the truck's turning radius can only be so tight. It can take a bit to pull it in perfectly. This one took some effort but we managed. One thing I was surprised with is that we had almost full hookup. No disposal (greywater/sewer) but we did have power and water. It would not have mattered too much since the site we got was right next door to the bathrooms. Unfortunately, even though they also have showers there we were not able to use them. Locked up. Had to go to another area's showers. Not such a big deal but it was a disappointment. I will say this: the showers were clean, large, plenty of hot water, and free. Yes. Some places charge you for the use of the shower. I thought it was interesting to find the campground so full. All we could figure is that there was some layover from the holiday weekend.

From there we toodled on down US 101, stopping at a few scenic pullouts. Cat managed to get a few pictures. I guess I should have been more attentive to where these were. I'll try to do that in the future for those that may be interested. (some journalist I am, eh?) I can say that the Brookings area has some of the most picturesque vistas on the coast that I've ever seen in Oregon. Well worth the drive. The road is steep in places and constantly winding but if that doesn't bother you (remember what I'm pulling -- it's not too bad) and you want to see some wonderful sights, take a trip down the southern coast of Oregon. You won't be disappointed.

We had planned to stay in Crescent City, CA but found the R.V. parks either full, or very unattractive. One we went by (Bayside) looked like little more than a huge parking lot for the marina. Not very attractive. Maybe we missed the real part. I don't know. Needless to say, we kept going south. We ended up here at Klamath where the "Mystery Trees" are. Dunno if we'll check that out or not. The sun is up and warm. Looks like a beautiful day brewing. Think I'll go enjoy some of it...


July 9, 2003 - 9:07AM

We took a trip back to Crescent City and spent some time enjoying the city park and the beach there. Nick and the dogs got to run and play in the sand and water. The water was warm with a mild breeze making it a very pleasant and comfortable day. I got a kite in the air and Nick enjoyed flying it for a while. We all watched as the dogs, Ruby and Jupiter, dashed around and played in the water. A new experience for them. Jupiter is a puppy -- a Rat Terrier. Cute as can be and full of mischief. He's been a joy to have around. Great personality and temperament. Ruby is a Toy Fox Terrier and as such she's right now barely his size. She's a strange one, generally preferring to hide in the shadows but she becomes a completely different animal when she has open spaces to run in. They both had a blast. Well... at least until the wind started drying that wet coat, anyway. I'll do some research and get the actual name. Cat took him up and bundled him in a towel which made it all better. Ruby didn't get that wet so it wasn't as much of a problem. Nick enjoyed being able to run and play in the sand and water, burying his legs in it at one point and having to run back into the water to wash it off. Before the beach we had stopped at the park to let Nick play in the playground there. Lots of fun stuff to climb on. He's very social and made a new friend almost immediately. He seems excited about traveling to Colorado and is looking forward to seeing his cousins. Seems it's all he can talk about.

We'll head out of here today since we don't want to be out of cell phone coverage for very long. It would be a shame to miss a sale simply because our realtor could not contact us. We'll travel down the coast some more, stopping where it seems prudent. We'll probably make our way to somewhere near San Francisco by the end of the day.