Monday, August 17, 2009
We left the park at 8:00 AM, heading south on Highway 101 to Highway 20 at Ukiah, then east to Nevada City. We should be home this afternoon and will close out the journal after we get home.
We arrived home about 4:00 PM after a long, but uneventful ride. It was a great trip and a sucessful first experience towing the VW Bug.
Additional pictures from the trip can be seen at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/patz.gm/OregonTripAugust2009?feat=directlink
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Fortuna
Sunday, August 16, 2009
We invited Dick, Susan, Dennis and Julie to breakfast at our RV this morning. After French toast, bacon, sausage and hash browns, Dennis and Julie headed for home. The Panzicas and we went on a mini road trip north on 101 to Eureka, CA. We toured the Samoa Cookhouse , a family-style restaurant on Humboldt Bay which used to be a logging company dining room.
We then drove north to Trinidad, a small village on the cliffs overlooking Trinidad harbor, a sports fishing center. We had lunch at the Seascape Restaurant at the end of the pier and then drove back to Fortuna.
We then drove north to Trinidad, a small village on the cliffs overlooking Trinidad harbor, a sports fishing center. We had lunch at the Seascape Restaurant at the end of the pier and then drove back to Fortuna.
After a short rest in the afternoon, Dick and Susan took us with them and some new friends they had made at the RV park (the Asphalt Cowboys, a service organization from Redding, CA). We drove south on 101 to Scotia, CA, a former logging company town. The Scotia Inn, which was part of the original early 1900’s town, is still there and operating as an event location and hotel.
At the hotel, we were the guests of the night manager, Linda Fuller (the daughter of one of the Asphalt Cowboys couples), Linda’s husband Mike, their daughter Kaylie and son Kyle. They served us wonderful hamburgers, French fries and green salad for dinner and gave us a tour of the historic structure. The rooms were filled with lots of redwood, antique furniture, claw-foot bathtubs, pier glass mirrors, etc. This evening was a delightful end to a memorable vacation, as we head for home tomorrow.
Umpqua River to Fortuna, CA
Saturday August 15, 2009
We left Umpqua River State Park about 8:30 AM under clear skies and headed south on Highway 101 to Fortuna, CA. After some tedious driving over and around numerous coastal mountains and narrow roads, and a mocha stop in Gold Beach, OR we arrived at the Riverwalk RV Park in Fortuna at 4:00 PM.
We left Umpqua River State Park about 8:30 AM under clear skies and headed south on Highway 101 to Fortuna, CA. After some tedious driving over and around numerous coastal mountains and narrow roads, and a mocha stop in Gold Beach, OR we arrived at the Riverwalk RV Park in Fortuna at 4:00 PM.
We had stopped along the way at the Redwood National and State Parks Visitor Center in Orrick, CA for lunch and a short tour of the visitor center.
Dick and Susan Panzica were also camping at the park along with their friends Dennis and Julie. Dick and Susan grilled fish and made fried rice and snow peas for dinner and we visited into the early evening.
Tomorrow we are planning a relaxing day around the Eureka/Fortuna area, then heading for home on Monday.
The Dunes
Friday, August 14, 2009
The weather was great again today: There was a little patchy fog in the morning that quickly burned off - it was sunny the rest of the day with the temperature in the mid 60’s and a cooling wind out of the north.
After posting the journal entries from the last few days on-line at the local coffee shop this morning, we went down to the Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) rental place at Spinreel campground south of where we are staying. We decided the best plan for us was to take the 1-hour guided dune tour before deciding if we wanted to rent a OHV to explore the dunes on our own. As it turned out, this was the right decision. We rode in a converted Chevrolet Blazer, modified for off-road sand operation (open top, 4-wheel drive, big tires, roll bars, aircraft 4-way seat belts, etc.) and got to see areas of the dunes not open to OHV rentals. It was a great tour through the dunes and along the beach with an excellent guide (Dann) who told us everything one might want to know about sand dunes, including why the dunes are here, the dunes ecosystem, and issues related to OHV use and the people who recreate on them. It was an exciting ride and much rougher and more windy than we expected.
There are also a myriad of roads and trails in the dunes; it appeared that it would be very easy to get lost if you didn’t know where you were going. It also appeared to be very easy to encounter an unexpected crest or dip and in the dunes and some of the slopes are very steep. It was evident you could get into trouble if you didn’t really know what you were doing. There were also a number of people sand camping in the dunes and numerous OHVs of all sizes and descriptions zooming about in every direction. We probably could have managed it all, but the tour gave us an excellent overview of the dunes and we decided not to rent an OHV after it was over.
Later in the afternoon after we took a short walk on the beach from the south jetty on the mouth of the Umpqua River, we went out to dinner at the Sportsman’s Cannery and Smokehouse, one of several seafood restaurants near the marina in Winchester Bay. We shared an excellent seafood barbeque including clam chowder, cippino, (barbequed and Cajun) oysters, crab, blackened snapper, shrimp, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans and rolls. It was a lot of food, but a great way to spend our last night along the Oregon Coast.
We hope to get an early start tomorrow and arrive in Fortuna, CA near Eureka tomorrow afternoon.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Catching Up
Day 9 - Friday, August 14, 2009
We have been unable to post journal entries for the last two days due to lack of Internet access. I found a coffee shop in Reedsport with Wi Fi access however, and am now sitting here about 7:00AM drinking coffee, checking e-mail, and posting the Blog posts for today, Friday August 14th, and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, August 11th, 12th and 13th.
The plan for today is to rent a two-seat dune buggy and explore the dunes south of the Umpqua River. If we don’t chicken-out - and survive the experience, we’ll let you know how it all worked out when we get to Fortuna tomorrow.
We will break camp early Saturday AM and head south to Fortuna (18 miles south of Eureka, CA) and join the Panzicas for Saturday and Sunday night at the RV campground. We will head home early on Monday morning and hope to be back in Nevada City in the late afternoon/early evening on Monday, August 17th.
All is well!
We have been unable to post journal entries for the last two days due to lack of Internet access. I found a coffee shop in Reedsport with Wi Fi access however, and am now sitting here about 7:00AM drinking coffee, checking e-mail, and posting the Blog posts for today, Friday August 14th, and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, August 11th, 12th and 13th.
The plan for today is to rent a two-seat dune buggy and explore the dunes south of the Umpqua River. If we don’t chicken-out - and survive the experience, we’ll let you know how it all worked out when we get to Fortuna tomorrow.
We will break camp early Saturday AM and head south to Fortuna (18 miles south of Eureka, CA) and join the Panzicas for Saturday and Sunday night at the RV campground. We will head home early on Monday morning and hope to be back in Nevada City in the late afternoon/early evening on Monday, August 17th.
All is well!
Reedsport, Winchester Bay & Shore Acres State Park
Day 8 – August 13, 2009
Today dawned sunny and warmer – no rain or even coastal fog in sight. We went for a 1- mile walk around Lake Marie, a small lake enclosed by sand dunes, just down the hill from our campground. The older dunes right around the campground are completely covered with woodlands – Sitka spruce, western cedar, western hemlock and all the typical understory plants such as sword fern, huckleberry and rhododendron. The younger dunes nearby are mostly bare of vegetation and move according to the direction of the winds, summer and winter.
Today dawned sunny and warmer – no rain or even coastal fog in sight. We went for a 1- mile walk around Lake Marie, a small lake enclosed by sand dunes, just down the hill from our campground. The older dunes right around the campground are completely covered with woodlands – Sitka spruce, western cedar, western hemlock and all the typical understory plants such as sword fern, huckleberry and rhododendron. The younger dunes nearby are mostly bare of vegetation and move according to the direction of the winds, summer and winter.
After our walk, we drove the Green Machine to Reedsport, OR to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area Visitor’s Center to refresh our memory about how the dunes were formed in this area, We had been to this visitor’s center 5 years ago, but it is a good one and well worth a second visit. We then went to a local crafts gallery and looked at items made of myrtlewood, a tree which grows only here and on the northwestern coast of California.
We had lunch in Winchester Bay, OR at Unger’s Fish & Chips, a floating restaurant in Salmon Harbor. The halibut, fries, coleslaw and clam chowder were all delicious. We then drove south on 101 to the Spinreel Campground Dune Buggy Rental office to see if they had any vehicles to rent that a couple of old fogies like us could take for a spin on the dunes and come back alive. The young women behind the counter told us that they had the vehicles, but that they could not guarantee the “coming back alive” part. We may rent one tomorrow, just to show them.
Our next stop was further south on 101 near Coos Bay, OR. It is Shore Acres State Park, once the site of the huge 1920’s mansion of Lewis Simpson, a local entrepreneur. The mansion is long gone, but the beautiful gardens remain - we especially enjoyed the rose gardens the Japanese water garden and the daisy - lined path to the sea. The gardens are located right on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the ocean, a spectacular sight.
After a short trip to Safeway for supplies, we returned to Big Mother for the evening.
After a short trip to Safeway for supplies, we returned to Big Mother for the evening.
Cape Kiwanda to Umpqua Lighthouse State Park
Day 7 – August 12, 2009
When we awoke this morning it was still raining and we had to break camp and hook-up the VW in the rain. It was more like a “heavy mist” than a downpour but it was not a lot of fun getting everything ready to go. Nevertheless, we were on the road by 10:30 AM heading south to Umpqua Lighthouse State Park.
We were hoping the weather would clear-up the further south we went, but off-and-on rain followed us almost all the way to the park. We arrived about 2:00 PM and set-up in a nice campsite in the trees next to a small lake (Lake Marie).
Umpqua Lighthouse State Park is a relatively small, laid-back state park near the mouth of the Umpqua River south of Reedsport in Winchester Bay. We have one of 20 full-hook-up sites in the park. There is no cable TV or WiFi Internet connection so we are not sure when we will be able to post the next few journal entries. This is almost like real camping again.
After we set-up the RV we drove through the area to check it out. In the campground, we found a one-mile trail around Lake Marie that we decided to walk tomorrow morning. The campground also has tent camping sites and a few yurts that offer another camping option. They actually are fairly well-equipped, offering heat, kitchens, microwaves, bathrooms, etc. The Oregon State Park system does a really nice job with their parks and despite the financial challenges I am sure they have, there is a priority on providing recreational opportunities for their constituents and others accessing the parks.
We also went to the Umpqua Lighthouse again which is just down the road. We have been there twice before, but it was worth a return trip. It is a nice little working lighthouse on the grounds of a Coast Guard housing area (nothing fancy but a great location), near the mouth of the Umpqua River above a long stretch of sand dunes south of the breakwater. Driving down the dunes later, we saw several beach camping areas catering to ATV users (think Mad Max). There are really a lot of ATV enthusiasts in Oregon and a lot of sand for them to play in.
Winchester Bay is mostly a boat harbor with numerous seafood markets and restaurants near the water. There are also two large RV parks near the bay that appear to be very busy. Reedsport is a little bigger and a gateway to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.
We had dinner again in the RV and early to bed to the distant sound of the Umpqua River fog horn every10 seconds (and it’s not raining)!
When we awoke this morning it was still raining and we had to break camp and hook-up the VW in the rain. It was more like a “heavy mist” than a downpour but it was not a lot of fun getting everything ready to go. Nevertheless, we were on the road by 10:30 AM heading south to Umpqua Lighthouse State Park.
We were hoping the weather would clear-up the further south we went, but off-and-on rain followed us almost all the way to the park. We arrived about 2:00 PM and set-up in a nice campsite in the trees next to a small lake (Lake Marie).
Umpqua Lighthouse State Park is a relatively small, laid-back state park near the mouth of the Umpqua River south of Reedsport in Winchester Bay. We have one of 20 full-hook-up sites in the park. There is no cable TV or WiFi Internet connection so we are not sure when we will be able to post the next few journal entries. This is almost like real camping again.
After we set-up the RV we drove through the area to check it out. In the campground, we found a one-mile trail around Lake Marie that we decided to walk tomorrow morning. The campground also has tent camping sites and a few yurts that offer another camping option. They actually are fairly well-equipped, offering heat, kitchens, microwaves, bathrooms, etc. The Oregon State Park system does a really nice job with their parks and despite the financial challenges I am sure they have, there is a priority on providing recreational opportunities for their constituents and others accessing the parks.
We also went to the Umpqua Lighthouse again which is just down the road. We have been there twice before, but it was worth a return trip. It is a nice little working lighthouse on the grounds of a Coast Guard housing area (nothing fancy but a great location), near the mouth of the Umpqua River above a long stretch of sand dunes south of the breakwater. Driving down the dunes later, we saw several beach camping areas catering to ATV users (think Mad Max). There are really a lot of ATV enthusiasts in Oregon and a lot of sand for them to play in.
Winchester Bay is mostly a boat harbor with numerous seafood markets and restaurants near the water. There are also two large RV parks near the bay that appear to be very busy. Reedsport is a little bigger and a gateway to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.
We had dinner again in the RV and early to bed to the distant sound of the Umpqua River fog horn every10 seconds (and it’s not raining)!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Tillamook Again/Housekeeping
We awoke again this morning to more low clouds and drizzle. Today is laundry day and we are also getting caught-up with e-mail and telephone calls.
After the laundry was done, we decided to go back to Tillamook again for lunch (and more ice cream). After grilled ham and cheese sandwiches at the Tillamook Cheese Factory and ice cream cones for dessert, we went a little further north through Bay City to the fishing port of Garabaldi on the Miami River estuary to look around.
On the way back to Cape Kiwanda, it started raining very hard and kept raining through the night. We had dinner in the RV, watched a little TV, listened to the rain on the roof, and went to bed early.
We break camp tomorrow morning and head down the coast to Umpqua State Park near Reedsport for three nights before heading to Fortuna, CA for two nights before heading home. We will join the Panzicas at Fortuna. Hopefully, the rain will stop on our way south along the coast and we will not have to set up camp in the rain at Reedsport.
After the laundry was done, we decided to go back to Tillamook again for lunch (and more ice cream). After grilled ham and cheese sandwiches at the Tillamook Cheese Factory and ice cream cones for dessert, we went a little further north through Bay City to the fishing port of Garabaldi on the Miami River estuary to look around.
On the way back to Cape Kiwanda, it started raining very hard and kept raining through the night. We had dinner in the RV, watched a little TV, listened to the rain on the roof, and went to bed early.
We break camp tomorrow morning and head down the coast to Umpqua State Park near Reedsport for three nights before heading to Fortuna, CA for two nights before heading home. We will join the Panzicas at Fortuna. Hopefully, the rain will stop on our way south along the coast and we will not have to set up camp in the rain at Reedsport.
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