We got up early this morning to go to the local farmers' and crafters' market, opening at 9:00 am. We decided to stop first at the local Starbucks for a mocha and after a long wait at a very busy coffee shop we arrived at the market around 9:45 am.
The market was held on the grounds of a former school that has been converted into a community cultural center. They have done a very good job converting the old school building into an impressive community resource hosting a tourist information center, art gallery, dance studio, meeting rooms and gift shop.
The market was a mix of local farmers and craftsmen and included a food court and a musician playing Native American/South American music on a flute and guitar. We bought a few things and then stopped at the nearby outlet mall to check out the Eddie Bauer store.
It was then time for lunch so we began our quest to discover excellent fish and chip restaurants along the coast. On the advice of RV park staff we went down the road a bit to a locals place called 'Shuckers". It was a good recommendation. Judy and I split an order of halibut fish and chips and we each had a bowl of clam chowder. If you come to Lincoln City we recommend you eat there - not fancy but very good.
After resting back at the RV after lunch, we went across the street to the Inn at Spanish Head, to access the beach, talk a walk along the beach and have a drink and dinner in their lounge while watching the sunset. We had a great short walk and drink and dinner off of the bar food menu. The marine layer didn't come in this evening so it was a pretty sunset - no "Green Flash" but nevertheless impressive. It was a good day.
We are travelling down the coast to Florence tomorrow and staying at a State Park for three nights. It looks like we may take another dune buggy excursion while we are there as Florence is at the northern end of the Oregon coastal dunes area.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
SF/Napa/Oregon/Olema Trip 2016 - Day 12
It was only a 120 miles from Eugene to Lincoln City but it took a lot longer than it should have due to heavy weekend traffic from the Portland area escaping the heat inland and looking for cooler weather at the coast. That, along with the normal summer visitor travelers caused a lot of delay and bumper-to-bumper traffic most of the way to the coast after we turned west at Salem, OR.
It is a lot cooler here and the Marine layer came in this evening lowering the temperature into the 50's. It's great to be cool again!
We are staying at another Premier RV Resort, owned by the same company that owns the one in Eugene where we stayed Thursday and Friday night. They are both very nice parks and the Lincoln City park has all paved sites and lots of landscaping. After resting in the afternoon, we attended happy hour behind the clubhouse. The park provided appetizers, raffled off some prizes while guests brought their own beverages. They also had a very good band, the J.R.Sims Texas Special Blues Band, playing acoustic music in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughn.
The appetizers at Happy Hour were more than enough to account for dinner so we went to bed early after a long day.
It is a lot cooler here and the Marine layer came in this evening lowering the temperature into the 50's. It's great to be cool again!
We are staying at another Premier RV Resort, owned by the same company that owns the one in Eugene where we stayed Thursday and Friday night. They are both very nice parks and the Lincoln City park has all paved sites and lots of landscaping. After resting in the afternoon, we attended happy hour behind the clubhouse. The park provided appetizers, raffled off some prizes while guests brought their own beverages. They also had a very good band, the J.R.Sims Texas Special Blues Band, playing acoustic music in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughn.
The appetizers at Happy Hour were more than enough to account for dinner so we went to bed early after a long day.
Friday, August 19, 2016
SF/Napa/Oregon/Olema Trip 2016 - Day 11
We slept in this morning, did a few things around the RV, went shopping at Camping World and had a great lunch at a Mexican restaurant nearby. It was too hot to do anything else, so we returned to the RV and took it easy for the rest of the afternoon. The temperature hit 104 today and if you are not used to dry heat like this, it can really get to you.
We did go to happy hour at the RV club house this evening. The park supplied snacks and everyone brought their own drinks. It was by the pool but we sat in the shade. It was still hot however and is still 91 degrees at 8:00 pm.
We drive to the coast tomorrow (Lincoln City, OR) and cooler temperatures.
We did go to happy hour at the RV club house this evening. The park supplied snacks and everyone brought their own drinks. It was by the pool but we sat in the shade. It was still hot however and is still 91 degrees at 8:00 pm.
We drive to the coast tomorrow (Lincoln City, OR) and cooler temperatures.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
SF/Napa/Oregon/Olema Trip 2016 - Day 10
We had an easy drive today from the Diamond Lake RV Park to Roseburg and then north on I-5 to Eugene where we will spend the next two nights.
The ride was a pretty drive along the western side of the Oregon Rogue/Umpqua Scenic Byway following the Umpqua River downstream into Roseburg where it continues on its way to the coast..
We arrived in Eugene after lunch and were welcomed into 100 degrees + heat. We are staying at an excellent RV park with all the amenities we would ever need. We don't have anything particular to do in Eugene (actually Cosburg, four miles north) so we are just relaxing and enjoying our new RV shakedown cruise.
We will probably sleep in tomorrow, maybe do a little shopping and catch-up on some paperwork, including getting the blog current . It is going to be another hot day here so we will try and get an early start.
The ride was a pretty drive along the western side of the Oregon Rogue/Umpqua Scenic Byway following the Umpqua River downstream into Roseburg where it continues on its way to the coast..
We arrived in Eugene after lunch and were welcomed into 100 degrees + heat. We are staying at an excellent RV park with all the amenities we would ever need. We don't have anything particular to do in Eugene (actually Cosburg, four miles north) so we are just relaxing and enjoying our new RV shakedown cruise.
We will probably sleep in tomorrow, maybe do a little shopping and catch-up on some paperwork, including getting the blog current . It is going to be another hot day here so we will try and get an early start.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
SF/Napa/Oregon/Olema Trip 2016 - Day 9
It was a fantastic day today visiting Crater Lake National Park.
We got an early start and arrived at the north entry station about 9:30 am. The RV park is about 4 miles north of the entry station and it as about 5 more miles before you get to the lake.
The lake was formed about 8,000 years ago when Mount Mazama, a 12,000 ft volcano in the Cascade Range, erupted. After the initial eruption through the top of the volcano, the internal pressure of the magma blew out the sides of the mountain in an almost circular pattern, causing the mountain above to collapse upon itself to create the caldera that was to become Crater Lake. It is estimated the eruption was the largest in North America in at least the last 650,000 years.
Over the centuries the lake gradually filled with melted snow and rainwater. Later eruptions also created Wizard Island, a cinder cone near the SW shore. Today the lake maintains a constant water level through a balance of precipitation, evaporation and environmental conditions. There are no inlets or outlets to the lake and the deep blue water is of unmatched purity and clarity. The average visibility into the depth of the water is around 160 ft. compared to Tahoe's 17 ft average depth visibility. The lake is considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world.
The lake is about 6 miles in diameter at its widest point and 4.5 miles at the shortest point. The deepest point in the lake is 1,943 ft. It holds 4.9 trillion gallons of water; the tallest point along the rim is 1,978 ft., the lowest 507 ft. The annual average snowfall for the area is 43 ft and the last recorded time the lake froze was in 1949.
The lake has been a mystical place for indigenous Native American tribes for centuries. The first recorded visit by a European American was in 1853 gold miner and several companions. A prominent local resident,William Gladstone Steel, campaigned to protect the lake after his visit in 1885. His campaign was successful and the lake and surrounding area was made a national park in 1902.
Today, there is a 33 mile drive around the rim with numerous vista points and pull outs. The only to access the water is by a steep 1/2 mile trail with a 750 elevation grade. A concession offers seasonal boat tours, but you have to hike the trail down and back to reach the boat ramp. There appears to be a conscious effort by the National Park Service to keep access to lake water to a minimum.
We spent most of the day driving around the lake eating lunch at the park village and enjoying the marvelous scenery. There is truly nothing else like it in the world. If you haven't ever been here you should add it to your "bucket list".
After returning to the RV park we ate take out pizza from the resort restaurant nearby and went to bed early.
We got an early start and arrived at the north entry station about 9:30 am. The RV park is about 4 miles north of the entry station and it as about 5 more miles before you get to the lake.
The lake was formed about 8,000 years ago when Mount Mazama, a 12,000 ft volcano in the Cascade Range, erupted. After the initial eruption through the top of the volcano, the internal pressure of the magma blew out the sides of the mountain in an almost circular pattern, causing the mountain above to collapse upon itself to create the caldera that was to become Crater Lake. It is estimated the eruption was the largest in North America in at least the last 650,000 years.
Over the centuries the lake gradually filled with melted snow and rainwater. Later eruptions also created Wizard Island, a cinder cone near the SW shore. Today the lake maintains a constant water level through a balance of precipitation, evaporation and environmental conditions. There are no inlets or outlets to the lake and the deep blue water is of unmatched purity and clarity. The average visibility into the depth of the water is around 160 ft. compared to Tahoe's 17 ft average depth visibility. The lake is considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world.
The lake is about 6 miles in diameter at its widest point and 4.5 miles at the shortest point. The deepest point in the lake is 1,943 ft. It holds 4.9 trillion gallons of water; the tallest point along the rim is 1,978 ft., the lowest 507 ft. The annual average snowfall for the area is 43 ft and the last recorded time the lake froze was in 1949.
The lake has been a mystical place for indigenous Native American tribes for centuries. The first recorded visit by a European American was in 1853 gold miner and several companions. A prominent local resident,William Gladstone Steel, campaigned to protect the lake after his visit in 1885. His campaign was successful and the lake and surrounding area was made a national park in 1902.
Today, there is a 33 mile drive around the rim with numerous vista points and pull outs. The only to access the water is by a steep 1/2 mile trail with a 750 elevation grade. A concession offers seasonal boat tours, but you have to hike the trail down and back to reach the boat ramp. There appears to be a conscious effort by the National Park Service to keep access to lake water to a minimum.
We spent most of the day driving around the lake eating lunch at the park village and enjoying the marvelous scenery. There is truly nothing else like it in the world. If you haven't ever been here you should add it to your "bucket list".
After returning to the RV park we ate take out pizza from the resort restaurant nearby and went to bed early.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
SF/Napa/Oregon/Olema Trip 2016 - Day 8
We only had about a 98 mile trip today so we didn't get on the road until around 10:00 am.
After getting gas we headed north on I-5 to Medford then turned inland towards Crater Lake. We steadily climbed into the mountains and arrived at the Diamond Lake RV Park in the Umpqua National Forest after lunch. Diamond Lake is just north of Crater Lake and near the northern entrance to Crater Lake National Park. The RV park is quite nice, has full hook ups and drive-through sites. It appears to be a concession in the National Forest and can accommodate even the big diesel pusher RVs.
Diamond Lake is large and was formed as part of the volcanic activity that created Crater Lake 8,000 years ago. It is now a busy resort with cabins, a marina, a hotel and conference center, general sore and a bar and restaurant.. After doing laundry today, we went to the resort restaurant for dinner tonight then back to the RV.
The plan tomorrow is to tour Crater Lake National Park. You cannot easily get down to the water but there is a 33 mile loop drive with vista point turnouts.
After getting gas we headed north on I-5 to Medford then turned inland towards Crater Lake. We steadily climbed into the mountains and arrived at the Diamond Lake RV Park in the Umpqua National Forest after lunch. Diamond Lake is just north of Crater Lake and near the northern entrance to Crater Lake National Park. The RV park is quite nice, has full hook ups and drive-through sites. It appears to be a concession in the National Forest and can accommodate even the big diesel pusher RVs.
Diamond Lake is large and was formed as part of the volcanic activity that created Crater Lake 8,000 years ago. It is now a busy resort with cabins, a marina, a hotel and conference center, general sore and a bar and restaurant.. After doing laundry today, we went to the resort restaurant for dinner tonight then back to the RV.
The plan tomorrow is to tour Crater Lake National Park. You cannot easily get down to the water but there is a 33 mile loop drive with vista point turnouts.
SF/Napa/Oregon/Olema Trip 2016 - Day 1-7
Well, we are getting a late start
on the blog this trip. The first week on the road was very busy getting
settled in to our new RV. So far, everything is working fine and we are
just about finished getting our stuff sorted out and put away.
We left home on Tuesday, August 9th
for a short trip to the Marin RV Park just across the GG Bridge in Larkspur.
We ate out at a favorite BBQ place nearby. The last time we were
there in June, we arrived late and they were out of ribs. This trip as we
walked in the door, again towards closing, the manager recognized us and said
they were out of ribs again. Then he said," just kidding" and gave us
a free order of ribs. It's incredible that he would remember us from June, but
the food is great there and we'll be back.
On Wednesday, Judy had her
bi-monthly medical appointments at UCSF. Everything went fine, with no
changes in her status. "No changes" is good. Kevin took
us out to dinner Wednesday night at Angelino's, our favorite Sausalito restaurant.
Since it was Judy's birthday, she even got a free dessert.
Thursday, we shopped for RV stuff and went into SF to have dinner at The Grove restaurant and see a jazz concert at SF Jazz,
a great jazz venue nearby. The performance was by a Cuban born piano player,
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, with a great percussionist accompanist.
Friday, we traveled to Calistoga
and stayed at the fairgrounds RV park and relaxed, eating in and going to bed
early.
Saturday morning we went to the
farmers market in town, did a little more shopping and rested for our big
dinner Saturday night at the Frank Family Winery. it was a really great
dinner in a style we cannot ever recall experiencing. The dinner was a
Chardonnay and Lobster Feed. The meal was served on the back lawn on the
winery, family style on long tables. Seats were assigned by ticket number
and we sat next to people from Oregon, Southern California, the bay area and a
party of 15 celebrating a birthday for a guy from Wisconsin with a second home
in Napa. All five of his sisters and brothers and their families were
there.
Before the meal, Frank Family reserve wines were served in an open bar format
and fresh oysters were prepared as appetizers. There was also a very good
band. The meals were all cooked in a number of special pots that drained
when taken out of the boiling water. In each pot were whole Maine
lobsters, shrimp, bratwursts, corn on the cob, onions, artichokes, whole small red potatoes and
garlic bulbs. When the meal was ready one of the caterers dumped one whole pot on each table and people took what they wanted (only one lobster per
person). There were no knives or forks, only tools to crack the lobster,
lots of napkins, salt, pepper and various hot sauces and seasonings and cups of
melted butter. They also placed baguettes on the table and bottles of
wine with more on request as they ran out. It was certainly a “hands on”
dinner. Everything tasted great and it was truly a special treat for
Judy’s birthday.
We travelled over the mountain to
Clear Lake on Sunday on our way to Ashland, OR. We narrowly dodged the
fire in Lower Lake, traveled east on Highway 20 to I-5 at Winters then headed
north. It was a long 300 mile day with lots of mountain driving. We
stayed at a small, somewhat older RV park but it was quiet and in a nice
setting. We ate dinner in the RV and went to bed early.
After sleeping in Monday morning
and resting in the RV we went into Ashland to look around and have lunch.
Ashland is a neat town famous for its Shakespeare Festival every year as well
as a variety of other theater and musical productions. We had a nice
lunch, took a walk in their large city park along a creek running through town
then returned to the RV for another dinner in and early to bed.
Day 7 Pictures.
That’s about it until we left for
Crater Lake on Tuesday morning. We’ll do another post for that leg of the
trip and try to keep the blog current as we continue the trip. We also
have a few pictures to post and will try and do so as Internet connectivity
will allow.
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