Portland

Being a tourist is hard work.

After our failed attempt to see Mt Hood we went to Portland and turned East to see the parts of the Columbia River we had missed. The awesomest there is the Multnomah falls, over 600 feet high. From there we went to downtown Portland.  There is so much to see. We soon discovered that driving an RV in downtown Portland is not a good idea. For one, there are not many parking places for RVs. So we went back to our campground and the next day took a taxi to Enterprise-Rent-A-Car and rented a red Mini Cooper. Finally we were able to see Portland.  We went to the Saturday Market with hundreds of vendors selling food, artwork, clothing, pet accessories, etc. Right around the corner is Voodoo Donuts with the line extending for about a block. They say the secret is in the hole, whatever that means. We also saw Chinatown and Powell's Bookstore, which occupies a whole block and is 3 stories high.

On the second day with the rental car we were going to see the Japanese Gardens but it was raining too hard so we went to Ikea instead. I had never been to an Ikea before.

The next day we returned the rental car and took a taxi back to the RV. The taxi driver was from India. He asked if we wanted the radio on and I said i would like to hear some music from his country, so he played a CD of Indian music. Diane and I said we liked his music very much. When we got back to the RV he gave us his CD.

On the way out of Portland we did go to the Japanese Gardens. It was very peaceful in contrast to the rest of Portland.

We had lunch with a friend of Diane, but I'll let her tell that story.

From Portland we went to Astoria on the west coast. There we saw the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. They built a replica of Fort Clatsop, where Lewis and Cark temporaroly settled in 1805.

We also saw the Columbia River Maritime Museum, a very impressive and educational museum. We learned the history of the Columbia River, its importance to the economy of the area, what makes it so dangerous for shipping, how river pilots guide ships on the river and how the Coast Guard rescues boaters in trouble.

Stay tuned.

Rain is not always wet

We headed inland to visit our friend and neighbor Dave and his dog, Rain, who recently moved (me and Rain below) from Kanab to Bend, Oregon.  It was so awesome to see them both doing so well in their new home!  I do have to apologize to Dave for taking a photo of Rain while he ran in to get coffee from the shop behind us and neglecting to get a photo with him. Sorry Dave - you know we love you too!

Bend is a nice little spot that used to be mill town.  They've done an awesome job reviving it into a nice river community where bikers,  kayakers and dogs are aplenty.   the skies are gorgeous and the rain falls lightly off and on. It is Oregon remember!   As they say, only tourists carry umbrellas.

As you can see, it was very windy near the water, but a Pole, Paddle,  Pedal event taking place energized everyone and the fun and excitement overshadowed clouds, wind and raindrops.  I felt an overwhelming sense of really being alive!

The REI store also perked us up a bit as well!  Been living in the country too long!

Said so long to Dave and Rain and as we got back on the road I had a sudden longing to return to Sisters; Jose was agreeable so we headed back and ended up staying in a cool site for two nights.  I discovered a lodge and spa within walking distance and decided to pampered myself taking an afternoon for a long overdue massage.

On the road to Sisters,  we drove by a restored covered wagon for sale and I thought what a cool idea for a Sisters on the Fly camper!  So the day we left we backtracked about 5 miles and found it again.  Photos are below, but that's all I drove away with because the price was $19,000!  Thanks but I'll find something much cheaper in a farmer's field onward of these days...but it was pretty unique.

Mount Hood

Some time ago I posted what I thought was a link to a video of Matilda and Maguire playing on the beach.  If you had any trouble viewing it, try this link.

Never a dull moment. The day after we visited Pre's Rock, we visited Hayward Field, where he did most of his running, and the trail where he trained. I even posed for the camera "running" in the same trail where Steve Prefontaine ran 40 years ago.

From Eugene we headed to Bend to visit our friend Dave.  On the way there we stopped at a cute little town named Sisters, (pop about 2,200) for three extinct volcanoes nearby named the Three Sisters.

We had a great time with Dave and got a good view of Bend.  The town has done a great job of reinventing itself after the lumber industry declined. The Deschutes river goes through the middle of town and they have developed this area with shops, boardwalks, a huge amphitheater, bike rentals, etc. My favorite shop was REI. The day we were there they had the 'Pole, Pedal and Paddle' competition, a triathlon of sorts. 

From there we went back to Sisters because we wanted to take a better look. Ended up staying two nights there.

The plan was to go north from the Bend/Sisters area to Madras,  Mount Hood and Hood River and then East along the Columbia River to Portland. I hoped to spend one night near Mt Hood. When we got to Madras we noticed it was cold, windy, overcast and yucky. When we started climbing towards Mt Hood it got very cold and then we noticed some white, flaky stuff falling from the sky. Soon the stuff was sticking to the trees, the road and the windshield. Being the brave adventurers that we are, we promptly decided to skip the Mt Hood part and head in the direction of Portland. We would not have been able to see Mt Hood anyway with all the white stuff flying all over the place. As soon as we got off the mountain the snow stopped and it was just "frozen mix". Maybe when we get to Portland we will do a side trip to see the Columbia River from the West.

Tonight we are hunkered down in a place called 'Green Canyon', trying to stay warm and dry. Looks like it's going to rain all night.

I started this trip in the spring knowing that the weather would be cool in the beggining but would warm up later. The first few days of the trip, in Palm Springs, Ca, were very hot. Today, almost June, we were turned back by snow. Go figure.

"Three Sisters around the Bend"

Ahhh,  a new place to fall in love with.  Left the Oregon coast a couple of days ago and headed to Eugene, Track town USA. . We stopped at Alton Baker Park: 21 miles of gorgeous, cushiony walking/running/biking trails and its claim to fame is being Steve Prefontaine's regular training trail when he was alive.   The rhododendron grow all over Oregon and it was the first time I'd ever seen them in white.  I liked Eugene - a college town that reminded me of the residential East Side of Providence but with more modern campus buildings.

The highway photo below was our route toward Bend, OR on the way to visit our buddy, David,  who recently moved from Kanab.  We climbed to about 4500 feet leaving the gorgeous pine forests and rivers of Mackenzie National Forest behind us.  We encountered rain and some brief hail and silently hoped we would not be driving through snow covered mountains we could see in the distance.  This gorgeous misty drive through the forest descended quickly and opened up to calm, blue lakes below us as the little town of Sisters welcomed us (North, Middle and South Sisters in snow below). 

Stay tuned for more about the Cascade Range and hanging with Dave and his four-legged canine companion, Rain...

Pre's Rock

We did get to Eugene, Oregon. About all we have seen here is rain, rain, rain. I did get to see Pre's Rock, the rock where Steve Prefontaine was killed in May of 1975.  Pre was a promising young Olympic runner who was killed in a car accident when his car hit this rock and flipped over, pinning him underneath.  Runners have made the rock as a kind of  memorial.  As a runner myself, I had to stop by and pay my respects to Pre.

...and on the seventh day...

After all the fun activities that you read about in the last blog, we came to a casino parking lot in Florence and spent two nights. Diane had to pick up some medications for Maguire at the local vet and we decided to take 2 days to rest. After those two days we were still tired so we decided to stay here two more nights. We got to enjoy the view of a bunch of very expensive RV's in the same parking lot. Apparently there is an RV sale in town and they are using this as a staging area. The view is magnificent. Unfortunately we could not pull a switcheroo at night and trade ours for a bigger, newer model.

Today we plan to head east and maybe reach Eugene, Oregon.

Happy Mother's Day from the Oregon Coast!

What a cool day - May 11, 2013

From the tall ships in Coos Bay to the monstrous Oregon sand dunes in Florence to the DarlingtonIan Californica carnivorous pitcher plant bog to the world's largest natural sea lion cave to the most photographed Heceta Head lighthouse; wonders never cease to amaze and teach us. An amazing day.

FACTOIDS: Lighthouse has the strongest beacon that can be seen 21 miles from sea. The Guilmette pigeon lives out on ocean and only comes to sea lion cave to nest. Unless you're a sailor,  this is only place to see them.  Sea lion bulls can weigh up to 2400 lbs. - females are half the size!  Fred Meyers grocery stores are more than just groceries.  People really believe in Sasquatch here.

Thar she bloooows!

Awesome stuff today! On this foggy overcast day, we finally crossed the border into Oregon and the first roadside stop at Cape Sebastian,  we spotted whales - 1st time ever for Jose!  We are staying in the little town of Gold Beach. Lovely...more to come!

Beach, Baby!

Does anybody remember the song Beach Baby by a group named First Class? (Beach Baby, Beach Baby give me your hand, give me something that I can remember). I can't blame you if you don't .

But we have two Beach Babies right here with us. After we left the Cher-Ae Heights Casino, near Trinidad, Ca, we stopped in the town. It is a quaint and tiny little town by the seaside. And they have a great beach that is enclosed by rocks on both sides. There was nobody else there at the time, so we decided to let Matilda and Maguire run off leash. You can see the result at the little video below.  It is about 3 minutes long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dq6WuWyzA4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

That is two happy dogs!

From there we headed to Crescent City, the last town we will visit in California. The plan was to dump the holding tanks (campgrounds usually charge a small fee for this service) and then stay for free at a casino. The place where we went to dump the tanks was right next to the ocean, had laundry and showers and was very reasonable.  So we decided not to gamble on the casino and spend the night here.

Today we plan to cross into Oregon and by tonight we will be in the Beaver State.

Stay tuned.

Casino, baby!

After Diane's last post we did spend the night near Eureka, at the Bear River Casino.

Most casinos allow free RV parking in their parking lot, even if you don't gamble. In most casinos where we have stayed I get the impression like they are doing us a big favor by letting us park in their parking lot for free.  Which is actually true so i can't complain.

Bear River Casino is a very nice place. It is the first casino where we are treated like valued guests. They opened the doors for us and even told us to call the front desk to have their shuttle come pick us up at the RV parking lot. To qualify for free parking we had to get a (free) Players Club card which had bonus $10 free gambling. Ours went unused, but we did have lunch at their restaurant.

For the last few days we had been traveling inland, away from the ocean. ("Long time no sea").  At Eureka we are back with the ocean in view and will stay that way for many miles.

From the Bear River Casino we went to beautiful downtown Eureka, Ca. There is not much there but we needed a few things from Walmart and Diane was in dire need of a Starbucks. I was not in dire need of a Starbucks so i waited in the RV and checked my emails while she went in.  One of my emails was from Georgie from Texas, our new friend who is biking from Florida to Washington. She said she was at a Starbucks in Eureka... Sure enough a few minutes later Diane came in and told me she had seen Georgie.  I went in the Starbucks and said hello to Georgie.  She was happy to see us.  By the way, her blog is at

http://gpeachykean.blogspot.com/

if you want to follow her adventures too.  She is a great writer and writes from the heart.

After a quick trip to Walmart (and a bonus trip to Bed Bath & Beyond) we continued our northern expedition.

We spent last night at the Cher-Ae Heights Casino, near Trinidad, Ca. The RV parking lot is surrounded by huge Redwoods and a great view of the ocean. We were treated very nicely too. 
We are now within a day or two drive from Oregon.  We are ready to leave California so we might do a long day to reach Oregon or at least Crescent City, the last big town in California.

One way this trip is different from what I expected is that the trip is turning out more expensive than i had planned (surprise, surprise). The biggest reason for that is that I thought there would be more places where we could just park and spend the night for free. But most rest areas we have encountered don't allow overnight parking. Walmart was going to be a big part of our overnight plans but most Walmarts don't allow overnight parking either. I hope as we get out of California we will be able to find cheaper (free) accommodations.

Stay tuned.

This land was made for you and me - 050613

We left our campsite this drizzly morning after saying good-bye to Georgie.

Driving down 101, we passed by a traveler walking along the highway with his belongings and a guitar.  It was our vocalist from yesterday ; we figure he is a wanderer who sings and does some labor in exchange for a meal and place to sleep and then moves on.  It would be pleasant to hear him sing again in another town.  one never knows.

Today was our trip down the Avenue of the Giants. We ran into and quickly passed a few tourist traps including Sasquatch but eventually found beautiful quiet roads lined with redwoods amidst lush, green forest that canopied us from a misty drizzle.   Mmm.

Tonight we actually looked at the map of Oregon to plan our travels for later this week.  So exciting!  Tomorrow is Eureka and a quick trip to Wally World - oh boy!

NOTEWORTHY: The visitor center in middle of redwoods is one of the best I've seen so far. Their animal exhibits are informative and unique presentations, and I was happy to see that the plant name placards outside were so natural and fitting within the setting.   Also displayed in the main center is the actual travel log built from ONE redwood by Charles Kellogg, a naturalist.  the first RV!

The kindness of strangers - 050513

You may be wondering why we're traveling through little inland towns like Hopland and Ukiah when the PCH is beckoning near ocean towns like Mendocino  and Fort Bragg. Several reasons like very narrow switchboard roads through this portion of Route 1, more expensive to stay as well as many material temptations. Staying the inland course also provides the opportunity to drive the "Avenue of the Giants" - the Redwood Highway.

After leaving our campsite this morning, the plan was to head to Legget to see the drive-thru tree park which ended up being an attraction called Chandelier Tree.  This is kind of sad because it's actually an ancient redwood that was handcarved at ground level to allow a car to drive through it.  There is a fee to walk, bike or drive through and take a photo.  We turned around when we realized.

But all was not lost; we found a beautiful spot to camp at Standish-Hinckley State Recreation Area.  it overlooks the Eel River which boasts the best swimming hole of the area, and I can confirm that statement.   They are still offering winter rates but only have one RV site with full hookups; it's the camp host site unstaffed till mid-May. We took it! So not only do we have shower, freeflowing water and electricity, we also ended up with some unexpected guests! Right at sundown and dinnertime, a car stopped by to ask for information so Jose played camp host and sent the folks on their way! Then a young woman arrived on a bike packed with her belongings which included a package of bread hanging from the back. Seems she has subsisted mostly on PBNJ since January when she left Jacksonville, FL with a group of bikers raising funds for a Honduras hospital as part of a non-profit group called Young Philanthropists. Dinner was on the table so I asked if she was vegetarian and she said no. So we invited her for a warm meal of pork ribs and mac and cheese. It was such a pleasant interaction and further expansion of our horizons that we felt so uplifted by our new acquaintance, Georgie from Texas. hooks

GOOD EATS: Across the road is an eatery called Peg House with outdoor patio and small stage. They were in Sunset Magazine's top 25 roadside cafes along Redwood Highway highlighted for their juicy grilled burgers. A sweet delight is their wild blackberry sundae which is actually some creamy vanilla ice cream with fresh whole blackberries that form a nice berry syrup as well; some of it stays creamy while some at the bottom of the dish combines with the cream creating a sort of berry creamsicle freeze. So simple yet so fantastic. Also the vocalist and guitarist is an undiscovered talent, embodying voice quality somewhat like Kenny Loggins. As we headed out of the parking area to cross 101 on foot with the dogs back to our campsite, our singer was now a working hand shoveling dirt from the back of a truck, waving and thanking us for coming by...

Enlightenment at City of 10,000 Buddhas (05/04/13)

This beautiful Buddhist temple is located in Ukiah, CA.  I found it when perusing TripAdvisor, a very useful phone app.  We arrived in time for their ceremony which was a welcome opportunity for meditation.   They also offer a vegan lunch; quite delicious I've heard,  but we only stayed for the ceremony and to wonder at all the peacocks who live on the grounds. 

For lunch instead,  we had an alternative nutritious lunch at Jack in the Box curly fries and sourdough sandwiches! Mmm hmmm

May 3, 2013 - Thanking the Universe

<p>I am thankful for so much today, mostly due to relief that some troublesome issues have been taken care of and we are moving forward. </p>

<p>After a wonderful time reminiscing and relaxing Sunday with Jose's cousin Bob and his wife Margaret in Mountain View, Monday morning's priority was to check the RV brakes and clanging sounds before heading to Santa Rosa. Although cheaper than the rattlesnake episode, the repairs for brakes, rotors AND muffler were still a hefty and unexpected expense. But we are safer and enjoying a much quieter ride.</p>
<p>Arriving in Santa Rosa, a town we really can't seem to get out of but would like to, the plan was to spend two nights, do laundry,&#160; and catch up on business.&#160;&#160; FOUR nights later, we experienced one excruciating migraine and stomach upset (Jose),&#160; posting ALL photos from April to blog, Maguire taking over the laptop to critique the trip, Matilda squealing in pain when trying to jump on top bunk, me being cranky about it all...deep breath!!!</p>
<p>At 8 am yesterday morning, I forced myself out of bed not quite awake but with an urgency to start the day and move forward.&nbsp;&nbsp; I drove and Jose's pain began to dissipate (hmmm ), Matilda was more spirited and walking a bit better, Maguire was "simply" being a good boy, and I was ready to take a leap away from ATT to T-Mobile.

And there seemed to be a sudden realignment of the universe: Matilda made yet another vet visit to check for leg injury and potential Lyme disease (that's a whole nother story in itself) and results were good,Maguire continued to exude contentment (although he did bark at a kind woman in a wheelchair); Jose was relieved that Miss Matilda was a-ok (besides her usual craziness); as for me, I reconnected with the big satellite in the sky and my cell is now a hotspot, tethering device!   I'm back online, baby! &nbsp; </p> By 4pm, we had exited Santa Rosa enjoying the views of vineyards and green, rolling hills entering Holland, CA in time to settle in for the evening.

Another interesting note here.  The photo of the native American is from the Sho Ka Wah casino on Pomo tribal lands. The Pomo pleasantly offer free overnight RV parking to weary travelers on land Spaniards took from them centuries ago, yet other land of the free and brave is patrolled by the sheriff shining a flashlight and silvery badge telling you to move along..."sign sign everywhere a sign..." You all know the song? Peace out!

Maguire Logs In

Since I'm the one who seems to have the most time around here what with Diane and Jose coming and going, sightseeing, visiting, wine tasting, etc, I decided to use my time wisely.  Even Matilda was busy there for awhile back in Agoura - claims it was a rattlesnake.  In my opinion, she was barely sick but she relished all the attention.  Anyhoo, Jose has kept on top of blog entries so far, but my mom's been slacking and blaming it on poor WiFi - claims she needs to change service providers before things will improve.  I know that some of you are anxious for more photos (!), and personally I don't blame you.  Hopefully, mom will get back on track now; for now, just take a look at all these photos I've attached.  I hope this link doesn't overload your laptop, tablet, desktop, Android, iPhone, or whatever you have.  Enjoy!

Regards,

Maguire

CA 2013