GOODBYE OREGON, HELLO, CA!! September 17-23, 2013

Oregon is beautiful as fall come on.  The trees and leaves were such a variety of color as we turned west to the coast, to Reedsport along Umpqua Highway 38 following the Umpqua River. 

I wanted to stay at a new campground so we chose, Tugman State Park just south of Reedsport.  Such a gorgeous park in every way. A beautiful lake to walk around, just wished we had put our kayaks in, it would have been a perfect ride.

We stayed only two nights but got to enjoy the coast and sunset each night.  We missed the hours to visit the Umpqua lighthouse so guess we'll have to come back to this area. We stopped for fish and chips at a darling small cafe right along the marina.

 The marina has a very large RV parking area as well as all the county campgrounds across from the water. A little crowded and definitely colder than staying at Tugman. This is such a big fishing area, so even though it was off season there were still lots of campers.

 On Thursday we were on the road again going south to Eureka Elks Lodge.  What a great find! We missed the driveway entrance but PK made a u-turn (horns blasting at us) and got us back to the lodge.  When I checked in they gave us a free drink coupon to use, which we did a little later.  The lodge is beautiful with expansive decks and a remodel going on. This would be a great place to stay for the whole area of the north coast.  The next morning we took a slow and leisurely drive down through the Avenue of the Giants, stopping for a hike and then lunch in the beauty of the trees.

 Our afternoon was going quickly and we made it just in time to stop at Naughty Boy Wine Tasting Room in Hopland and a short but sweet visit with my cousin, Emjay.

We said goodbye and MJ was locking up to go home when I realized Id left my purse in the store.  I made a  quick run back across the street caught her before she'd left. Whew! 

Back in the motorhome and we were in Healdsburg by early evening. 

Each year Charlie and Mary attend the Russian River Jazz & Blues Festival in late September.  They had their weekend passes and even though it rained early morning Saturday, they went on out for Jazz day and loved it. PK and I stayed home and got things done with plans to go to the festival on Sunday.  What a  fun day it turned out to be...warm and sunny and Boz Scaggs for the Headliner.

 Mary is too cute!! She has her blue margarita theme going with blue glasses, blue drinks and her bubble machine.

 We got there at 8:30 to get in line, gates opened at 10. The concert seating is on the beach and the river had lots of canoes, kayaks and rafts enjoying it all too.  The last hour was Boz Scaggs, fantastic!!!

We spent the next day packing up and getting ready for our trip to Ajijic, Mexico to visit Paul's sister. 

SALEM, OREGON September 13-16, 2013

Before leaving the Vancouver side of WA we took a morning walk again along the Waterfront Renaissance Trail and saw this beautiful sculpture, Ilchee, known as "Moon Girl"  of the Chinook Tribe. The morning was overcast and cooler making it a wonderful start to our day.

Leaving Vancouver, WA, we drove I-5 to Silver Falls State Park about 30 minutes east of Salem. We drove through the rolling foothills of Oregon's Cascade Mountains to reach the park. It is Oregon's largest state park with a large forested landscape everywhere we looked, world class waterfalls and national historic buildings. I had no idea the park would be so beautiful. We got settled into our campsite and then rode bikes around to check it all out.

I always look for Farmers' Markets when we travel, Salem had theirs on Saturday, so we drove into town to enjoy the market and see some of the city sights early Saturday morning. After gathering our fruits, veggies and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, we packed it all in the car and took a walk around the neighboring area which lead us to the state capital building. A bit hard to see in the distance from this large sculpture at this opposite end of the park.

From there we stopped at the Willamette Heritage Center at the Mill for an interesting walk through fourteen historic buildings including the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill and a bit of history of this area.

It's one of the best preserved Victorian-Age factories in the west.  With great visuals and explanations on our self guided tour we could see how it was to work in what was once a leading textile factory.  The legacy of this mill is carried on today by Pendleton Woolen Mills which we had toured a year ago.

It was late afternoon by the time we finished up with our little tour of Salem and we needed to get back to Foster. Not only did we have a wonderful campsite but right across from us were these darling wood cabins. It would be such fun to return to this park and have friends stay in a cabin while we camped nearby.

Saturday evening we took in the campfire and Ranger talk on birds of prey.  A wonderful presentation with several amazing birds on display, flying right over the audience.

Sunday we wanted nothing more than to ride bikes and hike to one or two of the waterfalls.

We started with a moderate 4 mile hike from South Falls Lodge Trailhead.

The falls were sparse but it was still a beautiful hike.

As we say so often...we could have stayed at this park for many more days, and hope sometime to return and take more of the hikes.

Divergent thinking...Just had to add this cute family portrait of our nephew, Wesley, his wife, Alena and Baby Harvey, at one month of age... they are in Baltimore while we are enjoying the beautiful state of Oregon!

And...at this same time we learned that my brother Kurt was experiencing the enormous rains and flooding in Boulder, CO! This photo I found on line pretty much gives a sense of the magnitude of their rains.!

OK...back to our travels...Though we had planned to continue south, we had a fun surprise and our plans changed! Pink Martini (our all time favorite band) was giving a FREE CONCERT at Portland's Pioneer Square to announce the release of their newest album, Get Happy. We really weren't that far from Portland so we turned the motorhome north and spent the next 2 days at the Beaverton Elks Lodge just west of the city. So much fun!!!!

We had stayed at the Beaverton Elks Lodge 2 years ago and knew how easy it was to catch the MAX light rail into Portland and enjoy a car-free evening. Though the rain had been falling for most of the morning, the concert was still on!  I, of course, dressed in my finest pink attire. (So sorry you can't see my pink shoes though)

We were there early enough to get primo seats at Starbuck's outside patio so we had a fantastic view. But just before the concert began we were told we had to leave; that this area had been reserved for the press and families.  Well, those of us that had been there for over an hour already decided to stay put. And we did!

The concert was such fun and so unexpected that I think we enjoyed it all the more.  Not only did the usual band members perform, but we also saw a Portland performer named Meow Meow, touted as the "International kamikaze cabaret sensation" providing some of the concert's funniest moments.  That was followed by music from 4 of the Great Grandchildren of the VonTrapp family singers...remember Sound of Music??? What a show!

It ended about 7:30 and we found a nearby French cafe with outside seating and mussels in a white wine sauce, I was so happy !!!! Caught the MAX train back to our little motorhome and popped our new CD into the player to enjoy it all once more. Well worth the little change in plans.

A DAY IN PORTLANDIA September 12, 2013

I guess for me, our northwest travels would never be complete without a day or two spent in Portland.  This year I had a great reason to visit: a new FB connection with an old friend, and a chance to spend a whole morning with Jan O'Mara. She moved to Portland a few years ago and I couldn't pass up a visit with her, with lots of laughs and memories. Her house is absolutely darling and has her creative touches everywhere. So much fun to hear about her girls (my former students) and her life away from San Luis

 Paul picked me up about noon and since the day was so gorgeous and so warm, we spent a big chunk of the afternoon at Portland's International Rose Test Garden, always a beautiful place to wander.

 The garden, founded in 1917, is the oldest public garden of its kind in the US.  It's located in Washinton Park which is an amazing retreat from the bustle of Portland.

 We were still staying across the river at the Vancouver Elks Lodge so we returned to check on Foster. The lodge is wonderful and we'd had a great evening of music there the night before, but the noise from the freeway was terrible.  We decided to go back down along the water for dinner and a quiet sunset view. This time we had a perfect table outside on the deck at McMenamin's Pub.

 Lots of sailboats out for a lovely warm evening

 and finally sunset.

It did feel strange not to have Mandy still in Portland, she'd moved just weeks before to her new teaching job and life in the Grand Canyon. So, this time only one Portland day.

WASHINGTON STATE, YEAR 3 September 5-12, 2013

Getting through Seattle with in two separate vehicles was definitely a challenge.  I drove the silver car, Paul had the new red SAAB on the dolly and we tagged along through the busy Seattle traffic, happy to finally arrive at the Puyallup Elks Lodge with only one wrong turn. Not bad, considering how hard it is to drive in busy traffic, watch the directions and stay together. 

We had plans to meet up with my cousin Shelley and her husband, Pat, at Duke's Chowder House along the Tacoma waterfront. What a wonderful evening catching up with them and enjoying great food. 

The next morning we were up and on the road to stay a few days with Paul and Katie Bauer. This time several wrong turns had us going in cirlces, terribly frustrating for me, but we finally arrived mid afternoon. It felt so good to be back at their beautiful home with the most wonderful view of Mt. Rainer. 

Paul was eager to check out the new car we had bought and Paul B joined in with the cleaning, letting PK change out tires right there on the driveway. 

Saturday afternoon we took a break from car concerns and enjoyed a Mariners Game in Seattle with enough time before the game for a visit with their daughter Karen and their darling grandchildren who are living closer to the city. From Karen's we took the metro right down to Safeco Park.  

  Such a fun warm evening for baseball and lots of laughs with Katie.

 The weather was fantastic and perfect for biking the trail along the Carbon River on Sunday afternoon. We put all the bikes on Paul's truck and had a beautiful drive to the little town of Orting. The trail took us to South Prairie and an iced coffee stop before returning. We were almost at the end of our ride when we all looked right to see the ostrich in the field and ended up in a triple pile up, adding a couple new scratches to my leg, memories of a fun afternoon.

Our last afternoon was time to try setting up our new tent and taking in the beauty of Mt. Rainier in  the distance.

We said our good byes on Tuesday morning and drove south to Battle Ground State Park north of Vancouver, WA. But this time we had only one vehicle to drive...Katie and Paul had offered (and we happily accepted) to drive our silver SAAB to California for us, as they had plans to be in Sonoma that week.  What a wonderful gift to us!!! Now I no longer had to drive a separate car and tag along behind the motorhome, I could get back to my old job as Navigator.  So nice!

 Dinner Tuesday night was with my cousin Margaret and her husband, Bob. Though we have been connected through FB these last years it was our first chance to spend time together and see where they live. Since their home is on a large property along some tiny country roads, they chauffeured us over and back from our campsite. Such service!

Bob and Margaret are great motorcycle enthusiasts who have spent several summers motorcycle camping in Alaska! Not an easy journey from my perspective,  but one they love. One of the things I like most about our life style is getting to spend time with friends and family which we otherwise might never have seen, and this was one of those moments; just wish I'd remembered to take a photo of us.


Before packing up Wednesday morning we took a walk with Foster all around the peaceful lake at the campground .

 The weather was really warm and the park so quiet.

 We stayed only one night and then a very short drive to the Vancouver Elks Lodge so we could take care of some more "business" with the new car. We'd never stayed near Vancouver, WA and had a wonderful evening walking along the Columbia River from the north side.