Our journey this month took us straight up Route 101. This highway mostly hugs the coast so as you drive north on the winding road you catch glimpses of the Pacific on the left as you hug the wooded cliff wall on the right. Sometimes it’s a harrowing drive but other times it’s just lovely. On other trips up to Portland we drove on Route I-5 which is beautiful but inland and you have to deal with the wind draft from passing trucks. So we took short hops along this coastal route, enjoying the sights along the ocean and through the Redwoods.
We just stayed 2 nights at Willits KOA and then landed in Eureka. We had some really nice day trips from our base at The Shoreline RV Park. This park was nice but the entrance was oddly situated between a Harley dealership and a gas station. We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a rather disappointing Mexican dinner at Pichango’s. Of course, we are used to really great Mexican food in Tucson. On Friday,May 6th, we drove the 30 miles of The Avenue of the Giants. We stopped a few times to get out and walk on the trails, breathe in the redwood scent, and take in the serenity of the “peaceful Giants”. On the way home we stopped at the Loleta Creamery and indulged in some great cheese. Cheese has been a recurring theme in our travels.
The next day we wandered around the Victorian village of Ferndale – we missed all the big celebrations – Italian Day – Portugal Day and Danish Day – the three major ethnic groups that founded this town. But it was a fun day on its quaint streets. Then we explored our new adopted city of Eureka. We always stop at visitor centers so we can pick up literature and learn about the history of our current home. We had a really great lunch at Cafe Nooner which was featured on Diners, Drive-In and Dives. Guy Fieri grew up in Ferndale and Eureka so he has promoted many of the restaurants there.
After another few quiet days we drove 88 miles to Crecent City Redwoods KOA. We had a nice site that looked out into a grassy cow pasture but the really cool sites were right amidst the giant redwoods. From this campground we took lots of day trips. One of the best hikes was through Jedediah Smith State Park – a quiet awe inspiring trek through giant trees. We alternated our scenery with walks on beaches. We toured a few lighthouses, including Battery Point and Bullard’s Beach. On other days we drove along Bald Hill Drive, saw a coastal radar station, hiked the Lady Bird Johnson Redwood Grove Trail, saw Tolowa Dunes and checked out Crescent City itself which has a historic harbor and Boardwalk. We also visited Rumiano’s Creamery where we took advantage of their discounted prices and stocked up on more cheese. We also bought some European-style butter that they make there which we wish we had bought a lot more of.
On May 18th we drove 127 miles to Coos Bay and checked into Alder Acres RV Park. Another nice place to stay with convenient places to explore. From this home base we did even more beach drives and beach walks. We really liked the little town of Bandon and the beaches near there. One day we drove to the Umpqua Lighthouse. Most of the lighthouses are staffed by volunteers of the Oregon State Park system. We spent a bit of time talking to them and finding out how to volunteer . At Sunset Beach we became Plover Lovers by talking to the dedicated volunteers who save the nesting plovers from Hawks, dogs and people. They were inspiring and now we are excited about future volunteer opportunities. We want to spend our first year on the road just traveling but we definitely want to look into some of these wonderful volunteer positions.
After another short drive on May 26th, we arrived at Lincoln City KOA. The big excitement here was an overnight visit from Julie, Jake and Paisley. We spent the Saturday of our Memorial Day weekend at the Oceanlake area of Linoln City – just sitting on the beach, playing with pretty Paisley and beach combing. The weather was warm and not windy – just right! We even had an ice cream social at the campground.
Today we drove to Depoe Bay, did a little gift shopping and went to the whale watching station. And to my delight we saw a whale! We have spent lots of time staring out into the ocean hoping to see at least one grey whale mother and her calf who are migrating up the coast now. First Doug saw the spout of water and he showed me where to look. She came up out of the water enough to see her back. It was a wonderful sight!
Tomorrow we drive just 50 miles to McMinnville where we are staying at Olde Stone Village RV Park. We will be there until June 23rd which will give us plenty of time to play with Paisley, visit with our family there, introduce them to our new home and see some of the points of interest around that part of the Portland area. More fun awaits us!