August 27th

THE WEATHER: Another beautiful day in Oregon. BTW, I saw a bumper sticker and that is pronounced: orygun. Partly sunny skies and highs in the low 70’s.

THE DISTANCE:

Rick, I included the picture of Gary & I to PROVE to you that we did NOT forget this one!


The drive started out pretty uneventful. Flat, lots of little towns, a few larger ones with a Fred Meyers in them…. that’s like Walmart out here in the west. Though they have Walmarts also, it’s Fred Meyers every one seems to like. It took a few hours of driving into the mountains before things started to change and become more remote. Gary was wondering how the RV was going to handle a 6,000 ft. climb, but we found, to our relief, it was a steady, long upgrade. We reached a total height of 7,960 feet and I could certainly tell when we crossed over the 6,000 ft. mark. My throat felt constricted, I got a headache and my joints ached. Weird. Gary didn’t feel it at all but I definitely got a little altitude sickness. The car also had a little altitude sickness due to lack of air. We would stop to look out over a vista and then the car would have trouble starting. So Gary removed the air filter and ….. Eurekaaaaa! It worked…. Of course.

It was all worth it though because at the top we were able to view the deepest, purest & bluest lake water in the United States! Crater Lake is 5 miles wide and 1,943 feet deep which makes it one of the deepest in the world. The dramatic 2,000 foot cliffs were as interesting as the gnarled trees along the ridge line. Crater Lake at one time was a volcano which collapsed in on itself and became a lake. It was an interesting geographical structure. We drove the full 33 miles around the rim and enjoyed watching the sun cast different colors and shadows on the cliffs as it descended in the sky. We also caught a glimpse of a herd of deer. The drive up to the rim road was steep with many switchbacks and no guardrail on MY side. Mom, we would have had to medicate you on this one.

While up there we noticed a forest fire was burning in the distance. Bruno couldn’t contain himself, he immediately put his hat on and jumped into action. We didn’t see him for hours! Julia, you’ll be happy to know that Bruno is being treated well. We drove out of the park a few miles to the west to the nearest campground to set up for the night. We are staying at Diamond Lake RV Park.

August 26th

THE WEATHER: Half the day was in fog and the other half was bright, sunny and highs in the 80’s

THE DISTANCE: 94 miles into California and back to Oregon


The day started out under a thick bank of fog. We were so close to the ocean it didn’t surprise us, but it lasted longer than we were expecting. We got on our way and once again the coast line was spectacular but we couldn’t see too far out and the water was calm due to the lack of wind. We got to the border rather quickly and were stopped by border crossing guards! They told us our vehicle would have to be inspected for gypsy moth larvae. Gary asked, “do you have to do this for every vehicle?” The guard said, no, but anything that comes from the northeast gets stopped and inspected! We passed, received a certificate (good for 1yr.) and were on our way in about 10 minutes. Gary has three trees that he’s been transporting at this point, a fuchsia bush, Sitka pine and a red wood. Hopefully it doesn’t cause us any trouble any where else.

Crossing over from Oregon to California was like Alice in Wonderland taking a drink that made her suddenly smaller! We were among ginormous (gigantic-enormous) trees that a picture could never capture and do justice. The road was very windy and took us through beautiful trees with mist seeping through them.

We arrived at the “Trees of Mystery” in Klamath,CA for a walking tour through the forest with interpretive plaque’s and then on to a gondola that took us gliding silently through the trees about 70 feet high. When we arrived at the top of the ridge (745 feet) the sun began to break through the mist and we could just make out the ocean not too far away. The picture above of a stand of trees together is called "Cathedral". It is where many weddings are performed. It would be a stunning location. It was a great way to spend a day.

We drove from California back into Oregon on a different route making our way north and east for the first time. Rte. 199 through the Redwood Forest National Park was a gorgeous winding drive with deep chasms, crystal clear rivers and cliffs on MY side of the car that were a little scary to look at! We drove through a town called Hiouchi where Gary’s taxidermist friend, Paul, suggested that he look at some red wood slabs to display his fish. We spent quite a bit of time picking out the perfect pieces of wood in order to show off those “beautiful” fish! They are now safely tucked away in our RV and coming home with us.

We are now residing (only for the night) in O’Brien Oregon at the O’Brien RV “Resort!!!” I can’t believe anyone can get away with calling a glorified parking lot a resort, it doesn’t even have a Jacuzzi, hot tub or pool! But it’s home for tonight.

PS: Heather; great suggestion on the youth group tour... we actually considered going through Kentucky. But then of course we would have to drive to Texas to see Marie, etc. etc.!

Geoff; Coming from an english teacher I am honored to receive such a compliment! Does that mean I get an A???!!!

Dad: You test came through just fine. "Roger that", Debbie out. (Rick taught me that).

August 25th

THE WEATHER: Amazing…. Again today. Highs in the 70’s

THE DISTANCE: 60 miles to Harris Beach, Oregon

Okay, I think I’ve fallen in love with Oregon. We moved south, once again, along Rte. 101 and came across the most scenic views yet. If I were to suggest driving along this Pacific Coastal Route to anyone, I would recommend this last 100 miles of coastland (primarily from Lincoln City south). More rocks, beach, ocean views, etc. But it never grows old, we never tire of watching the waves crash against rocks and cliffs below us.

We drove 30 miles to Gold Beach where the renowned Rogue River flows into the Pacific Ocean. This is a salmon river that is heavily fished during the runs. When we crossed the bridge there were numerous fishing boats dotting the river. Gary’s taxidermist and friend for the past 23 years recently moved out to the west coast from New York and we stopped in to see him. We spent 2 hours talking to him about life, fish, Alaska and travel. He’s an interesting guy. We meant to get his picture with Bruno before we left but forgot.

We hand picked a campground for tonight knowing this would be our last day on the west coast and I wanted to watch a sunset over the Pacific Ocean. We called around, did our homework and found out that Harris Beach State Recreational Park had sites on the beach. We came here, knowing there would be no WIFI, but we would forfeit that in lieu of a beautiful sunset! And OHHH what a sunset it was. We climbed a 50 foot towering rock in order to get the best view possible. Poured a glass of wine and with a slight breeze in our face, the smell of salt air and the sound of waves crashing below us… we waited for the event. God out did Himself tonight! He painted a beautiful sky with blues, purples, reds, yellows and oranges. The sun set behind a bank of fog that rolled in from the ocean, crept and swirled over the rocks that lay in the water. As the sky darkened Venus was visible sitting low in the sky in front of us and when we turned to leave the beach, there was a full moon rising in the eastern sky. Absolutely enchanting!

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies announce what His hands have made. Day after day they tell the story; night after night they tell it again.” Psalm 19:1-2

August 24th

THE WEATHER: Beautiful warm, sunny day. Highs in the 80’s. I think we’re finally seeing summer.

THE DISTANCE: 150 miles to Langlois, OR


THIS is what we came to see! The 150 miles we traveled today was much more of what we had expected this drive to look like. Right along the coast with wide sweeping views of ocean crashing against rocks along with a forested coast line. The ride was interspersed with sweeping junipers (due to the wind) over the road and canopies of big pines and a tunnel cut through the mountain again.

At one point we were towering above the ocean floor on a cliff of about 300 feet watching seals play in the surf! It was such a beautiful sight. Further down the road the scenery changed abruptly when the rocky coastline became sand dunes! There were miles that stretched out in front of us that looked more like Cape Cod than the Oregon coast. Some according to the pamphlet reach 300ft.

We are staying at another KOA today that is set into the woods. Really pretty. We’re unfortunately 5 miles from the coast so there won’t be a walk on the beach tonight!

August 23rd

THE WEATHER: Gorgeous. Highs in the 70’s and sunny. Strong wind off the ocean.

THE DISTANCE: 184 miles south to Otis, Oregon. Staying at the Lincoln City, KOA

We began our journey today thinking we would see some very picturesque ocean views as we traveled the Pacific Coast Highway. Other than a few spots that were spectacular, we have been driving in and out of small towns. There has been moderate traffic and due to either distance or buildings we were unable to see the ocean. A bit disappointing. When we crossed the Washington/Oregon border we made our way across a 3.7 mile bridge that spanned the Columbia River. What a river!

For lunch we stopped at a place called Cannon Beach and walked about a ¼ mile to get to the ocean and found the world’s largest monolith jutting straight up out of the water! It was impressive and the waves were crashing against the rock mass. There were a ton of people on the beach even though it was quite cool with a 20-25 knot wind off the water. Many of them were flying kites… and were quite good at it! A few guys were even surfing.

The road winds along the base of mountains and it was interesting that a few times we even entered tunnels that were cut into the mountainside. It was pretty cool. Other than that, our drive has been forested, sometimes driving through very dark canopies due to the thick, tall trees. We did see pelicans floating in the ocean today! Unfortunately not in a place where we could get their picture.

August 22nd

THE WEATHER: Warmer start to the day than the last 2.… 57 degrees. The highs today were in the high 60’s. Partly cloudy. A beautiful day.

THE DISTANCE: We drove 196 miles today to Hoquiam, WA and are staying at the Hoquiam River RV park.

Yesterday was spent resting and relaxing at the KOA campground. We didn’t want to move on one of the last weekends of the summer because we may not have gotten a spot at the next place. Things are much more crowded down here in the lower 48. I used the time to catch up on some paper work and Gary did some maintenance items. We also played 3 games of pool, Gary beating me 2 to 1(however I am beating him by one game of cribbage), and then we rented a movie from their store. All in all, it was a very relaxing day.

Today we were up, refreshed and ready to roll again. We have been traveling route 101 around the Olympic Peninsula and will continue with this route all along the west coast right down into California. So this begins our Pacific coastal tour! On our way to Hoquiam we made a stop at the enchanting valley of the Hoh! It is set in the Olympic National Park and is one of the few rain forests in North America. We walked amongst the giant cedar, Sitka spruce and Douglas Fir trees. They were all covered with moss that looked like it was dripping off their branches. The forest floor was blanketed with lichen and large ferns. It was a partly cloudy day, however when the sun would break through it would send streams of light through the branches and moss which gave it a completely different look than when it was in the shadows of clouds. At times it even appeared to be something out of "The Lord of the Rings" and the talking trees! It’s interesting that when we toured the Butchart Gardens it was a manmade garden of finely manicured color and in contrast, this was a forest of just greens and browns but it was God’s “gardening” that made it equally as appealing. We felt like Lilliputians’ in the land of Lilliput!

Route 101 continues south along the coast and is a refreshing change from the trees we have been in for so long. It seems strange to have dense tall forests run right down to the sandy shores of the ocean. It also seems strange to see a sun set over the ocean rather than a sun rise! I was surprised to see a mass of rocks that jutted out into the ocean that waves would break against. So all in a short distance there was forest, sand and rock! Interesting diversity.