Wednesday, 10 April 2013

Another Beautiful Drive – This Time It’s Oregon

It was 10:30am when we crossed the state line from California into Oregon.  Nothing much changed.  The sun was still shining, the blue Pacific Ocean was as beautiful as ever and the waves were crashing on the beaches.  We knew we were in for another awesome day of sights and sounds as we drove along the twists, turns, ups and downs of Pacific Coast Hwy. 101 along the coast of Oregon!

With awesome scenery like this, it’s surprising we got anywhere!IMG_3267

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We ended our day at the little seaside town of Waldport, OR where we stayed at the KOA right on the ocean.  It’s a beautiful little park with great views of the ocean and the big bridge that spans the bay.  We could see it all right out the windows of our 5’er.  There was also a nice trail leading down to the beach as well.

Oregon, like California, also has spectacular beachesIMG_3383

We were on the road for an hour more than is our normal again yesterday but that was simply because we made so many stops to look at the gorgeous views along the way, and…..

Yes, Paulette does love her Quilt Shops – it was a good day!!IMG_3308

Paulette was thrilled as she found 4 Quilt Shops to visit along the way.  I swear she has some kind of radar when it comes to quilt shops.  Luckily for me, she’s a pretty quick shopper and knows what she wants to see in these stores so I never have to wait long.  It’s also a good chance for me and the muttzo’s to stretch our legs.

Here is a sample of some of the twists and turns on Hwy. 101IMG_3019

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We took it easy yesterday seldom ever going over 50mph.  That was partly because of the scenery and in some cases because of the sharp turns in places.  I learned a long time ago that when driving along Hwy. 101 in California or Oregon that when a sign says slow to 35mph they mean 35mph – not 40mph!!  Ignoring the speed signs when driving a MH or towing a 5’er will lead to big trouble.

This was an absolutely beautiful spot to stop for a whileIMG_3286

As we drove up through Oregon through the towns of Gold Beach, Port Orford, Bandon, Coos Bay, Florence and Yachats, it brought back great memories of our other trips along this coast.  We remembered a vacation way back in 1992 with the kids long before we had our 5’er.  Back then the main requirement for a successful vacation was finding a motel or hotel with a swimming pool.

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Unlike most travel days for us, we had no particular destination in mind so we simply wandered along stopping whenever we felt like it.  One nice thing about driving the 101 along the Oregon Coast is with so many small towns there are always lots of RV Parks to choose from so we never even started looking until about an hour before we stopped for the night.

Paulette took a lot of these photos while we were driving alongIMG_3174

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We got lucky again at the KOA in Waldport as we never had to unhitch.  That’s always nice when we’re just overnighting.  We didn’t have to worry about going anywhere for dinner as we brought Chef Joe along with us and he made us a tasty dinner of Rosemary Chicken with long grain wild rice. 

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Our plans for Wednesday are to continue up the Oregon Coast probably as far as Lincoln City.  From there, we’ll head east to Portland where we’ll stay for the night.  As of now, it looks like we’ll be catching the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria on Friday morning which means we’ll be home in Cowichan Bay before noon!  Yahoo!!

Another great scene Paulette captured yesterday IMG_3003

Speaking of the ferry, my friend Rod (Retired Rod) asked me how much it costs for the ferry to get back to Vancouver Island.  He was wondering because I was expressing some shock about the $20 toll to cross the Richmond Bridge in San Francisco.  Well, Rod, the $20 toll is chicken-feed compared to the $225 cost of taking our truck and fifth-wheel on the ferry!  That’s why, once we’re safely back on Vancouver Island we won’t be leaving until next snowbird season!!

Our campsite at the Waldport KOAIMG_3478

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We sure have had a wonderful time in the week since we left the Sands RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs.  Still, we’re very much looking forward to getting home this Friday and another great spring, summer and fall on Vancouver Island.

Have a great Wednesday, and thanks again for visiting!

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