Willits and Home Again

Willits came quickly as we toured a few more miles through the Avenue of the Giants. Our last stop before home was Willits and the Mendocino Redwoods RV Resort. We think this had been a KOA at one time, as the "trip wizard" I use to find places to stay called it a Kampgrounds of America RV park. 

Willits is an interesting little city with a population of about 5,000. Hwy 20 branches off here and heads to Fort Bragg and the Mendocino coast, so it gets very busy. There is good infrastructure, a large Safeway market, and restaurants including a great little Italian place called La Siciliana on Main street, no reservations necessary. We were waited-on by the owner himself.

We both ordered the spinach-stuffed ravioli in the chef's special red sauce, salad (mine with anchovies), a generous portion of garlic bread, and a glass of the restaurant's house wine, which happened be a nice Merlot. After dinner, it was back at the RV where Louise killed me in her favorite game of rummy. Geeeeez!

So, this is the trip folks: 3,257 miles, 19 stops over 29 nights, 7 states and one foreign country. Rough roads attributed to one broken slide mechanism, an electrical short under the shower, and a destroyed entertainment system amplifier. But, hey, that's life on the road. Our normal at home is also much fun, and we look forward to catching up with family after being gone for 4 weeks.

Thanks for riding along with us and we hope to have you along on the next tour of our beautiful country. So long and God bless.

Avenue of the Giants (and beer)

The weather was perfect as we headed off Hwy101 and onto the small, two-lane path called the Avenue of the Giants. I had been this route on a motorcycle some years ago, but had forgotten how tight it can be. Navigating with a class-A motorhome, we pretty much filled the southbound lane and had to watch for any overhanging big trees, curb-side ... and there were a few spectacular specimens in attendance. Luckily, we had arrived early and there was virtually no traffic in either direction.

Arriving in Eureka, we got hooked up at the Elks Lodge and found there was a fish dinner planned that evening, so decided to snack until then. The bar is beautiful and a very friendly place to sit and chat with local Elks members ... so we did!

But wait! There is a brewery in Eureka called the Lost Coast, making some of the finer beers found in California, and a couple of our favorites. Just a short distance from the Elks Lodge, it was time to tour.

The brewery is famous for its bizarre art and product labels ... And, since the tour was very late in the afternoon and too close to our planned dinner at the Elks Lodge, we decided to sample a few new brews, prowl the gift shop, and take a few pictures around the grounds. Their signature brew, and our favorite, Great White, is depicted in the statue out front. What do you think of the art, a little bizarre? 

After the brewery we headed back to the Elks Lodge RV park and killed time until dinner. Dinner wasn't spectacular, but a decent plate with fish and deep-fired prawns. We had a good visit with folks at our table, and it was good to just slow down a bit and think about all the wonderful places we had been so far, as we told our travel stories.

And yet, there was more to come, so stay tuned!

Goodbye Sasquatch, Oregon Coast / Hello Calif and Beer

We said goodbye to Oregon and its beautiful coast line, and waived goodbye to Mr. Sasquatch. Yes, I do believe "it" exists, at least in storekeepers' minds, selling all-things big foot. There were necklaces, earrings, foot imprints, life-sized statues just inside the door, puppets, masks, and even movies playing on screens behind the counter. The "Yeti", as it is called in other countries, is "big business" here, and you can bet the stories of sightings will continue as long as there is merchandise on the shelves. Ha!

Well, as our hopes of getting a glimpse of sasquatch faded, we crossed the border into California and into Crescent City. Of course, there was another lighthouse to see here, the Battery Point Lighthouse. 

This lighthouse sits on a small island connected by a land-bridge that is underwater at high tide. Fortunately, it was low-tide and we crossed over to the island, a short 100 yard walk from the parking lot. This view of the land-bridge is from the top of the lighthouse looking back towards the parking lot. One of the tour guides told us he had actually crossed over the bridge when the water was waste-deep. No thank you! I'm pretty sure sharks can swim in that depth.

The lighthouse is retired, but tours are available, so we signed-up. Our guides were a husband and wife team who volunteer for a 1-month-at-a-time stay on the island to maintain it and give tours. If you qualify and can pass the required tests, you too can volunteer for a month stay.

Yes, Louise was still all smiles after climbing two stories, and then a third up a vertical ladder through a hole in the top floor where the Fresnel lens was placed. I was pretty proud of her as she doesn't particularly like heights, ladders, or small, crawl holes in floors, for that matter. Yikes! 

Of course, the 360-degree views from the top, out to sea and along the coast, were spectacular. Looking out to see, to the West, you can see why the lighthouse might have been pretty important in the 1800's, before GPS!

Our RV park in Crescent City was pretty basic but had full hookups for just $36/night, a perfect spot to stay overnight. The plan for tomorrow was to head to Eureka and then to Willits through the Avenue of the Giants, another "bucket list" item for Louise. 

The Elks Lodge in Eureka is a beautiful place and close to many things to see, including the Lost Coast Brewery (remember, I said there was beer?). So, stay tuned?

Cape Meares Lighthouse / Pioneer Museum

I'm trying to catch up on my posts, so this one is rather long. Hopefully you will still enjoy the pictures and comments.

One of the things we like to do if traveling along a sea coast is visit lighthouses ... So, before leaving the Tillamook area, we drove to the Cape Meares lighthouse, one of the nine lighthouses along the coast of Oregon. 

The shortest of the lighthouses at 32-feet, it features an impressive, kerosene-powered lens. First lit on Jan. 1, 1890, the Fresnel lens was one of the most powerful and largest of its day. Mariners could spot the distinctive red-and-white flashes from more than 21 miles away.

Now inactive and a State Scenic Viewpoint, the lighthouse is a favorite spot for whale watching, as it sits atop a cliff overlooking the beautiful coastline. It's open to the public and visitors can climb the short staircase and peer inside the Fresnel lens. Pretty cool!

Next stop was the Pioneer Museum in downtown Tillamook. This was one of the best museums we've visited with excellent historical information of the area, preserved and well-presented for visitors. The second floor was dedicated to the most complete display of birds and wildlife, constructed by a local taxidermist and previous curator of the museum. Here are a few pictures of birds and animals, frozen in time.

We continued our travels down the coast stopping at various points to view the incredible scenery ... A few pictures here, starting with the Devils Punchbowl ... a camera lens just doesn't do these pictures justice!

Another lighthouse stop ... the Yaquina Head lighthouse in Newport, close to the Newport Elks Lodge where we parked for the night, with hookups, for $20.

A beautiful spot to view migrating whales during the season, this lighthouse sits atop a bluff at the mouth of the Yaquina River. Built in 1871 and decommissioned in 1874, it was officially restored as a privately maintained aid to navigation on December 7, 1996. 

Although recently closed to the public, it's now believed to be the oldest structure in Newport, surrounded by walking trails and a beautiful spot to view the Pacific Ocean. The rocks below are full of seabirds. Oregon State Parks manages an "interpretive center" close by, with displays, stories and movies of interest from the area.

Next, a short trip to Coos Bay, for dinner and visit with family. I snagged a really nice pull-through at the fairly new Bay Point RV Resort, right on the bay, just a two miles from their home. This was a very quiet and well appointed RV park, at a reasonable price-point. 

One of the more unusual things here was a fleet of 20 Airstream trailers, setup as cabins for rent. We thought at first it was an Airstream club gathering ... I've never seen this many Airstreams in one place!

Meanwhile, we are headed to Crescent City today, so more to come as we head back to California.

Tillamook Cheese and Blimps

The end of the line? Well, for Lewis and Clark, it was. Yes, the beautiful city of Seaside Oregon hosts much to do and see, as well as the "Turnaround" point for Lewis and Clark's expedition. 

The site is commemorated by a beautiful statue, wide beaches and a 1920's style promenade along a beach that goes on for miles. Oh, and high-rise condos and apartments, too. Geeeez! History: after 2-1/2 years and 8,000 miles, the expedition headed home to St. Louis in 1806, supposedly from this point on the Oregon coast.

We decided there was too much to see and do in Seaside, for the time we had allotted ... so, elected to come back and spend 3 or 4 days sometime in the future. This prompted an early start to Tillamook down Hwy 101; a beautiful stretch of road along the Oregon coast.

Arriving early in Tillamook, we immediately decided to stay an extra day, as parking at the Tillamook Elks Lodge RV parking acreage was spacious and quiet, with full hook-ups. There were many things to see here, beginning with the Tillamook Cheese Factory. 

Supplied with fresh milk from local dairies and contented cows nearby, Tillamook Cheese (and creamery) has been cranking out quality cheese products since 1949. The plant is very high-tech, but mirrors cheese making by the old process, now with better quality control and product consistency. The predominantly all stainless steel plant can be viewed from an observation deck. A well-written description of the process is posted by each window, so no questions go unanswered.

We arrived in the middle of a factory lunch break, but as soon as that period ended workers started streaming in and the processes were humming like a bee hive again.

Next stop was the Air Museum at the Naval Air Station just south of town. The blimp hanger is hard to miss from the highway. The six-blimp hangar was built by the United States Navy in 1942 during World War II. It is 1,072 feet long and 296 feet wide, and covers more than 7 acres. Walking into the wooden structure is breathtaking ... with 120-foot doors on each end.

Did I mention that this entire structure is constructed of wood?

Various airplanes including an F-14 Tomcat are on display as well as many "training" cockpits, all of which you can climb into and push buttons, and try to get clearance from the tower for takeoff!

Outside, we found a "guppy" aircraft, early transport, with four giant radial motors, leaking the usual amount of oil onto the tarmac. Our self-guided tour took us into the cavernous interior and up to the cockpit. Oh, to hear those big engines run would have been an experience not forgotten, but I couldn't find the start button!

There were dioramas of different wars (amazing) as well as a few interesting aircraft. Most were in pretty poor condition, or in process of restoration.

P51 Mustang engine ... always amazing to look at!

There are two more places we visited, a lighthouse and the Pioneer Museum downtown, but I'll save the details for the next session at the keyboard. It's time to relax and get ready for bed here in foggy Newport. Stay tuned ... I'll be back in the morning.

Vancouver Island/Butchart Gardens

Wow! ... Again, so many unique experiences for us to talk about. On this post I'll show a few pix to setup the timeline for our trip to Vancouver Island. Then, I'll offer a couple links at the end of the post to the rest of the photos.

First, since we had performed a recce of the port and ferry dock the previous day, it was a stressless trip from our RV to the dock where we were first in line on the far right, across from the Downrigger Restaurant, where we had that incredible fish dinner the night before. Others were already in line, but since we had reservations, we assumed (correctly, as it turned out) that they were first-come-first-serve customers; no reservations. When the big door opened and loading started, we were third down the ramp into the car-deck. Awesome!

Once parked, we headed up one deck to one of the lounges that was filled with comfortable, soft chairs. But first, a trip to the gift shop and snack bar was in order. Yes, there were maple bars and coffee ... couldn't pass that up! I also bought a commemorative hat in the store (to be seen in subsequent pictures). A beautiful day for a boat ride!

As we passed out of Port Angeles harbor we came close to a huge container ship (Yang Ming lines), likely bound for Seattle as there are no facilities to unload containers at Port Angeles. It was a beautiful, clear day, mid-70's, and calm seas, so some time was spent on deck as we passed the US Coast Guard Station at the mouth of the harbor.

Interestingly, as we pulled into Victoria Harbor there were two Canadian Coast Guard ships moored and two cute, little "water taxis" to solicit rides across the harbor if you needed transportation. We were the 2nd or 3rd car off the ferry and first into one of the customs drive-through stations. 

And, the interrogation began ... mostly about whether there were weapons, ammunition, or any guns recently in our vehicle. The officer made it clear that we could "declare now", and get a pass, or if found later by the gun-sniffing "dogs", it would be a felony with jail time. Passports please, and roll down all your windows. Yikes!

Since we arrived on the island at 10:30, we decided to take-in Butchart Gardens the first day. The drive was a short 30-minutes, but the first 10 were like navigating downtown San Francisco ... one-way streets, construction, and lot's of commuter traffic!

After Butchart Gardens (3-hour, self-guided tour), we found a fish restaurant on the bay called Blues Bayou, the front door guarded by an intimidating alligator. Ha! Food and service was excellent ... baked cannelloni stuffed with crab, halibut, shrimp and OMG! 

What appeared to be a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, turned out to be an excellent spot, sitting on the deck overlooking the yacht harbor and sea birds finding things to peck at with the tide being out.

We spent the night at a Red Lion Inn ... The suite we had reserved was comfortable, with separate bedroom and king bed, fully equipped kitchen with stove and microwave. But, getting close to needed a few updates and upgrades. No issues.

Next morning we were up early and ready to explore more of Vancouver Island. But first, breakfast! Of course, that meant it was back into the heart of the city, but with a little help from Mr. GPS, we found a place called John's Place serving up breakfast in generous portion for the last 40 years! We both had eggs benedict with different contents ... soooo good! The walls were covered with sports memorabilia and autographed pictures of famous visitors. This was definitely a popular spot for "locals" and tourists like us.

The rest of the 2nd day was spent visiting various points of interest, including the Victoria Parliament building (self-guided tour), Craigdarroch Castle, followed by a leisurely drive around the southern coastline, ending up on a park bench facing the harbor where we sat in the warm sun and watched various boats go in and out. A beautiful day, all around. 

More pictures at the links below, as well as pictures of our departure on the ferry. There was a full-size, truck with 40+ foot trailer on the ferry. I spoke to the driver in line at customs, and below deck ... I never expected to see something that big on the ferry. Wow! 

We were again nearly first in, but were first off back on Washington soil. Oh, one more thing ... on the way out of the harbor our ferry came to an abrupt halt and we hurried above deck to see what was going on.

The Queen Elizabeth II was having a bit of trouble getting into the cruise ship berth and had completely blocked all boating traffic coming in or going out of the harbor. It took her about 20 minutes to maneuver in with thrusters (no tug here), but provided us with a great show of this huge ship in action.

So, the pictures are a bit out of sync relative to coming/going, but I think you will get a sense of the adventure we had. Louise's "bucket list" item of Butchart Gardens had been satisfied, and we were ready to continue with our vacation adventure.

Here are links to the remainder of the pictures:

Vancouver Island

Butchart Gardens

Next, we will continue down the Oregon coast after a couple days in Tillamook, to visit the creamery and cheese factory, a lighthouse, the air museum at Tillamook Naval Air Station, and much more. So, stay tuned ...