Newport Bayfront

We visited Newport 2 years ago, but cut the trip short because of my gallbladder surgery. Yipeeee to getting that done! I feel great now and can eat clam chowder without pain! I loved the marina and bayfront and wanted to see the fishing boats again. I was on a mission to find live Dungeness crab and we did.

We thought about borrowing crab traps from the TT park and getting a crabbing license, but when we found the fresh crab for $6 a pound we'd found dinner. We'd gone crabbing years ago when we were on the east coast and we'd gathered oysters, mussels and clams while staying on Quadra Island off Canada so not a big deal. But this was easier. We just had to walk on the pier to the boat for crab this time.
We boiled the big guy (2+ pounds) with a little sea salt and it was so yummy with some melted butter, rice and a salad. I'd say it was better than the snow crab we get at the Vegas casinos! We're going to take a trip to Garibaldi and get some more. Gotta have more crab.

Hot clam chowder at the beach

If you want a taste of good local food, ask the locals. They know where the good food is, not the tourist traps and fast food joints.

After talking with a couple locals, we had a unanimous recommendation to try the Chowder Bowl in historic Nye Beach. It is a lovely area with many motels and rental properties on the cliffs overlooking the expansive beach.

We had the fish tacos and the fish and chips. Our dishes came with a cup of yummy, creamy, butter-topped clam chowder, garlic bread, 3 large pieces of lightly fried cod, tasty chips, coleslaw and 3 large fish tacos! For less than $20. Eating out is not our usual routine, but it was really good.

Is it just me or do the Oregon beaches go on and on forever?

There were more people than I would expect for this time of year, but then we realized its the beginning of Spring Break in Oregon and families were taking advantage of good weather and enjoying every moment.

This is looking north from Nye Beach and Yaquina Lighthouse is in the distance. We climbed to the top of the lighthouse in 2008.

Oregon travels

It seems my goal on this trip has been to get to the Oregon coast. As the weather got warmer we left California, leaving SoCal and family behind. We made our way up I-5 with a quick stop near Lake Shasta. That was snow-covered Mt. Shasta in an earlier post. As you drive north it just POPS into view like I'm wearing 3D glasses. It is so white against the dark forests and the blue sky. It just appears and it is amazingly huge!

We took a left turn at SR 138, then SR 38 and made a beeline for Florence, Oregon. There is a Thousand Trails Preserve there (South Jetty) and not many people at this time of year. The parks and campgrounds are much busier in the summer so spring and fall are a good time if you want to avoid the crowds. But I'm beginning to understand why there aren't many people here. With no crowds at South Jetty we choose the same site we'd had 2 years ago. It faces the morning and afternoon sun, a good idea when the temps are in the low 50's. We'd given up a few days at TT South Jetty to stay at Pacific Surf, but we enjoyed our 4 nights. Its a friendly park.

I've gotten in the habit of watching the 10-day forecast for planning travel days. We made it to Thousand Trails Whaler's Rest and had a couple of nice days to walk on the beach and through the park.

Looking again at the weather, we picked a nice day to travel an hour north to Thousand Trails Pacific City. We plan to stay in The Tillamook area for a week or so. Seems like we get 3 days of rain to every 1 sunny day. Savor the sunny days!

April Fools

Looks like snow here in Cloverdale, Oregon, but it's just pea-sized hail.


Just when the sun comes out and I say to Rick, "How about a little walk while the sun..." it starts to rain again. This latest big storm has brought hail everyday. It doesn't stick like snow, but looks "cool" with temps in the 40s and 50s. As long as the hail is small and not big enough to dent the car or break the skylights in the motorhome, I'm OK.

What sun?

I love our interior sun screens, both for privacy and for blocking out the hot sun. When we get to our destination we always put them up in the big front windshield and the driver side window. However, being in Oregon there isn't much sun. It's got lots of moisture, just not much sun. I don't think we've hung up the screens since we entered Oregon. We want to let all the sun and natural warmth in that we possibly can. Having a small electric heater keeps us warm and toasty.

Privacy is not an issue for us (we could close the curtains), partly because we are in a secure campground and there are no close neighbors that we feel we need to hide from. And I'm doing a pretty good job of obscuring the view on my own. It seems I get the urge to make chili or soup on these cold days, totally fogging up the windows. I tell Rick having some moisture in the air is good for us. No more dry heat for us.

If you're interested in some nice interior sun screens for your RV contact Tim & Crystal at http://www.rvsunshades4less.com/home.html. They also sell Sea Eagle inflatable boats!

Newport, Oregon

This would be a nice place to take a summer vacation.

Newport, Oregon

There is a lot of history in this region and interesting sites to see.

This is a great place for local fresh seafood.

Great for fishing and crabbing.

Lots of history and interesting places to visit.

Plan a trip to Oregon!

Think about it!

Here we are! Hint #5

Beach-combing.

Scenic coastlines that go on and on.

Lighthouses on the jetty.

Driftwood.

A couple years ago I stumbled upon someone's Internet story about staying here. For 2 years I had hopes that we would be near it and able to find a way to visit.

More than a few months ago Tim Cooke, the service manager at our wonderful RV dealer, Guaranty RV, sent us a note and an invitation to stay at Pacific Surf Motorcoach Estates. Unexpected and unbelievable! We were planning our Spring 2010 itinerary and when I looked at the maps I realized that we would probably be in the vicinity. Knowing that plans can quickly change, I hesitated to make a firm reservation at my dream location. When we were a month away I sent an email to the broker, Scott, and asked about availability. He said we were early in the season and it would be very possible. When we were about 2 weeks away I looked at the weather forecast and I could see that there would be a window of sunshine between weeks of probable rain. So we rearranged our Thousand Trails reservations and picked 3 sunny and bright days to spend at this remarkable "campsite". It was wonderful and I challenge anyone to find a better view from a motorhome!

Where are we? Hint #4

"She flies with her own wings"
is the state motto.

Where are we? Hint #3

It's sunny so that might throw you off the "trail."

Nearby are sand dunes and a jetty.

Looks like we're camping in a tree cave.

Where are we? Hint #2

Stairway to heaven.

Where are we? Hint #1

The photos in the prior post about driving in the rain were taken by Rick as we traveled north on the Grapevine, I-5 or Tejon Pass. So this photo is taken north of Los Angeles. Where is this?

Driving can be fun

I did not like driving to and from work. I did not like the traffic. I did not like the roads.

But I like love driving the motorhome! I love driving in the rain and even the icy, almost snow. I love that I can drive where and when we choose. And I love where we go because its not to work!

I don't like driving in windy conditions, but being retired allows us to stay put and wait out the wind.