These are in no particular order. We just have not had the chance to get them uploaded until now. Today is a WORK! day so we are doing the "essentials" so that we can continue on with this adventure.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Photos - at last!
These are in no particular order. We just have not had the chance to get them uploaded until now. Today is a WORK! day so we are doing the "essentials" so that we can continue on with this adventure.
Jim's birthday
30 July 2010
Friday
Happy 65th to Jim!
Retracing the first ten miles, we began to see evidence of the Dunes area. Just before Florence, OR, we took a scenic drive along Rhododendron Drive to be closer to the beach. We ended up being closer to civilization instead. Finally we entered the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Talk about a LOT of very large sand piles!
In Reedsport we visit a Visitor Center with a very UNinformed ranger: he couldn't tell us about the large abandoned fenced-in area to the north of town nor give us any information concerning the myrtle tree. We did see a brochure about a local museum so decided to check it out.
The Umpqua Discovery Center was great. An indoor hike depicts the unique natural history of this area of Oregon. It even had a "bear slide" which we took advantage of: there were no other people in the museum. In a second area, the Tidewaters and Time exhibit explored the history of the Reedsport area. We discovered that one of the reasons there is no self-serve gas in this state is to allow for jobs for the people. Apparently this state has one of the highest unemployment rates due to a decline in the fishing industry [overfished = none left] and the lumber industry [cannot cut trees where the spotted owl lives]. Afterward we walked along the waterfront [low tide] and learned more about tides, tidepools and the animals that live there.
In Coos Bay we scoured the streets looking for oysters for the birthday boy. At a tiny floating shop along the city's boardwalk we found a few. Jim got some oysters and I got some shrimp cocktail.
On to Bandon, OR, still in search of oysters. First stop: only whole ones and we don't have the right knife. Next stop: Tom's Crab Hut: Jim had a half-dozen on the half-shell [insert moaning sounds here] and I had a crabcake. Next to the bait shop where Jim bought a circle hook.
We took the scenic route out of town as the sun tried to burn through the fog. Stopping by the south jetty we watched the waves crashing into the harbor area.
As Bandon is the cranberry capital of Oregon we saw a lot of bogs along the highway but they all seemed dry and brown and empty. Probably the wrong season.
Going inland a bit the sky began to clear and it warmed up to 72. Back on the "wild beaches" area we stopped at Arizona Beach for a a walk at nearly high tide. The wind is fierce and the waves are crashing. Jim found a crab pot buoy that had washed up on shore.
At 5:30 [and 59 degrees] we found a campsite at the Harris Beach State Recreation Area near Brookings: the last one.
Happy birthday, Jim!
Friday
Happy 65th to Jim!
Retracing the first ten miles, we began to see evidence of the Dunes area. Just before Florence, OR, we took a scenic drive along Rhododendron Drive to be closer to the beach. We ended up being closer to civilization instead. Finally we entered the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Talk about a LOT of very large sand piles!
In Reedsport we visit a Visitor Center with a very UNinformed ranger: he couldn't tell us about the large abandoned fenced-in area to the north of town nor give us any information concerning the myrtle tree. We did see a brochure about a local museum so decided to check it out.
The Umpqua Discovery Center was great. An indoor hike depicts the unique natural history of this area of Oregon. It even had a "bear slide" which we took advantage of: there were no other people in the museum. In a second area, the Tidewaters and Time exhibit explored the history of the Reedsport area. We discovered that one of the reasons there is no self-serve gas in this state is to allow for jobs for the people. Apparently this state has one of the highest unemployment rates due to a decline in the fishing industry [overfished = none left] and the lumber industry [cannot cut trees where the spotted owl lives]. Afterward we walked along the waterfront [low tide] and learned more about tides, tidepools and the animals that live there.
In Coos Bay we scoured the streets looking for oysters for the birthday boy. At a tiny floating shop along the city's boardwalk we found a few. Jim got some oysters and I got some shrimp cocktail.
On to Bandon, OR, still in search of oysters. First stop: only whole ones and we don't have the right knife. Next stop: Tom's Crab Hut: Jim had a half-dozen on the half-shell [insert moaning sounds here] and I had a crabcake. Next to the bait shop where Jim bought a circle hook.
We took the scenic route out of town as the sun tried to burn through the fog. Stopping by the south jetty we watched the waves crashing into the harbor area.
As Bandon is the cranberry capital of Oregon we saw a lot of bogs along the highway but they all seemed dry and brown and empty. Probably the wrong season.
Going inland a bit the sky began to clear and it warmed up to 72. Back on the "wild beaches" area we stopped at Arizona Beach for a a walk at nearly high tide. The wind is fierce and the waves are crashing. Jim found a crab pot buoy that had washed up on shore.
At 5:30 [and 59 degrees] we found a campsite at the Harris Beach State Recreation Area near Brookings: the last one.
Happy birthday, Jim!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
OREGON for the very first time!
Our first-ever visit to Oregon.
Another round of too many awesome sights as we cruise down the coastal highway with lots of trees to our left and lots of ocean and steep dropoffs to our right. Stopped often for pictures and short excursions:
*the world-famous Telamooka Cheese Factory and tour and gift shop and major tourist stop. The parking lot resembled the Southdale Parking lot for a pre-Christmas sale! Tasted some cheese, watched it being made and bought some chocolate milk and a chunk of cheese. Nelson Cheese is still better.
*Stopped at a Visitor's Center just inside Oregon and got way more brochures and pamphlets and suggestions than we could use in a month.
*Lewis and Clark National Park: Fort Clatsop Unit: how could we drive by one of my childhood heroes' spot and not stop? Sat through a Ranger talk on the firing of a long rifle. [LOUD!] Enjoyed the museum. Walked through the rebuilt fort. Hiked on a bit of the actual trail used by Meriweather Lewis and William Clark when they over-wintered in 1806-1807.
*The bridge connecting Washington State with Astoria, Oregon, over the Columbia River. REALLY long and there were two traffic delays while we were on it!
*No tsunami.
Another round of too many awesome sights as we cruise down the coastal highway with lots of trees to our left and lots of ocean and steep dropoffs to our right. Stopped often for pictures and short excursions:
*the world-famous Telamooka Cheese Factory and tour and gift shop and major tourist stop. The parking lot resembled the Southdale Parking lot for a pre-Christmas sale! Tasted some cheese, watched it being made and bought some chocolate milk and a chunk of cheese. Nelson Cheese is still better.
*Stopped at a Visitor's Center just inside Oregon and got way more brochures and pamphlets and suggestions than we could use in a month.
*Lewis and Clark National Park: Fort Clatsop Unit: how could we drive by one of my childhood heroes' spot and not stop? Sat through a Ranger talk on the firing of a long rifle. [LOUD!] Enjoyed the museum. Walked through the rebuilt fort. Hiked on a bit of the actual trail used by Meriweather Lewis and William Clark when they over-wintered in 1806-1807.
*The bridge connecting Washington State with Astoria, Oregon, over the Columbia River. REALLY long and there were two traffic delays while we were on it!
*No tsunami.
Seattle
27 July 2010
Tuesday
Took the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds and from there drove to see Mim, a friend from my Minnetonka days. What a great, albeit short, visit. We played catch up with kids and grandkids and life and had a wonderful lunch.
From there we drove south through the CITY for the rest of the day: Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia all seemed to blend together. Now we have had our fill of urban travel. Once we left the freeway [I-5] we head west toward the 101 aka the Pacific Coast Highway. Found a campsite at a park in Washington: Bruceport. From our "front window" we could see a gigantic bay with the tell-tale poles of crabbing or oysters.
Scrabble and sleep. I won this one.
Tuesday
Took the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds and from there drove to see Mim, a friend from my Minnetonka days. What a great, albeit short, visit. We played catch up with kids and grandkids and life and had a wonderful lunch.
From there we drove south through the CITY for the rest of the day: Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia all seemed to blend together. Now we have had our fill of urban travel. Once we left the freeway [I-5] we head west toward the 101 aka the Pacific Coast Highway. Found a campsite at a park in Washington: Bruceport. From our "front window" we could see a gigantic bay with the tell-tale poles of crabbing or oysters.
Scrabble and sleep. I won this one.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sun, sun, the wonderful sun!
23 - 26 July 2010
Friday - Monday
Apparently we've been having way too much fun because I am really falling behind here.
Friday was a wonderful day and the weather was superb: lots of sun, no humidity--the kind of day that we dream about at home. Jim and Jeff slatted the chain-link fence and then worked on removing some fill from an area and replacing it with rock or topsoil. When Lisa finished work, she and I planted Hostas, Siberian Irises and something called Elephant Ears, but they don't look like the Elephant Ears that I remember from my childhood. Lisa and Jeff have a LOT of planting areas to fill-in, all of which will be irrigated. The under-pinnings of this lot must be a plumber's dream of infrastructure. Jeff can really visualize the end-product. Guess that's why the rest of us are labor. We hooked up the irrigation under the new plantings, Lisa tweaked the heads a bit and one bed is in business. By then we were dirty and dusty and sweaty [all good in this time and place] so we showered and got a ride in their convertible to a nearby pub for supper and few beers.
Saturday it was a little foggy but by the time we finished breakfast, we had ourselves one very beautiful day. Turns out that this part of Washington has warm, dry Julys. Who knew? Today we dug ditches for irrigation and put in rock around it. Then we filled in with topsoil for future plantings. Lisa, Jeff and I did the digging and shoveling and raking and plumbing while Jim manned the bobcat [And you can imagine how much he hated that!] ferrying a half-load of rock followed by two loads of top soil, then repeat, repeat, repeat. We worked until we ran out of raw materials [and I ran out of energy in the heat]. Then Jim and Jeff did some more digging and rocking along an area that will house a wrought-iron fence. By 10:00 PM we decided that we might need to eat supper.
Sunday dawned absolutely gorgeous: that blue, blue sky with never-ending sunshine. We [mostly Jim and Jeff] put in the wrought-iron fence along the western edge of the property. It turned out perfect thanks to double measuring and a few "adaptations." Turned out that even American-made isn't always a guarantee of an easy installation.
In the afternoon we returned to their house and I got a garden tour of Lisa's yard. It is HUGE! I love all the rhododendrons and azaleas they have. From there we went to niece Danielle and her husband's home nearby for an awesome supper of BBQ ribs, cole slaw, fruit salad and the first sweet corn. Wayne is a home brewer so Jim was in heaven. Danielle likes to make ice cream so I was in heaven. Great chefs!
Today it is warm and sunny and blue-skied! This is NOT the Washington we have heard about. BUT, we are not complaining. We had a lazy AM [only Lisa had to work] and this PM Jim and Jeff are off to the gravel quarry to procure more dirt and rock in order to continue with the project. Lisa is working and I am "working" on our computers.
A plan is being devised to continue the adventure. Stay tuned.
Friday - Monday
Apparently we've been having way too much fun because I am really falling behind here.
Friday was a wonderful day and the weather was superb: lots of sun, no humidity--the kind of day that we dream about at home. Jim and Jeff slatted the chain-link fence and then worked on removing some fill from an area and replacing it with rock or topsoil. When Lisa finished work, she and I planted Hostas, Siberian Irises and something called Elephant Ears, but they don't look like the Elephant Ears that I remember from my childhood. Lisa and Jeff have a LOT of planting areas to fill-in, all of which will be irrigated. The under-pinnings of this lot must be a plumber's dream of infrastructure. Jeff can really visualize the end-product. Guess that's why the rest of us are labor. We hooked up the irrigation under the new plantings, Lisa tweaked the heads a bit and one bed is in business. By then we were dirty and dusty and sweaty [all good in this time and place] so we showered and got a ride in their convertible to a nearby pub for supper and few beers.
Saturday it was a little foggy but by the time we finished breakfast, we had ourselves one very beautiful day. Turns out that this part of Washington has warm, dry Julys. Who knew? Today we dug ditches for irrigation and put in rock around it. Then we filled in with topsoil for future plantings. Lisa, Jeff and I did the digging and shoveling and raking and plumbing while Jim manned the bobcat [And you can imagine how much he hated that!] ferrying a half-load of rock followed by two loads of top soil, then repeat, repeat, repeat. We worked until we ran out of raw materials [and I ran out of energy in the heat]. Then Jim and Jeff did some more digging and rocking along an area that will house a wrought-iron fence. By 10:00 PM we decided that we might need to eat supper.
Sunday dawned absolutely gorgeous: that blue, blue sky with never-ending sunshine. We [mostly Jim and Jeff] put in the wrought-iron fence along the western edge of the property. It turned out perfect thanks to double measuring and a few "adaptations." Turned out that even American-made isn't always a guarantee of an easy installation.
In the afternoon we returned to their house and I got a garden tour of Lisa's yard. It is HUGE! I love all the rhododendrons and azaleas they have. From there we went to niece Danielle and her husband's home nearby for an awesome supper of BBQ ribs, cole slaw, fruit salad and the first sweet corn. Wayne is a home brewer so Jim was in heaven. Danielle likes to make ice cream so I was in heaven. Great chefs!
Today it is warm and sunny and blue-skied! This is NOT the Washington we have heard about. BUT, we are not complaining. We had a lazy AM [only Lisa had to work] and this PM Jim and Jeff are off to the gravel quarry to procure more dirt and rock in order to continue with the project. Lisa is working and I am "working" on our computers.
A plan is being devised to continue the adventure. Stay tuned.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Home on the Lake
22 July 2010
Thursday
Spent the day visiting with Lisa and watching Jeff and Jim work. In the afternoon we took a boat ride around their lake. It's amazing how many houses that there are stuffed around the entire perimeter of this lake. And so huge! Lisa and I took a long walk. And now we're just chilling listening to music . [Jeff has 34,000 songs on his I-Pod. And they're all organized by decade and sub-organized by genre and then by artist and then by album. Yikes!]
No pictures. We're working too hard
It's a joke.
Thursday
Spent the day visiting with Lisa and watching Jeff and Jim work. In the afternoon we took a boat ride around their lake. It's amazing how many houses that there are stuffed around the entire perimeter of this lake. And so huge! Lisa and I took a long walk. And now we're just chilling listening to music . [Jeff has 34,000 songs on his I-Pod. And they're all organized by decade and sub-organized by genre and then by artist and then by album. Yikes!]
No pictures. We're working too hard
It's a joke.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Port Angeles to Poulsbo
21 July 2010
Wednesday
Traveling through fog and forests and along inlets and sounds via curvy and narrow roads [Are there any other kind?] we arrived at Lisa and Jeff's place on Mason Lake. We are all camping together! Jim and Jeff supervised the installation of a fence while Lisa and I visited and worked on the computer. In the evening we drove to their house and took showers and did laundry. This is the warmest it has been since we left Winona back in early June. Also the further south we travel, the more dark to which we have to get accustomed.
Relaxing!
Today we're going to slat a fence.
Wednesday
Traveling through fog and forests and along inlets and sounds via curvy and narrow roads [Are there any other kind?] we arrived at Lisa and Jeff's place on Mason Lake. We are all camping together! Jim and Jeff supervised the installation of a fence while Lisa and I visited and worked on the computer. In the evening we drove to their house and took showers and did laundry. This is the warmest it has been since we left Winona back in early June. Also the further south we travel, the more dark to which we have to get accustomed.
Relaxing!
Today we're going to slat a fence.
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