Left South Beach campground early and headed down the coast through more summer tourist towns. Fortunately we persisted, got some glimpses of the ocean, stopped at a lot of state park pull offs and walked down the cliffs and out on the beaches. Along the way there are turnouts to see lighthouses and a beach covered in seals or sea lions. Couldn't get close enough to see and didn't feel like swimming over for a visit.
The path did finally turn back to wildness and we stopped at Devil's Churn to walk down and see the waves crash into the cleft in the cliff.
We finally rolled into Cape Perpetua. What a glorious place that is. It was exactly what we thought the coast of Oregon would be. We talked at length to two volunteer rangers and then to a fellow TCer who stopped to chat. They gave us good advice on some back roads to take to get up top of Perpetua for views which often include passing whales - but not that day. Years ago, I had cut out an article on Cape Perpetua and kept it in a folder of places I really wanted to see. Now I have and it was worth the drive to get there. We lingered a long time walking the trails, watching the waves and talking to the rangers.
Lunched with an internet knitter friend Junieanne in Florence at an excellent restaurant, Bridgewater Fisheries. Hard to beat a lunch of grilled oysters and shrimp. One of our main purposes in this trip was to go to Eugene and visit relatives I haven't seen in years. Seeing the two woman cousins was just like seeing them yesterday even though it had been 50 years. We're not that old are we? We camped in their yard and had a lot of fun remembering our youth and catching up on the years in between. They grow all their on veggies and fruit and it is almost a full time job. Grilled salmon, salad greens just picked and roasted garlic on home made bread!! Great visit especially since it was day before my aunt/uncle's 63 wedding anniversary. The TC was warm and snug during a big rainstorm in the evening. Fun to carry your own house with you.
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June 15 - Eugene to Bend OR
Today we got to see more of Oregon's waterfalls, mountains and landscape variety. Fresh picked strawberries for breakfast and off we went headed east from Eugene towards Bend. The back road, Route 242 from MacKenzie Bridge to Sisters, is still closed due to snow. We stayed on 126 up through the Willamette National Forest beside Mount Washington. We walked from Koosah Falls to Sahalie Falls and both were roaring.
When trudged uphill back to the camper and there was a fellow looking under the F350 truck at the frame mounted Torklifts. He was pretty embarrassed but said he wanted a TC and didn't know how they were attached. Joe and he had a great time going over all the details while I showed the rest of his group inside the Host. They left in their fifth wheel with two Host brochures and lots of photos of our rig. They kept saying how they could not get into a lot of places and that the TC was how to get into their fishing holes.
Sisters, OR was a suprise as it looked like an old west town. Lots of empty spaces to park on the main road but signs said nothing could be parked there that was taller than 6.5 feet tall. I kept looking up at the snow covered peaks looming over Sisters and thought of Mount Saint Helens and its big bang. Hope not!
Smith Rocks State Park was hard to find as the signage could have been a lot better but good old DeLorme mapping got us there. We walked the rim opposite the monoliths and watched rock climbers free climbing. Scary! No, we did not drive the TC up this road at Smith Rocks. Looked more like a Whazoo Trail where he would follow the horseback riders using it.
Stopped at Host Industries to pick up some TC brochures since we give so many of them
out. Mark gave us a quick tour of the plant and we got to see a kitchen unit being installed in a camper. We also met a CA couple who had just picked up their custom built Host Everest. They had about every extra possible and it was one serious TC. Extra batteries, two solar panels, outside spotlights, extra wardrobe spaces, all on a F350 with G rated 19" tires. They suggested LaPine State Park as a good place to stay for the evening and that's where we are.
Tomorrow we head out to Crater Lake and then redwoods somewhere in CA.
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