Tues 30th - Mount St Helens, Washington

Seaquest State Park

Site #9 - $25, p/w, no Internet, Temp 18C

Today we drove 130 km to a State Park near Mt.St Helens, Washington.

After setup and lunch we went to the Interpretive Centre and then took the winding scenic drive to the Observatory. Both of us were really glad we made this stop. We found the views, the video, the displays and the ranger presentation all very interesting.  We learned lots that we didn't know about the 1980 eruption.

It is amazing how much the landscape was all changed in less than 10 min.-- 230 sq. miles of forest leveled, snapping 8 ft. diameter trees. The mountain dropped 1300 ft in height and 14 miles of river valley was buried an average depth of 150 ft. Supposedly the landslide was the largest in the world.

You can still see the shattered trees in the eruption path. 

The water from Spirit Lake to the east was pushed up the mountains completely emptying the lake and then it settled into a completely changed lake and formed other small lakes with the re-arranged land. Neither of us remember hearing that Harry Truman died when he refused to evacuate his home on Spirit Lake. He is the only one who wouldn't leave that particular area (stubborn old guy!). His body was never recovered.



                                      Old photo before eruption
There were others killed in different areas around the volcano site, and some amazing survival stories. Mt St Helens is still pretty active with the last eruption recorded in Feb. this year! (We aren't going to hang here around too long!)

We enjoyed a late supper after stopping to pick up pizza. That also gave me this Internet time!

Mon 29th - last night here!

Today was biking day. This morning we did another 'round' on the campground trails. After lunch we loaded up the bikes and drove to Astoria where we went for a ride along the Columbia River. We had an interesting encounter on one stretch of the bike path when we had to yield to an ambulance! We didn't hang around to see what was happening, however.

We were able to ride out on many of the piers and once again were entertained by the resident sea lions -- quite a 'pile' of them!!



We drove to the "Astoria Column" which is a 125 ft. tall concrete monument etched with murals and events depicting the pivotal years of Astoria's history and growth. The 164 steps up the centre of the column were closed for repair -- not that we'd be making that climb anyway! The column is on top of a 600 ft hill in the centre of Astoria, so even from the base of the column, it gives one a pretty impressive panoramic view of the ocean, river and townsite.

Tomorrow we leave this campground and Oregon, and it's on to Washington. We haven't really worked out plans beyond this. One little 'tidbit' I have been meaning to mention about Oregon. Gas stations here are required to pump gas for you -- no such thing as a 'self serve'! That took some getting used to as Ron is in the habit of filling his own tank. The attendants always come running to intervene.



We had a late fire tonight with lots of wood to burn. Oh, a little trivia about Astoria. Supposedly Clark Gable began his acting career here in 1922!  And on that note, I'm off to bed!
(Hope you had a happy anniversary, G & K)

Sun 28th - same place!

The 'weekenders' are packing up and heading out and it looks like we are going to be the only ones left in this loop once again. It is kind of how we like it, although the 'human entertainment' is 'fun' once in awhile! Ron has already made the 'tour' on his bike and has collected some leftover wood. Maybe tonight we can have a decent fire with hopefully some dry stuff for a change!!

Yesterday we drove to Astoria, the first US settlement west of the rockies with it's elegant and historic homes. We then drove across the 4 mile plus bridge in to Washington. This bridge is the longest of it's kind (3-span through truss) in the world and is quite the structure.





It is very hard to capture in a single photo, though I tried!

We went to the Lewis & Clark "Cape Disappointment" Interpretive Centre. It is perched on a cliff 160 ft above the mouth of the Columbia River, where it flows in to the Pacific. The Columbia mouth is also referred to as the 'Graveyard of the Pacific" for the many shipwrecks from the strong currents. Some great views.

Today: The park has over 7 miles of bike trails and I think we covered most of them this afternoon! We stopped at the fort site, built during the Civil War and active until after WWII. A Japanese sub fired 17 shots at the fort during WWII, but no damage was inflicted and Fort Stevens did not fire back. (The fort's 'claim to fame'). We walked through some of the old concrete buildings and batteries that are still standing.



Back to camp for a cold beer. The place has emptied out and we are enjoying the quiet and this warm weather, so much so, that I think we are going to stay an extra night (Mon.)

We saw another great sunset last night and we'll probably catch tonight's.



Licensed vehicles can actually drive on the beach here (after Sept 15 until June ) which rather shocked us. It was weird seeing cars going up and down the beach last night!! We just might have to do that!!

Oh yes, .... and we had another visit from our 'masked bandits'. They are out and about the minute it gets dark.

Sat 27 - Fort Stevens State Park

We did some more of the tourist-y things yesterday. To Cannon Beach, the 'artists colony' and to see the 'famed' Haystack Rock. We've seen so many interesting monoliths on this trip already, that this one didn't really stand out.



Seaside was a cool little community. It was Oregon's first seashore resort and a drive down Broadway, the narrow one way street with all it's little speciality shops was pretty neat. We had a delicious seafood lunch at one of them. Seaside also has a great 2 mile promenade along the oceanfront and we were sorry we hadn't loaded up our bikes on this trip.

We visited a number of the Lewis & Clark historical landmarks including Fort Clatsop, the winter quarters after they finally reached the Pacific Ocean and before they headed back home.





Back at the campsite, we road through the campgrounds and down to the beach to see the remains of a British sailing ship that ran aground during a 1906 during a storm. The old rusty hull sticking out of the sand is quite something!

Last night at our campfire we were visited by 4 raccoons who were much too bold for my liking. They kept circling around our campsite with their funny 'clucking' noises, knocked over an empty wine bottle and scurried between picnic table and under the 5th wheel -- much too close for comfort!! We'd chase them away, but they were persistent and would soon be back. We heard this morning that they got into a cooler 2 sites down and bit open the pop cans! I tried to take some pics, but they didn't turn out so well in the dark.

The campground got pretty busy last night. We had this loop pretty much to ourselves the first night, but, not any more! It was chilly last night and we heard the tenters next door starting up their vehicle at 5:30 a.m., so I'm guessing they found it too cold. Weather reports are for record warm temps the next few days, however.

We had internet in most of the earlier RV sites we camped at, but not so in the Oregon State Parks so it isn't as easy to keep in touch. I will send this from the KOA parking lot down the road!

Thurs 25th - Fort Steven's State Park

Fort Stevens State Park
Site #274 - $22, p/w, Temp 13C with rain & wind

So we went to Tillamook and got our groceries yesterday. Ever since we hit the USA and Ron noticed how expensive oranges are right now and he's made it his mission to give the produce clerk a rough time. "Do you know this is the most we've paid for oranges ever!" And -- "I'm surprised you don't have a security guard standing over these oranges" and on & on -- as I quickly disappear to another area!! Needless to say, he hasn't been eating his morning orange everyday and I think it's making him a little grumpy (grumpier?)!!

We also stopped at the Air Museum. Ron did the tour on his own, as it didn't really interest me. I must admit the hanger itself where the aircraft are displayed is pretty awesome. It was HUGE. It was one of 12 built by the US Navy to store 8 blimps/each that were used in coastal surveillance (submarines) during WWII and it encompasses over 7 acres or enough to play 6 football games! It's 192 ft. or 15 stories high. The doors are in 6 - 30 ton sections and roll on railroad tracks, so yes, it's massive. The blimps were well suited for patrol because of their ability to stay aloft for 3 days.

Back at the camp a large group of school kids were setting up tents in the rain. By supper time we had quite a rain storm taking place with high winds and pelting rains. I couldn't quit thinking about those poor kids in that open area and probably getting the full brunt right off the ocean!! They were still there when we left this morning and at least the rain had quit. Not much chance of drying out in this damp ocean air today, however! fun fun.

We plan to camp at Fort Steven's State Park just out of Astoria which is the last stop on this Oregon coast route (or the 1st stop for most!!). We will spend a few days here as there are quite a few things to do & see. This is also the 'end' of the Lewis & Clark expedition, so there is lots to see, do and read relating to that.

Tues/Wed, 23/24th - Cape Lookout near Tillamook, Oregon

Cape Lookout State Park
Site #C8 - n/s, Temp 14C & cool in the trees!

We are camped in a coastal forest on a sand spit at Cape Lookout. There are only a few electrical sites but none were available, so we 'dry camped'. Once again we were unhooked and set up by lunch time.

On our way to the campground, we came across a sign that a Tsunami Evacuation Exercise would be taking place, and sure enough, a little further on, towns people were heading up the hill and out of town. Fire trucks, the sheriff, local police plus someone with a megaphone. We were thinking it would be a good time for 'would be' robbers to move in because the little town of Pacific City appeared virtually deserted!

Cape Lookout is in the middle of the scenic "Three Capes Loop" off Hwy 101. We drove this loop, saw the sites and ended up in the town of Tillamook where we toured the huge creamery and cheese factory. It was a great self guided tour with videos along the way explaining what you were seeing.



The glassed viewing areas above allowed one to watch every aspect from the mixing in the big vats, the forming and the wrapping of the large blocks for the aging process and then the slicing, weighing and the wrapping and packaging of the smaller blocks.

There were numerous assembly stations for this. It's a huge operation, employing a lot of people. I did take some pics which will give you an idea. Milk trucks deliver 24/7 and the facility has the capability of storing over 500 million pounds of cheese! (It takes 5 litres of milk to make 1# of cheese). We bought some of our favorite "Extra Sharp Cheddar", plus some milk & butter and then we sat and enjoyed the ice cream -- every flavour you can think of to choose from!









In the evening we headed to the beach with some wine and once again enjoyed the ocean sunset. Today is the first 'rain day' we've had. We were, however, able to get in a bike ride around the park before it started. (We should have saved the cheese factory tour!)

Anyway it was off to Tillamook for a few groceries. It would have been a good laundry day, but there are no laundry facilities in our campground so guess it'll wait for another day!

Mon 22nd - Day 2 in Newport, Oregon

We saw quite a bit of the area in and around Newport, today. The beautiful huge sandy beaches continue to be a real draw for us. We have to keep stopping for another beach and another look.



We stopped at Yaquina Bay and the historic 1871 Lighthouse which has been restored and is now open to visitors. We had lunch on Newport's busy bayfront with all it's fishing and boating activity. Newport has the largest fishing fleet in Oregon.

We spent a LONG time watching the sea lions on the wharf. They laze around and rarely open their eyes, but they bark continually at each other. (We wonder if it bothers the locals in the area, because it's way worse than the neighbor's dog who never shuts up!! -- We can even hear them from our campsite.) There appears to be a pecking order and some won't allow others up beside them. They can get pretty nasty about it. Funny animals -- Very entertaining to watch!



Nye's Beach is another historical area that was pretty cool to see. Quaint little homes now converted in to boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, fine dining and some lodging.  Did I mention another FANTASTIC beach front with miles of sand...wow.



Next stop was the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Ron really enjoyed it. I'm not a big fan of wildlife 'enclosures', although the underwater windows, do give you a great view of marine life that many of us would not experience otherwise. There were some pretty interesting specimens on display!

Back at camp we were treated to another spectacular sunset -- because yes, it was another great sunshine day!

Sun 21 - Newport, Oregon

South Beach State Park
Site #G18 - $22, p/w, no Internet, Temp 17.5C

Today we drove through the Oregon Dunes area. All that gorgeous sand! Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to interest Ron in renting an ATV and going for a ride. There were rental places everywhere. It looked like it would be great fun!



There were more mesmerising views today and again and we stopped for lunch after only 167 km. We were a little worried when we arrived at our destination spot of Newport and the South Beach State Park and saw the "campground full" sign. We drove in anyway and luckily they just hadn't removed their 'weekend' sign. Campers were lined up at the dump to empty their tanks, so there were lots of sites available.

Cormorants on the rocks

I haven't mentioned this fact before, but we are actually considered to be travelling 'backwards' or the 'wrong way' on this Oregon Coastal highway. Not because we can't see the views etc, that isn't the case at all, but, all the pull offs are on the other side of the highway.  It is a little scary when Ron pulls across traffic to get in and out of them!! We also miss a few pull offs that we might have stopped at because we just couldn't get over on time. So I would highly recommend travelling north to south. (The one disadvantage of travelling that direction is that most of the traffic is also going that way!)

Yesterday when we were driving, we noticed the fog was getting thicker and thicker as we drove along. We commented on how bad it was getting. Then Ron turned on his windshield wipers and the 'fog' disappeared!! We had quite a chuckle. We learned today that it is the salt from the ocean that does that. -- Us 'born and raised' prairie folk were a little slow on that one!!

We have 2 nights booked at this state park. The paved paths all through this park and down to the ocean are 'bike accessible' which I am very excited about. I can put on lots of miles on my bike, but not so much on my legs anymore.  It's time to explore!!



LATER: We enjoyed our bike ride to the beach, jetty and on in to town. We watched the fishermen coming in with their catch and then the cleaning -- mostly halibut it appeared. We were treated to a fantastic sunset.