We are already in May. The seasons are starting to whip past and we are still in Oregon. The phone call we had been waiting for from the cardiologist finally happened. Actually, David decided to be a squeaky wheel and called two days in a row. So he has an appointment and we can get out of town for a bit. We checked out Harvest Hosts and made a reservation for May 8th at Bridgeview Winery off the Redwood Highway.
Little side bar here: If you travel the country in or with an RV and you’ve not looked at Harvest Hosts you really should. It’s not just wineries and breweries, it’s also golf courses, farms, and monument sites that you can stay over night. There are churches also. So do yourself a favor and at least look at them.
The van was pretty much ready. It was clean. The linens were clean. There was propane. The composting toilet was back in place. But it was empty. The day after the doctor call we topped off the water and loaded our clothes. Food – for some reason – never goes in until the morning of take off.
We are not morning people. Not since we retired. Let me rephrase that last statement. I was always a morning person until David retired a month after I did. Now we are NOT morning people. I miss it. And since we are not morning people we rarely leave the driveway before 10:30AM. May 8th was no different. Fortunately, our destination was only 3 hours away.
As I said we rarely leave the driveway before 10:30. That does not necessarily mean that breakfast is always late. It’s usually before 9:00 AM because I am hungry and I start the coffee. This means by the time we hit Roseburg it was really and truly time for lunch. Because we’ve been home for 7 months I’m a little rusty at being “lunch finder”. However, I did not disappoint. I pulled up at Little Brother’s Pub in old town Roseburg. This was a wonderful little pub east of the river. It was quiet – Thursday afternoon – only the cook and presumed owner and the barmaid. Lunch was great! Hamburgers and salad. Took us all the way to Cave Junction and Bridgeview Winery.
What a serene setting. The winery is off the road far enough that you barely hear the occasional passing car. When you pull up the pond is in front of you with two swans gliding along the surface. There is a large outdoor deck. Can’t get much more romantic.
The wines were unexpected. David and I live in the Willamette Valley, known for it’s pinots. We are not big pinot folks and I didn’t expect to find it so far south in Oregon. But the two pinots we had were interesting and I could see myself opening a bottle of the pinot noir some afternoon, before dinner.
Following a very quiet night the morning was beautiful. We discovered that swans sleep later than we do.
After breakfast and coffee it was time to head west to the coast.
David and I have not driven the Redwood Highway since 1995. Due to fires in recent years the highway was not how we remembered it. Many areas on both sides of the road were seriously scarred by fires. So not quite as beautiful as we remembered.
The Redwood Highway took us to Crescent City, CA. We spent some time on the pier across from the lighthouse. At this point our empty stomachs took us to Seaquake Brewing for lunch. We’ve been here before on our way down south, so there were no unpleasant surprises. Very yummy food and great beer. While we were having lunch we took advantage of the wifi to book a campsite on the Oregon Coast. Well that was my goal anyway. David – because this is the way he rolls – decided it wasn’t necessary to book a site ahead since it was still off season.
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Before crossing the California/Oregon state line a stop at All Star Liquors was required. This is always a must stop location if you live in Washington or Oregon and you are returning from California. We stocked up for most of the summer here.
My first choice was Harris Beach. It was full and driving by I could see why. It’s beautiful.
Onward to the next campground: Humbug Mountain.
Humbug Mountain had vacancies, but; you still need to make reservations online. This is why you stop at a brewpub in a town with wifi. The Humbug Mountain campground is in what might be considered a ravine or a canyon between Humbug Mountain and another foothill (mountain). The wifi at was sketchy to say the least. So after finding a campsite that suited us we drove back to the entrance to make our reservation before someone else did.
We spent a quiet, peaceful night. The next morning we left for Bandon OR and Sunset Bay Beach State Park – a favorite spot for us.
Once in Bandon we perused a couple of shops, because that’s what you do in small coastal towns. This is where I usually pick up a pair of earrings. Earrings are a safe souvenir purchase because they are small and non-breakable. Not a lot of room in the van.
As I stated earlier; a brew pub, or tavern, or some sort of eating establishment is a good place to find free wifi for making camping reservations. Wanting to avoid the previous night’s shenanigans with connecting to wifi, I steered us toward Foley’s Irish
Pub. We found a couple of stools at the bar and ordered a Guinness each.
I love sitting at the bar when we travel. It’s an opportunity to talk with local folks or fellow travelers. I struck up a conversation with three local women. I mentioned that David is my cook and had been cooking since he was a kid and from that point it became a conversation about cooking and I was out of the conversation. Folks that know me well know that I do not enjoy cooking or cooking shows. Therefore, I have no recollection of this conversation.
Because we were still off season we were not able to get a site deep in the campground. The park was still undergoing cleanup from some major winter weather events. One campground loop was completely closed off for construction. When we spoke to a park employee we learned the campground had suffered three major floods during the winter. Along with this cleanup the park was having to remove several large evergreens due to disease and end of life for many of the trees. It is definitely sad to see this but absolutely necessary for safety. No one wants a dying 50 to 100 foot evergreen landing in their campsite.
Sunset Bay is a favorite for a few reasons. The first being in the name. The photos I have taken of the sunset are beautiful. This beach can be empty all day and all of a sudden right before sunset the day use parking lot fills up and the beach is full of people just waiting for the sunset. The second reason is the campground itself. It’s large wooded and has dozens of sites including; full hook up rv, tent, group, and yurts. Last but not least is the trail to Shore Acres State Park. The trail s is two miles with non-stop breathtaking, jaw dropping views of the rocky cliffs and the Pacific Ocean. The end of the trail brings visitors to the remains of the remains of the Simpson estate. First you encounter a wide viewing area where – in the correct season – you can see migrating Grey Whales and off to the south on a large rock off shore massive sea lions in large numbers. When we would come here tent camping we could hear the huge beasts barking at night. If you follow the walkway south and slightly east the Gardens are waiting. Louie Simpson, a timber baron, purchased this land and built a mansion (no longer standing) for his wife. Then he brought in plants from all over the world. The plants were planted in the fashion of the elaborate gardens of Britain and Europe. There is something in bloom all year. There is a gorgeous rose garden. There is also a lovely pond with coi fish in the Japanese Garden. Also onsite is The Cottage. The park used to raffle off New Years Eve lodging at The Cottage. I don’t know if they still do. During the Christmas season the Gardens are lit with thousands of lights. We still have not seen this, but I hope to some year.
Of course we had a relaxing trip. This was the break we needed. It is truly a blessing to be so close to so much beauty. This, along with the weather, is why I cannot image living somewhere other than the Pacific Northwest and since we started traveling the country we have seen some incredible natural beauty.
Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoyed the read and the photos. There will be more coming in June.
January adventures were limited as were the shenanigans. We’re back home in Oregon and the weather is…January in the Pacific Northwest. That being said, when we were in Washington for the holidays, my naughty sister-in-law ( J ) decided my daughter-in-law ( K ) and I needed to accompany her on a “girl’s” weekend.
After convincing her husband to pay for lodgings, the planning started. And stopped. The weekend she wanted was the first weekend in January. Still considered the holidays there was no room at any inn, unless my brother-in-law was willing to pay 5 star prices. K also wanted my niece to come. She lives and works in Los Angeles. A word about my niece here: She is; bold, fearless, kind, thoughtful, a kick in the pants, and somewhat crazy. It surprised everyone when my niece turned out to be the voice of reason here and not only convinced the other two women to wait, but also that she would not be joining us. She has a job and other responsibilities. Therefore, we opted for the second weekend in January, much to my relief.
After texting and calling on group threads the three of us chose Poulsbo WA. J had been there and enjoyed it. I had driven through but never stopped. K – who hales from Georgia by way of San Francisco – had never been.
January 10th I drove from Eugene OR to Lynnwood WA. The next day J and I picked up K in Kenmore WA and we were off for the Edmonds ferry dock. Somehow we timed it just as the ferry left, but that put us first in line. We were happy ladies, even though it was too cold for the other two to walk the dock. It was a gorgeous Pacific Northwest winter day.
There was a moment of panic on J’s part when she realized she had not booked the hotel she thought she had. But, it ended up being a cozy room with a pull out couch and two queen beds.
We deposited our belongings in the room and headed down the hill to the older part of town and food.
The first stop was an Italian restaurant, Songo di Vino. We each ordered wine of our choosing and two different charcuterie boards. So good. I had a Malbec that worked so well with the brie, goat cheese, bread and salami and everything. The atmosphere was exactly what I was looking for on a cold winter day; cozy, warm, small, with a fireplace.
Next stop was Tea and Spice. I probably could have spent hours in this shop. If my daughter had been with us we would have. These lovely people will brew a cup of any tea in the shop for you to taste. J requested a cup of the Lush Tropic Chai White Tea for both of us. I ended up going back just before closing to purchase a container.
We stopped and browsed more shops than I can remember. Our last stop in Old Town was Details Wine Bar. Another Malbec for me please. J and K had tasters and a glass each. We needed food again.
We headed back up the hill toward the hotel. Conveniently located across the road from our hotel was Mezcalitos Mexican Restaurant. Oh my! We started with sangria. Oh my! I ordered chicken mole. I have never had chicken mole served that way before. I was served a hind quarter with the most delicious mole sauce. As we were finishing our food and drinks K ordered three shots of tequila. Shenanigans these women get me into! I did not partake.
We returned to the hotel with full tummies and bright spirits (some brighter than others). After working a puzzle and watching a holiday rom/com, we turned in for the night. We had a tight schedule the next day. We had to make an early ferry and get K home before my son went to work.
We made it! And we’ll do it again. Perhaps a different town – look out people – and maybe with my niece and my daughter in tow.
Unfortunately, I did not have either of my cameras with me and only took a video of happy J on my cell. I have chosen not to publish said video.
January Adventures Continued
By the time the last week in January rolled around my husband, David, and I had both been home since January 13. We hadn’t left Eugene since my romp in Poulsbo January 12th. David hadn’t been anywhere since the New Year when we were up in Seattle. Cabin fever had arrived. So we pulled up the internet on our respective phones and started hunting. We chose the Commodore Hotel in Astoria OR.
Since we are retired, reservations midweek are the best option. Our reservations for Thursday and Friday were locked in. Yahoo!
A few words about the Commodore Hotel. The Commodore was built and opened in 1925 after most of the town burned in 1923. For reasons known only to the owner, the hotel closed its doors in 1965. In 2007 it was purchased, renovated and reopened in 2009.
It is an interesting building. All of the street side rooms have private bathrooms. All of the interior rooms share bathrooms. On the bedside table there is a sound machine and earplugs. The first evening we figured out why.
A couple of the window panes are original rolled glass and the others are single pane. I should have used the earplugs.
The evening we arrived we started at Barclays Whiskey Bar. Very Cozy. Very good drinks. Not my mother’s hot toddy. From here we moved to Fort George Brewing for tasters and pizza. A gastronomical wonder. At this point it was time to return to the room for the night. Did I mention it was pouring rain most of the night.
The rain continued with force the following day. While we ate a scrumptious breakfast in the hotel cafe we searched our phones for inside activities – other than drinking and eating. The answer was the Maritime Museum on the RiverWalk. But before we dove to the museum we had to drive across the Astoria Megler Bridge to Long Beach WA.
No trip to the Mouth of the Columbia is complete without a trip to Long Beach. David and I brought our children to the Long Beach Peninsula almost every year while they were growing up in Whatcom County Washington. Of course it was still pouring so I got out of the car long enough to take a photo of the ocean.
We probably spent two hours in the museum. Much like the Shipwreck Museum on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Maritime Museum held a lot of information about the shipwrecks on the Columbia Bar. It is one of the most dangerous water ways in the world, nicknamed Graveyard of the Pacific. There were three dimensional maps recording all the shipwrecks for two centuries. There were models of several of the ships that had gone down in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
The museum also had an extensive exhibit on the Chinook Nation and their culture. This included two full size family canoes. It was inspiring to learn how this Nation of people refused to be relocated. Therefore, they are not recognized by the US Federal government as an independent nation. They are still fighting for that recognition.
After spending so much time in the museum our very filling breakfast had worn off. Once again it was time to find food. And it was still raining. This was not going to be a photography day.
We began our search for refreshment by heading south on the RiverWalk.. I would love to come back and walk the entire RiverWalk in the spring or summer. The views of the Columbia and the Washington side are astounding. I love this area.
Where we finally landed, after much searching and looking at some misleading photos online, was WineKraft Wine Bar. While we watched freighters lined up and waiting to cross The Bar, we each had a glass and perused our phones for dinner.
Astoria Brewing right across from WineKraft. Another set of tasters. I really liked these beers and usually when we do tasters I only like one or two. I honestly don’t remember what I ate here. I know it was good. Perhaps I had more beer than I usually do.
Saturday morning dawned fairly dry, which was good since we were heading home.
First; sustenance for the road. It was time for a bakery.
The Blue Scorcher seemed to have the best reviews and they were open. The coffee was heavenly as was my berry scone. We ate at the window bar and watched a couple of adorable toddlers while talking with their mommies. Then it was time to go home.
Another notch on our travel belt. This was a very interesting trip. Astoria is one of those towns David and I pass through occasionally but never spend more than a couple of hours visiting. We know now that we will return – not in January.
Thank you for reading my blog. As I said before; I am learning. Hopefully future posts will be presented more attractively and have more photos. ( I really didn’t take many pictures last month ). Please feel free to email me or leave comments on my home page. ( Be gentle , please)
I am April Phinney and this is my blog. An important disclosure here: I am a 69 year old retiree who has avoided computers – other than email, facebook, and editing my photos – since retiring in 2021,
The blog is my way of sharing our travels (Adventures) and experiences (Shenanigans). My husband and I have been periodically traveling in our 2018 Ram Promaster since completing the conversion of the empty van to a camper.
When I announced my intention to leave Facebook several people asked where they would be able to follow my travels. A blog seemed the best solution. So here we go!!
Keep in mind; this is a huge learning experience for me. So there may be some stumbles on the way.
