Retracing our Steps with a Jog to the Oregon Coast and then Home Again

I’ll start with an apology for the long post. I ended up with lousy cell service and had to delay posting until we got home. I figured I might as well wrap up our trip in one final blogging extravaganza. So, grab your beverage of choice and enjoy!

We'll start with a cool ocean pic so you know good things are coming. Lol.

From Sequoia RV Park, our next couple stops are going to feel like déjà vu all over again. 😊 We made an overnight stop on Thursday, 3/17, at Vista Ranch, the Harvest Host location we stayed at earlier this trip. We restocked two of Rog’s favorites, their Zinfandel wine and a local habanero apricot jelly sold in their tasting room. 

On Friday, 3/18, we pulled into Rian’s, our favorite Sacramento moochdock. This time we managed to time our stay for the weekend so we could spend more time together. She loves rocks too, so I pulled out all my loot from Quartzsite and we got to ooooh and aaaah over them together. She liked the big fossil pieces and I decided to leave them both with her. It gives me an excuse to go back next year and buy more!

Rian and I spent Saturday hitting estate sales and doing some thrifting. We had fun and scored several treasures. Probably our best buy was an enormous potted jade tree. We struggled to carry it from the backyard of the house out to the curb, then we had to call Rog to bring the Acadia. No way was it going to fit in her Nissan Altima. We still had to lay the pot down on its side since the plant was too tall even for the Acadia. We carefully tipped it over and then both Rian and I did the spastic ick dance. There was a huge BLACK WIDOW SPIDER on the bottom of the pot that we’d just carried out. Ugh!!!  That was enough excitement for one day. Lol. 

On Sunday Rog and I were introduced to Dim Sum for brunch. I did not know that was a thing. It was excellent and I’ll be looking for a good place near home. Speaking of introductions, we also got to meet Rian’s boyfriend, Diego. A very nice guy who earned major mom points when he showed up (unprompted) with two quarts of Leatherby’s ice cream, a favorite of mine.

Rian and Diego introduce us to Dim Sum brunch.
The piggy buns are almost too cute to eat!

I spent most of one day working on her taxes and trying to move some old 401K funds into an IRA. Not the most fun stuff, but a necessary evil. While I crunched numbers, Rian decided to try out some of the bakeware we’d picked up at the estate sales. She’d scored a vintage Nordic Ware Bundt pan and used it to make an Egyptian Orange Cake that was awesome!

Rian makes magic.

On Tuesday, 3/22, we made our way north to our other favorite moochdocking spot in Redding to visit Rog’s Mom. We went out to Cattlemens Steakhouse to celebrate her partner Ed’s 82^nd birthday. 

Barb and Ed at Cattlemens. 
Happy Birthday, Ed!

On Thursday, Rog and I made a trip to the mother of all used bookstores, Cal’s Books in Redding. If you love used bookstores (and yes, we do!) then this one is a must see. Tucked in the rear of some sketchy-looking business, it doesn’t look like much from the outside. But it’s like Mary Poppin’s purse! I swear the inside is way bigger than the outside. Someway, somehow it violates the laws of physics. My first time in, my jaw hit the floor. I was enthralled and a bit overwhelmed and then realized I’d only seen half the store! There are thousands upon thousands of books, a whole sections of comics, record albums, and more. And everything is incredibly well organized! Rog and I have been in used bookstores where there are just piles of books laying around. Not Cal’s. It’s stuffed to the rafters, but all sorted by genre and then alphabetically by author. Can’t find something? Just ask and the proprietor will point you with laser precision to exactly where it’s at and then recommend similar authors/books you might like. This is obviously a lifetime’s work and passion. The Library of Congress could take lessons. Lol. Really, it is a great way to spend a couple hours or more. Can you tell I’m a fan? 😊

Cal's Books in Redding.
Amazing used book store!

One of the things we did while we were in Redding was complete our trip planning. We had an end date (April 2^nd) so what to do betwixt now and then? After looking at the weather and weighing our options, we decided to go north up I-5 and then cut over to the Oregon coast. It will be hard to leave Redding’s 80-90° temps and sunshine for 50° and drizzle, but unless we plan on staying out until mid-July, I guess it’s inevitable. For all my PNW peeps stuck at home all winter, I can hear your lack of sympathy. Cry me a river, right? Lol.

Riley helps with our workout. 
We need a third mat!

 

Just chillin' on the deck.

Our first stop after Redding was a new (to us) Harvest Host site, Climate City Brewery in Grants Pass, OR. We arrived mid-afternoon on Friday, 3/25, and got set up in their parking lot. When we went to unhook the Acadia, Rog discovered that the line that activates the brakes in the car when he applies the brakes in the RV had disconnected and was trashed from dragging on the ground. We called all the RV places from Medford to Grants Pass, but nobody had a replacement in stock. Rog was confident we’d fine until we got home. Considering it was likely disconnected while we went up and down Siskiyou Pass and he hadn’t noticed any difference, I’ll take him at his word.

We took Riley for walkies in the park across the street and then went into Climate City for dinner and a brew. Excellent food and good beer too. I can see this being a new addition to our I-5 itinerary. I completely forgot to take any pictures, so I’m going to snag a couple from the Harvest Host site. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in Grants Pass.

Climate City Brewery - a great Harvest Host site.

Our next stop was Timber Valley, another Escapee’s (SKP) co-op, this time in Sutherlin, OR. We had such a great time at Jojoba Hills that we were eager to try out another SKP park. I called the office to ask about available spaces and was happy to learn open spots are all first come/first served and they also have a large boondocking area. The office was closed on Saturday, 3/26, when we arrived but they had a super slick system for afterhours arrivals.  Each open spot had an envelope with the space number on it, a registration form, map, wifi password, and other important details.  We looked at the map, located the available sites and picked an end site next to the trail system. We only had two days there but it’s another place that we’ll happily add to our “must do again” list.

We got a great spot next to the nature trail.

Timber Valley was a large SKP park with over 200 full hook-up sites. While they didn’t have quite the extensive array of amenities found at Jojoba Hills, there was a club house with exercise equipment, reading room, etc. However, what they did have an abundance of was TURKEYS. They were flocks of 20 or so strutting around, gobbling and generally being entertaining. Dinner and a show? Lol. We also saw deer next to our campsite. When we walked the 2-mile nature trail, Riley was very interested in the jackrabbits with enormous ears.

Turkeys everywhere!!

Rog and Riley on the trail.

The Trillium was blooming,
but Riley was more interested in the jackrabbits.

From Sutherlin, OR we headed west on Hwy 138 and 38, then north on Hwy 101 to Newport. Our destination was South Beach State Park, arriving on Monday, 3/28. We stayed here almost exactly four years ago in March of 2018. Check out the post and pics of Riley as a 9-month old puppy. (Go Around the Bend: South Beach Bums) He’s filled out quite a bit, but some things haven’t changed at all – like his insatiable desire for play time! He got lots of beach time on Tuesday and we walked a couple of miles on the Cooper Ridge Nature Trail.

Follow the bouncing ball...

On the trail again.

On Wednesday, Riley had a coach day while Rog and I drove back down Hwy 101 towards Florence, OR. We put on our tourist hats and went to visit the Sea Lion Caves! We’ve driven past it many times, but had never stopped. The Cave has been operated as a privately owned wildlife sanctuary since 1932. The Sea Lion Caves is America's largest sea cave per the Guinness Book of World Records and is the year-round home of the Stellar Sea Lion. The cave system is at sea level and the ocean continually washes into the main cavern. The cave has a floor area of about two acres under a vaulted rock dome 125 feet high. There are several openings into the cave, the sea lions swim in, while the tourists take the elevator. Lol. Hundreds of sea lions winter in the cave and then move to the rookery ledges outside in spring and summer for breeding and birthing. We were lucky to get to see them both inside and outside the cave.

 

Sea Lion Caves - yay!

Lots of action inside the cave...

...and outside too.

The staff described the atmosphere in the cave as “boisterous”, that’s putting it mildly. The thundering of the waves entering the cave competes with the cacophony of hundreds of loudly barking sea lions jockeying for position. It was so much fun watching them play king (or queen) of the hill and doing their best Little Mermaid impressions on the rocks. The juveniles really cracked us up, big gangs of 20-30 rafting the waves. They looked like they were having too much fun.

Sea lions on the rocks. Lol.

Doing her best Little Mermaid impression. 

Waves crash over the sea lions.

The cave itself is very cool.

Quite the discussion going on here. Lol.

Before the elevator was completed in 1961, access to the caves was down a trail 1500 feet long that was excavated by hand into the face of the cliff and then down 135 stairs in a wooden tower to the north entrance of the cave. The stairs are gone, but from the north opening there are some fantastic views of Heceta Head Lighthouse. As tourist traps go, this one was definitely worthwhile.

Heceta Head Lighthouse.

On the drive down Hwy 101 we stopped at several viewpoints for pictures. I love trying to capture the waves crashing on the rocks and blow holes spouting. We saw lots of sea lions and seals hanging out and playing in the waves. Probably the most exciting sighting was a group of three Orcas!

Spouting Horn.
One of the viewpoints along Hwy 101.

 

Oregon Coast - beautiful!

Orca!!!

Lots of sea lions along the coast too.

These guys were just having a ball riding the waves.

Rog and I stopped for a late lunch at Wolf Tree Brewery in South Beach. They specialize in sours (my favorite!) and had several guest taps. The 5-star reviews of the food and brews were spot on. Yum!

Wolf Tree sours - a flight of deliciousness.

In case you were worried that poor Riley was being totally neglected, let me assure you he wasn’t. He got one last play session on the beach while we enjoyed the sunset.

Rog and Riley on the South Jetty.

The sun is going down.

Evening light

Riley makes tracks on the beach.

Thursday, 3/31, we moved further north to Fort Stevens State Park south of Astoria, OR. This is another repeat visit, but I think we were last here about 20 years ago, so I’m not sure that really counts. Lol. It rained off and on during the drive, but the sun was peeking out by the time we arrived. There is tons to see and do at Fort Stevens. We only had two days there, but we gave it our best shot. It’s about two miles to the beach from our campsite, so we decided to walk Riley to Coffenbury Lake which was only a half mile away. There’s a loop trail around the lake and altogether we did about three miles.

Coffenbury Lake.

Vibrant mossy trees and ferns.
We're not in the desert anymore. Lol.

On Friday we decided to try some beach riding on the bikes. Rog had read about a ride that strung together a couple of trails and a long beach ride, but it was over 30 miles. We opted to shorten that up quite a bit and see more of the Fort Stevens historical sights. We started off fairly early since low tide was at 8am and headed to the beach. First stop was the wreck of the Peter Iredale, a three-masted English sailing ship that ran aground in 1906. The ship had a steel hull and its rusted remains protrude from the sand.  

Wreck of the Peter Iredale.

Most of the wreck is buried beneath the sand.

We had a great time riding our bikes up the beach, keeping to the hard packed sand. Getting from the beach up over the dunes to the parking lot and trail system was a bit more challenging. It was hike-a-bike up a steep, narrow trail in deep, loose sand. My ebike has a walking assist mode, but it didn’t help much when the back tire kept spinning in the sand. Between the two of us we man-handled it up the hill. I love my ebike, but there are times I wish it weighed a whole lot less. Lol.  The next part of our ride was on paved bike trails. Fort Stevens has about 9 miles of paved trail and I think we rode most of them.

Saw this guy next to the road.

We stopped at the historical center to learn a little about Fort Stevens role guarding the mouth of the Columbia River from the Civil War through WWII. We explored the Pratt Battery, which was outfitted with 10” and 6” guns built on special “disappearing carriages” so they would rise up to shoot and then retract behind the wall.

Rog checks out the 6" gun.

 

The "disappearing" gun, powder canisters, and underground storage.

The Russell Battery was constructed in 1904 and also had the unique disappearing guns. It was attacked by a Japanese submarine during WWII, the only mainland military target that was fired on.

Bunker near the Russell Battery.

Exploring the Russell Battery.

After our bike ride we tried to interest Riley in another walk, but he was having none of it. He was all about a couch day. Lol. By late afternoon it had started to rain, so we left sleeping beauty to rest while Rog and I drove into Astoria to Ft. George Brewery. The food and brews were good, but the highlight was a stout cheesecake with chocolate expresso cream. Oh yeah, hit me with that again. 😊  It was great way to end a fun day and an awesome 85 days on the road.

Couch dog!

Saturday, 4/2, we arrived home and hit the ground running. We have the usual unpacking, cleaning, laundry, etc. and not a lot of time to do it. We have a repair appointment for the rig on April 11^th at Elite RV in Harrisburg, OR. In the meantime, I’ll be heading to Everett to visit my Mom who was admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure. (Not life threatening, but a new chronic condition to add to the list. Getting old is not for wimps.) Throw in long overdue haircuts for both of us, some medical appointments, our weekly workouts with the Head Inquisitor (oops, I mean our personal trainer) and of course Riley’s play dates, and let’s not forget a happy hour or two to reconnect with friends and you can see what I mean about running. Lol.  

We have reservations in July at Diamond Lake in Oregon with my brother Tim and friends, but no clear plans yet on if/how we might extend that trip. We’ll let you know when we get it figured out!