And the Winner is…the Coastal Route!

Sometimes we go places to have an adventure, other times just getting there is the adventure! The latter seems to be the case for this trip. We are still having a grand time, exploring new places and revisiting old favorites, but our time on the road hasn’t been as simple as just driving from Point A to Point B.  

Bullards Beach in black and white.

We left Albany Sunday morning, 2/26, after deciding to take I5 to Hwy 38 to US101. We’ve used the coastal route before to avoid the passes on I5 in the winter. This time, however, even 101 had closures due to snow, storm debris, and landslides so it wasn’t a no-brainer. Luckily, we encountered no problems getting to our next stop at Bullards Beach State Park near Bandon, OR. This was a new campground for us and we definitely hope to return!

The campground itself was lovely, with spacious sites under the trees and hook-ups too! But what we really loved was the beach! It helped that the campground wasn’t even a quarter full, so we had miles of beautiful sandy beach all to ourselves. We timed it for a long play session with only minimal rain and Riley and Raney had an absolute blast. We are so happy to see them playing together more and more. Raney will strafe Riley, he will puppy bow, and then it’s game on. So much fun to watch!

 

Miles of beach and not another soul around.

Can I take one of these driftwood stumps home, pleeeeease. 😄

Riley loving the beach.

Rog and the kids.

Raney and Riley at Bullards Beach.

We didn’t get a chance to explore the many trails, but we did stop to take a look at the Coquille River Lighthouse. It is one of eight lighthouses remaining on the Oregon Coast. Built in 1896 to guide boats safely across the shallow mouth of the Coquille River, it was decommissioned in 1939 and replaced with an automatic light on the south jetty. The lighthouse remained abandoned until 1963 when Oregon State Parks leased it and surrounding acreage for the park. It was closed during our visit, but tours are offered in the summer. Another reason to return. Lol.

Coquille River Lighthouse.

We opted for two nights at Bullards Beach to avoid driving through “energetic weather,” high winds are no fun! Rog and I left the tired pups on the couch and drove into Bandon. It’s a cute, touristy little town that was nearly closed down on a winter Monday. We perused the few open shops, and struck gold at Coastal Chocolates, Face Rock Creamery, and Rain Cidery. Gourmet chocolate, locally made cheese, and excellent cider. I’m in!

 

The deco style bridge into town was super cool.
Also loved Face Rock Creamery and Coastal Chocolates is an old favorite!

Fun to find a craft cidery right next to the creamery!

In case you thought we were completely out of the snow globe, let me assure you there was plenty more along 101. Luckily, our weather window stayed open and the roads were mostly bare and wet. CalTrans was busy all along our route, clearing downed trees and storm debris, and scraping slushy snow from the roads. More storms were expected over the weekend and they were staging plows along the highway.

 

Snow along 101.

CalTrans at work. Thank you!

The drive down 101 is beautiful and one of my favorites, weaving along the coast and through the giant redwoods. We stopped for some puppy play on a deserted beach and the kids had another great time running zoomies in the sand.

 

Play time on the beach!

Rog and Raney.

Here comes Riley!

Beautiful spot for a break.

While it wasn’t the horrific knuckle-biter that we did through Portland, I was still happy to descend the final grade and make it into to the lowlands where we should be done with snow – at least for now! We arrived in Arcata, CA, where Randi attended Humboldt University, and pulled into the Mad River RV Park with blue skies and sunshine! To celebrate our successful escape from wintry weather, Rog and I walked over to the Fiesta Grill and Cantina for a delicious Mexican dinner and a margarita. Life is good. 😊

 

Sunshine and, best of all, no snow at Mad River RV park.

Check out this amazing art bus at Mad River. 
All hand painted and glass mosaic. 

Happy campers after a long drive.

We stayed just one night at Mad River and continued our drive south on 101 to a Harvest Host location in Calpella, CA. We had stayed at Testa Vineyards on a trip in 2021 and were happy to make a repeat stop. They have a new Wine and Coffee Shop where Rog picked up a bottle of vino and I scored a yummy blueberry scone. We parked in the fenced area near the vineyard. The puppers loved playing in the fields, the trick was keeping them out of the pond. Lol.

On the road again....

Testa Vineyards Wine and Coffee Shop.

Parked next to the vineyard,

Fun in the fields!

On Thursday, 3/2, we moved on to our next stop in Sacramento, CA. We’re staying for a few days to visit with Rian. One of the downsides of having to divert to the coast was that we missed seeing Rog’s mom in Redding. We have plans (all weather dependent, as we now know!) made for most of our trip, but haven’t chosen a return route yet, maybe we’ll be able to swing by on our way home.

 

Parked at one of our favorite moochdocks.

Rian and I both love to thrift, so we spent some time on Friday and most of Saturday hitting estate sales and thrift stores. I had brought Rian a couple boxes of stuff from home and managed to refill every inch of space with the treasures we found. Lol. On Friday, Rian's furbaby, Floyd, had a vet appointment. He's been having some rear chassis problems, specifically a neurological deficit that was affecting one of his hind legs. The vet put him on anti-inflammatory meds and restricted activity. No more flying off the couch to do battle with the postman. If that doesn't help, next steps could involve a veterinary neurologist, an MRI, and possibly surgery. Every parent's worst nightmare.  The remainder of our time was spent visiting, catching up on laundry, and cleaning the rig and the pupwagon.

 

Riley gets couch privileges at Sissy's house.

Floyd is on light-duty and he is not amused.

Hey, I want couch time too! 
(Notice the nose art on the glass door. Lol.)

Yoga time, downward facing dog?
Rian caught this pic of Riley mid-stretch. Lol. 

Now let me introduce you to the pupwagon. When we got Raney, Rog decided that the rear of the Acadia wasn’t going to cut it for two big dogs. He did a ton of research and decided that Raney needed a Honda Element. Which is ironic since it was a long-standing family joke that the “element” in question was buttuglium. Lol. Unfortunately, Honda stopped making the Element in 2011, so the unicorn search began. We finally snagged a 2008 model in good condition with relatively low miles. Rog bought and installed all the components so it could be towed behind the motorhome. We removed the back seats, which gives the two puppers plenty of room. We're still working out the fine details, but so far it’s a winner and best of all – the suicide doors make it easy for both of them to get in and out without a ramp!

The pupwagon.

We left Rian’s Sunday afternoon (3/5) heading toward another Harvest Host site in Merced. A few more stops until we meet up with Bob and Carole and Ruby! That will be a happy reunion. Lol.