Crescent City, CA

October 10 - 12, 2015

 We had a bit of fog on the way down the coast this morning, but we found this beach interesting anyway.

The video above is of the young pelicans. I've never tried to put a video on here before, and Phil has taken some really cool ones. So I don't know if this is going to work.

Phil always seems to take the picture of where we are as we are leaving!!

This is our site at Shoreline RV Park, just a few yards from the water. There was always a breeze off the water, so it was cool, windows and door open all the time.

I told Phil this looked like he was getting to walk the plank, lol!!

You can see how this little strip of land separates us from the water.

The park is very nice, kept clean and there is space between the sites. Some of the water sites are set up for MH's so that the front window faces the water and some are for 5er's and TT's so that they can back in, and in our case, our back window overlooks the water. A very well thought out park

We were highly entertained by these young pelicans. These birds are so awkward and so funny! They are like teenage boys who get their feet wrapped around a chair then try to get up before the message gets to their feet.

Battery Point Lighthouse, in the fog. The tide was in, the wind was really blowing, so the waves were crashing against the rocks and I was mesmerized. Waves talk to my soul!!

From a distance it looks like a little castle uh?

The lighthouse is literally built into the rock

Our rig (really zoomed in) from the view point of the lighthouse

At first I didn't even recognize that it was our rig, we don't usually look at it from the 'back' side.

This is a playground build in Crescent City for the kids. This is complex, a separate area for toddlers, the rest of it for little kids. I just think the whole thing is amazing!

The teepee looking wooden structures are covers for the picnic tables

Kidtown Rules

When Phil was out taking pictures around the rig and of the water, this little guy was right there with him and not afraid of him at all.  He was probably so use to people feeding him that he was wondering what was wrong with Phil, who wasn't feeding him.

Cape Blanco State Park, OR

October 8, 2015

We are camped at Cape Blanco State Park, near Bandon, OR.

Cape Blanco Lighthouse, is still a working light, automated and maintained by the CG, but the building and grounds are maintained by the Oregon Lighthouse Society.

The view was gorgeous!!

 This is what it looked like back in the day when the keepers house was there and everything was newer.

 Phil thinks this exposed cable might be some the CG put in many years ago

Our site at the state park, the light filtering through the trees is reflection off of the ocean. With the trees so thick, we didn't have much of a view, but we could hear the waves. The park was well taken care of, the site we were in was almost level.

 Although the concrete pad site was level, the site dropped off dramatically, so the back end of the rig was sort of hanging off the edge.

Phil took this picture at the trail head that leads to the cliff overlooking the beach.

 The end of the trail and then a sheer drop off to the beach, also a very far off view of the Cape Blanco Light

Zoomed in a little bit, you can almost tell there is a lighthouse there.

Phil must have been in this guys territory, the hawk (??) almost flew right into him as he was standing there taking pictures.

Looks like a predator of some sort...

Charleston/Coos Bay, OR

 October 5, 2015

We continue our trek down the 101 to Coos Bay, OR.

The 101 is an old highway literally dug into the sides of many mountains as it winds it's way along the coast of Washington, Oregon and Northern California. It' not unusual to find large patched areas where the road had collapsed. This is the beginning of one of those places.

 Wondering if this group of Sea Lions are the females the males up north were waiting for?? They don't seem to be in a big hurry to go anywhere.

 Looking straight down the cliff at the opening of a possible sea cave. The sea lions seemed to like it.

 Heceta Head Lighthouse is one of Phil's favorites, and apparently the worlds. It is pegged to be one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world.

 Umpqua Light is unique because of it's red lens. The houses around the light use to be CG, but don't appear to be any longer.

 Part of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area are directly in front of the Umpqua Light

 Part of the lands around the light have been given back to the Native Tribes

 This is the house Phil owned in his past life in Coos Bay. He remodeled the entire house after work and on the week ends

 The shop where Phil worked during the four years he was stationed in Coos Bay. They allowed him entrance and let him go through the shop albums

 The above list goes with the picture below, the close up of Phil is also from the photo below.

 Picture on the right goes with the list below

 This is Cape Arago Light. We have a painting at home of the scene above, painted by a lady who lived in Coos Bay when Phil was there.

 Tide pools on the beach behind Oceanside RV Park, where we were staying while in Coos Bay

Our site at Oceanside RV Park

Making our way through Oregon

 September 21 - October 2, 2015

After leaving Whidbey Island, we drove to the south end of Seattle to Kent, WA where we stayed in a very expensive KOA, because there wasn't anything else in the area where we needed to be. We were there to visit with my Nephew Allen and his family, Tirza, Natallie and Nick. We were there for four days. Then we moved down to the Olympia area to visit with a cousin of Phil's that he met on DNA. We stayed at Camp Murray, a small campground across the interstate from Lewis/McCord joint base. Our next stop was to Vernonia, OR to spend a few days with Grant and Judi Rand, more friends from Phil's CG days in Coos Bay.

 The above picture is of the docks at Longview, WA where the logs going overseas to Japan and other Asian ports are collected.

To the left is the bridge that spans the Columbia River, connecting Washington to Oregon.


Below, looking back at the bridge we just crossed and the Columbia River

After Vernonia, we spent some time in Warrenton, OR, where we stayed at Camp Rilea which is a National Guard training base. The sites are level and full 30/50 amp hookups. Icing on the cake was that the very nice laundry room was free!


The base...spacious and clean as a whistle!!

 After Warrenton, our next destination was Newport, OR. This part of the coast is one of my favorites, it changes from sandy beaches to sharp rocky shores and back again.  The people of Oregon are to be commended, they take their guardianship of nature's resources seriously. Even with the trashy outsiders tromping through Oregon in groves, the people of Oregon manage to come behind them to pick up as much of the litter as possible. Compared to the Southern California beaches I grew up on, Oregon is pristine clean!

 Tillamook Light sits about a mile off shore from our picture taking location, almost lost in the haze. It's nickname is "Terrible Tilly" because of the constant winds and waves that assault it on a regular basis. The island also serves as a safe haven for over 12,000 nesting birds during a season.

This large area of highway support (found all along Highway 101 and Highway 1 )is not unusual. The shear drop offs of the rocky cliffs follow gravity, and tumble down to the base of the mountain far below the highways.

 But from the same viewpoint is the sight I love about the west coast. From northern California north to the northern most tip of Washington are miles of wild and free coast, where you can go hear the waves pounding on the rocky shores or just shushing on a clean sandy beach. I love it, it talks to my soul.

 In Newport, OR, the Yaquina Bay Bridge looks onto the Yaquina Coast Guard Base.

 The front of the building looks over Yaquina Bay. The top floor of this building was the barracks when Phil was in the CG, but now it is offices. A new barracks building can be seen in the background.

 This is a picture of a picture that Phil took of the CG boat house after it was hit by a freighter trying to turn around in the small bay. Phil was part of a crew sent up from Coos Bay with poles to help shore up the building if necessary. Phil took this picture from the bridge as they crossed over the bay.

From the shore side of the boat house the damage is severe. These pictures were in archive albums stored in the boat house. Phil was allowed, with escort, to go into the new boat house to look for these photos.

 These male sea lions could be heard all over town. We were told they are upset because the females are still south with pups and not expected here for another few weeks.

 From the harbor we drove over to the Yaquina Bay lighthouse. We have been here before, but not during visiting hours. Today, we got to go through it.

 It's a grand old building, but only served for three years according to the sign. Just from looking at it, I would guess that it was to short, and was replaced by the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

Yaquina Head Light sits tall and regal on the point.