Valley River Center, Eugene, Oregon

Sunday: (10/30)The rain increased as we departed Florence. The drive to Eugene was nice as the rain decreased on the way. When we got to Eugene I needed a nap. Lou checked out  the stores nearby as I recharged. Then we moved to our camp for the night at the Valley River Center shopping mall. They allow up to two nights if you register with security. Lou and I took a walk along the river park paths by our parking spot at the mall. Dinner was cold cuts, cheese and crackers. Above is our "campsite" on the left and the Williamette River by the campsite on the right.
(GPS:44.06778563,-123.11012592)

Monday: (10/31) PBJ English muffins for breakfast. I called the Motosat repair technician but somehow we never connected today as arranged last Wednesday. It doesn't appear like we'll get together so I'll just fix the dish when we get home. The weather was nice most of the day with some sunshine. Lou and I spent the day visiting thrift stores. We also stopped by the Post Office to get stamps and mail a passel of letters. Olive loaf sandwiches for lunch. Tomorrow we'll be off heading South toward Reedsport. I had a hamburger for dinner and Lou had a chef's salad.

Tuesday: (11/01) A foggy morning. Lou made Don McMuffins for breakfast. We had a few errands to run this morning before we hit the road. Since I didn't get the Motosat dish fixed here, I stopped at the local Goodwill computer store and bought a couple of used Hughesnet modems. There's only a slight chance they will work but they were next to free and mine existing modem is likely bad. With our errands done we hit the highway, I5 South to Highway 38 through Drain to Reedsport. We stopped at a bakery in reedsport abd bouth some bread and rolls, and a donut. We walked around looking at a few shops as well. Continuing South on Highway 101 we checked out a couple of campgrounds before stopping in North Bend at the Mill Casino.

Sutton Campground, Florence, Oregon

Saturday: (10/29) We moved to Sutton campground about a mile from our previous camp and closer to Florence. We found a sunnier, more level campsite there. French toast and ham for breakfast when we got settled.  Today we visited Sealion Caves. Unfortunately there were no sea lions in the cave so we didn't go down to the cave. We've seen the cav before, with sea lions. We do understand that the sea lions do have things to do. We took a drive out on some Forest Service roads near Sea Lions Caves. Some nice hills which would have been even nicer with less fog.


We also went out to look at Sutton Dunes. Our campsite is near the day use area shown above. Our campground is a couple of miles from the ocean. The day use area isn't too much closer. The ocean is to the left of the left picture above over the dune. There is some nice forest around Sutton Recreation Area.


For lunch we enjoyed a nice salad. We relaxed at camp the rest of the day. Dinner was cold cuts and strawberry short cake.
(GPS:44.05559413,-124.10688021)

Sunday: (10/30) Popcorn for breakfast. We took a walk out to the dunes and through the forest this morning. We delayed our hike yesterday afternoon because it was drippy and foggy. This morning it was raining steadily so it was a wet hike. We've had a lot of rain on this trip and haven't let it rule us. We stopped for brunch at the Three Rivers Casino. After brunch we headed toward Eugene.

Alder Dunes Campground, Florence, Oregon

Friday: (10/28) Lou made ham Don McMuffins for breakfast. We headed on to Florence stopping for the day at Alder Dune CG a few miles North of town.


We stopped on the way at Devil's Churn for a little hike and a look at the power of the sea. In town we picked up our mail and visited several thrift stores. I made a haul finding six western shirts. We stopped for lunch at Mo's, a restaurant famous for their clam chowder which we had along with some fish and chips.


Above is the Highway 101 bridge at Florence.

With our work done, we stopped at the Three Rivers Casino. Nice casino. We could move here and stay free at the casino but it is a parking lot. For dinner Lou fixed BBQ ribs with baked French fried potatoes and broccoli.

I was looking through the gas log book and calculated how many miles we've driven, so far, on this trip to Alaska. More than 11,118 miles. And that's only the miles on this trip. A trip is from and back to home. We also went down to Quartzsite, Yuma and other desert locations. With those miles we've driven over 14,000 miles this year, a good bit more than our normal travel year.
(GPS:44.0682376,-124.10160288)

South Beach State Park

Thursday: (10/27) Granola and bananas for breakfast. It was foggy here this morning. We continued West on highway 22 to Lincoln City. The fog disappeared about half way there and it was nice and sunny on the coast. We stopped at the Chinook Winds Casino for lunch at the buffet. Excellent small buffet. We explored some antique and thrift stores and then did some other shopping.


We stopped for the night at South Beach State Park just South of Newport. We walked out to the beach. It's not a short walk, about 1/3 mile through some woods and dunes. Dinner was a chilli size and strawberry short cake.
(GPS:44.63479786,-124.0554957)

Spirit Mountain Casino

Wednesday: (10/26)  We stopped for the night at the Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde for the night. They have a nice RV lot with a sanitary dump and water for free. We gambled our dollars and enjoyed the karaoke bar where they had some good singers
(GPS:45.05792127,-123.5783526)

Silver Falls State Park

Tuesday: (10/25) French toast and sausage for breakfast. I like mine with peanut butter and jelly. Lou just uses the jelly. We stopped for gas and then cruised out of town Eastbound on highway 26. It winds through East Portland to Gresham and on to Sandy where we caught highway 211. We stopped in Estacada to visit a doll shop and then turned onto highway 213 to Silverton where we turned on to highway 214 and on to Silver Falls State Park. Tomorrow I'll hike the trail by all the water falls, there are ten splendid water falls here in the park on about a five mile trail. We've visited several times before but always try to stop by when we are nearby. Lou's knee isn't feeling too good so she will continue to rest it. I've always hiked the trail from South Falls to North Falls on past visits but this time will do it in reverse. Along the way to the park we had summer sausage , cheese, and crackers for lunch. We enjoyed a nice afternoon campfire before retiring to the warmth of the inside of the RV. For dinner Lou prepared BBQ ribs, baked French fires, asparagus, and coleslaw.
(GPS:44.86665814,-122.6522874)


Wednesday: (10/26) Lou fixed Don McMuffin's for breakfast. This time they were pork chop, egg and cheese. Lou dropped me off at the North Falls trailhead. This morning there was a nice white frost on the ground and real bite in the air at 30 degrees when I started the hike. By starting fairly early we were able to leave today by the 1pm checkout.


The canyon trail passes by the ten waterfalls hence the reason it goes by the name Canyon trail or The Trail of ten Falls. It beautiful with the autumn colors but it was very slippery. My hiking shoes really don't like frosty rocks so it was like ice skating for much of the 5 mile hike.  Above is the Upper North Falls and the Middle North Falls


Above left is the view from behind the North Falls and the Middle North Falls.


Above are Drake Falls and Twin Falls.


Above are Lower North Falls and Lower South Falls.


Above are a couple of views of South Falls.


Another view of South Falls.


Above is the trail below Lower North Falls.


Not much in the way of wildlife or flowers along this trail. So the mushrooms above have to suffice.

When I finished the hike I returned to camp and took my shower. We had leftovers for lunch. Before leaving we did the tank duty and then were off down highway 214 then highway 22 through Salem. I called the satellite dish repair place in Eugene and arranged an appointment for Monday. We're headed back toward the beach for the weekend.

Hillsboro, Oregon At The Fairgrounds

Friday: (10/21) We saw the sign for the Washington County Fairgrounds and stopped by to see if we could stay there. We can and are, checking in just as they were closing for the weekend. We'll be staying through Sunday night. There is a light rail station about a block away from our campsite at the fairgrounds so we'll be riding in style in to Portland. One main reason for the Portland Visit is to visit Powell's Bookstore. Dawn has a list of books for us to pickup there. For dinner we had roast chicken with corn, potato salad and some avocado.
(GPS:45.53126948,-122.94985758)

Saturday: (10/22) Apple fritters and sausage for breakfast. We walked over and caught a train to downtown Hillsboro. They had a Farmers market so we inspected all the produce. Hillsiboro is the end of the line Westbound so we caught another train Eastbound stopping in downtown  Portland.


We walked the few blocks over to Powell's Bookstore. Above is the main entrance to Powell's Bookstore in downtown Portland. Don't let the entrance fool you, the bookstore includes all the buildings on the block and has books on all three floors and in a building across the street. A very nice bookstore. Actually we stopped by Whole Foods for a slice of pizza for lunch before going in to Powell's. Dawn had given us a list of books to try to find. I used their Droid app which told me if they had it in the store and where it was even, guiding me to the shelf with GPS. Even though Powell's Bookstore may be the largest bookstore in existence, finding the books that they had was easy. With that task complete, we walked around the old warehouse district to see what we could see. Some neat shops around there. Along the way, we stopped at Safeway for a second lunch. Chicken and peanut butter cookies. Next we caught a train out to Clackamas and visited the Clackamas Town Center Mall. We shared some bourbon chicken with rice and cabbage for dinner. hopped off the train a couple of times for a look see then returned back home about 10pm. Portland's light rail system is really excellent.

Sunday: (10/23) I had the last apple fritter and sausage and Lou had eggs and sausage for breakfast. We awoke this morning to an almost full parking lot at the fair. They're having a bike rally here today. We did our laundry this morning. Lou made some chow mein for lunch. In the afternoon we took a little drive around the area. For dinner we had leftover chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli slaw.

Monday: (10/24) For breakfast I had potato pancakes and sausage, Lou had French toast and sausage. Leftovers are handy. I hopped on the blue line train to Beaverton. I had an avocado smoothie with pearls about noon. Then back on the Blue train to Washington Park. I then took the 63 bus down the hill through the park.


I walked out to Goose Hollow and stopped for a slice of pizza at Pizza Oasis about 2pm. The pizza I chose was titled "Mr Toad's Wild Ride". It consisted of mushroom, artichoke hearts, Romano tomatoes, onions, and fresh garlic. Even though it as a slice of pizza, it was made to order. It took a long time before it was ready so I had a pint of beer while I waited. This all took a bit longer than I planned but the pizza was excellent.


On my walk-about in the Goose Hollow area i saw these nice pieces of street art.

I then caught the green train to Chinatown where i took a walk then caught the yellow train. Unfortunately I caught the wrong direction of the train and ended up at the university so I caught the yellow train again headed out to the North end of town  and got off at Killingsworth St. I walked the neighbor hoods but didn't find anything significant. I then caught the #6 bus to Burnside and walked some more. I then caught the #10 bus to 28th Ave and hopped off again for a walk. Along the way i happened upon a film crew doing a night shoot at Washington and 30th Ave. I then caught bus #15 back downtown. I stopped at the Pioneer Place shopping mall for some dinner. It was 7pm and time to eat if I planned to. Then I caught the blue train back home. Lou enjoyed her day of rest.

Nehalem Bay SP, Oregon

Thursday: (10/20) We stopped in Astoria and walked the downtown area.


Lou got a good recommendation for some fish and chips from a fellow pedestrian. we had lunch at the Columbia Fish And Chips, A boat converted to a street vendor cart. Excellent tuna fish and chips which we shared. Of course we stopped at a couple of thrift stores before leaving town. On the way out of town we stopped at Fred Meyer's for groceries,  Costco for a couple of other things and then were on the road again.


We stopped for the night at Nehalem Bay State Park. Water and electric sites are just $20. Oregon State Parks are so nice. The weather has changed back to light rain and drizzle. Dinner was shepherds pie with a green salad.
(GPS:45.70021905,-123.93769758)

Note: I uploaded some pictures for the past week. These posts were updated: Salt Creek, Hoh River, Kalaloch Beach, Grayland Beach, Cape Disappointment

Friday: (10/21) This park has some very nice clean showers which, unlike most state campgrounds, are included in the park fee. We took advantage of the showers for an other than "Navy shower" shower. Lou baked up some of the sausage which we got at Costco yesterday. We also got a bag of day old apple fritters yesterday at a Dutch bakery in downtown Astoria.  Breakfast was sausage and  apple fritters warmed in the microwave. Just like fresh baked. It's overcast and dripping this morning.


We stopped in Tillamook and visited the creamery. We like to watch the cheese making even though they are a bit to mechanized than we prefer. We sampled a lot of cheese, bought too much cheese and had some of their ice cream. Above I got to sit behind the wheel of the VW bus above. Reminds me of the old days in our van.

We visited a thrift store and Fred Meyer's where Lou got a haircut. Then we were off South on Highway 101 to Highway 6. We stopped in Hillsboro at the Washingotn County Fairgrounds where we'll be staying the weekend.

Cape Disappointment SP, Ilwaco, WA

Tuesday: (10/18) We continued South on Highway 101. Lunch was leftover spaghetti for me and baked squash for Lou. We stopped at Shoalwater Casino and while I got gas in the RV for about 20 cents less than it would have cost in Aberdeen, Lou checked out the casino. It's a small casino and had a huge lunch crowd. We were tempted to join their players club and enjoy a very cheap lunch but there was quite a crowd, an indicator of the quality of the food and also of a delay we weren't interested in. Maybe next time through the area. Along the way we stopped at a thrift store in South Bend.


We stopped for the night at Cape Disappointment SP near Ilwaco, Washington on the North side of the mouth of the Columbia River. We got a nice spot with a perfect view of the ocean.

 
Beach view of our campsite and the beach itself.


Perfect because it framed a wonderful sunset viewed through our windshield.


More sunset views.
(GPS:46.29494171,-124.07470698)

Wednesday: (10/19) Granola and diced apples for breakfast. Today was nice but had little sun.


We hiked up the McKenzie Head Trail for a look at one of the old big gun sites. One common feature of all these old gun sites is the great views.


From there Lou drove on to North Head and I hiked up the North Head Trail to meet her.


We hiked out to the lookout point.


Then hiked out to look at the lighthouse and it's views. Next, I hiked from there to Beard's Hollow as Lou drove to it. Lou and her knee like this kind of hiking.


We both hiked from there to the Beard's Outlook and I hiked back to get the jeep and pick up Lou. We then drove into downtown Ilwaco for a look. We examined a thrift store and an Antique store before returning to the park.


To complete our day, we hiked out to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse for a good view of the mouth of the Columbia River and the North jetty. On our way back to our campsite we stopped at Wikiki Beach. I didn't know there was more than one but now we can say we've been to Wikiki. Salmon soup and cheese toast for dinner.

Thursday: (10/20) For breakfast we had Don Mcmuffins ala Lou. Lou used cheese rolls instead of English muffins. We again took care of our tanks and departed Southbound on highway 101.