Isn’t it funny how August always just seems to roll into September without much fanfare – at least for retired folks. I mean there you are enjoying bar-b-ques, evening walks, summer sunsets and before you know it; kids are starting school, sunsets are at 7:00 PM, the leaves are turning, and we’re all wearing sweaters on evening walks in the dark wondering what the weather is going to be the next day.
We were still home in Oregon in September, although we did have a mini adventure during the second weekend.
Adventure for the month.
We hadn’t seen grandsons #2 and #4 since March and #2 just started kindergarten, so there was excitement. We walked in the door at our son’s house and #2 wanted me to go upstairs with him to see the plant he “grewed” at school. ( I think this was pre-school since kindergarten just started). We aren’t able to spend much time with these boys so I was loving this special time. While in his room he showed me all his special things in a special box Momma had given him. His dad always loved little boxes as a child. He gave me a “jewel” which I am going to find some way of keeping in the van.
The following day it was old people time with J, David’s dad, and us. David was set on buying me a nice camera backpack for my birthday, even though I had already dropped off my 52 year old high school graduation ring to be repaired so I could wear it again.
David being David had researched camera shops in the north Seattle area. We ended up at Kenmore Camera where Jim showed me several camera backpacks. I settled on a Shimoda Explore More Ladies style. It has pockets in pockets for most of the gear my son and son-in-law have given me. Left on my own I would have purchased something a lot less expensive. David, however, wanted more for me.
We also went to J’s favorite nail lady and all four of us got pedicures. The ladies were very sweet, especially since we did not have appointments.
This was a short trip because of David’s rehab schedule. So we arrived on a Saturday and left on the following Tuesday.
More shenanigans in September
One of David’s former co-workers/ boss had moved to the midwest a few years ago. She and her husband are both musicians. Her husband Matt is well known among the blue grass community in Eugene. They were returning to Eugene for a visit and invited us to join a private event at Viking Brewing – a favorite brewery of ours.
What a fantastic evening.
The music community in Eugene is pretty tight. This was a huge bluegrass jam session with as many as ten musicians playing together for the sheer joy of making music together. A very magical evening indeed.
We decided since we were home this summer to grow a few vegetables and herbs. I had to have a tomato plant and both of us wanted a pepper plant. So in September David harvested his basil and made pesto. Yumm! The tomatoes and pepper weren’t really ready until the end of the month. But that was ok. We took those with us on our October van trip.
One more project in September. Finishing the 2,000 piece puzzle David bought me in the spring. I had started it in March, it was put on a back burner so I could finish the pillow I was making for my son-in-law’s niece. Then I pulled it out again knowing I would need something to distract me while David recovered from surgery. I finally put in the last piece on September 4th.
My husband insisted I pose for the picture.
Guests in the garden
I decided to include a couple of photos of some of our garden visitors this year.
I have never seen a praying mantis or a cicada before this year. This year we found 3 praying mantis, 2 praying mantis egg sacks, and a cicada
The first week of August was the 6 week post-op check for David. The physician’s assistant was very pleased and answered the many questions we had been adding to a list. With that milestone out of the way my cabin fever had reached a pretty high temperature. Time to get out of Eugene – even for a day.
The following Monday we took off for the coast. The Oregon coast is dotted with state parks. Some are day use only others are day use and overnight camping. And it’s all one to 4 hours away from our house.
We ended up at Carl G. Washburn State Park, 14 miles north of Florence OR. We had never stopped here before. This was a very unusual beach and quite frankly not my favorite. The tide was out revealing that the beach was made up of sandbars. There was an area that was covered with crab parts. It was molting season, but this was not just shells. It was almost as though something happened out at sea and the crabs were washed up on the beach and it stunk. We did get our walk done and considering how deep the sand was in places it was a workout.
The beach is my retreat.
This is where I clear my head and refresh my soul.
On our way home we stopped in Florence for an early dinner at Homegrown Public House & Brewery. Homegrown is located in Florence’s Historic Old Town. The restaurant looks impossibly small with indoor and outside eating areas. I was surprised when we were shown our table. There is a room down a short flight of stairs with several tables, including a table for 6. We had been here before and I didn’t even know this room existed. Needless to say, the food was yummy. I don’t eat hamburgers often but I am so glad I ordered this one. Nothing fancy but so good. Although we didn’t have any of the House brews, they did offer a couple of our favorites. I settled on a Monkless Belgian White from Bend Or. Yumm!
Here is where we jump to the end of the month. With my 70th birthday approaching and David healing so well it was time for a trial run with the van. It had been sitting in the RV lot for two months and we needed to see how things were working before taking it out of state. This meant embarking on one of my favorite birthday activities: camping with my sister-in-law, J, and her husband, K.
We made reservations at Sunset Bay State Park and started getting the van ready. I washed linens and rugs and just did some basic cleaning. One of our checks is restarting the ICECO refrigerator freezer that had been off since June. And this is where we hit the snag. The ICECO would not cool below 65F. We were about 10 days away from our leaving date. David could not lift more than 30lbs and we needed to move this 80lb steel box from the van to the AC in the house. Fortunately, one of our neighbors was able to lift the heavier end and with me on the other end we moved it into the house and sat it on top of one of the air vents. The idea behind this is to cool it down. After 24hrs David restarted the fridge and waited. It cooled down to 63F for both the fridge and freezer. Time to contact the company. ICECO’s customer service is wonderful. After a couple of phone calls and emails it was obvious this ICECO was not coming back to life. We would just have to use our old tent camping ice chest for this camping trip. We were set.
J came down to our house on Saturday and we left when I got home from church on Sunday. On our way down I5 we stopped in Creswell to visit the famous Creswell Bakery. You cannot miss the billboards on I5. We’ve been hearing about this place from our friends Dan and Rebecca for years but have never had the opportunity to go there. Oh what we had been missing.
We each got a meat pie and coffee – or in J’s case, tea. These were huge pies. If you’re thinking British pasties you’re thinking too small. They’re more like the pasties in the UP of Michigan substituting a filo crust for the bread bowl with the dough handle.
The weather gets a bit weird on the coast when the rest of the state is experiencing a heat wave. What happens is while the rest of the state is hot – too hot – the coast becomes very cool and foggy. It’s as though the interior is so dry it tries to suck all the moisture from the ocean. We were just fine with this. After all, this is the Pacific Northwest and if you let a little fog and cooler temperatures dampen your spirits you are living in the wrong section of the universe. To be honest, I was very grateful. I was escaping the 90’s and triple digits of Eugene.
Once we arrived at Sunset Bay State Park (yes we were here in June) we found our neighboring sites. J and I walked around the campground checking out other sites and taking notes for future camping trips.
We spent the rest of the evening playing a game while eating snacks. Our lunch at Creswell was large enough that there was no room for a proper dinner.
Monday morning was a slow start. After a late breakfast we walked down to the bay, which was pretty fogged in. We returned to the campsite as K arrived. He had been in Central Washington for his mom’s birthday and some scouting for a bow hunting trip a few weeks later.
Now that all four of us were in the same place the fun could start.
So we climbed into K’s car and went to Bandon via the scenic route. Once in Bandon we did a little shopping. J & I directed this portion of the trip and we directed everyone to a gallery.
One of my biggest disappointments in traveling is going into a gallery like this and not being able to afford anything. Or finding nothing created by local artists and craftsmen. The Second Street Galley is not the case. J and I each left with 11 x 14 prints by Spencer Reynolds, a painter and illustrator from Brookings on Oregon’s southwest coast. Spencer has his own gallery in Brookings OR: Semiaquatic Gallery. This took a long time, it was very difficult to choose. By the time we had made our purchases we were all ready for beverages and food.
Fortunately for us Foley’s Irish Pub was right next door on Baltimore street. I know I mentioned Foley’s in my June blog, however, at that time David and I only stopped for a pint. This time we were having food. Three of us decided on the meatloaf. Holy Cow!! That was divine
Before we all had too much fun – K and David were getting a head start – we headed back to the campsite. Here we could have more fun safely.
Tuesday was the best day for weather. It was still foggy but not nearly what it had been. K and I were set for the hike from the beach up to Shore Acre Gardens. When we were here in June David and I passed on this. His health and the weather were not going to allow that activity. David, J, and I had all done this hike in the past, but K had not been with us. He’d heard about it and wanted to do the hike and I wanted more photos. David was still in post-op mode and J’s health has not been great so they drove up and met us near the top of the hike.
Even in the fog this hike is great. Yes, David and I had been here in June; but this was August and different plants were in bloom. The rose garden alone made the trip worth the effort.
Wednesday was time to pack up all the fun and head home to Eugene where Shenanigans would ensue.
Shenanigans
We did come home to find our brand new ICECO waiting on the carport. YEA!!!!!
Since we had been home for so long and no trips planned until October, I felt we needed a little something else in our lives. A little more fun. A little more socializing. A celebration of David’s recovery. And summer wasn’t over yet. What to do?
Bar-B-Que! Always a good idea, especially if you aren’t the one cooking. Seriously though, David has always loved bar-b-quing and when we lived in Washington we did a lot of bar-b-quing with neighbors and friends.
About a week before we went camping I sent out a text to some of the neighbors and a couple of outside friends that we were having a backyard bar-b-que. Before I knew it people were texting back to tell me what they were bringing. This threw David into a bit of a planning panic. He was worried he wouldn’t know what people were bringing and how many people were coming even though I had included him in the text.
I’m sure at some point in our life together I told David that from age 16 on my birthdays sucked – big time. Until I was 23 and David threw me a birthday party – I’m sure my onsite landlords were horrified – and proposed. Ever since then he’s been determined that my birthday was going to be a special time. This meant the backyard bar-b-que became my birthday party.
And that is how we closed August. Considering how the summer started, this was a fantastic finish.
August was a busy month. I hope you enjoyed my August blog. There will be more months like August, now that everyone is feeling so well.
A little note in closing. It’s been 3 months since David’s surgery. He and I have been doing 30 minute bike rides (4.7 miles) almost daily. So life is back to normal.
There were no travel adventures in July. The adventure in July was nursing David after open heart surgery. This proved to be far more exhausting than I expected. Much of that exhaustion was probably due to the emotional drain of watching him go through this very painful, very dangerous surgery and recovery. There was a feeling I hadn’t had since I brought my first newborn home. If you have ever had a newborn you know what that is: I was afraid of breaking David. And then of course there was the stress of cooking
I am so glad I am no longer cooking. I don’t mind yard work. I don’t mind housework (ok, after 46 years I’m pretty sick of housework). But cooking! I hate the stress of cooking. Somehow David and a good many relatives find this activity relaxing. There are too many balls in the air at one time. I am very good at multitasking – I never could have survived the job I did for 28 years if I weren’t – but there is just too much going on while cooking a meal.
However, I will say that after I got used to the idea that I was not going to break David I slept like a baby during July.
What I did do was go out in the yard and take pictures of my beautiful flowers. So I have made a sort of album of the photos I took.
This azalea has been trying to eat my backyard patio for a couple of years. I will prune it this year the way Ellen (my late mother-in-law) taught me. In other words; I will butcher it.
These crocosmia came from a dozen (approximately) bulbs that sat in two pots in the backyard for 2 years after my neighbor was going to toss them.
Day lilies in the front yard. I forgot I planted these and then a few years ago they popped up.
The other day lilies in the front side yard. These popped up a couple of years ago from origins unknown. Lavender in the background.
This hydrangea had no blooms last year. My sister advised me that I had probably pruned it too late. This year I pruned it in late February. There is also a clematis in the background. This is the north side of the house, our side yard as it were.
The wisteria climbing the planter in the backyard. I usually use this as back drop in my Instagram posts. It’s pretty and provides the only shade in the backyard until about 4 o’clock. When we came home from our two month adventure last October this wisteria was climbing out of the planter and across the patio heading across the patio toward the house.
Those are the stunners from my yard. I took these while David was passed out on pain killers in the recliner.
There will be adventures in the August blog.
Enjoy your Labor Day adventures. See you next month.
Whoa!! July is almost gone and I’m just getting started on June. In my defense, July has been busy, just not with many adventures.
Adventures
Back to June. We did have a wonderful adventure in June. With David’s surgery looming at the end of the month we had to get out of town but not far. This of course meant the coast.
Side note here: I spent nearly 56 years in Washington state and we always referred to going to the Pacific as going to the ocean . In Oregon you go to the coast.
After days of perusing different campgrounds we found a site at Cape Lookout State Park. The park is located just south of Tillamook and north of Pacific City on Oregon’s north coast. The tent camp sites are all surrounded by high shrubbery on three sides giving privacy. The RV sites across from the beach access not so much. We knew nothing about the park when we reserved it. Since we are completely self-contained we took a tent site. Best decision we could have made. The bushes around us were full of birds. I spent hours just listening to and watching birds; robins, red wing black birds, what may have been swifts or swallows, and a cedar wax wing (thank you Rebecca for the identification).
Fortunately, the weather was lovely the first two days. The beach is flat leaving it quite shallow and relatively warm when the tide starts coming back to shore. Walking southward there is a small waterfall from the bluff above. We could hear it from the tide line. It was so pretty. Further south is a cave we were too late to enter safely.
We walked the beach the first day for over an hour, about the maximum David could tolerate. He also sunburned the top of his feet. The following day David had a problem with shoes and was still tired from the previous day’s activities, so we kept the walk to a much shorter trip.
Much of that second day was spent at the campsite reading and listening to birds. We also managed a camp fire that evening. One of the few we’ve been able to have over the past two years of travel. Fortunately, it was early enough in the year that the fire hazard was low for the coast. Fires have been burning in Oregon since our May adventure.
Our last day was our leaving day. We took our time since we knew this would be the last trip for a very long time. The weather was cool and overcast, which is perfect for the day you leave such a beautiful place.
Since we were heading home and we had time we stopped for lunch at Pelican Brewing in Pacific City. If you like beer or just good food in a beautiful setting this is the place. We stopped here with our daughter and her family – at that time there was only one grandson – back in 2019. It was August, the height of summer, and a very beautiful warm day at that time. The wait was long but did not disappoint. Much shorter wait in early June.
As I mentioned; this was the last trip for a very long time. Once again we found ourselves waiting again. This would be the biggest, scariest adventure we’d ever faced together. I think it may have topped the birth of our first child on the scary scale.
On June 23rd David had open heart surgery. There were a few things going on that I will not reveal as I know David would not appreciate that but the surgeon gave him his life back.
Shenanigans
Let me go back a bit in the month.
Our adventures for the summer may have come to an end with Cape Lookout, that does not mean we were done with shenanigans,
Our anniversary is smack in the middle of June. When this happens we usually go out during the week to avoid crowds. This year it was on a Monday. There are very few restaurants open on a Monday evening in Eugene. So we decided to start our celebration the Thursday before Father’s Day with pedicures. That’s right, pedicures. David had never had one and I hadn’t had one in 10 months. It was great. The ladies at Tippi’s Nail Bar were wonderfully sweet and wanted us to pose for photos. I think David is sold on pedicures.
Dinner was planned for Friday night at a favorite restaurant , one we rarely go to since it is out of our usual price range: rye. (proper spelling and punctuation, look it up) The restaurant is under what may be the management of the third owners. When David and I first found rye the owners were a chocolatier and a whiskey expert. Two of my favorite sort of people. They served preprohibition drinks as well as the usual spirits. (This is where I first had one of my favorite cocktails – the Mikado or also known as a Japanese.). They pair their hand made chocolates with whiskeys for dessert. Chocolate and whiskey. How could a person go wrong? The current owner/management team no longer offers my favorite; dark chocolate peanut butter cup topped with cayenne pepper. The milk chocolate peanut butter cup with chipotle salt was an adequate substitute. And it is still served with a short shot of Red Breast Irish Whiskey ( yes it’s from Northern Ireland but still a heavenly Irish whiskey.
Even though David is still in the recovery period I can already see dramatic changes in his health. We can’t wait to get back on the road again. So stay tuned in and I will post alerts on Instagram.
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.
