Pacific City, OR

Yesterday's outing was a 30 minute drive southbound along the coast to Pacific City.  We strolled the beach, visited an art gallery, had lunch at a brewpub.

One of very few places on the OR coast that allow vehicles on the beach, it can get quite crowded on nice summer weekend days.  This shot was taken at 11:30 AM when the crowd was still sparse. 

Surfers and paddle-boarders in wetsuits, Haystack Rock in background.

Those who know the north OR coast are now thinking, wrong!  Haystack Rock is in Cannon Beach.  They're right, it is.  And it's here, too.  There are 2 Haystack Rocks on the OR coast, and they're only 40 miles apart.  Go figure.

The 4 pilgrims.

Pelican brewpub.

We had clam chowder and the microbrew sampler: seven 3-ounce glasses.

Netarts, OR

We've been lucky in scoring awesome campground sites this summer - although it's not all luck.  We invest a good deal of time and effort into researching and selecting the most desirable campgrounds well ahead of time, and when possible, making reservations and requesting specific sites.  Many private campgrounds won't reserve specific sites but will try to find one that fits one's needs or preferences.  Also, it helps to arrive early (late AM or early PM) to get the best selection of vacant sites.  We prefer short, 3-4 hour, drives anyway so that works well for us.

Our current site in Netarts is a case in point: full hookup with dynamite view of Netarts Bay and better privacy than most.  Looking out our huge rear window, we see a colony of harbor seals hanging out on a sand bar, pix above shows only a few; sometimes, we see well over 100.

Above pix shows the Cougar (upper right) parked beside the office/store.

Crabbing is good here, lots of little boats out in the Bay tending crab rings.  I used collapsible wire cages in my crabbing days but they use mostly rings here.  Depending on the type of bait you use, seals will try to steal it, wrecking the cages in the process.  Crabs aren't picky eaters, don't mind having chicken instead of fish.  Seals aren't into chicken, so that's what I used in my crab cages.

Below pix shows a fine catch of Dungeness crabs.  The crab boiler and fish/crab cleaning tables are directly in front of the office, right beside our RV.

Lake Quinault, WA

Lake Quinault Lodge, built in 1926, Adirondack style.

Lake and Sasquatch, aka yeti, aka Trish.

This 3-story rain gauge is front and center on the Lodge exterior.

The tan horizontal bar above the 12' mark indicates the amount

of rain in 2015: a mere 12.5 feet.

Yeti and I had lunch in the Roosevelt dining room (FDR ate here).

Keeping with the theme, Adirondack chairs grace the lawn.

World's largest Sitka Spruce tree, 1000+ years old, lives near the Lodge.

Hydrangeas abound in the area, obviously flourishing in the rain forest climate.

We stayed in a boutique RV park in Amanda Park on the Quinault River for 2 nights.  Only 5 RV sites and an 8-room motel; lovely place with friendly owner who sat and chatted with us awhile.  Pix below was taken at the RV park: fire ring, free firewood and chairs overlooking the River.

 

Sequim, WA

We're at Sequim Bay State Park for 5 days, after which we'll go around the Olympic Peninsula with a brief stop at Lake Quinault.  Sequim, the town, is allegedly in the 'rain shadow' of the Olympic Mts, boasts about 300 sunny days per year, and 16" of rain.  On the flip side of the Olympics, the Hoh Rain Forest - only 50 miles to the southwest - averages 13' per year.  That's not a typo: thirteen feet per year!

I used the term allegedly above because it's been raining for the past 12 hours and shows no signs of stopping.  16" per year, huh?  Color me skeptical.  No worries though, staying warm and dry in our little home on wheels.

There are several lavender farms around Sequim.

What does one do in Sequim?  Eat clam chowder, calamari, fish and chips; visit the Dungeness Spit with friends David and Elaine; bitch about the rain; Trish rides bike; Mike plays pickleball; do brats over the campfire; bitch about the rain some more.

The Dungeness Spit. above.

John Wayne liked this area, parked his yacht at the local marina, which now bears his name.

Sequim, pronounced 'skwim,' is the Indian word for skinny dipping.  "Hey Whispering Fawn, let's sneak out and go for a skwim tonight!"  Not really: it means hunting ground or good hunting.  Which reminds me of a related Indian word: vegetarian.  It means 'lousy hunter.'

Humptulips and Dosewallips

Odd place names intrigue me.  I speculate on the name origins, sometimes researching them online.  I've long wondered about these 2 doozies, which are a few miles apart on the Olympic Peninsula in WA state; we passed both places on our way to Sequim, WA, our current location.

The river and the small community of Humptulips get their names from a band of the Chehalis Native American tribe who lived in the area.  It means 'hard to pole' - referring to the poling of canoes along the Humptulips River.  Another source claims it means 'chilly region.'  I find both definitions highly suspect: obviously, it's fish stew made from humpback salmon and wild roots.

Dosewallips is the handle of a river and a state park. The name Dosewallips comes from a Twana Indian myth about a man named Dos-wail-opsh who was turned into a mountain at the river's source.  No alternative definitions popped up in my quick search, but it could very well mean 'a broad-beamed female square dancer.'

Mailbox

Once upon a time a stucco mailbox resided at the end of our driveway.  It lived a quiet, useful life, was well behaved, never offended anyone, just stood there minding its own business.  Why then, I ask you, did it get hit twice by vehicles in the last 4 years?  Our elderly neighbor lady hit it first, minor damage only, and she paid for the repair.  That same neighbor lady contacted us recently and informed us that the mailbox was hit again - and totaled.  She didn't do it this time, doesn't even drive anymore.

RIP

We had the remains interred in the local landfill, sans ceremony.

Why didn't the asshole hit that rusted out piece of crap mailbox instead of mine?

It would cost about $400 to replace the mailbox in kind.  Not gonna do that.  Instead, we're thinking about a gabion, a heavy duty steel mesh box filled with rocks.  We really like the gabion look.  The pix below shows one ready for rocks.

The pix below shows another design, complete with rocks.

So, I have to find a gabion guy in LHC.  Gabions aren't listed in the yellow pages, guess I'll call steel fabrication outfits.  Maybe the gabion will survive the impact of the next dipstick hit and run driver, cause major damage to his/her vehicle - and, just maybe - inspire Ms/Mr Dipstick to use the rear view mirror.

Waterfalls Near Bend

Tumalo Falls (next 3 pix) is a short drive from Bend.  It's on Tumalo Creek, which is the main water supply for the City, is easily accessible and has several overlook points.

Amanda, Ron and Holly's daughter, looking downstream.  Ron and Holly came over from Portland to hang with us for awhile.  Amanda joined them briefly.  I introduced Ron to Pickleball and scotch.

Note the people down below, getting a nice, refreshing shower.

We also drove down to the McKenzie River to see Sahalie and Koosah Falls, 

which are only a few blocks apart. 

Sahalie Falls above; Koosah Falls below.

Crown Villa RV Park

Crown Villa RV Park in Bend, OR suits us to a tee.  We're here for a month and will spend 2 months here next summer.  Bend itself has a lot to do with it: great climate, few bugs, excellent pickleball complex, many bike trails, beautiful scenery.  And, big bonus: an abundance of brewpubs!

16 court pickleball complex in Bend.

Paid my dues, joined the 600-member club, play there every other day.

Note snow capped mountains in background.

The Park is awesome: lots of mature ponderosa pine trees, lots of grass, lots of space between sites.  Each site has its own trash and recycling containers and stuff is picked up every day but Sunday.  You can get a free local newspaper at the office every morning.  And, there's a spa, library, pool table, TV room.  Staff are friendly, accommodating, and don't have Nazi attitude about dogs.

Each site has its own locking storage shed for bikes and stuff, bistro set, and pavers.

The tennis court does double duty, has lines for 2 pickleball courts.

We lucked out in getting this site because it's at the end of row, more privacy.

We reserved the same site for next year.

We came to Bend  thinking we might buy a seasonal home here or in nearby Redmond.

We bagged that idea.  Don't need the hassle nor the expense; finding, financing,

 furnishing, fixing; been there done that, ad nauseum - and didn't even get a T-shirt!

High Desert Museum

The HDM has come a long way since my first visit, about 30 years ago.  Located a few miles south of Bend, OR, it has extensive displays, both inside and out.  Inside, there's several desert critters, live and in color, plus large Native American and mining exhibits. 

Get off my back!

Now really, how lazy can you get?

Paranoid turtle, afraid of getting rear-ended, hires lizard to watch his six? 

Otters are fun to watch, playful and graceful.

Outside exhibits include a vintage saw mill, a cluster of pioneer ranch buildings and this corral.  Back in the day, corrals were pieced together with whatever was available: sticks, rocks, you name it.  This one looks quite sturdy.

Mare and foal sculpture, life sized, made from - would you believe - barbed wire.

How long did it take to build and how many pints of blood were lost along the way?

There are several more sculptures along the trails.

Porcupines dozing in the sun.

They're outside but are viewed from the inside.

This is the real deal and probably the most famous stagecoach ever.

It carried several presidents and VIPs over the years.

It seats 6 - with considerable butt overlap.  

Lovely ride: several hours of dust pouring in the windows, crammed in like sardines, bouncing up and down on lousy roads, guy next to you hasn't showered recently, if ever.  No alternative though, if you weren't into riding horses and trains weren't available.