A Visit With Aaron And CeeCee…

Yesterday we drove the about 100 mile from Florence to Sixes, Oregon to visit my friends Aaron and CeeCee. We are parked in their yard. They are a fun couple. Mary had previously met Aaron but not CeeCee. We sent an enjoyable day together filled with lots of laughter and a great meal.

You may click on the photos to see enlarged views…

Aaron and CeeCee have three cats. Their newest and youngest…Charlie…provided me with some photo ops…

Shortly after our arrival it started to RAIN and the WIND BLEW VIGOROUSLY! It rained all night and is still raining hard this morning. Looking at the weather forecast it appears we are caught in the first major storm of the oncoming Winter season. Aaron and CeeCee live not far from Cape Blanco State Park where Winter winds have reached 100 miles per hour in the past. The forecast for the next three days along the southern Oregon and northern California coasts is for lots of rain and winds gusting to 60 miles per hour. So our plan is to continue working our way in a southerly direction exercising lots of careful driving and slower than usual speeds. Temperatures are forecast to be 10-15 degrees below normal.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Change Of Plans Are Reversable…

In yesterday’s Blog entry I discussed how we had changed planned destinations for weather reasons. Well…further investigation after I had written the Blog entry showed that nighttime temperatures in the Bend/Sun River, Oregon area were forecasted to be in the low 30′s…I immediately reversed my decision. So yesterday afternoon we ended up on the coast in Florence, Oregon and it did indeed RAIN. It finally stopped during the night…so today we’ll continue moving in a southerly direction along the Oregon coast. Like I said yesterday…all our plans are firmly set in Jello.

Here’s another interesting RV story…

http://weirdrvs.rvtravel.com/2010/09/you-got-teardrop-where.html

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Last Minute Change Of Plans…

Today we were going to head for the coast to Florence, Oregon. But…a check on the weather forecast for the next week indicates cooler, windy and a lot of rain is in store. So…a last minute change in plans. Instead we’ll head inland and drive the about 175 miles to Bend/Sun River, Oregon where the weather will be much nicer. That’s another nice feature about the full-time RVing life style…all of our plans are firmly set in Jello…not concrete.

Here’s another unusual RV story…
http://weirdrvs.rvtravel.com/2010/04/loaded-to-gills-motorhome.html

You can click on the photo to see an enlarged view…

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Thousand Trails RV Resort, Pacific City Oregon

Yesterday we drove the about 63 miles north from Florence to Pacific City Oregon. The skies were heavy with dark clouds…but it did not diminish the beautiful scenery along the way.

Not much in Pacific City. The main intersection has blinking red light…

We arrived safely and are tucked comfortably into our camp site…

Here’s a Google Earth view of the area…

The campground is about three miles north of Pacific City. We will be here for three days.

To read all about this campground, click this link…
https://www.thousandtrails.com/getaways/oregon/pacificcity.asp

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://lulu.com/panamaorbust

BRANDY BAR FOR LUNCH

Oregon is green and beautiful, even when the day is overcast and cold. Expected to rain, but the drive from  Rogue River, to Florence, which is near the coast, is scenic. Crossing through the Umpqua watershed, following the river, then the Smith River area…this abundance of water helps make it the Great North West.

I even enjoyed seeing a parade of logging trucks, though I despise the clear cutting that is still happening here and in Washington State.

Old bridges, some with swinging draws are plentiful because rivers are plentiful as water pushes toward the sea from the cascades. In fact, someone told me there are 52 covered bridges in Oregon. What a wonderful goal for some summer, to find them all. There is one near my property.

As we got lower in elevation near the Dean River watershed, an expansive meadow held a huge herd of elk, lying around in plain site. Signs everywhere, elk crossing, siting area, benches and shaded places were set up for viewing. By the time we spotted them, the turn out was past so we cruised on by. Couldn’t even get my camera focused in time to catch a shot from the window. But, we did stop for lunch at Brandy Bar, above. Its filled with trees and ducks.

The nearby bank showed off a patch of little English daisies in bloom and bright, new green leaves on the trees. I would have taken a dunk if the river was in Redding with its 93 degrees instead of here.

 

The sun came out for a moment as we passed this beautiful pond full of lilies just before reaching our destination, South Jetty Thousand Trails at Florence. After four hours driving, we set out for a brisk walk around the park in a light rain. Then I finished my book, The Little Friend, by Donna Tartt, an interesting novel about a southern family forever impaired by the unexplained murder of a young son. Sounds gruesome, and had some haggard characters but a compelling and fascinating read. Its great to be on the road again.

We’re Not Too Hot Anymore!!!

Yesterday Mary and I drove the about 175 miles from Wimer to Florence, Oregon. Two days ago in Redding, California we were struggling with 90 degree temperatures. Roughly 350 miles north and on the Oregon coast, yesterday it was cloudy with showers and 55 degrees! The forecast for the next four days we are scheduled to be here is for more of the same.

After about 100 miles on Interstate Highway 5, we headed west for the coast on Oregon Highway 38 and 138…also known as the Umpqua River Scenic Roadway.

Scenic it was indeed! Here are a few photos…

We stopped at a wayside called Brandy Bar for lunch…

The view from our dinette window. With the exception of the windshield…this is the largest window in our motorhome and where we eat out meals. It’s a delightful window…the beautiful scenery  just keeps on changing on a very regular basis…nice!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://lulu.com/panamaorbust

Wimer, Oregon

Yesterday Mary and I crossed into Oregon and ended up spending the night at her seven acre rental property along Evans Creek, a tributary of the Rogue, River about 13 miles north of the City of Rogue River.

Mary needed to stop here to ensure her renter had cleared the property properly to comply with the new fire codes. As the owner she has to sign a statement that she has complied with the new law.

Along the way yesterday we passed Lake Shasta. In all the years I’ve been transiting through this area, I’ve never seen the lake so full. In recent years, it’s been way down.

Also passed by Mount Shasta. Both Mary and I remarked at never having seen so much snow on the mountain at this time of year. Recently the Seattle PI (a newspaper for whom I Blog) reported that this past April was the coldest on record for Seattle. The whole west coast was very cold and rainy this past winter.

Today we’ll drive about 175 miles to Florence on the Oregon Coast for a four-day stay at Thousand Trails South Jetty RV Resort.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://lulu.com/panamaorbust

Slide-Up RV

Here’s another unusual RV…
http://weirdrvs.rvtravel.com/2010/07/no-slide-out-on-this-rv-just-slide-up.html

In other news…
My good friend Aaron who visited us the day before yesterday, returned yesterday for another couple of hours of chatting with me.

Mary took the Bronco and met her long-time friend Sandy from Tucson in Florence where they spent an enjoyable day together.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com