Oregon – Random Rovers

Summer Vacation

It is July 1st and our first month at Bowl and Pitcher / Riverside is complete so we are off on a month-long vacation. Our First stop is Yakima. Though we have passed through more than once, we have never spent any time here. The Yakima Elks Lodge has an RV park that is an easy drive from Spokane.

***On The Edge of a Lush Green Golf Course***

***We Spent a Lazy Afternoon at a Nearby Arboretum***

Did some shopping and then walked the grounds of a beautiful arboretum which is just a few miles from the Elks Lodge. We were really looking forward to cooler weather. Spokane and Yakima are hotter than Tucson. Soon we will be on Hoods Canal where we will probably exchange shorts for long pants.

July 5th: Here we are on Hoods Canal and it’s much cooler. A good overnight stop.

July 6th: We will spend 3 nights here to see brother and sister-in-law in Port Ludlow and a few old friends in Sequim. Still enjoying cool marine air.

***Copalis Beach w/ John and Missy next door***

July 7th: 6 nights on the beach at Copalis, WA with John, Laura, Missy, and Jasmine. What a great time!

Halfway through July and we are on our own again. We have 2 days here to find new things to see in the area.

We did not make reservations early enough to stay closer to Corvallis. But the fairgrounds here in Rickreall, OR are clean and quiet. Also they were close enough so we could see brother Stephen and sister Julie while we were here. We also found time to shop in Dallas and Independence, OR.

On the afternoon of our arrival, 7/25, we did a driving tour of Prineville and purchased a few supplies. The next day we went to Bend. We couldn’t believe how much this whole area has grown. The population of Bend has exploded. When I was last here in the mid-’60s, it was a cowboy town of around 15k. Now it is a city of 106K! Exploring a little of Redmond took up our last day here.

It is July 28th and we are heading to our last vacation stop, Hood Park near the Tri-Cities. On the way north we stopped for a break at Shaniko and lunched at Maryhill Park in Washington.

We are spending 4 nights here relaxing before returning to Riverside for another month of camp hosting. We are beginning to plan our return to Tucson in September.

On our last day we toured this Washington state park at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers and enjoyed the interpretive center there. Our little vacation has been blessed with family, good friends, and nearly perfect weather. We couldn’t ask for more.

Happy trails to you from your Random Rovers…

Heffy’s Gallery

I have never devoted a post to a business before, but when I stumbled upon this little shop on Highway 101, in Florence, Oregon I immediately new I had found an unsung gem.

***Hope these pictures whet your appetite***

More pictures, information, address and phone can be found at: https://heffysgallery.com/ My only regret is that I did not take a picture of Heffy’s bust carving of Jack Nicholson. It is iconic. You will just have to go and see it yourself.

Summer ’21 1st Installment

After missing last year, as did almost everyone else, we are on the road again. The plan is to spend a month in Spokane Washington, camp hosting at Riverside State Park and spending time with family, then taking a month off on the Pacific coast with stops to relatives here and there, and finally returning to Riverside for another month of hosting. Other than heading homeward after that we really have no plans maybe just randomly roving so we don’t know when we will get back to Tucson.

Dazzo's RV Site 15 — ***Dazzo’s RV Site 15***

Our first night was in Wikieup which is really just a wide spot in the road with a few convenience stores/gas stations and diners, but it is a simple one-night stop. While not particularly commodious, Dazzo’s Rv is suitably located and has many Joshua trees and large Saguaro cactus throughout the park. When we were leaving the next morning we learned that the gas station/convenience store/restaurant/gallery where we fueled up the night before had burned to the ground. We could still smell the smoke at the park. Sad news.

5/24/21 and 278 miles to St George, UT where we stayed at one of our favorite places the, Elks Lodge overlooking a golf course and beautiful red rock formations. Actually, St George is a fabulous destination in itself. The city which has many historically significant landmarks also has beautiful parks and hiking/biking trails. On this trip, we visited Brigham Young’s winter home and did a little shopping on our day off the road.

Lakeside RV Provo, UT — ***Lakeside RV Site H7, Provo, UT***

5/26/21 and another 270 miles closer to Spokane. When we arrived at the Provo Elks Lodge there were no sights available so we spent the night at Lakeside RV which was very near the airport. We never did find the lake but the campground was OK for a night.

5/27/21 A shorter day, only 207 miles to Pocatello, Idaho.

We spent 2 nights here where we enjoyed watching the junior rodeo competition and also did a little shopping for provisions.

5/29/21 281 miles to Indian Creek Campground in Deer Lodge Montana. We are spending 2 nights here so we can return to Philipsburg and shop the Sweet Palace candy store. (Awesomely beautiful drive and fun shopping.) Deer Lodge will be our last stop on the way north. On the 31st we will drive the last 280 miles through Montana, across the Idaho panhandle, and on through Washington to Riverside State Park.

***Bowl and Pitcher Campground Riverside State Park***

Just keeping the shiny side up, and reminding ourselves that over the hill is still better than under it.

Your Random Rovers, Elaine and Gordon

Homeward Bound

From the City of Rocks we decided to head north and check out Albuquerque, NM so there will be a few more days for us enjoy New Mexico.

Don’t believe the “Resort” in the name but the park served our purposes as a base of operations for exploring the area.

We did a little trail walking at the Petroglyph National Monument where we saw many but by no means even a small portion of the 24,000 images that were pecked into the stone. Most of them are 400 to 700 years old, though some are believed to date from 3,000 years ago. The high desert landscape made walks majestic.

One of the days there, I went to a meeting of the local wood-turning club which I enjoyed a great deal. This is one of the bowls that was done by the meeting’s demonstrator. I thought it was extremely nice. Elaine and I also did a lot of just “looking around”, had breakfast at the landmark Owl Cafe. You simply haven’t really been to Albuquerque if you haven’t eaten at “Owlbuquerque”, and shopped the Old Town District. We also went to the Albuquerque Fiery Foods Festival which was a lot of fun and the samples left us with tingling lips. Soon it was time to actually “turn the corner” and start heading in a homeward direction, so it was back to Tucson, AZ with a stop over in Deming, NM.

We spent a night here as Albuquerque to Tucson would have been a very long day, we wanted to get some more chorizo sausage at the El Rey Carniceria, and we have always enjoyed the palms as it is an immaculately clean park run by friendly folks. We just stayed one night and went on to Tucson.

Justin’s was good for us on the way down so we decided to give it another shot on the way back. It was great place to rest up and get set for the long haul back to Port Angeles. When we looked at the weather in the mountains where we had planned to travel we decided it was a bit too wintry treacherous. We altered our route to go through the central valley of California and then running highway US 101 all the way home. I am sure we will see rain and wind, but ice and snow should be minimal. Our first stop after short days drive was Gila Bend.

The next morning, and a more ambitious drive to Bullhead City, AZ where we have stayed many times. They have new management and seem to be making some nice improvements,

We are off to Mojave, CA which is on the western edge of nowhere, before going over the mountains into the central valley.

The picture makes the park look much nicer than it actually was. The park was easy to get in and out of, quiet, and had pleasant managers making it a good stop. We left in the morning in a light rain heading to Rancho Cordova the next day. It was our longest day in a very long time, 350 miles over mountains and through some heavy traffic in blustery winter weather so we were very happy to get settled in for the night.

**Staying at the Elks Lodge in Rancho Cordova, CA**

Wet rainy weather (absolutely pouring down on the coast) all the way to Eureka, CA.

We ate at the lodge and met some nice folks, but once again in the morning we were off, now turning north to Florence, OR.

What a gorgeous park! By the way these two pictures were taken during a few moments of non-winter weather. Gordon got his birthday dinner at Chen’s, a nice Chinese restaurant where we have eaten before.

North to Tillamook, OR and a chance to get cheese and ice cream at the Tillamook Creamery and some sausage at Debbie D’s. The weather turned rather nice for a few hours. What a relief!

**Elks RV Park (just south of Tillamook)**

On across the Columbia River to Longbeach, WA where we hope to get cinnamon rolls at the Cottage Bakery.

Fortified with cinnamon rolls we are heading north to our last stop, Copalis, WA.

Being blessed with a little bit of sunshine when we arrived made us very thankful. We will hide out here for a day before making the last 170 mile leg home. It was a good trip. We made some new friends, saw some new things and learned a little more about this wonderful place we live. We drove nearly 10,000 miles with over 5,000 of them towing on our 4 month winter adventure.

Your random rover, Gordon, still keeping the shiny side up and the dirty side down.

Historic Carousel

A brief respite from building the new homestead.

We traveled to the Albany / Corvallis area of Oregon to check on the construction of our new home and to see my older brother Stephen and while there we took a little time to see the Historic Carousel and Museum located at 503 1st Avenue West in Albany, Oregon. It was a major highlight for the trip.

Antique Carousel Mounts and Statues — **Carousel Mounts and Statues**

An emu carved and painted by William Dentzel III in 2002, a statue, and an antique pony are a small portion of a large collection of Dentzel pieces for public view.

Three carvings attributed to Gustav Dentzel circa 1895. How many children laughed and rode these ponies?

How many smiles and rides will these new creations provide?

Care To Try A Dragon? — **Care To Take A Fantasy Dragon Ride?**

This One Is The Cock of the Walk! — **This One Will Be The Cock of the Walk!**

These animals are all being created by volunteers. From sketch-up through carving and finally hand painting they are truly works of art. If you are ever in the area I would urge you to take the time to see see this museum, studio, and gallery. Visitors are welcome Monday through Saturday. For more information see: AlbanyCarousel. All of this is part of a grand scheme to build a 52 animal carousel. The mechanism, one of Gustav Dentzel’s last, built around 1909, has already been restored and is awaiting its new home.

Side Trips Add Fun:

Your Random Rover

Gordon

House Hunting and Other Adventures

We had planned to make the Florence Oregon area our new home but sometimes the best laid plans …

Alas, I am getting ahead of myself which I often do. In any case an update is long overdue.

We spent the remainder of February at the Elks RV Park just north of town. It has made a great vacation spot for us before and this time it made a great base of operations for house hunting.

We spent the month of March here at Woakink Lake RV which is a very nice park just a few miles south of Florence that backs up to the famous Oregon Dunes Recreation Area. We did a lot of house hunting, took a few very pleasant drives into the valley, and went to a wood-turning symposium (see previous post) . None of the properties jumped up and said “buy me” which was disappointing and then it was time to take a break and honor our commitment to host at Tugman State Park south of Reedsport, OR near Lakeside, OR.

We spent the month of April working at Tugman where we had good time and met a number of great people. We did some house hunting but mostly just worked and relaxed.

Lake Creek Falls, and a return trip to Shore Acres were on our agenda along with a few other side trips. We had pretty much given up on the Florence area and now had to decide what to do. We considered a number of options and finally decided to make a trip up to Port Angeles, WA, an area we had always enjoyed in the past that has a great rural feel, plenty of local shopping, is on the water and is only an hour or so from the big city for those major shopping trips. We liked what we found and one trip became two so at the end of our tenure we traveled to the Sequim / Port Angles area to start looking again.

We broke the 400 mile trip into two days which allowed time to spend a nice afternoon at Champoeg Oregon State Park. The grounds were covered with blooming wild roses and the park store/museum was a delight. Tomorrow we will be at Rainbows End RV and it will be time to get back into searching mode.

It isn’t the destination, it is the trip.
Your Random Rover,
Gordon

A Little More Time On The Oregon Coast

Before I even start this segment I should mention that much is left out from these accounts, some deliberately as I want to keep things upbeat and none of the misadventures/problems that have been left out are really worthy of note, some because as I blunder on from day-to-day what I see and feel does not seem interesting until I have forgotten the details that might elucidate those insights, some because I do not have the ability to set them to words, and of course some because I did not take any pictures.

From Florence Oregon we did a very easy day of about 80 miles south on US Hwy 101 to Bullards Beach State Park.

We enjoyed this surprisingly secluded site in the middle of this very popular Oregon State Park just north of Bandon. We had trees and bushes all around us and could barely see our neighbors. Glorious weather followed us again. After settling in we drove out to walk the beach and get a picture of the Bandon Lighthouse close up.

Guarding the entrance to the Coquille river this lighthouse is preserved but no longer used. Standing on the north Jetty we see the edge of Bandon and the south jetty in the background. We chose to eat in during our entire stay here and spent some time perusing many of Bandon’s tourist shops and looking at Charleston Harbor.

Brookings Elks

We got to Brookings (another 80 mile drive) on a pleasant sunshiny day but then the fog set in and lasted until it was time to move on. We didn’t let that dampen our spirits or slow down exploration. After we got settled in we walked to town and purchased a few necessities at the local super-center and then went over to the lodge for a very good prime rib dinner.

The next day found us walking Harris Beach which is one of those places where nature speaks loudly. These big crashing waves can be heard long before they can be seen and are normal on a calm day.

**Your Random Rover on the Redwood Trail**

Just a few mile up the Chetco river there is this lovely US Forest Service trail that follows a creek for a way and then through the northernmost stand of redwoods.

Just a few miles down the road the beach at McVay Rock provides a stark contrast.

I also touched base with a wood working kindred spirit that I met last year. We did a little catching up and sharing sawdust experiences and promised to keep in touch as we are both interested in turning and CNC machinery. The last day here we drove down to Crescent City, Ca to check out the town and the local farmers market. On the way we chanced upon a small pow wow where we some really nice Indian craft work.

Tomorrow we will head inland for more adventures.

Your Random Rover,

Gordon

And Heading South

It had to happen sometime. We did the big 180 and started heading south. Not that we are in any hurry to get back it just had to happen at some point. So here we go. We traveled from Banff, AB through Radium Hot Springs to Cranbrook, BC.

**Our site at Mt Baker RV Park in Cranbrook, BC**

It was a relatively short driving day so we had time to do a little exploring in town where we found an excellent chocolate shop and a wonderful bookstore that had every magazine you could imagine. We bought more than we should have, but opportunities for good food and reading material should not be passed by lightly.

We stopped at the Spokane Elks for a few nights to see the families and we had a great time. The first day back stateside was spent shopping, getting haircuts, and picking up all the stuff we had left in John’s care. (Things we couldn’t take across the border.) Of course John and Miss fed us lunch and Gordon does not pass up free meals especially when the food and company are great. We were able to spend an afternoon and evening at son John’s Lake place and Laura was able to come up with Delaney. On another night we were able to get together again with everyone at the lodge for “Taco Night” and they had a band so we got in a little dancing too. I had forgotten that John and Missy had their wedding reception at the lodge so there was also a bit of reminiscing.

On the way down to the Tri-Cities area to see some old friends we stopped for break and lunch in a quaint small town named Connell, Washington where Gordon succumbed to a game with some locals. I’m telling you that the raven was cheating. He must have been. If Elaine hadn’t drug me away I’d have lost everything and we would be standing at a rest area holding up a cardboard sign.

**Army Corps of Engineers Charbonneau Park**

This COE park was beautiful!! We spent a couple of nights here and were able to do a lot of catching up and getting re-acquainted with the Krudwigs, great folks we had not seen for at least 20 years.

Elaine was driving on this stretch of the Columbia Gorge so Gordon was able to get this “through the windshield” picture on our way from Charbonneau to Salem. As you can see it was a picture perfect day. (pun intended) All to soon it was my turn to drive us through Portland.

We have made good use of the Elk’s hospitality on this trip and plan to do more. If you are an Elk, the lodges can be a special treat on your travels. We spent a couple of nights here catching our breath / relaxing and were able to enjoy steak night at the lodge. We also shopped at the Salem Farmer’s Market. Very, very nice – bought some fruit and bread, and met some fine craftspersons. Took the short drive up to Silverton to take in a little of the Willamette Valley farm country.

The park is the best. As you can see the spaces are spacious. The hosts are helpful and the Pacific ocean is just a few minutes away.

Now we are on the Oregon coast! Elaine and I always miss the ocean and so are pulled in this westerly direction until we can hear the surf, smell the ocean breeze, and see the sunlight sparkle on water and sand. The weather has been as great as it has been for most of this trip so we were able to do lots of just looking around and revisiting old haunts from Yachats to Winchester Bay. We saw some friends that we met last year, ate lots of fresh seafood, and pretended we were on vacation.

Tomorrow we will move on to Bullards Beach State Park just north of Bandon, OR.

Travel Safely and Enjoy,

Your Random Rover,

Gordon

More Time On The Southern Oregon Coast

It is getting to be late August and nearing the time we plan to start our trek back to Arizona. No route set yet, but probably east through Idaho and then south through Utah. I suppose that we ought to make up our minds soon. We do plan to go ride the mail boat on the Rogue River which we haven’t done in many years after we leave here. After that probably back north to see some of my family before we start the big drive.

**Paige, Delaney, and Laura in Newport**

We have enjoyed having our extended family here in bits and pieces. First we got to see Laura and the girls. Unfortunately schedules precluded any more than just meeting up for an afternoon in Newport but we had a great time. The first stop was Mo’s for lunch. (For the who don’t know the central Oregon coast, Mo’s is a must do great seafood restaurant and a tradition that has grown from a tiny little cafe on the Yaquina Bay waterfront into a small chain.) After lunch we did some sight-seeing and shopping. Hopefully next time we will have more time together.

John, Missy, Jasmine, and Tyler were able to spend a few days with us camping out. We got to play on the beach, have a few cookouts, do a little sight-seeing and generally just have fun.

And then we got to spend just short of two days with Elaine’s sister and brother-in-law. They arrived in time for happy hour so we got to kick off our time with a small party followed by dinner off the barbeque. The next day weather was the absolute best it could be so after a sour-dough pancake breakfast we went back to see Shore Acres State Park again this time in the sunshine. We found fresh crab in Charleston, Oregon on the way back to the rig so we all got to have a big crab salad for dinner. Thank you Bill, for buying the crab before I noticed. I did not expect that! It sure was good.

After a little rain I am finally finding chanterelle mushrooms. Oh lucky me! Elaine and I gathered this nice plateful in a little over an hour. And I just had to gather and dry one more batch of lobster mushrooms while I could.

Someone in Charleston, Oregon had a sense of humor when they named this street! I wish I could live on Guano Rock Avenue or maybe in Toad Suck, Arkansas. (We looked at a house there once when we lived in the Little Rock area, but unfortunately we did not like it.)

A Sea Lion in Newport, Oregon

Winchester Bay

Cape Arago Oregon

Boats in Winchester Bay

Siuslaw River Bridge Florence, Oregon

Fun In Newport

Tylopilus Alboater or Black Velvet Bolete

Elaine and Gordon at the Umpqua Lighthouse

We’ve had a lots of fun and seen many new places. We will be heading out for more adventures on September 1st as we meander toward home.

Hope you have enjoyed the ride so far and that you can look in again soon,

The Random Rover

Umqua Lighthouse State Park

It was a bucolic drive here, even the first portion, which was northbound on I5 being quite pleasant as I drove, first squeezing out of Peggy and Gerry’s driveway (They have a large driveway but as I am occasionally reminded, Bertha, our 5th wheel trailer, is big, very big, which of course is why we call her Bertha with apologies to anyone named Bertha who takes offense.) and on to Valley of the Rogue State Park where for the paltry sum of $3.00 we dumped our holding tanks and Elaine took over driving heading through the mountains to a rest area near the 7 Feathers Casino/Truck Stop at Canyonville and then it was Gordon’s turn for a few more miles on up the freeway to near Sutherlin and on to quieter roads, hwy 138 to Elkton where we stopped for lunch in the rig (we really wanted ice cream which did not see until we were done, and stuffed :-(, it was right across the road, and then hwy 38 to Reedsport where we turned south on US101 for about 8 miles to the park.

There you have it, a prime example of why my 5th grade teacher called me the king of run on sentences and she definitely wasn’t complimenting me. I haven’t lost my touch.

🙂

Umpqua Campsite — **Umpqua Lighthouse Campsite**

Even if we did not see anything else new and wonderful on this trip it would have been worth the drive for this campsite alone. We are up in an open area of tall forest well above the ocean, out of the wind, above the fog, but with a fog horn barely audible for ambiance, and not in the campground proper so that we have only one neighbor, a fellow work camper. As I was writing this a black tail doe walked through our site munching her breakfast. We are here for the whole month so we will have plenty of time to explore.

The campground is very nice and has a beautiful little lake with hiking trail all the way around it.

There is a day use area with lots of picnic tables and a sandy beach for fresh water swimming.

And a wooded campground with tent sites, rv sites, cabins and yurts.

The lighthouse is just outside of the park and is run by the county. Note the unusual bi-color lens. County volunteers give lighthouse tours, keep up a good museum of life and duties at the station and run a gift shop.

We changed our minds, filling a vacancy here for another month, and cancelling our planned stay at Sunset Bay. Our site here is just too nice to leave. We will visit Sunset Bay on a day trip or two before we leave. So for now we are eating fresh seafood and fruit / vegetables from the local farmers markets. Elaine has made pickles and strawberry jam and keeps busy with crochet projects while Gordon collects mushrooms and does a little wood carving. I will produce another installment with highlights of our adventures in this area. So we will take pictures, and make notes and generally have a good time. We have begun planning our return to Arizona but as we have lots of time we will do both our planning and our trip back with leisure as the predominant feature. We do plan to go south and ride a jet boat on the Rogue River (it has been a long time and we still cherish memories of the first time) and then go back up to Corvallis to see family and then off to Idaho and down through Utah toward home. Will we do it that way? Maybe, probably, we will see, it is the plan for now.

Y’all splash a puddle just for the fun of it. (Ah come on now, remember how much fun it was. Just do it.)

Your random rover, Gordon