The Oregon Coast, Redwood National Park and Twin Lakes, California

Updates from Debbie...
Steve and I have been feeling so very blessed to be living this life. Catching up on the last few weeks, we have felt like we're living inside a picture postcard or scenic calendar! We give thanks daily to our Creator for the majesty of this incredible land.  We just left Twin Lakes, California which is a couple hours south of Lake Tahoe.  So beautiful and peaceful.  We met up with extended family there - Chuck & Louise Lewis and their son Steve as well as other family friends.  Good times!  Steve went fishing with the guys and we both enjoyed the quiet.  No internet or satellite reception. I'll use that as my excuse for being slow to update this blog! It was a great time to catch up on reading God's word (my favorite pastime).  It never fails to put things into perspective for me by painting a clear view of the bigger picture.

Driving alongside of Twin Lakes, California on the way to our camp site 

Here's Harley running thru a stream near our campsite

We saw deer everyday outside our window

Today we are in Sparks, Nevada (spending just one night), en route to Fresno, CA to visit Steve's sister Bonnie and her hubby Scott.  Scott's been very ill and Bonnie has a broken wheel so we hope to bring them some cheer and offer our moral support.

On the road today, we drove past a wild fire near Topaz Lake in western Nevada.

There was a helicopter overhead dropping water

We were held up on the road awhile and eventually passed the fire trucks & firefighters right there beside the freeway

God bless and keep the firefighters!

We spent a restful day in Red Bluff, California at a pretty new RV resort that was incredible.  Each RV slot had a well manicured lawn, beautiful landscaping, immaculate grounds, plenty of space and every amenity you could ever want. And it was a gated community!

Fountains at the Durango RV Resort 

It bordered the scenic Sacramento river

We spent nearly two weeks with my sweet sister Jeanne and her groom of 44 years (Chris) in Oregon & California.  We'd been planning this rendezvous for quite some time and it certainly lived up to our hopes & dreams!  Earlier this week, we all stayed a couple days at Crescent City, CA on the beach just south of the Oregon border.  The little town was awfully gray... actually pretty blah but the redeeming quality was its close proximity to the famous Redwood National Park. Wow!!!! I've always wanted to see it but it really surpassed my expectations.  The Redwoods are the worlds' largest trees and stand in excess of 350' and can live up to 2,000 years!  Apparently there are no forest fires there -- too moist, I guess. What a fabulous day we spent among these unbelievable trees.

My sister Jeanne and me

Steve looks (and feels!) like a speck

Chris & Jeanne

Gasp!

The fog and clouds were heavenly

As magnificent as the Redwoods were, it was actually an afterthought to our original plan of spending a week on the beach at Lincoln City, Oregon.  It's Jeanne & Chris's favorite vacation spot.  We stayed in an RV park near their rented Condo that opened right onto the beach.

Chris & Jeanne right outside their condo's sliding glass door

We enjoyed it too!

We had a fabulous time together.  One day we drove to Newport, Oregon (on the coast just north of Lincoln City) and saw the sights like this lighthouse pictured below.  We ate clam chowder at Mo's local diner.  Another day we toured the Tillamook Cheese factory in... you guessed it - Tillamook, Oregon. Free samples! And a great little cafe with super yummy ice cream made right there in the factory. Darn, forgot to take a picture there. 

The Yaquina Head lighthouse built in 1873

Before we got to Lincoln City, Steve & I had a great time in Astoria, Oregon - the northern most city on the coast.

We ate awesome fish & chips (tuna!) from the Bowpicker in Astoria, Oregon

This was another awesome RV park we stayed at in Astoria, OR called the Lewis & Clark Golf & RV Resort.  Our campsite felt like it was on the fairway!  It was one continuous greenbelt adjacent to the course but there was a stream and blackberry bushes that separated the RV's from the actual golf course.  We will definitely stay here again if we're ever back this way in the future. 

This was our first glimpse of the Oregon Coast

Until next time -- take good care and enjoy life!

The Magic Bus takes a ferry ride!

As we headed south from Anacortes to begin making our way down the west coast, we decided to avoid the Seattle area.  Soooo... that meant taking the magic bus on a ferry ride!  We left Oak Harbor from Coupeville and arrived at Port Townsend.  It was a fairly short ride (maybe half an hour) but quite a different experience!  Debbie felt seasick as we started rockin' & rolling in the bay. But we arrived safe & sound and without sinking the ferry. (She was worried about that). We'd originally planned to take a ferry to Victoria, BC but for various reasons, that didn't work out.  We hope to hit it next time around.

                     The ferry we took to Port Townsend pulling into the dock.

Here we are at the Artic RV Park near Cosmopolis & Aberdeen, WA. Once again we felt as if we were in the wilderness surrounded by deep woods. Great park! The owners were terrific and had planted a garden full of vegetables, berries and flowers and they encouraged guests to harvest whatever they wished. Between the garden and the generosity of a new good friend (a farmer named Ray) we greatly enjoyed fresh Washington blueberries, blackberries, sweet corn and carrots.

We took a nature trail hike that ran along a creek and deep into the woods.  We saw some amazing vegetation. There was this Sitka Spruce that was over 10' in diameter, tons of ferns & moss. Roy, the owner had done an incredible job placing stepping stones and clearing a path through about a mile and a half stretch through the thick woods. There were a few too many spider webs and sharp sticks to avoid but otherwise a cool experience!

It's a jungle out there! I'm standing in a giant plant.

Harley loved the nature trail & the RV park. We never had to put him on a leash!!     

On Thursday we drove to Westport for lunch & ate at Bennett's Fish Shack, a little dive voted best fish & chips in town, made with really fresh cod. This is a picture from the observation tower looking back at the marina. They were selling fresh Albacore, Shrimp & Salmon right off the boats. If I'd had a way of getting some tuna back to the bus, I would have bought some. I'll try to get some in Astoria before we leave for Lincoln City. Fresh Tuna Steaks, Yum!!

Yesterday we continued southbound and arrived in Astoria, just across the northern Oregon border. We're staying at the Lewis & Clark Golf RV Resort (Sept 1 - 5).  Legend has it that Astoria is the oldest town settled on the West Coast. We'll be here until after the Labor Day holiday and then look forward to meeting up with Jeanne & Chris (in-laws) for a week's stay at Lincoln City, OR -- right on the coast.  Should be fun!

 

The view as we arrived in Astoria, Oregon.