Beach Stacks, Sand and Ice cream (Oregon)

Left Crescent Lake and drove 3+ hours down Highway 101, the Washington coastal highway getting occasional views of the ocean. We stopped a couple of times to take it all in.

We drove through towns with names like Raymond, Ilwaco, Nemah until we reached the right hand turn to a huge bridge, this bridge crosses the Columbia River and also the Washington/Oregon state border.  It must be 1-2 miles long and has a huge climb on the Oregon side, we could see loads of cargo (probably coal) ships  and this peak in the bridge must be to allow them through.

We drove through Astoria in Oregon and back on the coastal road.  Astoria looks like a pretty and old town, but with the trailer on it is difficult to go for a look and parking is not possible.

Another hour down the coast, with views of the ocean and the sea stacks we arrived in Garibaldi our home for 3 nights.  Our RV park in on the “Garibaldi Docks” but it is more like the large marina and some restaurants.  There is a couple of fresh seafood stores and they sell Oysters, we bought a dozen for Robert ($12 for the lot), and we were so surprised by the size of them.  They were huge.

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Next morning we planned to have a touristy day out, first thing was coffee at the Five Rivers Roaster nearer to Tillamook and opposite was the Tillamook Creamery (where cheese, ice cream and other products are produced).   Had a wonderful coffee and spoke with the owner about how coffee is roasted, he recommended Oceanside about 15 miles away and said the beach was beautiful.   More on the upcoming YouTube video.

We went off to Oceanside, and saw the sandy beach and sea stacks (which is what the Oregon and Washington coast is known for), on the north end of the beach there appeared a tunnel, we went through the tunnel and came out on another secluded beach with a wonderful view.  Next stop after some photographs was Cape Mears, up a windy road and parked up – walked down to the old lighthouse and again we had views for miles and miles, little beaches in coves but sheer rock cliffs surrounding them.

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Last stop was the Tillamook Creamery, a new building with viewing windows down to the workers and conveyor belts making cheeses…   We bought some cheese and a huge ice cream each and we decided that would be lunch (2pm’ish).  We can have ice cream for lunch?? We are adults and it should be ok!!!

The weather has been bright and sunny but a little cold wind comes through in the afternoon, top temperature is around 50F (10C) and the nights are back to (29-35f = -2C to 0C)  freezing so we have to disconnect the water and cover the water inlet on the trailer so nothing freezes.  We haven’t had to do this for months now (May I think was the last time).

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This is the evening view from our RV park across the water – due West….

Moving day tomorrow, off further south!!!

 

Hoquiam and Westport, Washington

Before we left, we had a little visitor under the car!!! Look on the wheel on the front, it is a little chipmunk!!

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Drove down the coast road (101) from Crescent Lake and Forks area, it was a lovely windy single land each way drive.  We pulled into the layby’s on the side of the road a few times to look at the ocean.

There is a very long beach along this area, black sand but waves that come parallel to the beach from way out and just float straight in. The water temperature is about 11C (51F) which is far too cold for us to swim.

Arrived in the RV park and set up, then the Washington Weather paid us another visit, it rained constantly for hours and most of the next day too.  Had a quick look around the town of Hoquiam and then onto the next town along called Aberdeen where we found the Safeways, Home Depot and also a Walmart!!!  Starting to recognise these shops and knowing which one we need.   Got fuel at Safeways today and with our discount shopping card, we got $0.30/gallon off the price – it was $2.75/gallon = $0.72/litre – very happy with those prices – California is coming on our trip and the fuel there is very expensive so will wait and see what we pay there.

Off out today to Westport on the coast and the southern headland of the river/fishing harbour here.  It seems to be a summer holiday area and has hundreds of fishing boats in the harbour, the wind was blowing and was very cold today but in summer it would be a very pretty area and I should think the beaches would be packed with holiday makers.

We wandered the marina with the fishing boats and found a “pod of sea lions” barking and hissing at each other sitting on the docks, they are huge!! Bigger than I expected..  Boy were they noisy we could hear them from a long way off!

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We did our groceries for the next week or so and headed back to start sorting out for moving tomorrow.

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We have been in Washington – 21 days, travelled 852 miles, had 5 boat and ferry rides, got some car work done (fixed windscreen, bedliner and wind protectors installed) stayed in Winthrop, Concrete, Fidalgo Bay, Friday Harbour, Crescent Lake and Hoquiam (6 different places) and had a wonderful time.  Visited many more places such as Forks, Hoh Rainforest, La Connor, Fort Townsend among a few.

We are moving tomorrow, we have finished our time in Washington State, we have had a great time, seen only a little of the state.

Oregon tomorrow……

 

Crescent Lake (Olympic National Park)

Another big Wow spot!!

We took the Truck and Trailer on the Washington Ferry from Coupesville to Fort Townsend.  It was fun and the ferries here are drive through, rather than reversing which is easier for us.

Arrived in our RV park at Crescent Lake, it is a National Park RV Park and right on Crescent Lake.  We had a lake view but were not backed onto the lake.

One rainy day so we stayed home and did some business, relaxed and chilled out.

The next day was wet and soggy but we went out anyway, rain jackets in the car and ready for a good look around.  Our plan was to head to Hoh Rainforest which is inside the Olympic National Park too but about 1.5 hour drive from our Campsite.  Cameras, coats and walking boots in the car – off we went around the Lake.  The views were wonderful, then onto Beaver and Forks (more on Forks shortly).

Found the turn off and had a 13 mile drive into the Hoh Rainforest  (http://www.sevenwondersofwashingtonstate.com/the-hoh-rain-forest.html).  We walked the “Hall of Mosses” path which took us down to a small tree covered brook  – and as soon as Robert turned the corner to the little wooden bridge he saw a river otter sitting on the bank looking right at him, then realised another was in the water right there too!! what a huge treat, neither of us have ever seen one in the wild…. to amazed to take a photo!  I moved forwards and they took off up the river but I did see them further up coming out of the water.

How do I describe the Hoh Rainforest? I can’t so here are some pictures…… Rainforest without the heat, mossy and boggy and beautifully green all the time.

Our next stop was lunch in Forks.  Forks claim to fame is the Twilight Saga book and movies, and we stopped to photograph the “pickups” at the information centre and I got some background from the lovely lady there.  The movies were filmed in Oregon and Canada but the books are all based in Forks and there is a museum and locations outlined on a map so you can see the locations described in the books.  I had seen the movies but never read the books (let’s change that shall we!! I downloaded the set of books, and a lot of the locations we visited are in the first few chapters of the book – great reading a book and knowing what is being described – because I have seen the exact locations!!).

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We had lunch at a Diner (a real american one like in the movies) and it was really good too..  While refueling the truck and getting coffee a lady suggested we find Rialto Beach.

Loaded with coffee off we went, took a few wrong turns but got there in the end!! and Oh boy was it worth it.  More rain, and the beach was beautiful – Sea Stacks with huge trees on top, a booming surf on the pebble beach and huge driftwood – actually whole trees and a forest of them all white and stacked on the beach above high tide. So very pretty and raw and wild to see a beach like this.  (Robert does great coverage of this on the next video).

Home for a bit of drying out an warming up.

Final day in Crescent Lake was a lake day, we hung out near the van and met some of the other folk, a lovely couple with 2 teenage daughters travelling in an RV for the summer but live on a boat in Mexico and home school the girls. We had a lot in common as they they dive a lot in Mexico.  Enjoyed the day of sunshine and hanging out at the lake.

Moving further down the Washington Coast soon.. and then into Oregon after a few days.

 

Anacortes, Washington

Taking time to sit back and watch and think about what you’ve seen is important. 

Lionel Richie

 

We had a wonderful 9 nights in Fidalgo Bay Resort, just outside Anacortes, Washington.  The name “Anacortes” is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman

A few days were used up with the F250 bedliner, the window shades and the windscreen getting worked on and installed.

We did a trip Deception Pass where there is a double bridge system crossing over some very narrow water way on both sides of the island and the water from the Puget Sound rushes in and out on the big tides.  We arrived and it was raining, first real rain we had seen for some time but more was promised so best we get used to it.  Drove down to the beach level and looked at the huge trees that were washed up on the shoreline and the fishermen/ladies standing in the freezing cold hoping for Salmon that were still going up the river.

The next day we had lunch at La Connor

Had a day in downtown Anacortes, checking out the old town and the brewery there and had coffee – they have murals on the sidewalls of the buildings depicting the old days and some of the real people that lived in town over the century or two it has been here, very interesting and also entertaining.

Had 1 night and 2 days at Friday Harbor, San Juan Island in the Puget Sound.  These couple of days were remarkable and am so glad we took the time to do this side trip – the islands and waterways are so interesting and so different from each other and the mainland.

Our RV Park at Fidalgo Bay was in a lovely spot, on the river and also on the Puget Sound so we could sit on the waters edge (on washed up logs) and watch Lunes, Seagulls and Bald Eagles hunt in the waters.  The seagulls had learnt to dip for clams, bring them up and drop them on the rocky shore to crack open and then they can get to the meat inside!! smart birds.

Had some great neighbours, some we got to know well – like Eric and Jane that were next door one night and we just clicked with them. Other folk we talked to in passing and love to hear their travels and swap ideas on places to stop and see things.

 

San Juan Islands and Friday Harbor

Wow, wow and double Wow.   We took the truck over to Friday Harbour from Anacortes on the Ferry, it was very reasonably priced – $80+ for the truck and 2 adults – Return!! yes really.

The day was beautiful and calm (thank you so much – my stomach appreciates it), after a 1.5 hour ferry ride, we arrived in the pretty town of Friday Harbor, drove off the Ferry and through town, took a few wrong turns, but found our Bed and Breakfast with carpark, dropped off the car and hot footed down to the Docks again for our Whale Watch tour.

Our Sunday tour was south travelling about 1 hour towards the Canada/US Maritime Border – once we arrived we followed around a large Male Orca – he zigged and zagged and then back again but eventually we caught up with him just as he was chasing, catching harbor seals for his lunch – saw the predation from distance but that is the way of the world.   Amazing to see what we have seen on documentaries in real life.  We stayed around the area for some time and then had a direct return to the Friday Harbor.

Back on solid ground we walked through town to our B&B and checked in, tidied up and walked back downtown for our dinner – we decided on a Pub on the Harbor Front and had a lovely home cooked pub meal.  By this time we were both very tired so a wander back through town and time to stop and slow down.

Rose the next morning after 12 hours of solid sleep – oh did we need that.  A lovely slow breakfast at the B&B and packed up and took the car down the road a few blocks. We need to be closer to the harbor area as we have very little time later in the day!

Off to wander the town and marina area, coffee and cake…..  It was a clear and sunny day with no breeze at all and starting to warm up a little, looked at the variety of boats, yachts and little vessels in the Friday Harbor Marina.

I often think and wonder what wonderful adventures these have seen and been part of.

Time for our second trip with Maya’s Legacy Whale tour, can’t wait to see what we find today.   Off we go into the Puget Sound again and this time we head clockwise around the San Juan Island, south first.  Stop at some seals on rocks – they pose for us.  Then the word comes in that J Pod of Orcas are near the Western Lighthouse so off we travel as fast as we can, we stop once for some Dalls Porpoises, very rare tiny little creatures came to the surface to say hello.

Then the Orca’s came in sight – oh what a sight they were. We saw 28+ during the next hour or so, they swam by, 2 breaches and one did a upside down surfacing.  We are so blessed to have had such a wonderful experience.  They are very large strong animals – actually bigger than I thought but magnificent creatures.

Not to disappoint us on the way home, the Captain Daven took us via an island that had some exotic sheep and deer on it for us to see and we ended the circumnavigation of the San Juan Island.

We arrived back at 3:30pm and had to be on the 4:15pm Ferry, a quick walk to our strategically placed truck, and down into the queue for the Ferry – phew!!! We made it in time….  Home for dinner and back to our little home on wheels.

We had 4 boat rides in 2 days and had a wonderful time, saw some magnificent wild animals in their natural habitat, doing their natural undisturbed routines, met some very nice folk on the boats and ferries. We thoroughly enjoyed our little holiday!!

Can highly recommend the diversion out to the Islands if you are in the area!!!

Watch our Youtube channel, there is a  video coming out Friday (US Time)!!! look for it on our page…….

 

 

La Connor, Washington

We were recommended to visit the historical town of La Connor.  It is a 10 minute drive from our RV park in Fidalgo Bay.

We had the truck at RPM Shop in Burlington town getting some work done, that is another blog!!!  So we had a little hire car for the day and we were very low to the ground, after being in the big truck for so long, very unnerving.

We parked just outside of the main street area and wandered around, the weather was lovely so walking was very pleasant.

Lunch time was looming so we were window shopping and looking for a lunch venue and found both.  Had lunch at the “Family Pub and Bar” and had the old favourite, fish and chips overlooking the Swinomish Channel (river), excellent fish and the price was very suitable for a tourist town $9.95 each and I had a local craft beer which was very pleasant too.

Wandered some more and felt quite at home with the clad buildings of the same era as our home town of Stockton, some of the homes and buildings were very ornate and some were not so much.   We both love the quirky buildings and love being near the water so had a great morning out.