July24 - Back to the mainland

I spent much of the morning sitting on my log looking out across the strait longing to get a last glimpse of the Orca. They did not oblige, but I enjoyed the anticipation. After packing up we headed to Friday Harbor to await the ferry. The boys wanted to spend their time in the library, so Rich and I got to spend a couple of hours watching the boats, people and seaplanes in the busy harbor. We could not resist more seafood for lunch. The boys called us when they were ready to leave the library, only to be told that the car and camper were in the ferry line so they would have to walk back to town. They caught up to us pretty quickly and we were soon on the ferry enjoying the cruise back to Anacortez.
As we travelled south we noticed the dark rain clouds in the east. By the time we got to the campground the first drops were falling. After a takeout dinner of pizza and a huge downpour we returned to a campground lit up by emergency lights. The EMT's left with their patient and I was happy to get to bed.

July 23 – Kayaking

We discovered an outfitter who launches from our campground beach and made a booking for an afternoon on the water. The wind was high but we planned to not venture too far from the bay. Just as we were getting onto the water we noticed a flotilla of boats moving north. This is a sure indictor that the Orca are nearby. We paddled out to some kelp and held on tight. We used the kelp to prevent the current and wind moving us towards the rocks. The Orca swam past us moving north. We were very excited. We then paddled around the small island infront of the campground. We saw seal and many birds. After a rest and snack on the beach we decided to paddle south to look for the bald eagle nest. Just as we were getting back on the water the Orca appeared again. We were able to paddle alongside them as they moved south. We were then treated to seeing the bald eagles near their nest. What an afternoon! Very expensive but what an experience. Thanks Kim.
We spent the evening savouring our last night on the island.

July 22 – Mike loves the big boats

While we were doing some early morning seal watching the fog rolled in from the southwest. It was eerie how large ships suddenly disappeared from view. The fog never made it to the shore but the whole strait stayed shrouded most of the day. We went north to explore Mitchell harbor. It is really small. We were unable to rent kayaks because we had no open sea experience. Further north at Roche harbor we found more lime kilns operations. Many of the original company buildings have been preserved. The hotel and limestone fireplaces are still standing. The harbor was full of boats and we were able to explore some 50-60 foot boats than were on sale. The opulence was incredible. Mike loves the boats and wants to live on one instead of a house.

July 21 – Lime kilns and the pig war

The campground is quiet till about 9am. It is nice to have Rich to make big breakfasts. We saw Orca twice before we left on our day’s exploration! The roads are too narrow for us to go cycling so we jumped into the car and went south. We explored the whale watching station and the restored lime kiln. The islands were completely deforested during the lime heyday but they have, thankfully, recovered. We discovered that we have been spoilt to see the Orca so often because they had not been seen for a whole week prior to our arrival. They had however seen a humpback whale recently. At the American camp we learnt about the pig war with the British. We then explored Friday Harbor. We met Popeye the local seal. Rich found a fishmonger and brought a whole variety of fish and shellfish for dinner. It tasted great. Crab was our favorite.

July 20 - San Juan Islands

We headed north to get onto the islands. Traffic through the city is bad! Everyone is excited at the possibility of seeing whales. Promise to put up pictures soon!

July 20 – Onto the Islands

The drive up to Anacortez is quite long – especially driving through central Seattle traffic. We caught the express ferry mid afternoon and sailed straight through to San Juan Island. I was amazed at how developed the island is. Friday Harbor is huge and the shore is covered in houses. As we drove across the island we saw lots of farmland. It is quite hilly as well. We arrived at the park and the ranger took one look at our camper and thought it was larger than the 25’ restriction. He got out his measuring wheel only to discover we were in the limit. He implied that our campsite would be difficult to get into because it was so small, but the only problem was getting everything level. Our site backed on to forest so we felt really private. We looked out over tents towards the water. While we were eating dinner the first spotting of Orca occurred. We dropped everything and went down to the shore to watch them swim by. What a joy to see them! The whole campground was there watching them. Ant later found a baby harbor seal on the beach – the beach was then closed to prevent anybody disturbing it. There are no waves, but we do get large swells hitting the island when the large ship pass on the inner passage to Alaska. The Haro Strait west of the island is deep and it comes real close to the island. The Orca follow the salmon, who are migrating to the Frazer River to spawn, and this brings them close to shore. The 3 resident pods of Orca eat salmon, but the transient pods eat seals. The small island in front of the campground is an animal refuge and one can see seals sunbathing there at low tide. Seals make a lot of noise at times – they splash around in the water flapping their tails. The sunset was wonderful.

July 19 - Trolls and locks

We headed up to Seattle and explored Lake Union. The house boats were interesting to watch. We walked under the Fremont bridge to find the Troll then made our way down to the locks. We met up with Helen and Bill, had fish and chips lunch in a park listening to Jazz, played Nerts, then explored the locks. They packed so many pleasure boats into the lock before they raised them up into Lake Union. The salmon ladder was interesting and we saw some huge Chinook. The heat is wonderful and we feel like we have dried out since leaving the penninsula. This is a wonderful time of year to be here. Back at the camper the boys were wiped out - they were in bed by 9pm.

July 18 - Museum of flight

Rich and I took Rocky for a walk on the beach. After a big breakfast we headed off to the museum. We boarded a Concorde, and the old air force one and go up close to a 747. I enjoyed the WWI and WWII exhibits. The boys and I took a flight in two open bi-planes. What fun! Headed home to meet with Helen and had a wonderful evening chatting. Rich spoiled us and made the dinner.

July 17 - Back to an urban setting

The day to meet Rich has finally arrived. Packed up and took a route to Tacoma around the northern peninsula. We saw incredibly steep tall mountains and a lovely lake. As soon as we reached Port Angeles we got great views north to Vancouver Island and the Sound. Our route to the campground took us past the Tacome harbor and scrap metal loading area. The heavy industry was quite shocking. We entered a peaceful residentail area and found the campground. The is an urban setting and the noise levels from the campers really increase. We setup quickly, left Mike and Rocky at the camp, went to do laundry and then hightailed it to the airport. Rich had to wait a while for us, but it was good to see him. Rob made dinner for us all. We are playing musical beds - I am in Rob's, Rich is in Ant's and they share the double.

July 16 - Lazy day

Woke up with the intention of not doing any sightseeing today. A very relaxed feeling. The beach was shrouded in heavy fog. We could not even see the surf which was out on a low tide. One felt completly alone on the beach - although we were not. We let Rocks off leash and he immediatly harassed some people with a dog emerging out of the fog. The owner was really unhappy with us. I took a long walk on the lovely flat beach while the boys made friends with some other kids. They played together all day. They built log structures and dammed up the little river running over the beach. One of last nights fires was still smouldering so we rekindled it and enjoyed the warmth. I hid out of the wind and soaked up the sun. We played till dinner, had to haul water to fill the camper, showered and then I snuck off to watch the sunset. Helen called and we made plans to meet on Saturday - excited!

July 15 - Hoh Rainforest

We drove up to the rainforest but desperately needed some gas. In this remote area we had to pay $4/gal. I was livid! Everything is so green here. Not surprisingly – 120 inches of rain a year. July is their dry month and it was quite hot. We joined a ranger led trail and learnt so much about the park and our ranger. He was really engaging and fun to listen to. We saw western hemlock, sitka spruce and Douglas fir. Many branches were covered in a thick layer of moss. The nurse logs were interesting. The ferns and forest growth reminded us of the vegetation we saw at the redwood forests. Upon our return to the campground, the change in weather was so sudden it surprised us. As soon as we got close to the coast the blue skies vanished and the fog enveloped us. We stopped at Ruby beach and explored the stacks on the beach. There were many pebbles on the beach and people had made numerous piles on the large driftwood logs. The effect was quite pretty. Rocky hopped up onto the logs to smell the pebbles but all he managed to do was topple them off the logs. He had not idea that he was wreaking such havoc. Back at the campground Mike and Rob rushed down to the beach to prepare our evening beach fire. They also built a wonderful wind shelter upwind of the campfire. We had dinner and read until it was dark enough to light the fire. The sunset was great and the wind died down a bit. We got the kindling lit but it seemed to die soon after. We went off to another fire to get a burning log to restart our fire. We returned to our fire with the log and to our surprise our fire was burning quite well. Ant deserted us for another fire and “better company”. Rob and Mike wondered off after a while, so once I had had my fill of the smoke I smothered the fire with sand. We went to bed after our 1 min showers. I hope our water will last until we leave. I love the tranquility here.

July 14 - Hello Washington

Crossing the bridge at Astoria marked the end of our time in Oregon. I was sad to leave because we have really enjoyed our time there. The coast was really spectacular. The 101 in Washington does not hug he coast and I found the driving quite depressing. Towns are run down and roads are in bad condition. The logging was easy to see on all the hillsides. I did enjoy our blue skies! When we arrived at our campground in Kalaloch I was overjoyed to see how close to the beach it was. It took us a while to back into our narrow sloping site. The forest trees completely enveloped us. We rushed down to the beach and discovered it was covered with an endless supply of driftwood. Many shelters had been built using the wood. Rob was all enthused to build his own hut. We saw some stacks of wood ready to be lit later in the evening. The wind was chilly and the boys were pleased to have their new jackets to keep them warm. Rob and I explored the local lodge for WiFi and their menu. Everything was very expensive and they scoffed at the idea of WiFi. The campground is silent at night – except for the soft sound of the waves.

July 13 - Columbia River mouth

The campground is huge and I cannot hear the sea. We got the bikes out and started exploring the wonderful bike trails. Our first stop was a shipwreck on the beach. Rob climbed to the top of the metal skeleton. We were amazed to see cars driving up and down the beach. The boys wanted me to get the car on the beach but I was not too keen to risk getting it stuck in soft sand. We needed Rich with us. Rocky spent some time off leash. He loved running after Rob. He even ran through some pools left behind by the low tide. He listened to our calls most of the time but when he saw a seagull he had to chase it – no matter how much we called after him. We then rode towards the river mouth and explored the old batteries that were used for defense. The ride back to the camper was fun and the boys had to take a detour to re-visit the wreck. Rob and I stocked up on food supplies and we found some lovely wind/rain jackets. We treated ourselves to pizza and soup for dinner. We had hoped to get to the south jetty by 6pm, for a ranger led program. We arrived late and missed it. Hundreds of pelicans, seagulls and terns were fishing in the water really close to the jetty. It was great to watch them. I enjoyed watching ships entering and leaving the river mouth. The boys had “stick” wars on the beach while I enjoyed the activity on the river. Rob made a fire before we all went to bed.

July 12 - Tillamook factory

Mike and I delighted in following Rob and Ant while they followed our scavenger hunt through the campground and out to the beach. Mike had stashed some good digging tools there. We raced back to the camper to pack up before the storm hit. We are really good at this task now and were leaving the campground half and hour later. We drove through lots of rain and mist. Driving south to north on the 101 is not a good plan, as you have to cross oncoming traffic to get to all the coastal view spots. We missed many because of this. All we traveled north the road seemed to get more and more bumpy. The result of this is the bike rack started to rip the bumper of the back of the trailer. We are so lucky that the whole lots did not fall off onto the road. We visited the Tillamook cheese factory. I was not very impressed – there was almost nothing going on in the factory. Maybe it was just quiet because it was a Sunday. We did however buy some really good ice cream.
Our final campground in Oregon was at the mouth of the Columbia.

July 11 - Aquarium and into town

We had some good thunder and lightning followed by all night drizzle. The air was quite cold this morning but the early breeze stopped and things warmed up a bit. There are so many activities to do we had to list them all and pick who was doing which. Mike wanted to do the tidal pool outing, Rob wanted to work on his Junior Ranger badge and Ant just chose to stay in bed. The Oregon State Parks really make you work hard for your badges – Rob will be busy for a few days. The tidal pools were a few miles south of the park. They were really super. We spotted a sunflower starfish and leather starfish along with so many other animals, plants and birds. Mike examined a starfish eating a mussel (pic). We returned to the camper just as Rob finished up his morning program. After some rounds of card games and a quick nap we cycled along the shore trail to get to town. We spent the afternoon at the Oregon Aquarium. The walk through tunnels was impressive, Ant loved the touch pools and I enjoyed watching the jellyfish. After the aquarium, we braved cycling across the bridge to Newport. The library was closed so we explored the bayside area. It is a busy fishing port and we decided to try the local seafood for dinner – wonderful! It was getting dark by the time we had to ride home. Mike and I then went for a long walk with Rocky. It has been rather cold all day, so the hot showers were most welcome.

July 10 - Oregon coastline is open to the public

Our clean clothes situation was dire, so I got up early and was at the local laundry by 7:30am. The weather has turned overcast with intermittent rain. I don’t mind the clouds but do not like the rain. The locals don’t call this rain – just heavy mist. They have their rain in winter. While the clothes were in the dryer I went back to the camper to collect Rob. He wanted to check out the local jam store. After finishing up the laundry we drove around town exploring the old town and the beachfront. Bandon is a lot smaller than Crescent City, but it does not look nearly as run down. We drove south to find the jam store and Rob was overjoyed to find some Marion berry sauce there. We also tasted an orange and cranberry cookie – the combination was wonderful. By the time we got home Ant was cooking breakfast. We packed up and were on the road just before 1pm.
The Oregon coast is so accessible to the public. There are State Parks every few miles. If one had to stop at all the parks, we would be on the road forever. The scenery alternates between steep rocky cliffs and sandy beaches. We saw a long beach today that reminded me of Wilderness. We decided to skip the visit to the sea lion caves – commercial and expensive. The boys had already stumbled upon their own sea lion back in Crescent City. It was really close to them when they saw it and did not swim away for quite a while.
We made it to Newport by 4pm. I was astounded by the size of the campground – at least 300 sites. We all went exploring on our bicycles. The beach is just under a mile from the campground. We can hear the fog horn every 15sec. Rob and I found a puzzle at the visitors centre and just had to place a few pieces before we could move on. We attended a talk on the pier construction and subsequent beach building, in the evening. The view of the bridge from the beach trails is quite beautiful.

July 9 - Lighthouse and beach

While on my walk with Rocky this morning the ‘camp-cryer’ reminded me that the Junior Ranger program was starting at 10am. It was already 9:15 and Rob was still asleep. We managed to cook bacon and French toast and have him fed on time for the program. He still learns so much from these programs although he is usually the oldest there. I spent the rest of the morning procrastinating about doing laundry. I finally committed to a bike ride to the lighthouse and planned to go in to town later. Once we had toured the lighthouse we went onto the beach. Well – that occupied the rest of the day. The boys dug and designed, and every time a wave destroyed their creations – they just started again. It is nice to see them co-operating so well. I enjoyed flying our kite but almost lost it when it dived down behind the breakwater and landed in the river. I was able to retrieve it, only after being soaked by the waves. The wind is chilly but if you can find a spot in the sun out of the wind it is wonderful. While riding back to the camper I watched some sail surfers out on the waves. We had an early dinner and attended a talk about Cranberries. The area of Brandon produces some of the best-colored cranberries in the nation. I had no idea! Cranberries are grown in only a few places in the US – northwest and northeast. We had some cranberry juice and snacks after the talk.

July 8 - Coastal driving

I enjoyed my own bed last night. I think my hips are bruised after our night in the tent! Rob and Mike went off to attend a ranger led walk in the forest while Ant and I packed up. They were the only two to attend, so the ranger strolled back to the camper after they had finished their lesson. She continued to teach us about bugs and plants for the next hour. The boys had many questions she could not answer and she has promised to call Mike once she has looked up the answers. We only left the campground at 12:30 but I was not too worried because our next campground had been reserved.

Rob popped into the National Park visitor center to get his ranger badge and then we headed north back to Oregon. I am really falling in love with Oregon! We will be driving the 101 for the next week. I love it when it hugs the coastline because we get such a lovely view. Every time Rob spots some good beach rocks we have to pull over so that Mike and him can go climbing. By 4pm we were enjoying some castle building on a wonderful beach. We met a chap staying at a private campground nearby. He told us about the German cuisine that was being served that night so we just had to stay for dinner. We only got to Bandon at 8pm, but we had full tummies and were quite content. After setting up the camper Rob and I rode to the beach and watched a wonderful sunset. Our site has electricity – no battery problems here!

July 7 - Tall tree grove

We woke up pretty early and packed up our sleeping gear. I was anxious to get back to Ant, but we could not resist an early walk in the beach. There is something wonderful about crawling out of a tent and being so close to the beach. On our way back to the campground we collected a permit to visit the Tall Tree Grove. I was happy to see Ant and Rocky were safe at the camper. After a good breakfast and hot showers we headed south. The area reported the tallest tree on earth in the 60’s. It was a long, dusty drive followed by a steep walk down to the grove. Once we got there I was rather unimpressed by the ‘Tall Tree’. It was the same height as the trees near by. Approx 350ft tall. I later discovered that the top had broken off many years ago, and it had lost its status as tallest tree. The walk up and out of the grove was quite challenging. We dawdled our way back to Crescent City, seeing many more trees along the way. The boys invaded the beachfront park while Rocky and I explored the lighthouse and pier. When we got home Mike made us a meatloaf. Rob and I had to return to the park to pick up his forgotten jacket. Rob attended an evening program. While he was there it got dark. Rob hates the dark so Mike offered to collect him with a lantern to light their way. Sometimes they can be so kind to one another.

July 6 - Driving through a Redwood forest and sleeping on the beach

We drove up into a pristine area of the Redwood forest. Around every corner we saw incredible trees. They grow perfectly straight up to about 320ft high. They are just far enough off the coast so that they are protected from the coastal winds, but still get the moisture-laden fog that rolls in off the water. Their root system is shallow but intertwined with its neighbors for added support. We took a walk through a grove of giants and stood in awe of these long surviving trees. The ferns growing on the forest floor below these trees are huge. It is almost as if they want to be admired as well.
We headed out to some more tidal pools north of Crescent City. The boys waded across some water to gain access to more rocks. Rocky saw them there and braved the crossing to follow them. I was quite impressed with him. We stumbled across a seal sunning himself - away from the surf. He let the boys get close before he finally swam off.
After having a really early seafood dinner we returned to the camper to collect the tent and sleeping gear so that we could spend the night at the beach campsite. We were unable to take Rocky with us so Ant volunteered to stay with Rocks, at the camper for the night. We were lucky to get the last campsite and soon had the tent pitched. We went down to the beach to explore the pools further. The fog rolled in over the hilltops and the effect was incredible. Our sunset was super and we were soon back in the tent for the night. The sound of the surf was wonderful. Rob and Mike loved snacking before bed and then snuggling down to sleep without have to shower and brush teeth. I must admit that sleeping on hard ground is not my choice of sleeping arrangements but it was worth the experience.

July 5 - Hello California

What a joy to sleep in! It was a bit cooler by mid morning and we had a good time in the dog park. Rocky found a companion to chase him and he was soon exhausted. I was sad to leave the dog park behind.
Packing up was pretty slow but by afternoon we were driving southwest to California. We followed a lovely route down to Crescent City and the Redwoods. They are so majestic! Our campground is a few miles inland and down in a second growth Redwood Forest. It is amazing to see the large old stumps of the trees that were logged. These stumps surround some of the campsites. We were disappointed that we were not right on the beach – no sounds of the crashing surf. After setting up, we returned to Hwy 101 and found a beach to explore. It was low tide and the tidal pools were full of animals. The starfish were all sorts of colors and there were so many of them. They really like to cram into small corners. I suppose they are protected from the surf there. When we left the beach we saw a small camping area. Rob was excited about it and thought that he may like to camp there the following night.
The silence of the campground was lovely.