Cape Kiwanda on the Pacific Shore

My friend, Linda, and I decided to take off for the seashore.  This would be my last visit to the Pacific Ocean before I head South for the winter.  She suggested we go to Pacific City so off we went.  We could not have asked for a more beautiful day, weatherwise and otherwise.  The rock in the background is called the "Haystack."

We spent the day climbing some incredible cliffs, very steep but it was such a wonderful experience and quite a challenge.

 

Beautiful everywhere you looked.

 

 

 

These rocky cliffs were higher than they look and it was quite a challenge to keep going but we did.

 

 

At times, I had to question why I was doing this.

 

 

Because it really was a dangerous area.

 

 

But soooo beautiful!

 

 

Yes, that is me at the top of a very steep and sandy hill.  Much easier coming down than going up,

 

 

 

We paused to have lunch and a much deserved beer at the famous Pelican Pub and Brewery

 

 

 

Lots of surfers today as the waves were high and ideal for surfing.  I was impressed to see these two young ladies take on the waves.

 

 

A really great day.  This was by far the best place I have been on the coast.  It is known for being a place for great fishing and therefore many dories fish from this coast.  .

 

 

 lWe ended our day with fish and chips.  The fish was Ling and was caught right there off the coastal waters.  Delicious

 

 

 

The next day we shopped and then settled in for wine and chowder at a nice restaurant, the Tidal Rave, which had a wonderful view of the ocean.  It was then time to head back to McMinnville. 

 

 

 

Strolling Around Dayton, OR

Today, Juliet (another RVer I met here in the park where I am staying) and I decided to walk from the park to downtown Dayton.  There wasn't a whole lot happening on Sunday but we did get a lot of walking in and had a great lunch at this little restaurant which was once an old Baptist church. built in 1886.  The dog on my lap is Romeo, a real sweetheart that I would keep if Juliet would let me,  He was mine for the day, 

This is the restaurant, not a church anymore.. It's called the Blockhouse Café.

Across the street from the Blockhouse Cafe, in the park, is the historical Fort Yamhill Blockhouse.  Built in Polk County, OR in 1856, the outpost consisted of a wooden blockhouse, sentry box, barracks, officers’ quarters, carpenter's shop, hospital, cook houses, blacksmith shop, tables, barn, sutler’s store, and laundress quarters.  The wood blockhouse was built to provide a refuge to settlers of the area in case of attack by the Native Americans.  After the fort was abandoned, the block house was moved from the hill it was positioned on and served as a jail in the Valley Junction area, and later moved about 30 miles east to Dayton.

Local artists have displayed their talents in this little town by painting all of the barrel planters along the main street of town.

And on the windows of the vacant old buildings.

 

Mick, a Jack Russell, is Juliet's other dog.  Juliet has been RVing for only a year and works on the road representing a pet food company.  She has a website at  http://tailsfromtheroad.com/

We had a great day and it was time to head home across the bridge that connects to the RV park.  Romeo and Mick are allowed to walk without their leashes where there is no traffic.  Romeo keeps looking back to see where we are.  Mick is more of a wanderer.  Very well behaved pooches though.  Makes me kind of wish I had one and then I come to my senses.  My space is too small for pets. 

McMinnville, OR

I've decided to settle in for a month at an RV park in McMinnville as I've been doing a lot of moving around and need to catch my breath for awhile and regroup before I head south for the winter.  I spent a lot of time in McMinnville a couple of years ago and enjoyed the friendliness of this little town. 

Today, Tami and two of her friends picked me up and we headed to the downtown area to shop and wine taste.  We shopped for awhile, then had a great lunch at 411 ( yes...that is the name of this restaurant).

We then headed to Willamette Wine Tasting Room where we just had silly fun.

 

 

Then more shopping and then MORE wine tasting.  This time the name of the winery was "Naked Winery."  Of course ....we ran with that name.  Unbelieveable what the names of the different wines were called.....Tease, Booty Call, Missionary, Penetration, Blazing Straddle and of course Climax and Orgasmic among others. 

 

We all got stick on tattoos...fun fun.

 

 

    

 

 

 

We just had fun!!!  What can I say??

Astoria, OR

Today, we drove on to Astoria, OR, which is up at the tip of the state before you cross over to WA.  We visited the Columbia River Maritime Museum to see all the exhibits of boats and other historical nautical pieces.  It is located on the Columbia Bar where there were lots of shipwrecks because of the extremely rough water there.  This is where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean and dangerous currents emerge.  It is a notorious location for many shipwrecks.

We didn't get many pictures taken here as we both were tired of taking pictures and wanted to take in the museum and big boats out on the water.

 
This ship was formerly moored near the mouth of the Columbia River.  Built in 1951, it was the fourth and final lightship stationed at the mouth.  It guided vessels across the Columbia River Bar in an area known as the Graveyard of the Pacific.  This was the final lightship to be decommissioned on the U.S. West coast.  She was replaced by an automated navigational buoy soon after, which has also been retired.  The Columbia was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

 

 

It was hard to imagine what the Coast Guard had to go through, and still go through, to save sailors who fall overboard because of the rough water on the bar. 

 

 

Cannon Beach, OR

We said goodbye to Malia, www.Maliasmiles.com  after giving Tami a tour of her rig, which is most interesting since Malia collects rocks and meaningful things through her travels, which she has been doing for 12 years.  Tami especially loved looking at her rocks and walking stick which has metal remembrances affixed to it from most of the places she visits.  We continued our journey North.

Tami suggested we spend a night in Canon City, OR, as she had previously been there and said it was a more upscale beach town that we would probably enjoy.  Unfortunately, I have just this photo of the beach here. 

We also got a photo of a herd of Elk grazing near our RV park.  That was fun.  Photo is not good since it was overcast and I took this photo through my windshield.

Cape Lookout on the Pacific Ocean

Tami and I left Forest Grove and headed up the Pacific Coast.  We didn't know for sure where we were going but our goal was to get up to Washington State and to see the lighthouses along the way.
We decided to join Malia, my friend,  at Camp Lookout if we could get a spot for the night.  We were not disappointed because the sunset over the ocean this night was so beautiful.

 

 

 

The next morning, Tami and I got up at 6:00 AM so that we could have our coffee before beachcombing the shore for rocks, sand dollars and other shells.  We needed to be on the beach by 7:00 AM when the tide would be high and hopefully wash some goodies ashore.   

 

 

 The sunrise was just as beautiful as the sunset and Tami and I both agreed it felt so good to be

out on the beach where we were pretty much the only ones there.  It was so peaceful....just the sound of the waves hitting shore. 

 

 

Tami found some unique rocks and driftwood that she will incorporate into her repurposed designs.  Unfortunately, the seagulls got to the sand dollars before we did so all we could find were broken ones.

 

 

 

Cemetary Walk in Forest Grove, OR

Today, Tami and I met up with her friends she works with and took part in a cemetery walk in Forest Grove.  We boarded buses that took us to the Mountain View Memorial Gardens Cemetery where we were able to learn some history about the early settlers of Forest Grove who were buried here.  Volunteers were dressed in period clothing and stood at various tombstones.  They portrayed the person who was buried at that site, telling us how they came to Forest Grove and what it was like back in that time period, which was less than 200 years ago. 

 

 

This gentleman had a particularly interesting story to tell about the person he was reenacting, who was literally his grandfather, Dr. Robert Nixon.  His name was Dr. Robert Nixon III.  His grandfather, whose plot he is standing on, relocated to OR in 1880 and opened his dental office in Forest Grove where later his son practiced dentistry and then his grandson, who you see standing her and telling the story.

 

Pittock Mansion, International Test Rose Garden and Tillakum Bridge

Malia and I had a full day in Portland.  First we visited the Pittock Mansion, a French Renaissance-style Chateau in the West Hills of Portland, originally built as a private home for the Oregonian publisher Henry Pittock and his wife Georiana.  They lived in the mansion from 1914 to 1915 where they celebrated six children.  He was penniless when he arrived in OR at the age of 19 but eventually built an empire incorporating real estate, banking, railroads, steamboats, sheep ranching, silver mining and the pulp and paper industry.  He married 15 year old Georgiana when he was 26.
The City of Portland eventually bought the home and it is now a popular tourist attraction.

 

Each room, with it's lavish décor,  offers a uniquely personal oppportuity to peek into the past and study our world as it was from the viewpoint of one Portland family.

 

 

 

Such a wonderful view of the city from the grounds of this magnificent mansion. 

Not too far from the mansion is the International Rose Test Garden.  Located in Washington Park, there are over 7,000 rose plants of approximately 550 varieties.  Just beautiful!  They were in full bloom today and we were both so in awe of their beauty.

 

We made a new friend.  Actually, this statue represents the rose hosts that wander through the park answering any questions you might have.

 

 

We then drove over to the new passenger bridge, the Tillakum Bridge, which was just opened a  couple of weeks ago,  and walked across it.  We timed it just right as they turn lights on at night which makes the bridge an awesome sight.  This bridge is one of twelve that span over the Willamette River in Portland, OR.

 

 

Our feet were killing us after walking all day, however, and then we could not find Malia's car as by now it had turned very dark and we are not at all familiar with this area.  With the help of some passersby, we finally were able to be on our way, exhausted from a very exhilarating day.  We returned to Troutdale and found an inviting little Italian restaurant where we shared appetizers and wine before turning in.