After hanging out in Southern Oregon for the past few days, we
have made it to California.
On the 8th we drove North from Winchester Bay to the
light house and Sea Lion Caves. The view of the light house was lovely from the
look out on the highway. While I was photographing the lighthouse, I saw some
Sea Lions on the rocks below. We drove down to the parking lot below the light
house and played with Chelsea on the beach. I went to the cool looking caves
that were along the cliff below the light house and saw a large rock/island
that was covered in pelicans. The tide was starting to come in so we headed
back to the Sea Lion caves. You take an elevator down two hundred feet to a
cave below the gift shop. Unfortunately, they were all out on the rocks where I
had first seen them and there were none in the cave. Apparently, they are
pretty much always out of the cave unless it is mating season which is around
May to August. It was an interesting stop, but disappointing. On the plus side,
I bought some delicious chocolate fudge from the gift shop and it was very soft
and creamy without nuts…the way fudge should be. After coming out of the Sea
Lion Cave building, we got hit with hail that turned to rain..wierd.
On the 9th we left Winchester Bay and headed to Ophir, Oregon. On
the way to Ophir, we stopped at the Wild Game Park where we got to pet a baby
bobcat, cougar and black bear as well as hold a baby possum, ferret and pet a
baby white skunk and raccoon. There were deer, lamas, peacocks and goats
roaming around the park and we purchased some food for them to eat. It was a
lot of fun. There were lots of big cats at the park. It was a small zoo
but the ability to hold a baby possum in your arms or pet a baby cougar really
made it worth the stop.
Once we got to Ophir, we pulled into the Honey Bear Campground and
RV Resort. We were met by a charming older German man. He had a really strong
accent. He and his wife own the campground and he makes German sausage and had
a German restaurant right there at the campground. Once we got the trailer set
up, James went over to sample the restaurant. They only have one sitting,
buffet style, at six in the evening. He had wienerschnitzel and potato pancakes
and of course sauerkraut. The owner and his wife sat with James and sampled
some home brew that the owner made. I stayed back at the trailer as I am not
really a fan of German food.
The camp was pretty empty due to being off season so we were in a
large part of the park, with about 30 slots around us, we were on the far end and
one other RV was at the front…super quiet and I slept so good that night.
On the 10th, we drove South for the day to Gold Beach, Oregon. It
is a pretty little town. We drove back into the hills to the grove of
Myrtlewood trees and saw the oldest and biggest Myrtlewood tree. It was huge
with a 45 foot base. The base had been burned out by a forest fire back in the
day and a large room remained within the walls of the tree. I could have lived
in that tree. It was like an Indian Tee Pee that you see in the movies. There
was room enough for me to have a bedroll and room for a kitchen area with holes
in the ceiling for venting smoke. There was a smaller side opening that Chelsea
fit through that could be an escape hatch. I could stand up in the center of the
tree and reach up and not touch anything. It was amazing.
There were other Myrtle Wood trees that were really big too, but not so large as this one. The canopy of the largest tree is 70 feet wide and the tree is 80 feet tall. The trees smell wonderful and you feel so cut off from the rest of the bustling world.
We headed back to town and went to Myers Beach which is just North of Gold Beach. The air was crisp but the sun was out as we walked through the sea stacks on the beach. The stacks are amazing. So large and rugged looking, they are all shapes and sizes and just laid out in a haphazard fashion. I loved the base of the stacks because they had mussels going up about 8 feet and there were Star Fish, Sea Urchins and Sea Cucumbers. The tide started to come in so I was unable to fully explore the stacks but I got a few photos. We waited in the parking lot as the sun set, unfortunately it gave me the kibosh again, with clouds rolling in right before it set so I couldn’t see the ball of sun sink below the horizon. This has happened all three times that I have tried to capture the sunset. After the sunset, we drove back into Gold Beach in hopes of capturing the bridge lit up by blue fiber optic lights as the guide said it would be. Unfortunately, there were only white light shining below the bridge, so the guide was mistaken. Back to the campground we went.
James and I both went to the restaurant to sample the German food.
There were only five other people there other than the owners, so it is
understandable why that may have been the last night for the restaurant until
the tourist season returns. There was a cabbage roll filled with some meat that
James loved but I wasn’t a fan; steamed vegetables, potato pancakes and
knockwurst. I only ate the vegetables and the potato pancakes and sampled the
fresh homemade rye bread. I finally got to taste Huckleberry, which is sold all
over the place in Oregon. (Oregon should be known as the Myrtle Wood and
Huckleberry state.) I liked the Huckleberry sauce on the potato pancakes but
not quite as much on the bread. It is a tart berry that to me is a cross
between a raspberry and strawberry. Then came dessert, it was a wonderful cake
that had chocolate on top, a thin layer of cake, Huckleberry sauce and then
another layer of thin cake topped with whipped cream and a marchino cherry…it
was delicious.
On the 11th, we headed on down the road to our current
location of Klamath, California. On the way, we drove through Brookings, which
seems like a nice little town on the Oregon Coast. We then drove through
Crescent City which is the first city you come to in California. Waiting at the
Oregon/California border was a police officer, we then passed four more before
we arrived at the campground, which is only about twenty miles, lots of cops.
Crescent City is also the last place with cell service for a while.
We pulled into the Mystic Forest RV Park just a short distance
from the Trees of Mystery. Thankfully they have wi-fi, kind of limited but
still wi-fi; no cell service though. We are currently camped beneath Redwood
trees. The campground has several large stumps from much bigger trees and even
a tree that you can walk through.
Yesterday, I wasn’t feeling too well so we just chilled out and
cleaned the trailer, did laundry and watched the American Picker marathon on
TV. (Yes, we caved and bought a TV when we were in Bend and this place has free
cable). We drove into the town, if you can really call it that, of Klamath to
get some dinner. On the way, we saw the sign for the Drive Through Tree so of
course we had to go. They weren't open but apparently they charge for it
normally, we went through anyway…it was a tight fit but after pulling in the
mirrors, we were able to get the Tahoe through the tree. We went to the gas
station/store and got Chester’s Chicken for dinner. I am not impressed with
their chicken, maybe we just got some chicken that had been sitting for a
while, but it was dry and tasted like burnt leather. The biscuits were doughy
and not the golden brown crispness that I would expect. The coleslaw was good
and so was the mashed potatoes and gravy. I will probably not purchase chicken
from Chester’s Chicken again.
Last night it was pouring down rain which made it hard to sleep.
Today we are going to drive into Crescent City and visit the Aquarium.
Until Next Time...Stay Safe
Rebecca
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