Today we saved some fuel and stayed close to our trailer set up at South Jetty TT in Florence, OR. The weather was gorgeous and the air was crystal clear.
We did make a side trip to the local Fred Meyer grocery/hardware/clothing/appliance store and loaded up on food. We are headed into the portion of the Pacific coast of the U.S. where there is scant retail shopping, namely from Coos Bay Oregon, OR to Eureka, CA.
We also managed to find our way to a recreational marijuana store so I could purchase some recreation. The store was actually located in the little bit of retail south of the Florence bridge over the Siuslaw River. It may be called Glenada but I’m not sure. Recreation in hand, we headed back to South Jetty and re-stocked our trailer with our loot.
We are departing tomorrow and, with the exception of a side trip to Remote, OR, on OR-42, we intend to travel down the Pacific coast. There are nasty fires near the OR/CA border and we would love to stay out of the smoke. We’ll see how our plans work out.

Today we got to have one of those days that make retirement fantastic. When we awoke, the marine layer fog right here next to the ocean was just burning off leaving a crystal-clear day with temperatures right at about 70 degrees. To avoid wasting any of today’s exploring time, we had our coffee and then headed into Florence for breakfast at the Little Brown Hen restaurant. Peggy said her B & E were yummy and my chicken fried steak and eggs were great. We got away for less than $30, including tip.
We then headed north about 50 miles up the coast through Florence, Yachats and Waldport before getting to Newport where we turned east on OR-20 for about 5 miles. There we turned north on OR-229 for a gorgeous drive down the Siletz River. About 10 miles later we stopped in the little town of Siletz at their cute little downtown park bordering the river for some snacks and the facilities before continuing downstream. The Siletz follows a very circuitous course through a twisting and turning valley. The road mostly follows the river although there are some spots where the road veers away from the water and heads uphill to cross some forested ridges. We saw no places where there were any rapids or waterfalls in the river so it looks like it would be a superb place to get a small boat and just let it drift through this stunning locale. The current looked like it was making about 2 or 3 knots.
After what we wish was longer, we emerged at the mouth of the river where it crosses a big sandy beach and mingles with the Pacific. We turned south off OR-229 back onto US-101 and headed for Depot Bay. Before we got there, however, we turned off the road at a beachside park called Boiler Bay. The park sticks out in the water a little more than the surrounding coastline so admirers can get the perspective of this magnificent stretch of nature from the water. We spotted a variety of sea birds, two bald eagles, an abundant colony of sea lions and some gray whales that live here in this stunning place.
It was getting late in the day so we finally departed Boiler Bay and continued our return trip south, passing through Depoe Bay and Otter Rock on out way by Cape Foulweather (where the weather was wonderful) and Yaquina Head and its old lighthouse. We got through the bit of traffic congestion in Newport and continued down the edge of the Pacific, past the Heceta Head Lighthouse and eventually arrived at the straight road sections just north of our RV spot at Florence’s South Jetty Resort. It was a great excursion through extraordinary scenery today. Total length was a bit under 150 miles but there is not a bit of it that isn’t stunningly beautiful, particularly when supplemented with gorgeous weather. What a day!
There are some pictures we took along the way and you can see them if you click here

My spouse lived a substantial portion of her life on the southern Oregon coast. I lived in Coos Bay 50 miles south of where we are currently bivouacing. Neither of us has ever heard of a nearby place called Ada, until today.
We were aimlessly cruising around near Woahink Lake just a bit south on US-101 when we came to an intersection that had a sign indicating Ada was 11 miles in a direction we had not anticipated. Having only lived nearby for 10 years, I looked at the more experienced Peggy and inquired whether she knew anything about Ada. Her answer was negative so we turned in the direction of the unknown and settled in for a back-country cruise.
The road started out as a two-lane, well-paved albeit serpentine road. However, it soon lost most of its width and the center dotted line. Not much later, the road lost all the paint markings and the width alternated between narrow and skinny. Some parts gave up all pretense of paving and continued as gravel. Regardless of the road qualities, the scenery was absolutely stunning. Some of the loop passes through timber on ridges, more parts run along lake shores and other parts skirt boggy areas filled with wildlife. We spotted a hawk dragging off an unwary rodent, vultures lurking in bare trees, deer, a kingfisher, blue herons and a variety of ducks.
When we finally made it to Ada, we were rewarded with almost nothing because there really isn’t much there. The scenery all the way there is great but Ada seems to be an old, funky fishing resort that has fallen on tough times. There are some RVs parked there (apparently towed there by the insane because the access roads are challenging, even for a pickup truck) that look like they have been there long enough to get grass and weed skirts. The view from the RV park out over the lake is magnificent. Too bad this place is at the end of a terrifying road.
We headed back home down more gorgeous lanes, skipping a visit to the local recreational marijuana store. Maybe next time.
We shot a few pictures along the way and you can see some of them if you click here

We moved again today, leaving the Dexter/Eugene area and heading west to the Oregon coast. We started north on OR-58 until we turned north on I-5. Just a few miles later, we turned west on OR-126 which crosses over the coast range of mountains to Mapleton, on the Siuslaw River. From Mapleton the road is almost dead flat as it follows the north shore of the river all the way to Florence. In Florence we turned south on US-101 for about 2 miles until we turned west and into the Thousand Trails South Jetty Resort across the river from town.
When we left Dexter this morning, the air quality was atrocious due to forest fire smoke being driven south by wind from fires further north in the Cascades. Luck was with us because when we got to South Jetty the air was pretty murky due to smoke from fires south of us being driven by winds north along the coastline. The weather pundits allege the air quality will be better tomorrow. The temperature on the coast is about 20 degrees cooler than in Dexter and we like that. We will be happier when the air goes invisible again.
We got a great spot at South Jetty although there is no sewer hookup. We are scheduled to leave here before the tanks will fill up so we are okay. The water and power work well and we snagged a space in the trees with a little view to the south so our satellite antenna works perfectly. The relatively short trip from Dexter allowed us to get into this first-come first-served campground and we were perfectly situated to take advantage of the large space selection. We may be getting better at this.
A picture is worth a thousand words, particularly when used to show the air quality in Eugene due to the smoke. Click here

Today was our last full day near Eugene. It is very smoky outside. The air quality is terrible; breathing deeply is almost painful and will certainly generate spasms of geezer coughing if done regularly. It is not quite what we expected for Eugene – stifling temperatures, air like mud and tubercular gasping for air.
We did pop into Eugene this morning for a re-supply trip to Trader Joe’s, one of our favorite shopping spots. A bit less than $180 later, we headed back to Dexter Shores, stopping for fuel on the way. We will go west to the Oregon coast tomorrow in an attempt to escape the crummy hot weather and poisonous smoke in the air. Visibility is down to less than a mile. Sunlight making it to the ground appears to be orange, even at midday. The air smells like my dirty clothes after a long camping trip. We gotta get outta here. Stink.

About a thousand years ago I married my delightful Peggy and she has been suffering ever since. Today we went to the wedding of Peggy’s nephew to a great girl named Veronica. Peg has lots of relatives in Oregon and quite a few of them showed up, as well. It was about 85 degrees today and fires northeast of us are channelling their smoke into Eugene so visibility was not too famous but the outdoor reception in a nice garden today was alright.
I was clever enough to limit my participation in the festivities to a tiny bit of prep work at the reception site, making two trips to the groom’s house to pick up forgotten necessary items and selecting a seat in the back. Organization was a bit shaky since the folks who knew where to set everything up were not at the reception venue, the designated shopper forgot to get coffee or chips or sugar or soda pop or sherbet or forks or drinking cups or booze but the same person did get an almost adequate supply of tablecloths. Unfortunately, they had neither the same shape or the right size to cover the tables. Weddings can be funny that way.
After about four hours of sweetness, I was able to get Peggy to depart, leaving her family behind for this trip (I hope). It is getting very smoky around here. I hope our trailer isn’t on fire.

We were happy to do a little exploring today. We got a slow start, eating a late breakfast and hanging around the trailer until early afternoon but we finally got our ducks in a row and headed toward OR-58 that goes east over the Willamette Pass in the Cascades.
Peggy, before we even made it the 200 yards to the highway, allowed us to become distracted and we started out turning up a local road with the tantalizing name of Lost Creek. It was a gorgeous drive through bottom land with dense forest separating the grass areas. We had barely started when we noted that the first farm we drove by had a high-lead yarder spar and a concrete boat in his front yard; hardly farming implements. The road crosses the creek a few times and it is a great drive but it is only a few miles before the road crapped out and we were forced to backtrack back to OR-58.
During our drive east on 58, Peggy kept it pretty close to the speed limit until we made it to Willamette Pass, one of a few passes crossing the Cascades in Oregon. The elevation at the pass is a bit more than 5100′. Some more pesky forest fires have been ignited in the last few days and up in the pass the smoke shortened up the view. We took a bit of a side trip to Odell Lake and it was very nice but our big hit for today was Salt Creek Falls where we pulled in on our trip back west out of the pass.
The pullout off the highway is not very impressive at Salt Creek Falls but, if you hop out of your rig and take a short walk, you can see this spectacular site. There are some modest interpretive signs that detail how the Falls were formed geologically and the result is gorgeous. The creek above the Falls runs down some rocky rapids before taking a gigantic plunge off a basalt cliff into a steaming pool some 285 feet below. And the fun doesn’t end there – there are some jagged cascades below the Falls as Salt Creek makes its way to the Willamette River. It is rare that we have encountered such stunning sights so close to vehicle access and with such a great walking path to the roar audible from the parking lot.
We hung out for quite a while at the Falls but finally had to head down out of the pass, driving along the shore of Salt Creek until it dumped into the Willamette River. The River really isn’t a river here but actually a series of reservoirs backed up behind large earthen dams. The drop between reservoir elevations is pretty small so I think the dams are mostly for domestic and irrigation purposes because even the larger dams had puny powerhouses and puny transmission lines leaving them.
We fooled around a bit more before heading home to Dexter Shores RV. We noted as we passed through the nearby intersection of Lowell that the state had set up an incident camp across the lake from our RV park. There were many camp tents (apparently, firefighters do not even get to rest when off duty because they are sleeping on the grass at Lowell State Park), food prep facilities and numerous portable outhouses. We hope these guys get a rest soon. It has been a nasty fire year in the Pacific Northwest.
We took a few pix along the way and you can see some of them if you click here

Today was a moving day. We left Silver Spur RV in Silverton, turned west on OR-213 to Salem, hung a left onto I-5 south to Eugene and then took the ramp onto south OR-58 for a short run into Dexter. There we initially flew right past our scheduled stop because it was not actually on the road the Garmin said it was on. We saw the park and the road that led to the park out the passenger side window as we passed nearby. It was only a few miles further up the road that we found a place where it was possible to turn an enormous Ford truck attached to a 34′ trailer. Our second pass by the park worked out a bit better.
We pulled into the Dexter Shores RV Park and I sent Peg in to register. While I was waiting, I noted that Dexter Shores RV Park could probably be called the Dexter Lake Is Across the Highway RV Park. After registration, we were directed to follow an extremely grumpy man in a truck to our RV space. The space has full hookups but the space itself is very narrow. Peggy gets the Vigilance Award because she cleverly dodged the pile of dogshit left in our space such that it was placed directly outside her truck door. Fortunately, we drew a space that has a sliver view of the lake and a good view of the mature Douglas Fir trees in and near the park.
As of this writing, we know the cable TV here is caca but the wifi mostly works. We have had the air conditioner running so we don’t hear a bit of traffic noise from adjacent OR-58. The surrounding country looks extremely pretty and we will head out on a mission of exploration tomorrow.

Salem is the capital of Oregon and it is quite close to Silver Spur RV where we are currently holed up. Coincidentally, one of Peggy’s relatives is in a hospital in Salem so we drove over there for Peggy to do her thing. I did not go into the hospital because I’m currently gimpy and also because there are lots of sick people in there and I don’t want what they have.
After a corkscrew foray through downtown Silverton, a short stop at the florist and the hospital, we thought we were free to spend the rest of the day exploring but reality quickly set in. Therefore, we drove to the local ScabMart and, again, Peggy went in and did the dirty work. Normally it takes both of us quite a while to shop in places like WalMart or Costco; I push the cart and look bored and Peggy hides the list so I can’t see what’s on it. It seemed to me to be the best method we could come up with.
It appears now that I was entirely full of doodoo because Peggy went in, visited all the far-flung but necessary departments, checked out and was out of the store in substantially less time than it takes both of us using my efficient but faulty strategy. Unfortunately, while I was able to avoid unnecessary exposure to contagion at the hospital, Peggy noted that it seemed like multitudes of the folks in WalMart were sneezing and coughing and blowing their noses and hacking, all while in close proximity to my beloved spouse. Both of my anti-sickness policies are in tatters.
We made it back to our trailer and re-stocked the grocery cabinets. We are out of here tomorrow.

This morning we finished up stowing the gear we had put outside our trailer during our long stay at Paradise Campground and hitched the trailer to the truck. We departed from the campground, turned west on WA-12 and headed for I-5. When we got to the freeway, we turned south and settled in for the drive out of Washington, across the Columbia River and into Portland. We have been in Portland before and the traffic was always dreadful so we skirted downtown and headed south on I-205, the truck route that runs on the east side of the city.
The traffic was still moderately horrible but we were fortunate enough to be southbound because the northbound traffic was stopped in orderly rows of idling vehicles for miles. We didn’t see any traffic accidents on the northbound side although there was some abandoned road construction sites limiting lengthy portions of available lanes. According to the news, the horrible northbound traffic all over the Portland area consisted of eclipse viewers slowly making the exodus back to regions where there was not a total eclipse. I have no idea what excuse they give drivers for the miserable traffic on all the other days of the year.
We continued south after joining up with I-5 again south of the Portland metro area which seems to get a lot bigger each time we pass through. Urban sprawl is happening in Multnomah County to the extent that it now involves Multnomah and all the surrounding counties, too.
Near Salem, we turned off the interstate and wandered vaguely eastward to our next destination, Silverton, OR. We really did not have any reasons to visit Silverton other than Peggy has a niece that lives here and the Silver Spur RV Park where we are staying is about halfway between Eugene and Paradise. I am currently under attack from a fat geezer affliction of my left heel and life is temporarily uncomfortable to the extent that I don’t want to exceed more than about 3 hours of discomfort at a time while driving. Peggy has been extraordinarily nice to me during my misery. She is pretty terrifc the rest of the time and I can truly appreciate her taking pity on her old, decrepit spouse and taking over some of the duties, mostly those requiring walking or standing.
Silver Spur is a nice park with maybe 150 spaces that have full utility hookups. The wifi is very good but the cable TV they alleged they have does not work in our space. Fortunately, we have a satellite antenna and a space with an ample southern exposure, required to watch too much TV since one of us is temporarily gimpy and nearly immobile.