North, South, East, North, West Christmas Road Trip (Days 1-5)

**NOTE: I am still learning how to do this and in my original post I use emojis/color coding to identify areas that. might interest you. They won't trx correctly. I am working on it. South West Trip Part 1 The Big ‘O to North Cali. Hello Fellow Adventurers, Over Christmas break, Wave and I took the new tenement on wheels a 15-day road trip from our home in Oakesdale on a round trip of the western United States. A road trip of this length was an experiment of sorts. Wave and I – mostly Wave – have more dreams, desires, hobbies, and toys than we will be able to use or afford when we are finally able to retire, so we are putting all of our “I wanna’s” to the test now to see which ones we want to continue to fund in the next ten years. This experiment: Do we like butt-in-seat-eyes-out-window-giftshop-foodie-adventuring enough to keep an RV? Our Rating System: The Good: (5 RVs) The Bad: (5 Poo’s) The Ugly: (5 Clint’s) Things to follow if you don’t want to read (color coded for your reading pleasure): 1. Note to all Fellow Adventurers: I like to steal recipes from the WWW, but I could really care less about your “Grandma’s Aunt’s relationship to the ‘best chef’ in LA -Louisiana for those of you still learning geography. FYI: According to The Council of Foreign Affairs, only 6% of Americans know their geography. For that you get: . (Dumb Americans Judged by Foreigners) But I digress…therefore, if you see the green: Note to all Fellow Adventurers, you may want to stop scrolling and take 52 seconds (Average Person Reads Bog Post for 52 Seconds) to quick peek at those gems. Then, move on to what you are looking for. You won’t hurt my feelings. I won’t evenknow. (You might hurt Wave’s feelings though) 2. Wave: Need I say more? He rarely gives input, but when he does, it is worth it! 3. New bucket list item: Who in the world knows what I will come up with and force Wave to try! 4. W&A’s Trash-Talkin’ Playlist pick of the day: This is the song of the day that we selected from our growing playlist. 5. Things I learned: Don’t make me explain this one.  6. : If you read my last blog you know that our “road game” is: find the house you want to move to! If you see this sign, then one of us has found our new home and may be packing our bags. Here we go LEG 1

Day 1: O’ to Fort Stevens (465 miles/6 hours) Date: Dec. 21 - 22 Miles: 460 miles W&A’s Trash-Talkin’ Playlist pick of the day: “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure Temp: 48 and Notes to Fellow Adventurers: First, I leaving before sunrise with a cup o’ jo in hand and hot thermos of tea on the floor boards. Wave and I have discovered that if we travel with tea we stop less, spend less, and relax more. Preferred teas: Wave Amy + Drive over – Since this is our stomping ground, this part has all been done before so we pretty much sailed through this hitting some of the trusted hot spots. 1. Bonneville Fish Hatchery: Located about 8 minutes to the east of Cascade Locks, the hatchery is a great place to get out, stretch your legs, and see some of the salmon and steelhead before you catch them on the Snake River next Fall. The best part – this is a free, clean place to pee, and they have wonderful coffee at the gift shop. 2. Fuel: Fred Meyer in the tri-cities. Easy to access, right off the road, and you get your FM discount. 3. Safeway in Seaside: If you pull in too late to stop at Buoy’s Seafood, you can satisfy your craving at the Seafood department at Safeway. It’s not the best, but it will do in a pinch. CAMPING: For Stevens State Park In Hammond, Oregon: After driving into what we thought was a neighborhood and getting lost (even with the help of late-night Maps) we found the campground of Fort Steven’s and immediately let out a sigh of work stress and inhaled a breath of the upcoming vacation. Fort Steven’s has beautiful, large campsites that are canopied by Sitka Spruce and Alder trees. For our first night in the RV we set up a propane campfire outside, underneath our awning. While the weather was chilly, Wave had to concede that it doesn’t ALWAYS rain on the coast. I have advised him many times that it doesn’t rain on the coast when I am over there. He’s been party to this many times, but he seems to have a block where this information is concerned. Alas, we had a beautiful night under the canopy of trees and the awning. To top it off, we slept like rabbits in a borough in our new camper. It gets 5 campers too.

The next morning, while Wave snuggled blissfully into the dark cocoon of our tiny chambre à coucher, I made a steaming cup of French Press, put my muck boots on, and headed out alone into the mossy green of the campground and explored silently. Note to Fellow Adventurers: this is what I hoped to put a check mark on: Yes, camping in the winter is worth it. Why? There was hardly anyone there! You aren’t alone, but you aren’t in bumper to bumper, boob to boob contact with others. Everything here was quiet, peaceful, and all mine – amidst a few other campers who were spaced out enough to make me feel safe.

Highlights of Fort Stevens: It’s ginormous! That means that you are most likely to get a campsite. There are 174 campsites available in apx. 14 loops. The internet said camp in Loop G and I must say I agree. It’s the farthest down, so it’s very private, but it’s also a long walk to the beach. For us, it was a 3-mile walk to the beach on the trails, so 6 miles total. There is a shipwreck to see, but honestly, it’s not really worth a 6-mile walk. However, all of the loops really are far from the beach; therefore, if you have any walking issues, take your bikes, or mobile apparatus. It’s an easy, accessible peddle or drive. In addition, the bathrooms are great! I’d give them - but that might be unfair considering my rating system. They are clean and with free showers. Other things to note: First, take a walk or drive to the Coffenberry Lake. It’s in the campground, just a mile away, and is so pretty. Second, if you like to walk or run, you will have plenty of trails to put in the miles.

Things I learned: Bring your umbrellas – always! No matter what happens, if you have an umbrella you can walk, talk, or even just sit our in your chair by a fire. I forgot mine, so the plan is to buy one on the trip. With 15 days to go, that shouldn’t be a problem…. DAY 2-3 Seaside to Florence Miles: 185 miles Temp: 50 and Notes to Fellow Adventurers: • First from Amy: Finally! We are on the Oregon Coast! Do we really have to go any farther? We started the morning with oysters shooters at Buoy’s Seafood Restaurant.

• Double Note to Fellow Adventurers: Do not pass go, do not go anywhere else, do not pass up Buoy’s Seafood. It is our Go-To for all seafood and wish that we had one at home – and at every leg of the trip. Buoy’s has the “happiest fish monger” anywhere on the Oregon Coast. (If anyone wants to challenge that, I’m up for the adventure!) • Garibaldi: Had we known that they offered train rides we would have planned better. Next time! Oregon Coast Scenic Train Ride • Tillamook: Now I/m not supposed to eat dairy, so I’ve driven by this monolith of a building with a cow’s face on it many times. However, when in Rome, right? So we stopped for a quick tour. First, pew! The parking lot smells like poo-poo ka-ka! (Now I know why I can’t eat cheese) When we got inside we quickly walked through the building, snagged a pieces of fresh cheese for the road (Wave loves ) and hightailed it out of here.

• Now, anyone who knows me knows that I loathe dog poop. But what do I loathe more than a dog pooing…a dog pooing where children walk. WTF Folks! This is what my eyes were drawn to: And for me it’s like a car wreck – once seen I can’t unsee it. Therefore, the Tillamook Cheese Factory gets: 3/5 poops. It wasn’t their fault, but the humans and cows there ruined it for me) However, if you are in need of a free cheese snack for the road, this is a good place to stop! • Another Note to Fellow Adventurers: Nuts.com is a great gift for Fellow Adventurers! My sis- and bro-in law sent us a box of these yummies for Christmas. We give this adventure gift . • Depot Bay: Sorry to my boss Jake, but I’m moving! As you all know by now, when Wave and I are on a trip we each pick a place or a house to move to. We hope that one day we will pick the same one. Depot Bay is…so far on this trip, the one for me. It boasts of beautiful seascapes, crashing waves, and the smallest harbor in the world. I’m sold! (If only I could afford it!)

• And this is where Wave got to side-eye me! While having a delicious burger at Horn Public House the wind really started to pick up outside. A gale fore wind was scheduled to slam into Highway 101 at any time and it had…you guessed it…really started to rain. Wave grimaced and would not concede that it did “always rain on the coast.”

• Irritably Insert: W&A’s Trash-Talkin’ Playlist pick of the day: “Black Thunder” by Hu (Wave’s pick) • Horn Public House: So we ate, visited with the coolest bartender who moved out to Depot Bay to get away from the snow in Wisconsin, and then turned up our jackets and headed back to the RV…which we now decided needed another name besides “RV.” One thing to add before we get back in the RV, the bartender will give you the code to his private gate so you can view the ocean from a viewpoint that only the locasl know about. Again…I’m ready to move in! • New bucket list item: Name the RV • Hecate Lighthouse: And…Mama has found her home! I’ll watch the sea for pirate ships all day and night if they will let me live there. Unfortunately, due to the storm, we had to speed-drive the RV along this route. The lighthouse was lit up like a candle and it turns out that they were having their open house for Christmas. It was beautiful, magical, and I wanted Wave to drop me off. (He wasn’t stopping!) CAMPING: Honeyman Campground in Florence was pretty good. ___ (4/5 RV’s) One thing to note is that all of the sites are very small and they are mostly on hills so bring more leveling boards than planned. The bathroom is nice. Again, free showers that are hot. . However, the highlight of this park is the dunes. We didn’t know that when we booked it, but we did walk out there and realized that we should have booked this campground for two nights and took a day to pack a picnic and spend a day wandering the dunes.

DAY 3-4 Florence- Redwoods National Park Miles: 240 miles W&A’s Trash-Talkin’ Playlist pick of the day: “Let Your Love Flow” by The Bellamy Brothers Temp: 35-40 to 64 Note to Fellow Adventurers: From here you will start going up into the mountain mist instead of seeing views of this ocean. This is a good time to have that tea made and your playlist going.

• Go through the town of Gardinia quickly. Not worth your time! • Reeds Port, on the other hand, slow down…amazing Ocean views are immanent! • Coos Bay: Ummm. Some people like it. It has it’s points. For one, just outside of a marijuana dispensary there was a live (semi) human (zombie) twerking for all he was (still) worth. He was waving and trying to call us in! (Kids…don’t do drugs… Although, in all fairness to the dispensary, I seriously don’t think he bought his goods at this store) I also assume they weren’t paying for his services. But, hey he was having fun and his big toothless grin made me smile and wave back. • Bandon: Okay….Amy’s second home located! I loved Bandon, Oregon. Just outside of the town one of our favorite stories was forged in the front of the camper. (Not that!) As we are driving, and about to hit the Cali. Boarder I suddenly yell, “Stop! I want jam!” I think Wave about kinked his neck staring over at me. “What?” he said. “I seriously have to turn around to jam?” Yup!! So, he did. • Misty Meadows: This little roadside stand was amazing. We learned a few priceless gems: 1. If you want to move to Bandon, they are always hiring. They can’t get anyone to work (Did they ask the Zombie?) 2. They really do have the best jam! I bought so much jam, and I am glad I did. 3. We discovered that Wave has a little problem, addiction, and issue that will follow us the entire trip! As I load up on jam, I turn to see a sheepish looking Wave with and armful – let me emphasis that in a way that irritates the hell out of me when others do it AN ARMFUL of art, glasses, you name it! He bought more stuff than I did! In the RV, he confessed that he might have a “Gift Shop” problem. Kids…you have no idea. I had no idea!  • The Crazy Norwegian: Apparently this is a great place to eat, but we were full (and broke due to the jam situation) so we didn’t stop. However, do slow down because just after it there is the most amazing turn out. The views of the ocean are something I have never seen before. I will post pictures.

• Arizona Beach: 64 degrees and stunning. Not the cleanest, but you are alone and the breakers are beautiful! NEXT UP…Wave’s Pick of the Trip: The Redwoods. For Wave fans, the next edition will be one to read. Pictures: