Along The Oregon Coast, 3

On October 18th we drove leisurely from Florence to Crescent City, CA, stopping at most every overlook, walking a few beaches, shopping here and there in the little towns we passed through: more dunes, more deco, more great coastal scenery. We savage-camped at the casino in Crescent City. And the next day we repeated pretty much the same thing, hoping for better sun and less fog, driving all the way back to Coos Bay, and then back down, past Crescent City to the casino at Elk Valley, where we did yet another savage-encampment. Despite the fact that some of our savage-camping is done at Native American casinos, savage-camping is more generally what the French call wild- or dry- or free-camping; a charming term, much more interesting, to me anyway. Today's western US casinos, even the less opulent ones, are anything but savage; they are raking in the white man's cash in ever more sophisticated ways...good on 'em.

The next morning, the 20th, we awoke to a text from daughter Rebecca, asking whether we could perhaps arrive in Menlo Park that afternoon, rather than the next day. After a quick calculation, we answered yes, and set forth, staying on US 101 all the way, enjoying the redwood forests, passing right by Trees of Mystery, enjoying rather less the interesting passage through the heart of San Francisco. Tony Bennett's heart, which he left there. We arrived in time for dinner, and grand-daughter P spent the night with us in Le Sport. Our inland and Pacific northwest trip was over. And a great trip it was!

Dunes

Deco

And world-class coastal scenery

Hitchcock moment

"Eternal Father, strong to save/Whose arm hath bound the mighty wave..."

Fog rolling in

Any bit of this coast is stupendous; the best, we thought, was south from Coos Bay,
Gold Beach, Ordway, Battle Rock, and most of all, the incredible Harris Beach
State Campground; we'll be back

Along The Oregon Coast, 2

October 17th was one of our better scenic driving days, all the way from Lincoln to Florence on 101, via Newport, and then Boiler Bay, Whale Cove, Devil's Churn, etc. We spent the night at the 3 Rivers Casino in Florence. The day was marred only by my inadvertently filling Le Sport's fresh water tank with non-potable water...occasioning the usual draining, filling with treated water, draining, re-filling, etc. The free public facilities at the marina in Florence were a god-send. Just FYI.

Fishing the big waters

From the comfort of a picnic table high up on the cliff

Big waters

Apparent former blow-hole, now off-limits

Now at Whale Cove, taking some of the pix above, when I hear a woman nearby
scream and then point...three juvenile gray whales were swimming close in by the
rocks; click to enlarge and see the flukes, dead center

Ditto

Thar he/she blows...right of center

Ditto again

On down the road, more gorgeous scenery

The built environment is pretty interesting too...here part of
the entrance to one of the several art deco bridges that
adorn this coast

Devil's Churn...meh

Around every bend, there's a view like this

Along The Oregon Coast, 1

We spent much of the next day (October 16th) in Tillamook, at the Goodwill, where we scored a pair of Hard Rock Cafe shot glasses from Queenstown; also a mini-microwave, but that's a different story; and at the Fred Meyer, where we got our annual flu shots and provisioned-up. We had spent an inordinate amount of time shopping the Goodwills of New Zealand earlier this year, hoping to find those shot-glasses. A niece collects them. The Hard Rock Cafe in Queenstown actually closed some years back--too dull for Queenstown, no doubt--and we figured any surviving shot glasses would be pretty rare, maybe even valuable. Imagine our delight in finding them in, of all places, Tillamook. Imagine our disappointment in learning they'll fetch just $5 on eBay. Oh well. But Stacey will be pleased.We proceeded on...doing the Three Capes Drive, Pacifica, more beautiful beaches and scenery, finally landing at our old friend Chinook Winds Casino, in Lincoln, where I won back $29 of the money lost on previous visits.

We also passed through Oceanside, WA, but didn't get any pix

Stacks on the Three Capes Drive

In or near Pacifica, the worst driveway ever...

You have been warned...

Big dunes everywhere

Note flying buttress