Hello everyone. Hope all of you reading this are doing well. Mike and I are stranded again. I am writing this as we sit in an RV service center waiting to get our camper in for some work. We’ve had another wheel bearing go out on us. We are in Ellensburg, WA which is on I-90 between Seattle and Spokane.
The last time I wrote in the blog, we were in Redcrest, OR where we were viewing all the beautiful redwood forests. We left Redcrest on the 10th and drove up HWY 101 to Florence, OR which is on the coast. The coast of OR near Florence was very unusual. The forest sort of ends and there is a valley with lots of freshwater lakes and then on the ocean side, there are HUGE sand dunes, then the beach and then the Pacific. I’ve never seen sand dunes as high as the ones here. I was sort of disappointed that we did not see any more of the beach than we did on this drive. Most of the drive was in the forest with peeks of the ocean every now and then.
We decided that since the last OR state park was so nice and very inexpensive, that we would stay in another one. The nearest one to Florence was about 10 miles north. The drive up to the state park did have some amazing views of the ocean and crescent beaches and even a beautiful lighthouse out on a rocky point. The state park is not right on the beach. It is across Hwy 101 from the beach in a forest. I did not like this state park nearly as much as the one in Grants Pass. I know that the reason is that the one here was much more closed in by the trees. I prefer the more open spaces. However, it was a nice park and had easy access to the beach. It was pretty full for this time of the year. I think a lot of people on the west coast enjoy the state parks along their coastlines.
We decided not to cook dinner at the park, but to go into Florence and do some sightseeing and eat in town. On our drive back into Florence, we made several stops. One stop was to the crescent beach just beneath the lighthouse. It was a beautiful spot. Mike got some amazing pictures of the beach here and the bridge above. OR has some neat arched bridges on Hwy 101. We actually saw a show on the Discovery Channel earlier this year that was all about the bridges along Hwy 101.
Our next stop was on an overlook that allowed us to look back at the lighthouse and the beach where we had just been. It also was high up on the ridge above the ocean and we had a beautiful view of the ocean and the rocky shore below, including a big rock with lots of sea lions lying in the sun. It was a beautiful day - lots of sunshine and blue skies. We met a lady who was taking pictures who lives in the area. She told us that days like this are rare here. She also pointed out to us a tall mast ship which was one of two sailing up the shore toward Newport. She said they were used to make the movie Pirates of the Caribbean.
We continued into Florence and decided to have dinner at a little fish market/restaurant. Mike got a steak and prawn dinner and I got a cup of smoked salmon chowder and cod fish and chips. The plate of food was huge and it was great. Mike said the steak was probably the best he has had in ages. The seafood was also excellent and the chowder was to die for.
After dinner, we drove around a bit and stopped at the little park along the river (I forget the name) that flows into the ocean. The park has benches where you can sit and watch the fishing boats come in. It was pretty chilly on the waterfront, so we did not do any sitting. We took the dogs out and let them do some walking and sniffing, which they loved. Then we all piled back into the truck and did some more driving around the town. There is a Fred Meyer store in Florence. Mike and I saw a Fred Meyer in Fairbanks, AK last year, but we did not get a chance to go in. So, we decided to visit the one in Florence. It is a neat store. On one end, it is a clothing store. In the middle, it is a grocery store ( and a nice one at that) and at the other end is a section of all sorts of other things - like stuff for the yard and home and toys. They even have a electronics section that sells computer stuff. We were impressed!!! After our visit to Fred Meyer, we made our way back to the state park and to bed. It was a long day and all of us were tired - including Molly and Toby.
The next morning, we got up early and took Hwy 101 on up the coast and then cut off and headed inland toward Portland, OR. I wanted to see the Columbia River Gorge and the Multnomah Falls. We decided to try another state park. This time we stayed at McIver State Park which is near Estacada. I really should have researched the location of this park better because it was 20 miles outside of Portland. And gas is not cheap! The park had a great dog play area, but the campground was not my favorite. The campground was heavily wooded with lots of undergrowth. I prefer more open spaces. Plus, we could not get phone service or any TV stations. I like some luxuries while I’m camping.
The following morning we took our time getting up and about. It is really surprising how tired you can get just driving. After we finally got ourselves together, we took a drive up the Columbia River Gorge. The area near Portland is a wide open area, but as you drive east, it is not long before the Cascade Mountains start to close in making the valley much more narrow with the majority of the width of the valley consumed by the Columbia River. The river is about a mile wide here.
We got off the interstate and followed the old road that hugs the mountains. We did not have to travel far before we saw the first waterfall. I read somewhere that this area has a very high concentration of waterfalls. Probably not more than another five miles, we reached Multnomah Falls. We parked, put on our rain jackets (we learned a good lesson at the falls in Yosemite) and headed up to see the falls. The Multnomah Falls is actually two falls with the high falls landing in a pool and then the water flows down to another falls. There is a switchback walkway that leads to a bridge across the falls gorge. This bridge was built in 1941. We walked up to the bridge and from it we got a great view of the high falls on one side and the lower falls on the other side. The walking path continues past the falls and if you want, you can follow it up to the very top of the mountain and see the high falls from that vantage point. We decided not to go all the way to the top. I am going to post some pictures so you can get a better understanding of what I am describing here.
After leaving the falls, we continued up I-84 a ways and pulled into an area where there are locks on the Columbia River. There is a park there and a bridge over to an island. We did not stay long due to the cold wind. Even with long sleeves and a jacket, I was cold. Mike actually walked across the island to see the old cascades that were created when one of the mountains slid off many, many years ago and practically dammed up the river. There is a plaque here that says that the Native Americans said they were able to cross the river without getting their feet wet. It must have been one heck of a landslide.
Next we decided to see some of downtown Portland. We used Marge (our GPS system) to guide us to the downtown area. Mike and I were both impressed with the downtown. There is a university downtown and lots of park like areas. It is also a very clean downtown and it is alive. There were people all over and this was on a Sunday afternoon.
We ended our day by eating at Olive Garden. It is a favorite restaurant of mine and since it was Mother’s Day, I got to choose where we ate. As usual, the food was great.
We left early Monday and headed from Portland up I-5 and into WA state. Actually, WA state is just across the Columbia River from Portland. Our destination for this day was Seattle. It was actually a short drive to Seattle. It only took us about four hours. Once you get to Olympia, it is practically one city from Olympia to Tacoma to Seattle. We drove to the RV park and decided that we had time to do some sightseeing before dark. We decided not to stay long in Seattle because the RV park was pretty expensive and most in the area charge about the same.
Our first stop was Columbia Winery in Woodinville where we got to sample several of the wines they make. My favorite wine in the world is the Columbia Winery Riesling. Actually, I asked Mike to drive to Seattle so that I could visit this winery. I was surprised that it was in an industrial area. I expected it to be in an area like the Napa Valley. The guy serving us wine said the grapes are grown over in western WA. Oh well, I still enjoyed the wine.
After our visit to the winery, we drove to downtown Seattle and over to the shores of Puget Sound. There was a really nice area where people get out and walk or jog or ride their bikes along the waterfront. We got to watch the ferries go back and forth as well as other boats on the water. The homes in this area are an interesting blend of old beach homes, new beach homes and condos. The people, both old and young were out enjoying their neighborhood. I don’t blame them. They have a beautiful city.
Today is Tuesday, May 13. We left Seattle early today heading east with Spokane as our destination. We got through the Cascade Mountains and saw lots of snow on the higher peaks. We passed several ski areas. The mountains opened up into a beautiful high valley near Ellensburg, WA. We stopped for fuel in Ellensburg and Mike discovered that we had a problem - another problem with the wheel on the camper. So, we limped into an RV repair area here. Actually, it is an RV dealership with a repair shop. While the repairman checked out the camper wheel, we took the truck and drove around the town. It is a neat little town. I guess I will have lots of time to explore Ellensburg and the Yakima valley where the wine vineyards are located, because it is going to take several days to get the parts to fix the wheel. The bad news is that it is going to cost us a pretty penny to get back on the road. The good news is that we are staying in the RV dealership free and we get to explore this beautiful area that we would have otherwise never stopped to see.
Stay tuned for more of our adventures to come.
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