Gold Beach

Trifecta, at last!

Sun, Sand and Warmth

Yesterday we hit the Trifecta: Sun, Sand, and Warmth….it took a week of nomading, but we found it. After leaving Cannon Beach (see VLOG), we decided to spend an austere two nights at a beachfront campground frolicking along a secluded beach and commune with nature. Bad move!  (Trifecta, at last)

Cape Lookout State Park, set back off the beach, shielded by a grove of enormous maple and fir trees, is a fabulous location, but not during a seasonal torrential downpour. We managed a short beach walk in the mist and drizzle before heading back to the RV for a quick pasta dinner. Shortly after, the winds kicked up, the rain pounded our RV like Santa’s Reindeer partying on the rooftop on Christmas Eve. It was non-stop torture for 36 hours. I think the intelligence agencies could replace waterboarding with a 36 hour lock up in a continuous downpour….people would tell everything and anything just for it to stop! 

I think I made one dash to the park facilities the entire 36 hours…. I guess Ursula and I get along well enough as our ‘hate and discontent’ level from close confines was manageable.

Onward in search of our sanity

We decided to cut our losses and move south of the low-front and found ourselves an ‘Old-World Gingerbread House’ east of Florence. There was nothing Old-World about the little restaurant other than the wait-staff. It was pleasant enough, and the burger was massive. The allure that attracted us there was its membership in ‘Harvest Host,’ and the promise for a free overnight RV stay, we didn’t.

Back towards Florence, the Three Rivers Casino parking lot, with an electrical hook-up, was more to our liking. What a Win. Good bar food, good beer, free parking and electricity, and uncharacteristically we actually won money at the One-Armed Bandits…well, not enough to pay for the beer. A win is a win! We cashed out and slumbered in their parking lot.

The most frightful experience of the evening was observing the ‘elderly’ crowd of customers and thinking, wow, I guess we’re the youngest, fittest couple in the entire casino. After looking in the mirror of one of my many bathroom breaks, I was startled to see just how well I fit in with the rest of the crowd! Hmmmm, I think I’ll leave those thoughts for reflection on another day .

Yes, Life is Good

The rain abated that evening, and the following morning the sun peeked around the clouds. We took the risk of cruising off to a ‘day use’ state park and enjoying the secluded Sitcoos Beach. Trifecta Win! Sun, Sand, and Warmth! Even little Azzuri enjoyed the jaunt along the empty dunes. The beaches are amazing; miles and miles of deep, sandy beaches, pounding waves, and a backdrop of 50-foot dike-like sand dunes. For a spell, we had miles of beach all to ourselves, just incredible, precisely the reason we came south for the Winter.

All good things must come to an end, and after a few hours of sun and strolling, we headed South into the unknown in search of a new RV camp. Typically, it’s a good idea to call ahead and reserve a spot, but with our current good vibes, we risked a walk-in at the Turtle Rock RV camp just south of Gold Beach. The Gods were with us still! The camp had plenty of room, the staff was friendly, the beach was a 4-minute walk from our site, the Mexican restaurant had surprisingly good and authentic tasting food (and margaritas), and the brewery across the street had a delectable lager beer. Honestly, what more could one ask for?

Tomorrow, we head out of Oregon and into Northern California and the Redwood Forrest. We have a long way to go to make it to the other coast (if we do). Still, there are so many sights, experiences, foods & beverages, and friends to see that the Lower-48 Nomading adventure will be anything but boring. We’re excited by the prospects.

Notable Mentions Along the Path

Tillamook Creamery.  Everybody told us to stop by and try out their cheese and ice cream – “It’s the Best”.  Cheese eating is not my thing, but that ice cream sure is good! 

Along the way south, Highway 101 was closed off next to an RV Camp.  We’re not sure why they closed the highway, but the RV camp was flooded out.  A large orange helicopter busied itself extracting campers from their sites to carry them to safer grounds. As they opened up the road and we drove by the RV site turned lake, we observed how lucky we were to not have chosen that site for our overnight stay. I guess 36 hours locked in the RV sure beats a week waiting for the new pond to drain to recover a flooded out RV.  

Stay tuned for whatever comes next.

A few pics along the way


Gold Beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3 Comments

  1. Hey guys! Sounds like a nice trip. I would love to do the northern west coast once. Keep enjoying it and don‘t care so much about rainy days. 🙂

    1. Author

      Thanks Aaron for checking out the web-site and commenting. We’re having great adventure….even if some of it has been wet. The Pacific Northwest as a beautiful region and we look forward to passing back through it on the way home. Ursula and I hope you get the opportunity to do the same. Cheers.

  2. What an adventure we are living. With mostly good, a little bad, but boy this nature is wealth it all the way !

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