Good Freinds, Good Walks, Great Scenery!

I have arranged a stop over in Ocean Park.  I have the good fortune to haave a wonderful friend that lives 3 blocks from a wonderful, sandy beach.


Viewpoint at North Head Lighthouse

North Head Lighthouse
 

 We have been friends since our children were little when we both lived in Yakima, Washington in the early 70's.  Over the years we have shared good times and bad times and when ever we would get together, it has been like time stood still and we had never been apart.

Msrge

We're older now, have matching limps and it is has been good to spend time together again.  We have been walking many of the beaches, and talking late in the night.  But our walks have been at some spectacular places with gorgeous scenery

and of course the sunsets.

 

Where she lives is a wonderful sunset destination.  Can it get any better than this?

 

People assume that if you begin a wondering life, you are running away from something or have noone who you are close to.

 

 

That is not always true.  There are as many circumstances of full timers as there are wondering

Rvers. 

 



We may all accumulate debris in our lives that is left behind

 

 

 

In my case the lack of a financial drain (house and upkeep requirements) leaves me more free to spend time with those special family and freinds as well as. 

 

 

 

 I have children on both sides of the US.  It is my hope to spend quality time with those that I care about. 

This last month I have spent time with two dear friends.

 

I cherish the special time with these friends.   

 

It's a Wild Life

I have been bemoaning the fact that I haven't seen or been able to take any pictures of any wild life. Haven't seen much beyond a few birds and squirrels. I run to get camera.... gone. That is the way it has been going. I have been doing better with flowers.... at least they can't get away from me, I guess a little time and patience on my part yields better results.




That has all changed since I have arrived on the Washington side of the Columbia River. I have made great effort to have my camera with me at all times and I have been rewarded.

It began with this sweet tiny bunny.  Yes, we stop for bunnies!

On down the road, we stop for bears..... three total for our time here.

 

And back at the house, They came to us.

 

This baby is only about 12 - 14 inches tall.

 

Peek a Boo Baby

Yep, It is a Wild Life!!



Fort Stevens and Astoria, Oregon

We moved on to Fort Stephens State Park near Astoria, Oregon. The fort was in service for 84 years, beginning during the Civil War and closing at the end of World War II. Today, Fort Stevens has grown into a 4,200 acre park offering exploration of history, nature, and many recreational opportunities.

Camping, beach-combing, freshwater lake swimming, trails, wildlife viewing, a historic shipwreck, and a historic military fort make Fort Stevens a uniquely diverse park. The park also boasts a network of nine miles of paved bicycle trails and six miles of hiking trails  Its a huge State Park but each site is comfortable with surrounding greenery.  The full service sites are $27 and we were even able to score a pull through site.  Since we were only staying one night I didn't even put out the kennel.  We were crowded but managed through the night.  The neighboring neighbors enjoyed our little home.  It fit right in among their large homes and we visited with the neighbors was they did their nightly walks.



Shipwrecked in 1906, Iredale remains on the beach

After a quick dinner I got out my folding bike.  This is a huge park and some means getting around the park is needed.  There are miles and miles of beaches to explore.  So since I didn't unhook the truck from the trailer, my bike would fill the bill.  Off I went for some exploring and beach time.  It was a twenty minute ride down to the part of the beach that I wanted to be for sunset. 


I had plenty of time for walking on the beach before the sun would begin to set. There weren't many people on the beach so I felt like I could have been a traveler from decades before, seeing the Pacific Ocean for the first time. 

The magnitude of the ocean makes me feel small in comparison.

 

The evening was crowned by a stunning sunset framed by the shipwreck.

 

 

The next day it was on to Astoria, a quaint little historic town along the Columbia River.  A drive around the hillside town reveals quaint little shops, Victorian houses and a number of museums including and excellent Maritime museum on the waterfront. 

 

On the waterfront also was evidence of the recent wharf fire that leveled a seafood cannery which previously employed 80 people.

   Ships on the River are a common sight as they move up and down the river with their cargo's.

 

 

 

The views from the magnificent column are not to be missed.

 

 

The etchings and paintings on the column tell the history of the surrounding area.

The area around Astoria has so much to offer for fun.  History buffs will love the forts, there are light houses, Lewis and Clark destinations and of course plenty of water.  Hiking and biking opportunities are plentiful.  One would be hard pressed to be bored in the area.  It is definetely and area that I will return to over and over again.

Stay, Eat, Play, Have Fun!!



 

Airport RV Campground

Finding inexpensive campsites near the Oregon Coast is certainly challenging.  So I consulted a website the specializes in just that.  FreeCampsites.net lists campsites that are reviewed by users and provides information that help you find those elusive less expensive often primitive campsites.
This is the first time I have used the site so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Here is the view from my first campsite using FreeCampsite.net.  For those of you who have traveled in Oregon, you will recognize this Air Museum near Tillamook, Oregon.  Here is where I found a campsite from Free Campsites.net.

Here is the listing as it appeared on the website.  $5.00/night
The Port’s recreational vehicle park is located just off of Highway 101, two miles south of Tillamook. Traveling south from town, turn left (east) on Matlock Way at the Airport Entrance.
It also listed the GPS coordinates but since I don't have a GPS, I used the directions provided and easily found it.  The cost was actually $10.00 per nite compared with  $20 - $27 at a State Park so it was considerably less expensive.  My site was level with a firm gravel pad, a table and firepit and near by water faucets and the only flush bathrooms.

Here is our site.

 Most of the sites were completely sunny but we were able to choose a site that had trees and bushes around it.  We also had the place completely to ourselves. 

I would not of thought a place advertised as a airport RV campground would be our kind of peaceful camping place.  Don't let the name of the campground discourage you.

   There were no roaring engines.  This was a quite place with some background road noise and occasional soft noise of  take off or arrival of these cute little gems.  We also saw a tiny helicopter take off.   I found it completely entertaining and relaxing.

While Tillamook is not near the ocean (about 25 miles away) there are other things to do in the area.  The Tillamook Cheese Factory is about 5 miles from the campsite and a great place to get an ice cream cone and nearby grocery shopping.  The Air museum is has many vintage aircraft to view.  Airplane rides can also be arranged. More to our tastes, was a waterfall to hike to. 

The creek and waterfall are in a deeply forested area with adequate car parking.  (not room for RVS, leave them at the campground).




 

If it's not blooming

Moss is probably growing on it

We also did some exploring of the countryside and went to check out another camp area, called Sand Lake which is about 20 miles south of our campsite near the Ocean.

While driving down the heavily forested road, this is what we saw.

It was hard to believe what my eyes were seeing.  Here we were in the forest and before me was a sand oasis.  It just didn't seem to fit together.This covered a large area so I went exploring to see what else I could find.

Closer to the ocean, I found another dune area and two campground areas called The Sand Lake Recreation Area. This is an area heavily used by people with ATV's, or as  I call  them 'sand mosquitoes'.  The noise is annoying after a while.... (I just wanted to smack them!)

There are two separate camp areas.  One areas does not allow the ATV's to buzz around.... Camping only.  They are only allowed to return to there camp site.



The second camp area allowed camping around the perimeter of the parking lot so be prepared, the annoying noise is nearly constant.


It was fun to watch for a while and then I was happy to return to our peaceful campsite at the airport.
 

In my Oregon travels, I have only seen a small section of the amazing diversity that Oregon has to offer.   I look forward to many opportunities to taste the vast differences within her borders.

Vintage Trailer Heaven

To start with I am generally not a group person.  I like it best with just a couple of close friends and family.  So going to a glamper event is pushing my comfort level a bit.  I am not sure exactly how many trailers ended up at our event but they were all new to me.  I had followed along this group for some time on facebook via The Rolling Oldies Vintage Trailers which is based out of Oregon.  So I decided to push myself a little and meet some new people.  It was a great move.  They were awesome and made me feel completely welcome.  I corresponded with a few of them on there Facebook page prior to arrival and one of them joined up with me and occupied my tent for the weekend.

There were lots of events and the very special trailer tour.  Since I can't own or decorate them all, the next best thing is to visit them.   It is so fun to see what everyone does to them  regarding restoring and decorating them.    There were some awesome trailer to view.   I Took lots of pictures so you will get to view them too.  This event, The International Glamping Weekend has been held for two years and has taken place in the US, Britian, and Australia and who knows where else.  These ladies love to have fun with their vintage trailer and meet other women in a fun a festive weekend gathering.

I totally let myself be there and join in the fun and meet new folks in the process.  Some of the trailers were custom restorations others were like mine were do it yourself cuties.  There were no clicks and I sure felt welcome.


One of the trailers that I did the best at taking photo's  of was my friend's Lynn's (who is a follower of this blog and we have been emailing for some time with the progress of our trailers.)  I think she did an awesome job with the curtains and decorating.

            It is totally sweet!

Another rare beauty was an import from England.   Caravans are not often seen in the US but I loved the big windows and elegance of the ones I have seen pictures of.  So I was excited to see this one in person. 

 

Another fun on was this little Tiki Hut.  She hand-
made all the little Tiki Gods that surround the trailer.   Such cute detail!

                                                       

           It was just a itty bitty,
           full of island cuteness.

   

There were several gleaming sliver beauties.

 And Julie's... elegance complete with a wine fridge!

I could see ... a nap in my future if I lived here

Check out the wine cooler!

                   

This will end part one of the trailer tour.

More next time.