Time to Move On

I had a very productive and enjoyable week here. This is a beautiful part of Washington. I am happy to report my laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping are all done. I even managed to get a bad haircut ;) and do some sightseeing. And…I got my seafood!

I took a little ride up to Port Townsend. A quaint little coastal town overlooking Whidby Island. It always seems so foggy here, especially in the mornings.



This is the line for the ferry waiting to go over there. Sure glad that wasn’t on my agenda for the day ;)



I also took a trip into Sequim. This area is known for growing lavender because it is the ideal climate and is located in what’s called the “rain shadow”. They only get 15” of rain per year, but plenty of moisture off the bays. You can actually go visit the lavender farms and pick your own. It sure smells good and the whole town is landscaped with it. And it's amazing what all they make out of it.







Then, I took a trip to Dungeness Bay in search of a good crab dinner . And, I wasn’t disappointed. There is a restaurant there called the 3 crabs that sits right on the bay where the crabs are actually harvested and is very highly rated.



Across the bay, you can see this pretty lighthouse



And finally, my delicious dinner! A whole steamed Dungeness crab served with cole slaw and a roll :) It’s smaller than an Alaskan crab and the shell is thinner, so it made for easier eating. I was hoping that going to the source for seafood would be a better deal than elsewhere. Kind of like going to Maine and getting a lobster for $5.00. But no such luck. They charged full market price. But it was sooo good! Poor guy ;)



Today, we are heading out and are off to Leavenworth. Washinton’s little Bavaria. We’ll see what kind of good food we can find there! ;)

Olympic National Park, WA

Over the past several days, I’ve been touring the HUGE and remote Olypmpic National Park. So needless to say, there was minimal cell service for blog updating.

I started off at the southwestern side at the Quinault Rain Forest. It was very plush with ferns and moss covered trees.



Lake Quinault with the Mount Olympus in the background.



I stopped by Ruby beach, but the fog was so socked in I couldn’t get any good photos.



Next, it was off to the HOH Rain Forest. Again, so plush and green with gorgeous ferns and giant sitka spruce trees draped in moss.







This is one of the largest sitka spruce trees in the US. They only grow along a narrow coastal strip between California and Alaska due to needed growing conditions of high rainfall, fog and ocean moderated temperatures. This one is 500 -550 years old, 270 feet tall and 12 ½ feet in diameter.





The following day, I went to Rialto Beach to meet the Ranger and other potential hikers to go see the tide pools at the Hole-in-the-Wall. However, it wasn’t happening that morning. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see some at Salt Creek.

Coming across the northern tier is beautiful Lake Crescent.



And I stopped at Elwha to see some salmon cascades.



I’ll be hanging out in the Discovery Bay Area this week to regroup and hopefully get some good seafood! :)

Tillamook Cheese Factory

Thursday, I visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory as my last stop in Oregon. The whole process was impressive to say the least. You could view the workers hard at it from an observation window above. Although, it was a bit discolored for picture taking.



The cheese mixture begins in these huge vats.



The curds and whey are separated and the cheese is pressed into large blocks that are spit out onto a conveyor belt for cutting and packaging.









This is one of the packaging machines



Then, you can go through the sample line. My favorite part! ;)



Then, you have an opportunity to buy some in the gift shop. I bought some squeaky cheese curds, which are a mild cheddar. Now I know why they call it that. The cheese actually squeeks against your teeth when you chew it. Lol



Not only do they have cheese, but fudge!



And ice cream!



I skipped on the ice cream because the line was so long and you can buy it in all the grocery stores.

The fudge was good, but Fredericksburg Fudge still holds the record for me. Even beating out Macinac Island Fudge from last summer’s travels. That’s just how good it is :)

Now, it’s onward to Washington to tour the Olympic National Park.

The Oregon Trail

Tuesday, I arrived in Baker City at the Oregon Trail Interpretetive Center. It was impressive to say the least. It included life-like exhibits, displays, video and a storyteller to portray the trials of life on the trail to expand the United States.



It took the pioneers 2000 miles walking 12-15 miles per day for 6 months along the oxen who pulled all their worldly possessions across unforgivable terrain. They left heir family and friends behind most likely for forever to reach the "promised land". It cost them $500.00 to $700.00 to buy oxen and provisions for 6 months to make the trip. That was a lot of money back in the 1800’s.

Their wagons had no suspension, so it was uncomfortable to ride in them. They were typically pulled by 4 oxen to share the load, who subsisted on prairie grass.





The wagons weren’t very spacious, so they could only take the necessities.



Many families would make the trip together for safety in numbers. Here we have a circling of the wagons. Just like we do now when we boondock at a rally ;)



They would set up camp each night and somehow found water and took time to cook and do laundry.



1 in 10 died enroute to the promised land from either accident or disease. They buried their dead right in the center of the trail where the oxen trod to prevent wild animals from digging up the remains.



Here is where I became awestruck. I was actually standing in the ruts of one section of remaining trail taking this photo.





It’s so hard to imagine myself back in those times. We have come so far from their first efforts. I stood there thinking about how I came 2000 miles to get here in less than a month, with more space, running water and the comforts of home in my rig. And they didn’t even have a store to stop at along the way. I’m not sure I would have made it. Their fortitude was priceless and the whole experience was so enlightening, of which I am grateful.

On a lighter note, our last stop in Oregon is in Tillamook. I need to go check out that cheese factory. Not only that, they have also have ice cream and fudge! Sounds like a full course meal to me ;) hahaha!!!

Enroute to Baker City, OR

I left Sutherlin, OR on Monday morning enroute for Baker City. Knowing it would take me two days, I stopped to smell the roses (flowers;) along the way.



I stopped by Cottage Grove. There is a scenic byway covered bridge tour you can take. I knew I probably couldn’t fit through them and there was a lot of road construction, but I wanted to see at least one of them. This one was built in 1925 and is no longer in service since the new bridge was built next to it.



I wasn't really paying attention to the time, so got to Portland at the beginning of evening rush hour. So, I had some time to take photos while I sat there ;)
Here’s a shot of the city



And an ariel tram.



Coming out of Portland, I had a great view of Mt. Hood.



As I drove along the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, I stopped to see the horsetail falls. Just click the arrow to view the videos. The falls were so pretty they needed more than just a flat picture.



And Multnomah Falls



Tuesday, we’ll travel part of the Oregon Trail and arrive in Baker City to learn all about it.

Pristine Crater Lake

Yesterday, I arrived in Sutherlin, OR. Here was my welcoming committee at my site ;)

A doe and her two precious fawns :) Sorry about the clarity. I took several photos out my back rig window and they each took turns moving.



This is the first Jack Rabbit I've ever seen. I had to look it up ;)



Today, I headed off for Crater Lake. It was another gorgeous day with beautiful scooter roads :) Oregon is such a beautiful state. It is just plush with pines. I would have been completely content just with this scenery alone.



But it gets better. Along the way I passed Diamond Lake.



It’s amazing how much snow is still here for the middle of July.



And yes, it was cold at the top of the rim of Crater Lake. But it was so worth it. I couldn’t believe my eyes at how blue the water was!













And I still couldn’t get over that perfect blue water, so I took a shot just of that! lol My photos just don’t do it justice. Incredible.



Next stop, Baker City for a little Oregon Trail history.