The Ying and Yang of weather on the Coast

I love the pitter patter of rain on our roof.  What I don't love is the wind that comes along with it on the coast.  Last week we had rain everyday of varying intensity from little misty fog to 'Holy Cow!'  I think we are going to float away!  It would stop instantly and begin again just like a faucet turning on and off.  An old co-worker of mine that moved to SouthWest Washington years ago sent me a post on Facebook "Welcome to the Pacific Northwest!" along with a weather update of 91 mph winds hitting her area.  We clocked a measly 80+ at the clubhouse so she wins the wind contest!  If you have never experienced such winds in a motorhome you don't know what you are missing.  At times it felt like a giant hand picked us up and gave us a shaking then set us down again.  Whew, glad that is over!  Sleepless nights make for cranky campers and I was no exception.  The slides must come in and the satellite must come down.  It makes for tight quarters.

GREY WINTER SKIES

THE SUN TRYING TO PEEK OUT OVER THE LIGHTHOUSE

SEVERAL OF THE LIGHT POSTS BLEW OVER ALONG WITH PICNIC TABLES AND POTS

SUNDAY AFTERNOONS GUST DIED DOWN TO 66 MPH

CHURNING WAVES

SEA FOAM

So what does one do when you are stuck in a rocking tube and everything is wet?  Why you head inland to scope out new motor coaches!  I saw a commercial for an RV show in Salem which is not too far from us (only 2 hours) so we packed up the car and headed out early in the day.  We were disappointed that they had no coaches, but lots of tent trailers, toy haulers, and smaller travel trailers. I bought a couple of toys for the pups and we headed for Portland to relook at a 37 foot Allegro Bus and a 42 foot Phaeton.  Eric would like to go smaller for driving ease and all I want is the dinette on the passenger side.  The 37 foot meets all the requirements but we didn't get that Wow! I must have this! that is needed to purchase a new coach.  While there I ventured into a used 2013 Entegra Anthem.  Wow, it was nice!  The furniture was soft buttery cushy leather, but the fabrics and cabinets were all very dark.  It was a great coach and we had lots to talk about and think about on the rainy windy drive back to the coast.

A few days later we headed over to Eugene to look at a 45 foot Allegro Bus.  Now we're talking!  It was really nice, with a great floor plan, and that wow factor I'm looking for.  We are not ready to purchase yet so we have lots of time to look at more options and get more confused.  We won't be making any decisions until after the FMCA rally in Redmond, OR in August if then.

In between rain breaks we took walks on the beach with the pups and enjoyed hanging outside.  When the sun shines here it is beautiful and everyone runs outside to gather up the rays.

We finally went to the movies the other day.  The theatre is almost across the road from us and we kept saying we should go.  We saw Monuments Men and I loved it.  The theatre only had 10 people in the matinee and it was quiet.  If you haven't seen it, it is a great one for the list.

The Pups enjoy a ride to the gas station

We are getting ready to head south for a month or so.  We hope to leave next Sunday, but it depends on the weather.  Driving the Beast in the snow is not so fun.  If the weather doesn't cooperate we will wait it out here and leave when it breaks.  I am looking forward to seeing family and maybe warmer temperatures.

On a sad note, I lost my Grandmother last week.  Estelle Tate was 96 and from the get go was an energetic woman with a sense of humor and a twinkle in her eye.  She raised 5 strong daughters and was loved by all the grandkids, great grandkids and great great grandkids.   I have happy memories of summers spent with both sets of Grandparents growing up.  Not many people my age still have grandparents and I am grateful for the time we had.  I will miss her.

Today is a sunny beautiful day on the coast!  You would never know it was so blustery and cold last week.  The temps are in the low 50's and the skies are very blue.  We walked along the beach for a while at low tide and the pups had a blast running around.  Tired now, they are ready for their lap naps!

Winter on the Oregon Coast....Rainy, Windy, Snow and Sun!

Pacific Shores Motorcoach Resort
Newport, OR
High 50, low 48
Rain, Rain, Rain

After beating feet to get back to our spot in Newport before the roads were risky, we breathed a sigh of relief as we settled back in just in time.  

Tuesday was rain, Wednesday was wind and Thursday was once again Snow!  Lots of snow.  The temps dropped down to the teens and the rains came.  Along with the snow we enjoyed frozen rain, making everything slick and walking was out of the question.  For 5 days we holed up in the toasty warm Beast, watching the Winter Blast coverage on TV, surfing the web and just being flat out lazy.  Portland and Salem got hit hard with roads and I-5 closed.  It was just safer and cozier to stay inside.

My little flowers are cold

Frozen rain everywhere

There is a little patch of sun out there

We had flocks of these killdeer after the snow, along with thrushes and geese on the resorts little golf course

Gidget bird watches from my lap

On Sunday, the sun poked out, bringing warm temps and blue skies.  Good thing since the pups were going a little crazy and really missed their walks on the beach.  We spent the morning just walking and letting them play.  We saw a couple of paddle boarders out in the waves enjoying the warmer day.

For today and the next 10 days, the blue skies are gone and the winds are back with a vengeance.  We are expecting 70MPH gusts tonight, so the slides will be coming in and the satellite will be coming down.  We'll have to miss the Olympic coverage tonight, instead watching movies.  Right now we have pouring rain, sometimes straight down and sometimes sideways.  I'll take the rain, since it means I am on the coast and everything is green and lush!

 

Where we spent the Super Bowl

Being long time Denver Bronco Fans we were sure excited to see them in the Super Bowl.  Today we are wondering where they were on Sunday evening.  They must have missed their flight to New Jersey.  It is not the first time they lost by a wide margin, but we were in a room full of Seahawks fans in Kingston, WA.  Good sports that we are we watched the entire game, even when the city erupted in fireworks while we watched on recorded delay.

When the teams were finalized our new friends in Washington invited us to watch the big game on their big screen.  A quick check of the calendar,  a quick gas calculation and why not?  The plans were made and the menu was set.

We set off on Friday morning thinking we would head over to I-5 and make a little stop overnight just to break up the trip.  We got to the turn off to go over the coastal range and decided what the heck, let's take 101 all the way around.

No trip North on 101 is complete without a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for cheese and ice-cream.  Eric enjoyed a pomegranate shake while I indulged in a caramel chocolate sundae with all the works.  The pups enjoyed a little walk around, then off we went.

Confused?  Open? Closed?

Lots to sniff in the RV parking area for Tillamook Cheese

Ya gotta love the Oregon Coast

Up and over the bridge at Astoria and we were in Washington.

Heading into Astoria, yes that is the bridge

Astoria Bridge

Into Washington!

We made the overnight pit stop in Hoquiam, WA at a neat little park called Hoquiam River RV Park.  The owners were very nice, the park was clean and tidy, and the river view and walk were really nice.    We filled up our propane while there as we were expecting a little chilly weather in northern Washington.  We slept like babes and headed out a little later than usual.  We could have cut across the state to save a couple of hours, but remained on our 101 course.

Right on the river

The Beast taking a rest with the pups in the window

We passed through Forks, WA, home to the Twilight book series about vampires and shape shifters.  There is not much there except one stop light and some signs for Twilight tours and Twilight souvenir shops.  No we did not stop, but I did keep an eye out for sparkly vampires and wolves running in the woods.

Between Forks and Port Angeles we passed an amazing lake, Crescent Lake.  The water was like glass, creating mirror like images of the mountains surrounding the lake.  It was a perfect spot to let the pups out, grab a little snack and take a little break.

This is a beautiful lake!

More to sniff at!

When we got to Port Angeles we took the truck route which turned out to go right through town.  Traffic was lite, but I hate navigating in towns as the lanes come and go.  All the while the navigation is saying make a U-turn if possible.  Unless you are on an airfield, there is no turning around with the Beast and Toad.  Sooner or later, you always get back on the correct route.  No worries, it was a cute little town and the views of the Straight were cool.We went over the longest floating bridge then into Kingston.

We stayed in Cliff and Wanda's long driveway and I drooled over Wanda's quilting studio.  I haven't seen anything like it and was amazed. She showed me her show quilts and a couple of tops not yet quilted.  Beautiful is all I can say!  Her applique is the best I have seen and her quilting (all freehand!) was incredible.  Even Eric was impressed with the stitched birds and flowers.  Wanda-You are a rock star of the quilting world!  Eric took in Cliff's shop with every tool and machine a guy could need.  After the tour, we settled in to watch the sunset over Puget Sound and watched the ferries come and go.  Dinner was on Bainbridge Island at a wonderful Mexican restaurant.  I haven't had Mexican food for a year and the chips and salsa were soooo good!  Adrienne and Glenn I thought of you as I enjoyed my Cadillac margarita!

Sunset over the Sound

Wanda made breakfast muffins, espresso and fruit for a wonderful breakfast.  The agenda for the day was to take a little ride around to Fort Worden and Port Townsend.  Fort Worden is where An Officer and a Gentleman was filmed.  Funny thing is Eric and I saw it on our first date.  You can rent entire quarters for retreats, family reunions, etc or you can camp in their campground right on the water complete with lighthouse nearby.  We may stay there next time we go up.  There were lots of places to ride your bikes around.  Deer wander freely throughout the town and don't seem to be afraid of people.  Port Townsend is an old victorian town with really cute old houses and the shops all looked fun.  We stopped for lunch at Coastal Fins.  The portions were quite large and yummy.  While enjoying lunch Eric spotted a small grey whale close in.  Sure enough he came up again and was real close.  Unfortunately, it was too quick for a photo.  We waited a bit, but he must have moved on.

We made a stop at Port Gamble to sneak a peek at their tugboat, Reliable.  It was built in 1945 and is a neat tugboat.  We took a tour and Eric was in heaven.  There had been an otter that has been leaving presents on the deck.  I caught the culprit with my camera as he was contemplating a stroll to the boat.  Canadian Geese have made a nest nearby and were none to happy at our presence.

She really wanted me gone!

We had a great day!

Reliable is a great name for a Tug

Pretty Cool!

There's the culprit!

We watched the game and all the commercials.  Disappointed in the outcome, but we really enjoyed our time there.  We kept watching the weather as a cold front was coming in with rain, icy rain, and snow.  The temps in the Puget Sound area were expected to be in the high teens, so we decided to leave the next morning to get home before the snowfall and high winds.  This time we headed straight down I-5, crossed over at Salem and made it home by 5.

We had a great weekend with new friends.  It seems like we have known them forever.  We are looking forward to our May trip and exploring the area further.

Morning over the Sound

Back into Oregon

The pups sleep all the way home!  They too had lots of fun running around Ti's yard!