Journey, Andiamo & Pirate
Andiamo & Journey
Here we are on our way to the Oregon coast. We went down Interstate 5 (I-5) through Portland and further south to Eugene, Oregon. At Eugene we headed west to Florence, Oregon, where my cousin lives. Once we got away from Portland, the traffic wasn't bad. We left around 2:30 PM on Thursday, and made it to Florence around 8:00 PM. The most tiring part was getting through the awful Portland traffic. Believe it or not, it is worse than Southern California traffic. I thought it was because I was usually going through it on Fridays, or holidays, but that was not the case this time. I have decided that I will not be driving that route again, it is just too awful. I stopped once along the way to walk the dogs at a rest stop. So proud of Andi, as he realized the purpose for the stop and he actually took care of business pretty quick.
The drive through the coastal range, from Eugene to Florence is beautiful. It is a winding road along the Siuslaw River, through the Siuslaw National Forrest - very pretty. Florence is a small town with a population close to 9,000. It is a fishing town, and a favorite tourist spot in the summer, about halfway between the California state line and the Washington state line.
Photographer of the picture above, of Florence, Oregon is unknown.
The picture is of the Siuslaw Bridge, which is a short distance in from the coast where the Siuslaw River meets the Pacific Ocean. It is such a pretty place.
We had a very nice visit with my cousin, Dolores and even got to attend an October Festival (in September). It was at the Green Trees Club house. They had two bands and it was "pot luck". So many delicious dishes and lots of nice people. I really enjoy visiting at Green Trees. When I am walking the dogs I never know what will appear as the road curves around in this lovely park. We have run into wild turkeys, quail, Canadian Geese and raccoons. I am glad we have not run into the many black bear that visit the park. It is hard enough to handle three dogs on a walk without throwing a bear in the mix.
On Saturday we headed north, for Yachats, Oregon. I was going to the wedding of a friend. It was being held at the Heceta Head Lighthouse area. What a beautiful place that is! I don't think anyone could find a more beautiful place. This was one of the most beautiful and romantic weddings I have every attended. Pictures follow:
This is taken from the Light keeper's home (now a Bed & Breakfast Inn). You can see our motor home in the parking lot to the left, close to the bridge on Highway 101.
Looking south from the Inn - the Pacific Ocean.
View north from the front porch of the Inn. Lighthouse in the upper center, on the cliff. Wedding sight below the lighthouse. You can see the chairs and the arbor where the wedding will take place.
Looking the other direction on the porch, past the tables that will be used for buffet, serving appetizers, and later, for dinners.
Above is an old picture of the same location when there were two homes for the light keepers. They took down the head keepers house in the late 30's. That leaves a wonderful lawn space for activities and for events such as this beautiful wedding. There is still a white picket fence going all the way around the property. I believe I saw a sign saying the keepers homes were built in the 1800's. I keep wondering why they took down the one home. They were both beautiful. History notes that the first house was sold for $10. It was dismantled and taken to Mapleton, Oregon, where the lumber was used to build a store.
A very nice gentleman was driving down to the parking lot where I parked the RV, to give us rides up to the Inn. It would have been a pretty good hike.
Rhonda's sons walked her to the alter.
Rhonda & Ray
A kiss for the bride and groom.
Back to the Inn for local wines and beer or hot drinks.
Dinning room in the Inn.
Beautiful hand crafted stairway.
One of the Inns beautiful fire places.
Such a beautiful wedding and a very handsome couple.
Finally hitched a ride back to the parking lot to be greeted by some very patient dogs. We played and walked around a little after I fed the dogs - a little late. We headed north. I was thinking of stopping at Devil's Lake in Lincoln City, but it was late and by the time we got to Newport, I saw the Walmart parking lot and it looked pretty good to me. We slept well and I fixed us all a nice breakfast before we headed north.
Such a beautiful day again!
I love this place - Bear Creek Artichoke Farm. They have fresh made bakery goods, blueberry-lemon scones, apple dumplings with brandy sauce, fresh coffee, and dozens of tasty jams & jellies, mustards, homemade pestos, artichoke dip, and too many other things to name. Free samples and many gift items, along with fresh vegetables and fruits.
Back on the road again. Beautiful dairy country - cows everywhere! Such a pretty green country with beautiful little streams, rivers and trees.
When we got to Tillamook I was thinking a lot about the ice cream bar at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I was going to let the guys out for a short walk and then go inside the factory for a little shopping. The big guys were very excited and they charged at the door as I was getting out of the RV. I scolded them and insisted they get back and sit-stay until they were released. I noticed that Andiamo had gotten back immediately when I yelled at them.
I am not quite as stern with Andiamo as he is just following his big brothers and they are the ones that know better. I use positive training in most circumstances, however when we are dealing with life threatening issues (such as trying to jump out of the RV without permission) I am much more strict with them on a "wait" or a "stay" - they know better. After they backed up and respected my "stay" command, I noticed that Andiamo had backed up completely under the bed and was looking out at me. I like this picture.
After a little shopping in the cheese store, I got a single scoop of ice cream in a fresh baked waffle cone. I got a double dish for the dogs and I split it three ways for them. They were very happy. The large parking lot was emptying fast and I decided to walk the dogs and wait until the majority of people were gone. The dogs were playing and enjoying the late afternoon sunshine.
A nice man in a pickup truck came by and was admiring the dogs. He asked us if we had a place to stay and I told him I had just planned to drive a little ways north and find something. He said he had an RV park a short distance north of the cheese factory. He said it had a fenced dog park where the dogs could play. That did it! I was so tired of leash walking them and they were just as tired of not being able to run. It was about 5:00 PM and I was really ready for some relaxation. He had given me a flyer and I headed north a couple blocks. The park was so nice. I signed in, but before we even went to our camp spot, I unloaded the dogs and took them over to the dog park. They were in heaven.
Pirate
Andiamo
Journey really likes our camp host, Craig. It was quite a surprise to see Journey take to someone so fast. He is usually quite aloof, especially toward men. I have never seen him make friends this fast.
The dogs played from about 5:30 to 8:30, while I sat at the picnic table and Craig threw the ball for the dogs and we talked dogs. The dogs finally seemed to wind down a bit and I thought we should get settled in our campground for the night. Craig offered to build us a camp fire, but the dogs had not had dinner yet and we were all tired. Little Andiamo had climbed on my bed and he was out. I had to wake him for dinner. He ate and went right back to my bed where he slept the rest of the evening. It sure makes a difference when you have tired dogs. I enjoyed a glass of wine and read my book for a while before I went to bed. Andiamo did not chew up another thing that night.
The next morning we headed for the dog park again and we still had it all to ourselves. Another hour or two of play and we were just about to leave when Craig mentioned another treat for the dogs. He had a petting farm with goats and bunnies. Everyone enjoyed that, especially Andi, as he had never seen anything like that up close.
Andiamo & Pirate
This little brown goat liked to rear up on his hind legs and pounce at the dogs. They loved it.
Before I knew it, Andi had his head through the wire to get a closer look.
Kashmir goats.
"Oh boy, there is that little brown goat again. I like him."
Craig is really a nice man and we had such a good time at his RV park, we will certainly be going back soon. What a difference it makes to have a place to let the guys run and just relax, talking with good company.
I just about had to drag Andiamo away from the goats. He loved them.
We loaded up and headed north to Astoria. It is at the top northwest corner of Oregon, where the Columbia River empties into the sea. Docked in Astoria was a huge cruise ship named Amsterdam. It was beautiful, but I did not get a picture. We still had about 70 miles to get home, up river, so we drove on through Astoria this time. The dogs were a kick as we drove up our road. They whined a little, then it got louder and more excited as we neared the top of the hills. When I turned into the driveway it was very hard to contain them. They were so happy. Wonderful trip, but always nice to be home again.
That is Andiamo out checking his yard, which is almost all green again after the drought this summer.
