Newport, OR

Monday, 6/15/09 well another glorious way to start the day....the sun is out and I'm taking my 3 mile walk on a deserted Oregon beach. It is absolutely amazing to be out here all by yourself with the surf pounding and the sun shinning down. Honestly, if the sun was out more often in this state you couldn't keep the people away....including me.

After returning to the RV Will and I packed a picnic lunch & were off for a day of sightseeing in Newport, OR. Newport seems to have more people than anywhere else we have been along the coast, maybe it's the sun or just lots to do here. www.newportchamber.org They have a world class Oregon Coast Aquarium www.aquarium.org here but it seemed a little pricey so we passed on it choosing to go to the Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center, a donation only and it was the right choice. A huge octopus greets you when you come inside and the place is filled with exhibits you can touch, such as my friend's - the stingrays. We had a wonderful time there reading & viewing all the exhibits and the place was so interesting.

Newport has two lighthouse, the first one built unfortunately in the wrong area as ships could not see the light coming in from the north. This lighthouse was built in 1871 and was only used till 1873. It has been restored and you can tour the lightkeepers house, that has been furnished by the historical society and is truly beautiful. We had our picnic lunch right out front over looking the bay and the beautiful bridge that brings you into Newport. After lunch we headed out to the other light house, Yaquina Head Lighthouse www.lighthousefriends.com which is managed by the federal government so we got in free with out Golden Age Passport (did I tell you how much I love being over 60 and retired!) This was an amazing place also, we climbed to the top of the lighthouse (114 steps) with a spectacular view. There are also approx 30,000 birds on the rocks around the lighthouse, also sea lions sunning themselves, and then down to the beach to explore the tide pools. Now this was a real treat, honestly you could sit there for hours watching the "action" in the tide pools but the ranger came up and told us the tide was coming in and we would have to leave shortly.

We then headed to Newport's historic downtown area to go in and out of the tourist shops which there are plenty. Same drill as always, I go in the store & Will waits with the other guys on the benches provided outside. They also have many different murals painted on the outside buildings which we just found so intriguing. As it was now late afternoon and we were both dead tired (all those steps we climbed) We bought a small bowl of clam chowder from the famous Mo's restaurant which we took home and shared at dinner. It was a great day but there is still more to see in Newport, hopefully this week in Lincoln City we will go back the 20 some miles south of here. It was a great night sleep for both of us.

Tuesday, 6/16/09 well it's moving day and we are not sorry to leave this RV park which is extremely hilly and our site had a very large tree sitting in front of our RV door. Fortunately, we were small enough we could get in & out but it wasn't easy. So we are off for another long drive for Will, 25 miles north on highway 101 to Lincoln City, OR www.oregoncoast.org well actually Kernville, OR. Now I should have been suspicious of a town called Kernville, think Kernville, CA near Bakersfield but on we forged on. We found the turnoff and then drove another 4 miles off highway 101 and there it was.....Chinook RV park. Just think of a cow pasture surrounded by mountains covered with trees and a large river running through it. We checked in at the "red barn" /grocery store, clubhouse & who knows what else. But it's a Coast to Coast park & we "paid with our points" so upfront cash was only $7.00 for 7 days (bed tax?? but it's MY bed) So down the gravel road we went, maybe a half mile or so to our assigned RV spot. We backed the RV in and Will set us up and after discovering that we had no cell phone service and of course no computer, Will said do you want to leave but we both decided this is really part of "on the road" experience and anyway only 6 more days until we move on. Now I must tell you it is the quietest place we have ever been, we both slept in until 8 am this morning and NO frigging overhead lights. Pure heaven.

Wednesday, 6/17/09 Because this place has NO laundromat I decided to go into town and spend sometime alone & let Will putter around the RV by himself. I did the laundry, walked around town for a little while then indulged in a pedicure. What a treat!! After having lunch out I then wandered down to the outlet stores they have here and managed to spend the rest of the day going in and out of shops. Of course my purchases are safety tucked away in the back of the trunk ready to be smuggled in shortly (don't tell Will) honestly, it wasn't much...a new BLACK hoodie and blue shirt. Tomorrow Will and I will go back into Lincoln City and check out the beach and other sights in the area....hopefully the sun will be out again. Much love to our family and friends and reminder...NO CELL PHONE SERVICE.