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During October 1999 we returned to Washington to get our new truck. We considered many options for carrying our four bikes and looked at the Yakima racks several times. When we went to REI we finally found two guys that was very helpful and knowledgeable. Here, Tim, one of the best sales guys at REI is carrying our bike rack out for us. If you need some gear in the Seattle area, ask for Tim at the Lynnwood REI store and tell him we sent you. |
Next we headed to Medford Oregon to get a custom fifth-wheel
bed for our truck. Since it wouldn't be ready for two weeks we took
our time going down the Oregon Coast. Our first stop was the Sunset
Beach Bakery. Friends of ours, Tom and Annie, moved
to the Oregon coast and later decided to start this bakery. We met
Tom in the late '80s when he was starting a business called Text-Trieve,
a company that provides government regulations on CD Rom. He was
looking for someone to help with the software and data processing.
Of coarse, back then we were using the new smaller 3 inch floppies that
held a whopping 512K. We are still processing data for the company
today as we travel the country.
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Here, Mitch and Max stand atop old Fort Stevens, a historic look-out point where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean . Below Max is standing in the foundation for a cannon. |
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We enjoyed the view of the Pacific Ocean from the South Jetty. It was a beautiful October day as we watched the waves splashing against the jetty rocks. |
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In Oregon they don't waste time bringing the logs to the ships. Here, they navigate the ships right down the river into the forest. We thought this was an odd site as this large cargo ship traveled through the forest at 10 to 15 knots. Actually, we are near the South Jetty and this big ship is headed up the Columbia River towards Portland. |
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Our next stop was the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Here we learned how long cheese is aged to create the different sharpness of cheddar. |
| As you can tell, the drive and beaches of the Oregon coast are beautiful. |  |
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The growth patterns of these trees was quite different. But not all were like this. |  |
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I think that before a path was constructed, tourists would walk though this area to the rocks and tide pools. As they walked, some tree branches broke or bent resulting in many unusual shapes. As with many of the places we see, a photo does not capture the experience, grandeur, or power of this place. Here, the ocean would thunder upon the rocks. Often the waves splash high above the rocks and the wind blows the spray on us. |
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Our next stop was the Thousand Trails Park at Pacific Beach, Oregon. From here we could walk to the beach and enjoy several miles of sand and huge sand dunes. This dune is built up against tall rocks and is an exhausting climb even for the kids. In many places the wind has blown the sand into edges so steep that the sides are unstable and the sand avalanches from beneath every step. Some areas have signs to avoid areas where large slides could occur. |
| On the other side of this dune is the small town of Pacific Beach and the Pelican Pub and Brewery. This picture is taken from the Pelican Brewery looking up at the large dune. The cliffs along the hillside are caused when a large area of sand slips down. I've zoomed in for this picture so it looks like we are looking down at the people rather then looking up at them. Mitch and Max are near the top toward the right. |  |
Here a shot of the dune without the zoom. |
Behind us is the Pelican Pub. |
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Depoe Bay, Oregon. This community's claim to fame is that they have the world's smallest harbor. Unfortunately, I didn't take any good pictures of the harbor so you'll have to just travel there yourself . We enjoyed watching a large Labrador retriever swimming after some harbor seals. He really wanted to catch one of them but had no chance of swimming like these masters of the water. |
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Next Adventure (Medford, Or.) |