Road Trip 09 Entry#1

Sunday - August 2/09

Left at 5 am from Kamloops. The day was already warm at 22 degrees and it was bright and clear, if smoky. The kids were excited and the first part of the trip was old hat. Stopped for coffee and gas in Merritt, and an exercise break in Chilliwack, where Mark discovered our first forgotten thing - the discharge hose. Crossing the border at Sumas was easy and Robbie was incredibly excited to be in the US again. We stopped in Linden to get American cash and groceries, then Bellingham for a new hose. We drove on and headed for Deception Pass and Whidby Island. Both were incredibly beautiful. The Pass bridge has an amazing view and the drive was twisty and through field and forest. Reminded us a lot of Vancouver Island! We camped for the night at a lovely campsite (first-come, first serve) at Keystone Harbour - Part of Fort Casey. We hit the sand beach for some good play time, then explored the rock beaches on the pass side of the island. There were warnings about seals and sea lions, but Robbie only found translucent jelly fish and a good sized, dead spider crab. After dinner we explored the gun batteries of the Fort which was built in the late 1800’s and used mostly during World War I. Two twelve inch guns still remain and the batteries are great for climbing around. Robbie and a group of boys & girls his age had a marvelous time. Best of all was the cool temperature and we met a nice couple (parents of the boys) from Washington (Cheryl and Walt). Early to bed to get on the ferry booked for 4:45 am.

Monday - August 3/09

Robbie was rustling around early, so we were awake from 3:30 on. Headed around the corner to the ferry terminal to discover that Mark had booked us on the Port Townsend Ferry (the other side). We were first in line, though, so it didn’t matter. We hadn’t been in line 10 minutes when we were told the ferry wouldn’t be running as it had sucked up a rope. Change of plans meant driving down to catch the ferry to Mukiltsa (sp). We made the ferry easily, but it meant driving through Seattle instead of down the other side of the Sound. Traffic wasn’t too bad at 6:30 am and because Catie fell asleep (so did Robbie), we decided to pass right through before stopping. We only made one wrong turn, which only lasted a couple of minutes. We headed through to Federal Way where we stopped for breakfast at a Denny’s after a fruitless search for an IHOP. The guys headed over to the next door WalMart to get Robbie a stylus for his DS and we headed off on the road again.

Mark picked up a cell phone and a GPS unit at Walmart, so we spent a good portion of the drive trying to figure out how to operate the GPS and set it to take us to Astoria. We took a break at a State Park called Millersylvania and saw lovely white ducks in a pond, then while Mark emptied the tanks, we wandered down a forest path to find the largest tree we’ve seen on the trip so far. Catie wanted to be carried everywhere and was complaining that her back hurt. I was glad to see Mark again because after 10 minutes the kids were complaining and tired of walking – sad, but true. I could have happily explored more. We stopped for lunch at Port Longview. We shopped at Safeway, then headed over to a nice park we had seen coming into town. The kids were able to play for a while before and after lunch, then we set off again, knowing that Catie would be asleep fairly soon. We crossed a large bridge over the Columbia, then headed up into the hills overlooking the valley. We stopped at Bradley lookout briefly and continued on to historic Astoria. It was tempting to stop and explore right away, but we needed to get set up for the night. We got directions at Visitor Information and headed across the bay to Fort Stephens. This State Park has over 500 spots and so we were able to get a single night spot without a reservation. Our job tomorrow morning will be to decide where we want to camp on Tuesday and book in advance.

After a rest, we walked down to Coffinbury Lake and Robbie had a brief swim – too cold. Dinner and an early bed time were in order after a long day.

Tuesday, August 4: Catie’s birthday

Surprisingly, Mark and I were awake first at 5 am. Catie and Robbie slept until 6. Marine cloud was blanketing the area, keeping it cool and grey. We went to the beach first and visited the wreck of the Peter Iredale. It was our first glimpse of rollers and open Oregon beach – incredibly beautiful and mysterious. The kids loved the sand and would have stayed much longer, but the road beckoned. We drove back over to Astoria and visited the column, then headed to Safeway for coffee and free wifi. Next, we headed off for Seaside and points beyond. Our next real stop came at 11:30 when we pulled over in a parking lot in Seaside to eat lunch. The kids were crabby and needed a break. On again to Ecola State Park and a view of the first islands in the trip. The view of the beaches and Tillamook Rock were spectacular. The drive into and out of the park was a little hairy – narrow, winding and around blind corners, but well worth it.

We stopped briefly at another viewpoint outside Manzanita, but carried on to Tillamook and the Cheese Factory. Needless to say, cheese, ice cream and fudge were a huge hit with everyone at that point in the day. Back on the road again to see Cape Meares Lighthouse. We arrived too late to go into the gift shop/lighthouse, but the views were spectacular. Catie was asleep, so we took turns going to the lookouts. Robbie's favourite thing was the Octopus tree - a giant Sitka spruce with many trunks. We backtracked to Tillamook hoping to find a crab dinner, but ended up going all the way to Pacific City. This resort community is right next to Cape Kiwanda, a beautiful sandstone outcropping with a huge dune next to it and a large rock off the beach. This is also home to a huge dory fleet. We saw a couple of them coming in off the beach where they launch and return. This is one of many beaches where vehicles drive on and off. Dinner was at a well-advertised (and worth it) brew pub/restaurant called Pelican Cove. Mark and I each had a pint (his choice-Scottish Ale, mine - Tsunami Stout) and we all had fish and chips or crab cakes - no fresh crab unfortunately. It was 7 o'clock at this point (Catie fell asleep at 4 and slept through dinner) and time to find a place for the night - a little more challenging than anticipated. We hunted all through Lincoln City, but no luck. We ended up almost at Depoe Bay and headed up the Siletz River to an RV park called Coyote Rock. Electricity, wifi and water are all we needed. Tomorrow is laundry day in Lincoln City and "blow your own glass float" before moving on. We'll be up later than usual, because it will take Catie a while to fall asleep!