Maybe the coolest yet.....

Yep, maybe the coolest so far.  I had the good fortune to see 50+ seals sunbathing and swimming in Oregon—right there at my KOA in Waldport!  I stayed in Waldport on Hwy 101 and then onto Bandon, OR, also on the coast on Fri & Sat. I was walking the boys the morning we were leaving and the fog had cleared.  Turned out to be a beautiful area but really hard to see much on the coast until the fog burns off I learned!!  At first, I thought it was a pile of driftwood that had made it onto the sandbar but was shiny and then moved!!  I couldn’t believe my eyes…  It was about checkout time and I had already loaded all of our gear prior to walking.  I took my camera onto the bridge for the first time and there they were. In all colors, shapes, sizes, temperaments, activity levels, etc! Beautiful seals soaking in the sun.  I’m not sure what kinds were represented but I stood there with tears as I watched them.  I just couldn’t believe I was seeing this glorious sight. I could have watched for hours.  They would inch their way around each other and if one got to close, the other would use his flippers as if to say, “get outta here, this is my sand buddy!”  A few (5) were in the water swimming along, the light just glimmering off of their coats.  So graceful and perfect.  I will never forget that moment and am actually in tears as I write now.  Just so much nature, beauty, perfection to behold and I was the fortunate one to be able to take it in.  I left there thanking God for that experience.   I didn’t realize the OR coast would be so much colder than I had experienced in WA.  I kept long sleeves and pants on in Waldport and would add even more layers when I arrived in Bandon.  Unfortunately it was the grayest summer ever says the waitress!  Along with the continual gray and 55 degree weather, we were in a very shaded campsite so it looked like it was 9pm when it was only 5pm and the boys were trying to get in the tent to go to bed the whole time!!  Jackson especially is cold natured and he would come up to me shivering and trying to get in the tent or van for warmth.  Big pud! I got depressed, discouraged, disappointed whatever you want to call it, for the first time in the 6 weeks since we’ve been gone and I know it was just related to the area we were in.   So yesterday I was happy to get out of there and drive inland to some sunshine!!  One extreme to the other as we arrived in Medford at 95 degrees! However, we have a nice shaded tent sight so it is all good.  We are about 1:45 from Crater Lake National Park from the campsite but the thought of driving 3:30 hrs today when it was a non-driving day did not appeal to me at all!! Or the boys…. But I did want to see the rest of Oregon via the I-5 since we are only 40 miles from the CA line.  So we drove a pass that takes you to the highest spot on the I-5 at 4130 feet and turned around at the first CA exit, exit 796!!!!  Isn’t that amazing, I had no idea CA was that long!!  Since we won’t be traveling that route tomorrow I wanted to check OR off my list for driving top to bottom—so done! 

I ended up driving about 200 miles of Hwy 101 in OR and will be close enough to go up from CA to see Brookings Harbor, OR.  It really is a beautiful sight to behold---great driving road.  Not used to seeing huge forests alongside the ocean so that was a nice change.  Just a tidbit I did not realize---you are not allowed to pump your own gas in OR.  It’s a state law and every station has attendants.  I learned this as I had jumped out to do my thing and he came rushing over.  He explained since there was no state tax this is a way to get help the economy?  Ok..and thank you….

The Medford/Ashland area is nice but I really didn’t see enough to comment on it.  I know Medford is filled with one ways that drove me crazy bc I couldn’t ever make it to Fred Meyers (Target like store).  I could see it just couldn’t get to it!  Seeing all the vineyards and orchards throughout WA & OR has been a wonderful treat.   Just knowing and seeing where your food is coming from is exciting… Not from Canada or Mexico but your own back yard….. And the fruit has been the best ever tasted! So when you see fruits/veggies from WA & OR---buy it!! It’s gonna be good.  

We head south to CA tomorrow so I am excited about seeing the Redwoods!   More to come…….

On the pics below---First one is the bridge by the KOA—look closely at the sandbar…those are the seals. Next is up close and swimming.  Next 2 pics is a place called Devils Churn. It’s where the rock splits and the ocean spills into the side of the mountain. Next 2 is Gold Bar Beach.  The boys and I walked the stretch you see in the pics and they liked it a lot better this time!!