Thursday, July 12 – Premier RV Resort, Lincoln City OR97367

What a nice surprise, the newspaper fairies have left Kim a paper on our doorstep!

And he even read the ads!

Breakfast at 9am, what a selection - fresh melon, fruit salad, muffins, pastries, biscuits and gravy – but there is also butter and jam so we can enjoy the “scones” as we are used to eating them.  And lots of coffee!

Need to move after all that, Kim washes the windscreen and I go for a walk to explore how to get to the beach.  I have it figured but need to be back ready for Tom & Bobbi to pick us up at 11.15am to go sightseeing. Will check out the beach tomorrow.

We drive south to Depoe Bay, the home of the worlds smallest harbour and luckily get a car park right where the gray whales are feeding in the surf.  They are so close in to the shore, but unfortunately very hard to get photos of : (

This is a Grey Whale

It's a lovely little seaside town and we have a lunch stop at the recommended Sea Hag for a bowl of their famous chowder and then a walk through the Whale Watching Centre, where I pick up a couple of leaflets for more info.  Grey whales grow to 45 feet, their blotchy colouring is partly present from birth and partly from barnacles growing in the skin. They holiday in Mexico for calving and by March they are migrating north to the Bering Sea again.  The round trip is 16,000 kms, the longest migration of any mammal.  Amazing!

Lunch at Sea Hag with Bobbi and Tom, waiting for our chowder to be delivered

Depoe Harbor - the smallest harbour in the world - the sign said so!

This is how the large boats in the marina get out to sea, it's narrower than it looks and rougher!

We had a lovely day out, thanks Tom & Bobbi and we get back in time to have a relax before I need to head down to the meeting room kitchen about 3.30, I volunteered to help with HH nibbles and tonight’s Italian Dinner plus tidy up afterwards, then I hopefully will have done more than my bit and can relax tomorrow, unless needed.  Oh apart from being on sausage cooking duty tomorrow morning.

After voluminous nibbles, followed by a yet more voluminous Italian dinner and ice cream (the pistachio was real good) we settle down for a game of Card Bingo run by Howard and Pat.  Not only did Kim win the third prize in the 50/50 raffle which meant he got the last envelope left and was surprised to find $20 in it, he won a round of Card Bingo and won about $7 worth of quarters!

Wednesday, July 11 – Premier RV Resort, Lincoln City OR97367

ABDIP 28C and the sun is totally owning it’s space in the sky again.  We are moving on from this lovely park today, we are going to a ‘Safari So Good’ Rally in Lincoln City, run by our new friends Joy and Gary.  We drive a little north so we can hook up with the Walmart at McMinville and then head west along Hwy 18 which is a much better road than some we have traversed getting between the ocean and inland.  In the middle of nowhere we come across the Spirit Mountain Casino and the carpark is probably 40% full at 11am.

Orchards and crops everywhere

Willamette River

As we get closer to the coast we can see a hint of the fog coming off the sea and we join up with Hwy 101 and proceed to stop/start our way through the busy town.  There is another casino here in town, the Chinook Winds.  Also an Outlet Mall!

We keep driving to the south end of Lincoln City where we pull in to the Premier RV Resort, site 73.  What a lovely park, the sites are tiered, relatively private, concrete, flat and each has a nice patio area with a small picnic table.  We are parked up in the same block as the other Safari coaches.

One row of Safaris, ours has the chairs out the front

Two rows of Safaris

Our welcome pack includes a list of all the attendees and it appears there are 17 coaches and 33+ POBs.  We have met some members before and there is at least one couple who is enjoying their first time at one of these rallies.  It’s great to catch up with Bobbi and Tom again and we are happy to learn that they are still full timing in their lovely motorhome. By the time we have set up, interspersed with much chatting with others, had a bite of lunch and a relax in the sun, it is time for HH and OMG it is a big one, all 30+ people attend and we see some more familiar faces.  Instead of dinner tonight we are enjoying ‘Heavy Hors d’ourvres’ and they are indeed heavy enough so that we need just some ice cream at home to top it all off and we are done for the day.  The sun is still out, no fog, it’s 23C at 7pm and we are happy!

Tuesday, July 10 – Champoeg State Park, St. Paul OR97137

Good morning sunshine, thanks for coming!  This is a nice State Park, well laid out, clean modern bathrooms, well cared for tracks, biking trails and hiking trails.  Neighbours have gone and come last night as well as this morning so we have been entertained.

We are going for an explore on our bikes this morning, first planned stop is the historic Butteville Store a couple of miles west of the camp.  Well, we got past the single lane bridge where we must walk our bikes, then get to the road with still a half mile to go, think ‘can we be bothered’ there is a hill in front of us, decide yes we should, we must be so close, then come to another hill and decide feck it – it is only a store.  When we get back to camp we see the sandwich board for the store, we missed coffee and ice cream.  Hmm, we hadn’t taken any money so would have dipped out anyway.

Communing with nature

We rode back along the bike trail the way we came and then went east away from the camp, where I had walked yesterday.  We check out the fishing pier where a young couple had caught a small catfish for their dinner and were going for another to round out the meal.  The river height is pretty low right now, the ramp down was very steep.  There are some very expensive looking homes with piers on the other side, some of which we can see between the trees on this side.  Reminds us a little of the Murray River.  Look at this swarm of mozzies or other low flying water loving insects, makes you itch just looking at them.

Would make a nice snack for lurking fish

We ride back through the park.  The Bike Repair Station is a nice touch, it’s complete with tools (on wires - protection from cycling kleptomaniacs), a couple of platforms for carrying out the repairs and a robust bike pump.

Pump it up Kim!

We spend a relaxing afternoon outside enjoying the summer weather and watching the world go by.

There is a movie tonight at 9pm at the amphitheatre, it’s about Beavers.  Kim isn’t interested but I go across, its just down the track from us.  There are about 15 of us there and such a nice night.  A brown bat (at least that’s what someone called it) came to visit briefly.  Did you know beavers can chop down 400 trees in a year and only second to man, in the impact they have on the planet.

Monday, July 9 – Champoeg State Park, St. Paul OR97137

Our destination today is the Champoeg (pronounced Shampoo-ee) State Heritage Area.  We only have 12 miles to drive and it takes us past lots of agriculture, a fertile valley.  We arrive at the Park around 11.30am, check-in is not really until 4pm but checkout is 1pm so we check out the Information Centre first.

Champoeg, the birthplace of American government in Oregon, is situated in the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River.  Originally, before 1840 the Champoeg prairie was home to the Kalapuya Indians who used the area for hunting, fishing and gathering camas bulbs (which look like blue hyacinth and part of the asparagus family).  Fur trappers came from 1811 and in 1841 the settlers began holding “wolf meetings” to discuss the predator problem.  Eventually the meeting turned to larger issues and hence the new provincial government was born.  The Visitors Centre has exhibits showing the ways of the Kalapuya, fur trappers, explorers and settlers who lived in this area.  The Seeds of Government exhibit was really interesting and it was cool to be able to touch the wildlife skins on display.

Even though we are early we take a drive to B Loop and find our site B31 in the hope that the previous inhabitants have moved on.  Yes they have, so we set up camp and make ourselves at home.

It’s a bit overcast this afternoon, but it’s warm and we have it on good authority that the weather is going to fine up and get very hot, ie in the 90’s for the rest of the week!  Bring it!!

Kim potters and polishes and I explore.  

Wipe on - Wipe off!!

This is the State Plant – the Oregon Grape.  The berries are not grapes nor do they taste like grapes, they are very tart and often used for jelly or wine.  I didn’t try any!  Oregon Grape is also well known as a medicinal plant. It contains the compound berberine, which is mainly found in the roots and bark of the plant, good for tummy upsets etc.

Oregon Grape, bright blue berries

Heaps of ground squirrels here, they are not very afraid of humans

Look what else I find in the forest - a fairy door - I peeked inside!

Have a sit outside with my book when I return but it doesn't fine up much.  Another day tomorrow.  

Saturday, July 7 - Canby OR97013

We had a surprisingly good night at Walmart, it wasn’t very noisy at all and the hum of traffic in the background on the I5 was muted.

Woke to brilliant sunshine and it is lovely and warm!  We use propane to boil the kettle for our cups of tea and stooge around tripping over each other as we only put out the bedroom slides last night so space is at a premium in the kitchen/lounge area this morning.

I have to tell you a funny story about Kim and the printer. We bought a new black ink cartridge at Walmart and he is installing it this morning.  Of course he expects it to be dud (blame that on a somewhat pessimistic quality he is endowed with) and sure enough after installing the cartridge he plugs the printer in and nobody home, no lights, nothing!  Well, he’s happy that he is proven right - again and he is grumpy because nothing ever works as it should, bless him.  So he’s got his tools out and the printer is upside down on the bench ready for dismantling when I point out, very subtly I might add, that we are not plugged into power here in the Walmart carpark. Ah - the inverter sorts that out pretty smartly and hey presto the lights light up and the printer whirrs into life.  We had a good laugh over that one and I just had to tell!

So we need to make plans for today, we’ve made no bookings and it is the weekend but Kim assures me it won’t be a problem. I start by trying Champoeg State Park to see if we can arrive earlier, nope! Then I try an RV Park about 5 miles away, nope!  Then we look at AllStays and there are a couple of resorts further south towards Salem but they look expensive, Kim doesn’t care but I do, we come with our own house after all. There are a couple of county parks with camp sites about 12 miles east and there is no answer on the phone so, as we need to leave Walmart anyway, might as well take a drive out there and fill in our day.  It’s a pleasant drive, we see some colourful skydivers enroute and we get to the first park and see the sign on the roadway "Campground Full” but we go in anyway and talk to the camp host.  They are indeed full and she very kindly checks the other parks in the area for me but as it is the weekend and the weather is gorgeous we have no joy. Maybe it will be a problem Kim - but there is always Walmart, right? However right then I get a call back from Riverside RV Park in Canby, they have just had someone leave and we can have their spot for the weekend.  It’s only about 12 or so miles north so we head up that way and we are checked in before noon.

Cheek by jowl at Riverside RV and we are the lucky ones!

There’s not much of an outside area on our site, just a scoria rectangle but it is much bigger than our neighbours and we feel a bit bad about putting our slides out making their patch even smaller.  There are not home though so we manage to get over our guilt.  We have room for our recliners - did I mention it is sunny and hot, up to 27C this pm : )

We walk a couple of blocks up the hill into town for dinner at the Wild Hare Saloon, it was a pretty cool place and we had a good night.

Drinks at the Wild Hare Saloon, Canby OR

View of the park as we walk back from dinner

The couple two down are trying to hook up their 5^th wheel and there is much talking and a lot of to'ing and fro'ing going on.  After about ten minutes Kim goes to help and another ten minutes later they have it!  Leaving tomorrow I guess.

We have Cable here but it’s still a challenge to find something we want to watch.  The WIFI is pretty good though.

Wanna buy a gun, Cabelas have a good selection on sale!

Sunday, July 8 – Riverside RV Park, Canby OR97013

ABDIP – the sun is out, not a cloud in the sky and already 18C by 8am, welcome back summer – we missed you!  The duvet is back in storage and the electric fans are out from under the bed.

Exploring the RV Park this morning.  The majority of sites are filled with trailers and fifth wheels with just a handful of motorhomes and those are not very big.  Now we have seen the narrow sites we understand why when we phoned she asked if we had slides and then turned us down.  Probably half of the sites seem to be semi permanent and there is a lot of older equipment. It seems there are workers here who are gone during the day.  But this is super cool - a model train track around your trailer:  Will have to check later and see what the timetable is!

Model Railway

We check out the Molalla River right beside the park, although the shore is stony I think the river will be a real drawcard for later today when it gets really hot. We saw lots of people swimming in the river last evening as we walked up to dinner.

We do spend the afternoon down at the river and actually need to get in the water, it gets to 32C. The water is  pretty warm - after you inch in that is.  The river gets deep enough in the middle to be totally submerged and there are dozens of people floating down it in all manner of rafts, lilos, paddle boards, inner tubes and other sophisticated paraphernalia.  I suspect the punters either get dropped off somewhere up river or picked up down river, there are so many of them and I don't see any walking back.  They look like they are all having a great time. 

Cooling down in the Molalla

After dinner we had another potential buyer have a look at the coach, this might be the way to sell it, but we decide he is a tire kicker and was more interested in telling us what he had in his motorhome.  Maybe he was just lonely!

Friday, July 6 – Portland, Oregon

Last night for no good reason we could glean our fridge/freezer stopped working, it was good one minute and it not the next.  It’s nearly 9pm and its getting dark but Kim with his trusty torch, I mean flashlight, goes outside to check it out.  It’s getting power and the fuses are good, so nothing obvious.  Ah dang it, let’s check it again in the morning.  I wander over to buy some ice  from the Ranger Station which advertises itself as being open until 10pm but not this night!  So we eat the icrecream (every cloud has a salted caramel lining even at 10pm), move everything else frozen to the one freezer along with the ice we still have and leave the fridge doors closed. That should do it till tomorrow.

6am – Kim vaults out of bed, thinking it is 8am and gets right into breaking camp.  The fridge stuff is still cold so we have breakfast but we don’t check the frozens ‘cos don’t want to open the door.  We are on the road by 7.45am heading inland to Portland as intended, grabbing some ice before we leave the resort.

Highway 26 inland from Seaside to Portland was in two distinctive parts, the first was very narrow, winding and in poor condition, we were bounced all over the place.  The second half was wider, smoother and a better surface. Most of the roads from the cities to the coast have a similar pattern.

Kim is excited, he gets to pick up his new Chart Plotter from Cabelas this morning and that is our first stop.

Goodness me, that's a big box!

While there we also buy a cooler, they have them on a good special and with that and some ice we could manage for a few days with no fridge if necessary.

Then we start making some phone calls about the fridge, the first RV service company can make us an appointment on the 27 July.  Umm, no thanks all the same, that won’t cut it.  Camping World, second call, bless them have a cancellation and we should rock up there around 12.30-1pm and they will book us in for a diagnosis.  We got nothing else to do so we are there a little after 11am brandishing our extended warranty paperwork should it be needed (we still have two weeks before it expires – timing is everything) and after we are booked in and paperwork completed there is a bay available so we drive into the shade and wait for Brian to come back from his parts run to take a look see.

End result is a happy one, about an hour later and only $160 lighter we have a new Electrode Spark and our fridge works – happy face : )

We pop back to Cabelas to return the cooler, don't need that no more!  Next stop Speedco, might as well get it all done in one day, Kim likes to have the coach and generator serviced every 7,500 miles rather than the suggested 15,000 miles.  So we rock up to the Speedco we researched, just 4 miles away.  When we arrive there are just two trucks in front of us and two already in the bays.  Another motorhome rolls up just after us, wait in line buddy.  We are in within probably 30 minutes and out again 30-40 minutes later – the coach has had another birthday.

Right, where too next, we have nothing booked?  AllStays shows a Premium Outlet Mall kittykat across from Walmart and there is an RV Park adjacent, ie within walking distance.  Unfortunately the Camp is full but there is ample separate parking for big rigs at the Outlets so we park up for an hour or two and go ‘window’ shopping!  The Woodburn Premium Outlets is a huge deal, 16 shoe and 44 fashion/sportswear stores including Coach, Guess, Calvin Klein, Nike and the Icebreaker store was brilliant, could have damaged the credit card several times over in there – didn’t!

The RV Park next door and another we phoned are full tonight, so we revert to our good friend Walmart - we haven’t boon-docked at all this holiday so here is our chance.  We arrive to signs plastered everywhere “No Overnight Parking – No Truck Parking” but I can count five big trucks and four motorhomes already set up to stay the night, with slides out and everything.  OK, so we are not going to ask permission, we will just park up, go and get something for dinner and turn out lights out quick.  Kim is disappointed though, the Walmart info said there was McDonalds here but nary a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder to be had.  Walmart didn’t even have his standby fried chicken tenders, but we bought some chicken and that was our dinner.  Going back over shortly to have a leisurely look around the whole store.

Homeless hanging at Walmart, wonder what they use as an address

Another car sleeper and trucks lined up behind - all staying the night.

Boondock alley, our neighbours were outside in their deck chairs when we returned from shopping.

All in all, a good day!

Thursday, July 5 - TT Seaside, OR

Our last day here and the sun is shining.  Kim has nearly run out of data on his phone for the month but it renews in two days’ time so meantime to keep some in reserve we go over and use the free WIFI at the Clubrooms.  Not so busy this morning but it gets more inhabited the longer we stay.

Took the camera with us today so got some pics of the pool etc.  We tried our hands at table tennis, not so successfully, maybe a degree of practice and having bats with the rubber on them instead of just wood, would help!

Indoor pool, it was pretty hot in there with the sun shining on all the glass.

Back home early afternoon for a relax outside in the sun until it clouds over around 3pm.  Take a walk around the camp seeing it’s our last day here, don’t want to miss anything.

Huge stump across from our camp site between the cabins, hope the top didn't hit anything on its way down!

Aww cute, a tent for your 'lil doggie!

A couple of loads of laundry and housework rounds off the day nicely.

Jeanie and Fred stop in for a visit, they have seen our For Sale sign on the front of the coach.  They appear quite keen, their 32 footer C Class is just too small for Jeanie.

Oh, then we have a problem with the fridge!!

July 4 - TT Seaside, OR

Happy 4^th of July everyone!  Cloudy again today which is a shame for the fireworks displays tonight but it is warm, forecast high 21C.   Not sure it gets to that.

We thought the resort was having a 4^th July Fair today but it was yesterday, so we missed it.  Didn’t see very many coaches dressed up to enter the competition either.

So it was a very cruisy day, spent a couple of hours over in the activity lounge using the free WIFI until my laptop power ran low.  The coffee over there isn’t bad and HGTV was on the TV.

Pretty soon the day is done and unfortunately there is still cloud cover for the fireworks show at 10pm, once it gets dark.  We could hear them but couldn’t see anything, I guess if you aren’t allowed flying exploding fireworks they don’t go very high.  Didn’t see any go off around the camp.

July 3 - TT Seaside, OR

The weather is just downright teasing us, brilliant blue sky when we wake but cloudy by the time we make our first cup of tea!  It did improve so by the time it had warmed up it was nice enough to sit outside with a coffee and a book.

Sunny day - take the photo op to show our site 216 at it's best

Kim is watching England and Columbia Soccer World Cup and comes outside at every ad break to tell me he won’t be much longer - through the extra time and then penalty shoot outs – good work England!

After the game we decide we will ride into town and get an ice cream.  Kim thinks McDonalds will have free WIFI where he can download more maps so there we go, ordering a small hot fudge and a small caramel sundae, with nuts on and I have to own up that McD do sundaes pretty good.

Smiley face 'cos he's at McDonalds!

The WIFI is not strong enough to use for downloading maps, so after our treat we wander next door to Safeway but their WIFI is also limited.  We check out the pop-up fireworks tent in the carpark.  The guy advises us that exploding fireworks are banned here in Oregon, so he is selling sparklers, including three foot ones and pretty fountain fireworks.  You could get a citation for letting off exploding ones, so where is the sheriff when you need him, for the last three nights exploding fireworks have been let off somewhere around the campground.

BOGO sale, trying to get rid of his stock.

Next we ride down Broadway to the beach and have a sit there on a free concrete bench watching the world go by.  The sun is lovely but the breeze is cool.  3rd Avenue gets us back to the river and we cycle along to 12th to cross the river, 101 and bypass the outlet mall on the ride back to camp.  We check out the campsites in the south section, which we haven’t done before and there are quite a few empty sites.  These are all 30 amp though.  We figure we can’t be bothered moving, we are only here for two more nights, unless we can get in for Friday night as well.  By the time we get back to the coach the sun has gone off our site but it is on next door’s (empty) so I sit there with my book for an hour or so and chat to the neighbour next one over.

Monday, July 2 – TT Seaside, OR

Yay, the sun is back : )  But it didn’t last the whole morning : (  Baby showers on and off during the day, just enough to wet our bike seats and outdoor chairs!

A deer wanders through the campsite, aww!  It is not very busy here now, we have no neighbours either side, the camp emptied out Sunday afternoon, so I guess it is quiet enough for the wildlife to come out of hiding.

After Kim watches Japan nearly trounce Belgium in the World Cup Soccer, but is then sadly disappointed at the final score, we wander over to the clubhouse so we can use the free WIFI and download more maps etc.  Plus I am trying to research why we can successfully txt some NZ mobiles but not others – still don’t have the answer.

The exchange rate has taken a dive since I last looked, NZD buying USD down to $0.671.  Great news they have found those young Thai soccer players lost in the cave, let’s hope they can get them out safely and quickly.  The minimum wage in Portland Oregon has gone up $0.75 to $12.00 an hour. Seattle has banned plastic straws and plastic utensils at eating establishments (thinking of Bob here).  Bloody good on them too!  Wild fires, disrupt holiday traffic on Hwy 26, Central Oregon (south east of Portland – quite far from us).  Distracted driver fines of up to $1,000 being imposed to crack down on phone use etc.   As you may gather we are watching TV today.  And the TV Weather promises it will warm up for the rest of the week.

Sunday, July 1 – TT Seaside, OR

The sky leaked again overnight - our coach is so well polished I can watch the individual drops race each other down the outside as I contemplate getting out of bed.

Phone the bus company to make sure the streetcar is running today and they have commandeered a bus to do the job, so yes they will be by to pick us up at the gate today.  We rode the whole loop and for most of it we were the only passengers so got a bit of a spiel from MacKenzie along the way.  We drive by a lot of seaside homes looking right over the sea, some old and some brand new mansions. 

From rustic old

to ultra modern

After nearly an hour we alight at the Convention Centre which is just behind the Seaside Carousel Mall and yes, there is a carousel inside.  We find a handy coffee shop for our fix and wander down Broadway to the turnaround and this time get a photo of the front for Brad.

This is where we stood on the bike ride!

It’s warm enough and it doesn’t actually rain but there is moisture in the air.  There are a lot of tourists and it is much busier than when we were here mid-week. It will continue to get busier as 4^th July looms, there is a big parade and fireworks down at the beach to celebrate.

Thank you Seaside

Kim has had enough and flags down the bus to go back to TT, I wander around for another hour or so, window shopping and then decide to walk back home, a nice half hour walk.  Closed lots of rings on my watch today!

I am surprised this vehicle is roadworthy and that it should be on the road, with the saw blades on the hood, skeletons and bars over all the windows.

Squarebody

Nah, I don't think I want one thanks.

Saturday, June 30 – TT Seaside, OR

Last day of the month, white rabbits for tomorrow, which has already arrived there at home in NZ!

As day broke we wake to the gentle pitter patter of raindrops on the roof, nice!  By 9am it is dry and patches of blue appear in the sky.  Our plan today is to hitch a ride on the trolley at 11.48am from right here at the Resort.  It seems the loop will take about 50 minutes so we will go around once and get the lay of the land and then jump off in town and explore – yes!

So we get over to the pickup point 10 minutes early and proceed to wait a long time for the trolley, first by standing, then by sitting – passing the time by watching the world go by.  Apparently there is a parade in town something to do with the Miss Oregon Coast Competition so we expect there might be delays.  The first trolley at 11.48am doesn’t arrive but we are relaxed, it is warm and we are perched on the Cable TV box which makes a perfect seat.  People come and go, including the UPS Postman Pat who picks up the mail from the resort letterbox over the road.  We saw the camp dude (as in belonging to the camp, not necessarily camp) put his outgoing mail in and raise the flag.  Pat collects the outgoing mail, deposits the incoming mail and puts the flag back down.  We are happily amused watching the world happen around us.

Flag was up and now it's down again, ready for tomorrow I guess!

We agree to give it to 1pm which is very tolerant on our part (well on the part of one of us in particular) and decide we will ride our bikes into town.  But, as we set off it is looking decidedly murky and we feel a couple of splats of H20.  Plan B is to go back home for lunch and wait for the weather to change.  Kim wanted pancakes for brekkie but I had my mind set on healthy, so for lunch our ideas meld and we have pancakes, caramelised banana and of course maple syrup. What - bananas are healthy. Lunch done and dusted!

The sun comes out so we decide to bike to the outlet mall – yay!  Kim is quite mellow today and happy to go with the flow, but he is looking for a replacement printer cartridge so he can do some printing!  Not sure if that will happen today.

We lock our bikes up together on the bike stand and set about going shopping.  This I am good at!  So our first purchase is a light down jacket for me from Helly Hansen.  I seriously don’t know what I was thinking not bringing much in the way of warm clothing over with us, considering we would be spending a lot of time on the coast and doing a cruise to Alaska.  I love my new jacket!

I love my jacket, so cozy!!

Kim couldn’t find one at HH : (  So we do the rounds, including the Nike shop and eventually while I am buying a jumper in Dress Barns Kim has spied some jackets at Eddie Bauer.  There aren't many blokey shops and he has been very patient waiting outside while I shop and the mall has strategically placed seating exactly for this purpose - very good of them!  

Anyway Kim gets a down jacket too, he loves his jacket and he wears it on the ride home on our bikes.  I would have worn mine too but it still had the tags on.  I should reiterate that these are outlets stores where are making our purchases at so we are not paying anywhere near full price, my jacket was discounted by 70% and Kim's was 50% off.

I love my jacket!

We still haven’t seen the trolley and Kim is keeping an eye out for it.  He comes into a store and tells me he has seen the trolley, I immediately calculate the time when it might be back around, then he adds “it was being towed on a trailer”.  Hmm, might give it another go tomorrow!

We have ridden to town which is only about 2km up the road and another 3-5 kms along 101 and we are still alive.  I am embarrassed we don’t have helmets but, where we can, we ride on the footpath and I for one am super careful.

A friend of ours - Kiwi Clare, is flying with her bicycle up to Vancouver and will be riding south along the Oregon Coast Bike Route, all the way to LA or even further south if time permits before putting her bike and herself on a plane back home to NZ.  So now as we drive or ride on these roads, we are thinking what it would be like to ride them as your main mode of transport.  Apart from the obvious for us couch potatoes, like how do you peddle and breathe at the same time, how does one go about such a mission?  She has done it several times at home so has it all down pat.  She is one plucky lady - bloody good on her I reckon!

Unfortunately, although we will be just a few miles across a small body of water at one point of her journey, it is not likely we will get to catch up  : (   We will keep in touch though and monitor her progress south.

 

OMG it’s already 5.30pm and we are still shopping, time to head back home.  Another lovely day in Paradise, even it if wasn’t overly sunshiney!