WEDNESDAY, SEPT 3

WEDNESDAY, SEPT 3:

     What a wonderful serendipitous day!  Today our goal was an RV park near Grants Pass.  To get there, we needed to continue driving down south on Hwy 101, into California a bit, and then hook into Hwy 199 heading north  where it loops back into Oregon, and all the way to I-5 and Grants Pass.  We’re so glad that there wasn’t a more direct route, as we had the best time meeting unexpected delights on our way.  

     The first delight was our coastal views as we drove south.  If you’re driving south along Oregon’s coast, the best is saved til last!  I later read that lots of people, visitors and locals, consider the southernmost 50 miles of the state’s coast the most scenic.  We agree!  We stopped a couple of times just on turnouts on the side of the road. 


                                                                    

 

But our favorite stop was when we stopped at a turnout and then realized that you needed to walk ½ mile or so to get to the actual viewpoint. 

 

 

 

 It was just spectacular.  Our last view of the Oregon coast was a stunner that will stay with us for a long time. 

 

 We’ll see the ocean again, in Seattle, but it will have an entirely different look and feel.

     Our next unexpected surprise was shortly after we turned north on Hwy 199.  We were in the Coastal Redwoods!  In fact, we entered a California State Redwoods Park (Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park).  As we drove, we were surrounded by old growth redwood trees of jaw-dropping size.   While not as massive as the Sequoia variety of redwoods, the Coastal species is taller.  You could strain your neck trying to see the crown of these trees! 

                                                                          

 

 

 

We made a stop and took a very short loop trail right off the side of the road.  We were the only ones there . . . so just the massive venerable old trees, the moss and ferns along the path, the sound of the breeze blowing through the heaven-bound treetops, and scent of fir.  A sharp awareness of God’s creative majesty.  This totally unplanned for and unexpected gorgeous stretch of road served as a sort of preview of next year’s trip – all California.  We of course anticipated seeing the Redwoods then, but it never occurred to us that, with this dip into northern California, we’d have a sampling of them on this trip!   

      Our third delight was the little café just outside of the Redwoods where we stopped for a late  lunch.  Just had a quick breakfast, and so we were both really hungry, especially after our two mini-hikes.  Saw this little café, with several cars in front, and stopped.  It was absolutely wonderful!  A throwback to a diner. . . totally nondescript furnishings.  A refrigerator right against the wall of the “dining room.”  But the best food!  I had coleslaw along with my Patty Melt, and was the best I’d ever had, hands down.  I asked the owner if she’d share her recipe, but she smiled and said no, she couldn’t do that, although she gave me the simple ingredients, but not the proportions!  And Bill said that both his bowl of chili and his club sandwich were, again, the best.  As we saw on one former guest’s comments now printed on the menu:  “She pours love into her food!”  A very  friendly atmosphere, from staff and customers alike . . .  customers who saw our rig parked out in front  asked us where we’d been, where we were going, etc.  This was a throwback to pre-interstate travel, chain restaurants, etc.  We really miss out when we don’t travel these secondary roads and get a “taste” of local color.   

                                                                     

In fact, we were so smitten with this café in this Mayberry-looking berg that we just may make an intentional stop here next year!  There’s an RV park right across the street! 

      Continued on for another 60 or 70 miles, through beautiful Cascade Mountain country, through Grants Pass, and then a few miles west to our campground just outside of the berg of Merlin.  This is another RV “resort,” and a similar atmosphere to last night’s place.  And our last pleasant surprise of the day:  the nightly rate here:  $25.00!!