My how time does fly.  Today marks our six month anniversary of living together in our box on wheels.  Loved waking up to the sounds and smells of the sea just outside our sliding glass door at the Inn.  Wonderful way to fall asleep, too.

Back to the LilyPad to take care of the pups and go another round with the water clean up.  If we don’t get an extension for the second week at the Elks, we found a great RV park just across the street so we will still have an ocean view when we wake up.

Thanks Sharon, for the funny tale about bathing suites you sent.  I read John what was written at the end:  Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says “Oh Crap, she’s up!”  And John’s loving reply?   “I say that every morning too”.  Ha ha John, funny man.

Morning came as it always does, way too early.  Both feet hit the carpet with a squish.  Seems the cables they brought in for the solar panels weren’t sealed properly.  The rain came flowing down the cables soaking the ceiling before dripping into the closet and out to a good sized area of the carpet.  Not exactly the adventure I was hoping for today.  This “always something” called for more than a firm bop with a hammer and luckily an RV repair company was up early and came over shortly after we told our sad sob story.  Hole plugged, now the clean-up begins.  Called the owner of the solar installer and he said “take lots of pictures”.  Yep…that’s definitely the first thing I would do when I feel water under my feet and see it dripping from the ceiling when I’m only half awake.  After a quick rearrangement of our entire bedroom contents and drenching all our towels to soak up the wet, I took pictures but they weren’t as impressive as when the problem was first noticed.

In spite of the wet situation, we went ahead with our plans to have lunch with dad at the Lucky Seven Casino.  Must feed dogs, get a water vac, set up fans and get a dehumidifier going before the day starts without me.  If things come in three’s, two down and not really anxious to find out what the third will bring.

Had lunch with dad.  $5.00 senior deal at the casino was great as long as you stick with the salad bar.  The other food was only for those who like starch, covered and smothered with starch, with a large portion of starch on the side.  After returning to the LilyPad, I voted to stay in a motel for the night, and of course, I won.  Shopped around and found something on the beach with pillow top beds and an impressive view of the ocean.  I see lots of hot water, pruney fingers/toes and a steamy bathroom in my immediate future.

Stopped to get gas and it struck me as funny that they don’t allow you to pump your own gas in Oregon.  Our guy was very cooperative and let me take a picture.  Said he was an expert in opening bottle tops because of the practice with car gas caps.  Nice to have a sense of humor when you stand out in the cold pouring down rain pumping gas.

TV and free HBO, one great hamburger and a pork loin dinner at Superfly, then watched a frothy sea splash up against the driftwood 100 feet in front of our sliding glass door for a long while before sleeping.  On our desk was instructions and warnings in big red letters about Tsunami’s that strike this area.  I’m not resting as easy as I had planned.  Must think like Scarlett.  Tomorrow will be another day!

The day started out a perfect temperature with a beautiful blue sky.   We were all excited about relaxing for the next week with my family, learning how to use my metal detector and romps on the beach with the pups.   After breakfast I happened to notice Millie’s jaw was a bit swollen.  Off to the local vet only to find out she has an inoperable tumor under more than half her jaw and up into her cheek.  The day was spent reading up on tumors in dogs and ordering holistic meds to keep her comfortable and possibly reduce the tumor.  This will be our fourth elder dog with inoperable cancer and, sad to say, we have become experienced in keeping them comfortable for as long as possible with as little invasive or painful procedures as possible.   My anger and frustration gave way to a migraine so the rest of my day was spent in a pain pill teary eyed stupor, hugging Millie whenever I had a chance.

Millie had nearly won her battle with kidney failure by taking holistic herb drops, human vitamins and a complete change of diet, human food only.  Trying to fight off two major health issues may not be as successful.  She is such a patient loving dog…for it to happen to her is just further proof that life is in no way fair.  The herb supplement’s are promising, have been ordered and are due to arrive Friday.  We plan to make certain that Millie will enjoy every minute of what is left of her life.

Perfectly fitting, it rained the rest of the day.  Got a movie to take our mind off the sadness of the day and turned in early to the sound of rain dripping through the trees and tapping down all over the roof.

We moved into the 50 amp site this morning.  I don’t think Millie’s “scary dog” plan worked but we let her think it did. It’s a nice roomy site with 50 amps but this Elks Lodge only allows stays of one week or less so we will be searching out another spot in a few days.

John went to the locals “coffee morning chat” at McDonalds early this morning.  Senior coffee prices draws all the elders in for morning chats and John was happy being the youngest of the group.   Back at the LilyPad the “always something” was the automatic blinds.  One was not working so they all had to be reset.

I’m ready to begin my lessons from the master on treasurer hunting with a metal detector now that we are settled in Brookings.  Dad is going to teach me and I’ve always wanted to try.  Better late than never I say.  Both dad and I have one and I can’t wait to pull mine out of the basement and finally put it together.

Took a drive to Samuel H Boardman State Park to let the pups run on the beach.  Too windy for us so we watched people climb around on the rocks.

One gutsy gull was perched 18 inches from me and didn’t move when I took the picture.  A few seconds later it was flailing, feet and wings stretched out in all directions, as the wind blew it off kilter…too funny!  Recouping, it stood its ground and its intense stare until we left.

Early morning and not yet light.   The RV Park told me they nailed heavy boards to the lids of the dumpsters to keep the bear out.  I kept waiting for that bear to attempt his break-in on the dumpsters next to our site until I realized that it was winter…bears won’t be around.  Duh…just have to wait until Alaska.   I’m not sure I wanted to see a live bear that close up anyway.

We are inching our way North and plan to spend a bit longer in Brookings, OR than our past stops as my dad and step-mom live here. Our “always something” was a loose seal on the front window that needed to be fixed and then when we arrived, it was an electrical current problem.

Our site on the beach ended up being a total let down…lots of mud and way short for our 45 feet LilyPad and Ribbit.  Only 30 amps makes life a bit more difficult so we headed to the local Elks Lodge.  Would have loved to wake up to sea sounds, sights, smells and scents only a few feet from us each morning but it will have to wait.

We only have a 30 amp tonight.  The tiny trailer that came in last week took the only 50 amp at the Brookings Elks Lodge.  Had they used 50 amps they would have blown  out their fuses. They were to have moved out today as their week ended but here they still were..  We parked in the 30 amp right next to them for the night.  Millie tried to intimidate them by giving them the “watch out, I’m a mean scary dog” stare in hopes of moving them out quicker but it didn’t work.

Opened up our door this morning to giant Redwoods so tall their tips were hiding beyond our sight.

Took a quick driving tour of the town after breakfast at the wharf Café, barking sea lions with putrid fish breath greeting us as we entered.

Picked up the pups after breakfast and headed to the beach.  The smell of the ocean was soothing with only occasional whiffs of smoke from ocean cottage fireplaces.

The pups enjoyed discovering each and every tide pool along the shore and had plenty of company from other dogs running free along the sand.  As the tide began to move back in, John got stuck on the rocks and the pups enjoyed visiting him until he was able to jump back onto firm sand.

Took a drive to Brookings, OR where we will be staying for the next two weeks.  After finding a perfect site, we drove home via Elks Valley Road and some wildlife viewing areas.  Even Hwy 101 had herds grazing in the fields.  Tired pups went to sleep as soon as they got into their crates and the owls started up their all night conversations while we got ready for bed.

North, to Alaska….go North, the rush is on…

But first, North to Crescent City.  There is way too much snow on the ground in Alaska.

It started an off and on rainy morning so we took it slow.  Once on the road, I didn’t get the camera ready in time to get the best shot of the day.  An absolutely awesome view of the mountains rising up into the blue sky with the majestic Redwoods poking through the fluffy white clouds that were blanketing over their tops.

Plans were to take it easy for the 80 miles we planned to cross today.  Most of the drive had nice wide lanes, two each way, room on the shoulder for those bike riders for whom we were expected to “share the road”.  The Rest Stops were in the middle of Redwood Forests.

The minute we saw the sign that warned “road work ahead” we knew space was going to become a premium again.  First came the narrow single lanes, then the shoulder disappeared, then the stop light in the middle of the road,  a couple of “active” rock slides covering part of the road and, of course, rain.

Signs marking the Tsunami hazard zones area gave us a hint that the Pacific ocean was ahead.  Slowly we worked our way through the mountains and suddenly the Pacific ocean appeared on our left.  One quick stop at the local tourist trap, Mystery Trees, to see a giant Paul Bunion and his ox Blue and a potty break for the pups.

Ocean breezes and misty views of the ocean previewed our drive all the way to Crescent City where we pulled into our Redwood studded site and set up for the night.

Went to dinner at a Café on the wharf, surrounded by barking sea lions.

Took the pups to the beach for play time before bed.  Came back to our site and two hoot owls decided to have a conversation far into the night perched on the huge Redwood trees outside our door.  I wanted wildlife…must remenber to be specific and request silent wildlife in the future.

Totally enjoyable day for the four of us. A great organic breakfast at a tiny local café, across the street to an eco-friendly hardware store, finding the perfect hand knit gloves that fit my short stubby fingers, finding a great piece of maple paneling to use as a base for our induction burner, spending time with the pups as we drove slowly down winding roads being towered by awe inspiring old growth Redwood trees and stopping to sniff…on the ground for the dogs and in the cool damp redwood scented air for us…along the way.

Could not have asked for more gorgeous weather the entire day. Stopped at a kitschy gift shop where Liz and I stopped years ago to take a picture of a chainsaw carved wooden Big Foot.

Exited off 101 to drive through the Avenue of the Giants where the old growth Redwood tree groves line the road and then another exit off that to drive through the live Chandelier Redwood tree in Liggett.

Lunch at a local pizza diner then a tour of the Humboldt Redwood State Park Information Center and a walk through the old growth Redwood trail and their amazing Redwood camp ground.

Inside the Center was a Coach built from a cut down piece of Redwood tree by a native of California, Mr. Kellogg.  He used the Coach to travel around the country telling the plight of the old growth Redwoods and encouraging people to save them.  Sadly, they are still under attack.

Got home just in time to get inside the Lilypad before the rain came down. Laundry, dinner a long hot shower and to all a good night.

I love driving in California…most of it anyway. If you don’t like the terrain, drive a half hour and it will change. We started out driving the freeway through the rice fields, some still green, some brown with piles of brush burning in the distance, some full of water waiting for the green to pop up. For almost an hour is was almond trees. Some young ones being held up with posts while the owners no doubt prayed that they took hold. Then mature trees that are most likely producing a crop. Scattered throughout were very old, pruned mature trees. I remember my grandfather’s almond orchard had a few very old trees left to provide shade for the workers. Another hour and we were driving past neat rows of fruit trees covered with blossoms. When we reached the mountains and wound down to the lake, the grassy area was dotted with buffalo.

By the time we reached Hwy 101 anticipation of a smooth highway and the end of narrow roads brightened my thoughts. Then I realized that this was the exact same highway that Liz and I took to my fathers about six years ago and I remembered an insanely narrow and twisty road through huge Redwoods and then winding around vertical ocean cliffs. Steep grades up and down, narrow areas that warned “ 20 mile an hour curves” and “road narrows” followed by a big sign that read “share the road” and a picture of a bicycle. Huh? Who are they kidding? Six years ago I was uncomfortable driving a full sized car through this area and now I’m maneuvering 65 feet through the same road? Pit in my stomach, white knuckles, stiff neck but not wanting to stop and prolong the agony, I drove from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, one stop, while John snapped pictures and ooed and awed over the scenery.

When I finally pulled into our RV Park and we set up for the next two nights, John toasted the trip with a bottle of Zinfandel from our Harvest Host visit, claiming it was a relaxing drive with a spectacular view. Thoughts of bopping him over the head with the bottle were hard to suppress.

John’s birthday, and tonight is the Elks Lodge Birthday Celebration steak dinner.   We spent the morning having breakfast at a great little café and then wandered around town.  Every street is lined with blooming Dogwood and Redbud trees.  Back to the LilyPad to get the dogs for some off leash time at the local dog park,

a visit with our old friend John, from John’s college years (also retired), visiting the Yo-yo Museum where they have the national yo-yo championships,

finding my grandfather and grandmother’s house and Verzi Hall-their girls dorm,

then trying to find an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie for John’s birthday treat before heading to the Birthday Celebration at the lodge.   Met several more really nice couples, far senior to us, and enjoyed their camaraderie on our last night.   Tomorrow we leave for Harbor, Oregon but plan to take it slow and easy, stopping a few places overnight along the way.