After spending 99 wonderful and educational days on the Lewis and Clark Trail we reached the Pacific Ocean which meant we could go no further west. We decided to head south along the gorgeous Pacific Coast, but first we wanted to visit two nice people we met on the road in July 2000. Four years ago in Buffalo, Wyoming we met Warren and Corinne Liberty and we celebrated the 4th of July with a cookout. A few days later we stopped in Cody, Wyoming and noticed the Libertys were parked two sites from us. Warren and Corinne now live in Scappose, Oregon and they invited us to their new home for a visit and meal. They were perfect hosts and Corinne fixed a delicious meal. We have often mentioned the best part of fulltiming is people we meet and the Libertys are an example of exceptional people. We are glad they chose us for their friends.

Our time was limited so we tried to plan our southward trip down highway 101 to stop every hundred or so miles, see the highlights and take car drives to fill in sights we had passed. Don and Gloria had never been to the northwest and we looked forward to showing them the sights. Much of highway 101 hugs the Pacific coast with cliffs that drop into the ocean. Elevations rise to mountain tops and then dip to ocean's level. There is not one straight or level section of pavement on highway 101. It is a beautiful drive but not for the faint-hearted.

Linda called Barview Park, a Tillamook County Park and Campground, and they said "come on in, we have plenty of sites." When we arrived we found the campground did not have any available sites and the entire campground was muddy, dirty and trashy. Lucky for us they were full. We left the motorhomes there and drove a few miles south to near the town of Tillamook and found Tillamook Bay City RV Park, a very nice clean campground with free WiFi (wireless internet) and it was cheaper than the filled county park. Our motorhome mileage for the day was 68 miles.

The Tillamook County Creamery Association, better known as Tillamook Cheese, has been producing award-winning cheeses nearly one hundred years. The cheese making operation is viewable from overhead walkways and we watched the entire operation from starting with milk in 5,800 gallon cooking vats to the final packaging of the cheeses. We learned medium cheddar cheese is aged three months, sharp cheddar, nine months and extra sharp cheddar is aged at least fifteen months. They have free samples of the various cheeses they produce and of course we bought several packages. We also bought some delicious Tillamook ice cream. (There is ample parking for RVs.)

From Tillamook we drove the Honda on the Three Capes Scenic Tour (Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, Cape Kiwanda) to Pacific City. We visited Cape Meares Lighthouse and learned its history from a volunteer. At 38 feet high it is the shortest lighthouse on the Oregon coast and it was in operation from 1890 until 1963. It was windy and foggy so scenic views were covered and uncovered by blowing fog. A short walk took us to the Octopus tree, an interesting giant Sitka spruce tree that was shaped by ocean winds. We stopped on the beach at Oceanside and ate a picnic lunch, still in fog. All the beautiful houses at Oceanside hug steep cliff walls and overlook the ocean. Among the pine trees a few miles from the coast we suddenly came to Sand Lake, a vast area of sand where nothing grows. In Pacific City we stopped on the beach and looked at Haystack Rock, a large rock in the ocean, but it was so foggy the rock was difficult to see. On sand dune hills we watched people trying to walk up steep hills and then either walk or slide back down.

Back at the campground we feasted on fresh oysters and shrimp purchased from a cannery. Don cleaned the oysters with fresh water and a brush and then Norm placed on a hot grill. After several minutes the shells popped open and the top half of the shells were removed. Next butter and garlic were brushed on the oysters while they simmered on the grill. Hot sauce was optional. There is no better way to eat oysters.

Before leaving Tillamook, Don and Gloria toured the Tillamook Naval Air Station Museum where blimps were stored during World War II. One of the original hangers still stands and is 1,072 feet long, 296 feet wide and 192 feet high, and is the largest wood building in the world. It covers over seven acres and can hold six football fields. The museum contains blimps and aircraft from World Wars I & II. It is a must see, but we had been there before so we skipped it this trip.

Our next stop (77 miles) was Newport where after parking in the city marina we immediately drove to Mo's Restaurant downtown. Mo was a lady who owned and operated the restaurant and one day a car crashed through the restaurant's front window. She replaced the window with a garage door and that is now the entrance to the establishment. It is a small place with twelve tables but serves the freshest seafood in the world. There are several Mo's restaurants on the coast and each one is located by a wharf so their seafood comes straight from the boats to the restaurants - can't be any fresher. We toured the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. The light sets on top of a Cape Cod style house and the lightkeeper's family lived in the house. Only four lighthouses were built that way and the other three have been destroyed.

The Mill Casino in Coos Bay (97 mile drive) not only allows RVs to park overnight or for a few days - they encourage it. By night time there were over a hundred rigs parked neatly in rows just like at RV rallies. Security patrols the lots every few minutes and will transport campers to the casino for food and gambling, but we did not venture over to the building. Myrtlewood, a unique hardwood, grows only a few places in the world and the Oregon coast is one of those places. At The Oregon Connection we watched a movie on harvesting and making wood products from myrtlewood. We took a self-guided tour of the plant and then bought some wood products for gifts. Wow, that myrtlewood stuff is expensive.

On a windy day we drove the Honda down to Brandon, an interesting tourist and fishing town. The Coquille River flows from the Pacific Ocean by Coquille River Lighthouse where waves hit rocks and shot thirty feet in the air. Even in the middle of August it was cold and foggy but so beautiful we endured the weather and enjoyed the view.

Still in heavy fog we left Oregon and drove to Klamath, California. (158 miles) and stayed in a friendly Coast to Coast Park with pot-luck suppers and ice cream socials. The campground was located on the Klamath River, the second largest river in California and the west's best salmon fishing river. In the Honda, north of town we stopped at Trees of Mystery to see the largest Paul Bunyan and Babe statues in the world. There is also a gift shop and a free, very complete and interesting End of the Trail Indian Museum. Continuing north we visited Crescent City, one of the northern-most cities in California. We ate lunch on the wharf with a view of harbor seals, boats and Battery Point Lighthouse in the distance. The lighthouse, one of the first on the California coast, is accessed by walking a short trail at low tide because the trail is under water at high tide and during windy conditions. We toured the lighthouse, grounds and marveled at the wind-blown trees. On December 20, 1941 a Japanese submarine attacked the U.S. tanker S.S. Emidio off the California coast and it did not sink, but floated ashore at Crescent City. A piece of the hull is displayed in Beach Front Park.


South of Klamath we exited highway 101 and drove the old road through virgin redwood forests stopping several times to walk among the giants. Heading south our next stop was Trinidad and a picnic lunch at the lighthouse built to honor those who died at sea. The lighthouse is located in gardens overlooking Trinidad Bay, a rugged bay with many anchored boats. It is a beautiful place to sit and relax and forget the problems of the world.

Before leaving Klamath we visited a "Smoke Shop" where the Yurok Indians smoke Chinook salmon over an outside fire the same way their ancestors smoked fish for centuries. Yurok's are the experts in smoking salmon and other fish. An open pit fire is built using alder wood and when it turns to hot coals salmon fillets are coated with salt and pepper and placed on skewers. The skewers are stuck in the ground around the outside of the coals and are rotated occasionally. More alder wood is added to the coals day and night while the salmon smokes. "One day smoked" salmon sells for $24 a pound and "five day smoked" sells for $45 a pound. We bought about a pound of the "one day" to go with vegetables we fixed back at the campground. Yes, Yurok smoked salmon is very good but a pound was enough for the four of us. We always enjoy sampling foods everywhere we travel as that makes life educational and fun.

Leaving Klamath and heading south on highway 101 we encountered fog so thick we could barely see the highway's dividing line. Driving very slowly Don said our motorhome kept disappearing even though he was only feet behind us. We did find a couple of places where the fog had lifted so we stopped to view the ocean.

South of Eureka we left highway 101 and drove down Avenue of the Giants. Talk about something exciting - try driving a thirty-eight foot motorhome with a motorcycle lift on the rear and a Honda CR-V behind it, a total of sixty feet, down a very narrow winding and curvy road with giant trees hugging the road sides. We found a gravel pull-off area and left the motorhomes and took the Honda for a drive. Only four percent of the old growth redwood forests remain after logging and here is found one of the largest growths. The Avenue is thirty-two miles long, plus side trips, and the state park contains 52,000 acres of which 17,000 acres are old growth coast redwood forests (never logged). The redwood trees can live as long a 3,000 years and are resistant to fire, insects and disease. To see the trees up close in their natural setting is awesome. Several times during our drive we stopped, walked among the trees and felt an eerie feeling of total silence where sun beams break through the stately trees.

Rockefeller Forest in Humboldt Redwoods National Park is the place to see giants among the giants. There are sixteen known redwoods that are over 360 feet tall and ten of them grow in Rockefeller Forest on the flats of Bull Creek. The GIANT tree was listed in 1991 as being 363 feet high and 53.2 feet in circumference. Linda, Gloria and Don stood in front of that tree with out-stretched arms and still could not span the width of the tree. If you visit northwest California a trip through Avenue of the Giants is a must.

To tour the coast of Oregon and northern California the right way would take an entire summer, but our time was limited. We hit some of the highlights and will have to return to fill in the rest.