10/8 – 10/11/2009 – Winchester Bay, OR

We had a great time at Winchester Bay, OR! We pulled in here having no idea where to stay so we pulled off the road, had lunch, then explored the area. One area had full hookups for $20 a night, but it appeared to be dark all the time. The dry camping areas looked more positive and we found a sight we could stay at comfortably for few days and set up camp. Our major goal while here was to catch some dungeness crab and pig out on them. That turned out to be a very difficult task. After assessing the situation, we drove to North Bend/Coos Bay the following day to see what we could find. We bought a crab pot, propane cooker, and were ready to go back and get the big ones! As luck would have it,we did not have any luck. Out on the docks, we met several very helpful people and we had a great time, but after several attempts, we only captured one very under-sized crab. But…I was determined to dine on dungeness crab! I’m slightly ashamed to say I resorted to buying crab at the local seafood market. Not a bad idea after all! We had an excellent meal!

10/7/2009 – The Oregon Coast

Technorati Tags: Oregon coast,Cape Foulweather,Boiler Point,Devils Punchbowl,Yaquina Head Lighthouse

We took a drive north from Newport to do some sightseeing. Our first stop was at Cape Foulweather where we spotted whales. None of them cooperated for a photo, but we did get some pretty good scenery pictures along the way.

This photo is from Cape Foulweather.

A view from Boiler Point.

The Devil’s Punchbowl.

The Yaquina Head Lighthouse

And one more photo along the Oregon coast before we headed back to the RV.

10/6/2009 - Newport, OR - Oregon Coast Aquarium

We left Salem and arrived at the Newport Elks lodge at about noon. We got set up and headed into town to try a bowl of Mo's Original clam chowder. It was very good!

After lunch, we drove south on Hwy 101 and toured the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

They had numerous exhibits of some very unusual fish.

and a moray eel.

some rays

jellyfish

and feeding time for the sea lions and harbor seals.

We would have really enjoyed seeing the sea otter exhibit, but it was unavailable due to repairs this week. Overall, the aquarium was one of the best we've ever visited. The photos just don't do it justice and it was well worth the stop.

10/2 - 10/6/2009 - Salem, OR

We spent four nights in Salem, OR staying at the Elks lodge. When we arrived, we were greeted by our Escapees friends, John and Linda. They joined us for dinner at the lodge. The next few days were busy with visiting Ken's cousins. His aunt Hazel passed away in February and Ken's mother passed away in July, so there were many memories to share.

10/1/2009 - Rufus, OR - LePage COE Park

We got started a little later than usual but finally left the Spokane Elks lodge and started our winter travels. We turned south at Ritzville, WA and continued on to Pasco where we stopped for lunch at a place that used to be a small vegetable stand. It is now a huge building and they've added a deli. After lunch, we continued on our way and crossed into Oregon and headed west following the Columbia Gorge. Our overnight stay was about 5 miles east of Rufus, OR in LePage Corps of Engineers campground. We had a nice pull through site along the John Day River with electric and water.

9/9 - 10/1/2009 - Spokane, WA

While in Spokane, we saw both grandson's play in football games at the Lakeside High School football field in Nine Mile Falls. This first photo is of Demetrius (#6) in the background.

And here is Dominique (#14) in his game.

In addition to time with family, we took the RV in for an oil change, and both of us had doctor appointments to get us caught up before hitting the road again. I received a steroid injection in my back on 9/30 and we were ready to head out again on the 1st.

9/6 - 9/9/09 - Prince George, BC to Omak, WA

We left Prince George on September 6th with plans to overnight in Cache Creek or Merritt. Neither location worked out and we continued driving to Kentucky Allyne Provincial Park where we found one campsite left that we could squeeze into for the night.

On the 7th, we drove to Omak, WA and spent a couple of nights just so we could feel caught up on things prior to going to the Spokane Elks where we knew we would be busy with family and volunteering at the club.