BEACHSIDE STATE PARK Today was a PERFECT day on the Oregon Coast – clear blue skies; warm sunshine and no wind!! We decided to make the most of it and carried our chairs out onto the warm sandy beach and sat there watching the waves (it was high tide) and sea creatures and reading our books. Later in the afternoon we drove around Yachats and discovered the Yachats River Covered Bridge built long ago when the road followed the river. While there we met a couple on motor cycles from Alberta and a guy on a pushbike from Washington State. It is interesting how many other Canadians we have met along the way. Of course, the first thing you notice is the license plate, and that is enough to start ... read more

These next three lighthouses we will bypass this trip since we visited them just three months ago and have the pictures to post. This weekend we are in Salem OR in the Premier Resort RV court so we can catch up on our family here as well as other important things like football, internet access, laundry, shopping etc.!!! CAPE MEARES LIGHTHOUSE. Located west of Tillamook this lighthouse stands 217 ft. above the ocean, yet its tower is the shortest on the Oregon coast, just 39 ft. First commissioned in 1890, it is no longer in service. The lighthouse still contains the original Fresnel lens. YAQUINA HEAD LIGHTHOUSE Just 3 miles north of Newport, OR, this lighthouse stands 162 ft. above sea level. Its 93-foot-tower is the tallest on the Oregon Coast. First commissioned in 1873, today ... read more

FORT STEVENS STATE PARK The Fort Stevens Military Reservation guarded the mouth of the Columbia River from the Civil War through World War 2. The park has more than five miles of hiking trails and seven miles of paved bike paths. Here you will find every level of camping from tent sites, full hook-up RV sites, Yurts, and deluxe cabins (added just three years ago) and there is much to see and do. Astoria is historically important as the first permanent American settlement west of the Mississippi. Much of the history of the area is recorded in the local Museums and Forts. Coffenbury Lake, a fresh water lake, provides visitors with fresh water trout fishing, boating and a safe swimming area. Miles of beach can be explored or viewed from observation towers. There is something for ... read more

The historic Grays Harbor Lighthouse was first commissioned on June 30, 1898. The original turning mechanism, set in a drum of mercury, was cranked by hand each day to rotate the oil fueled lamp. Now a new, smaller lamp with a very powerful light guides mariners with the same alternating red and white flashes. The tower windows are 1/4 inch thick, making its reflections a fire-starting hazard to the nearby trees so curtains are drawn across them on sunny days. The Fresnel lens from the Destruction Island Lighthouse is now displayed in the Maritime Museum in Westport. Westport harbor is filled with fishing vessels of all shapes and sizes. While wondering around the harbor area we saw them unloading Tuna and Shrimp from the boats into large boxes which were then loaded onto trucks to be ... read more

Woke up this morning to no thunder, no lightening, no rain, only thick F-O-G! Not the ideal situation for taking pictures, however this is our last full day in Sequim so we wanted to see more of the interesting places in the area. We headed back east on Hwy 101 to Sequim Bay and the S'klallam Band Headquarters. They have several interesting buildings surrounded by beautifully kept gardens and native art. Even with the fog I was able to capture several interesting pictures. From there we drove on the west side of the Bay up to the John Wayne Marina. Apparently John Wayne used to own the marina and it is now run by his family. Millions of dollars worth of yachts sitting in that harbor. At least the seas were calm and there was no ... read more