AUTUMN CREEK - BRIDAL VEIL

We are still struggling with the heat down here in Tucson. So, we turn again to past visions of beauty for our solace. How precious is water?

This photo was taken last fall in the Columbia Gorge in Oregon.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

PS: Christmas is coming so here is a gift idea under $20. Choose five note cards and tie them with a little satin ribbon. Your gift will be unique and personal.

COUNTRY ROADS TAKE ME HOME

At last we are headed home! Mom is driving me nuts though because she cannot stop singing Country Roads and you outta hear her try and carry a tune! John Denver would have a heart attack. But, it's ok because my mountain mama is taking me home.

First I want to say how much we enjoyed our time in Florence and appreciate the new friends that we made. There was Paulie at the Pacific Pines RV park. If you are RV'ing through Florence, I highly recommend this park. It's like a home away from home for us now. Thank you Paulie!

Then there were Glen & Keith at the Dunham RV Service Center. These two guys were princes to work with and treated my mom really well and did great work. Believe me some of these RV places treat people like last weeks lunch. Thank you guys!

And a great big thanks to Virgie, Bill and Patrick at the Bill Roberts sign shop. They were the ones that did the sign work on Clementine and Shadow and made me look so handsome. Well, really they had a lot to work with! :)

And, last but certainly not least thank you to my friend Buddy. The little runt is a weenie dog and he bit me! Can you imagine? :) And a VERY special thanks to Buddy's mother Marilyn who drove us all over the place. It's that "blowing the coat" time of year and I left an incredible deposit of hair in the back of her SUV. She was extremely gracious about it! You don't know what shedding is until you see a husky blow its coat!

We left Florence a little late in the day and only got as far as The Locks along the Columbia River. We are headed for Spokane where we will wait for good weather and clear roads. Since our ranch is at nearly 4,000 ft. we may not be able to get all the way home. But, I don't care. We are headed in the right direction!

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

EEL LAKE & WINCHESTER BAY

Spring is certainly taking it's own good time getting here. We are still in Oregon waiting for winter to end in Montana. Here in Oregon it has been tough to get any outside time between rain drops.

We did find a small break in the weather and drove down to Eel Lake and Winchester Bay. Eel lake is a pretty lake and there is a very nice hiking trail that goes for about three miles along and above the shore. We did see some signs of spring, some flowers beginning to bloom and creature activity.

There were a number of Canada Geese winging in and out. They look so cool when they skid on the water to land. There were a few other wild things out and about. That slug for example.

But, the very most coolest thing we saw was this steelhead. Eel lake has a fish ladder for steelhead and salmon. Just as we arrived at the ladder this huge, and I mean huge, steelhead tried to leap straight up the dam instead of using the ladder. Boy, if only mom had been camera ready what a photo that would have been! Needless to say this guy's ambitions were a bit too much for him and he fell back into the stream. We never saw him try it again.

After Eel we drove up to Winchester Bay. This is another little harbor with fishing boats and such. It was not as interesting as some we have visited but it was nice. I asked mom which harbor village on this trip she liked best. She said she would have to go with Ilwaco. Ilwaco you may recall is just across the Columbia River in Washington.

That pretty much sums up this day. I'm gettin kinda anxious to get home to Montana. I hope the weather clears soon!

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

OREGON RESEARCH AQUARIUM & YAQUINA HEAD

We decided a drive in weather was more fun than a day stuck in Clementine so we piled into Shadow and headed north on 101. It was really raining and blowing and we could barely see a thing. But, when in doubt keep on going. Before we knew it we were all the way up in Newport.

Since mom had not seen the aquarium when we were here in November she decided to give it a go. Unfortunately, it was the weekend and the place was crowded with people. They have a number of outdoor exhibits but it was raining so hard everyone was crowded inside.

The good news is mom didn't spend as much time as she might have and I didn't have to get stuck in the car as long as I might have.

When we were here in November both of us decided that Yaquina Head was one of our most favorites places so we headed back up there. As luck would have it, there was a break in the weather and we got to walk around and enjoy the place one more time.

If you ever get by this way you really don't want to miss Yaquina Head. It is really very special. At least we think so. And Newport is a must stop on any coastal road trip.

The drive back to Florence was rainy and blustery but we didn't care because we had a great little trip. Just goes to show. When you think things look bleak if you will just venture on you will find some gems to make it all worthwhile.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

SHORE ACRES & NEARLY LOST IN SOUTH SLOUGH

Ok, so we headed back to Shore Acres. You remember, the place they don't even let dogs out of the car! Being the loyal, patient dog that I am I kept Shadow company.

As you can see from the photos mom got all fascinated with rock and sand formations that she found along the bluffs.

When she was finally done we headed for the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. Now there's a mouthful!

When we got there we decided to skip the Interpretive Center and head straight for the trailhead. As it turned out that wasn't such a smart idea. At the trailhead there was a holder for maps but there weren't any. We aren't the type to be intimidated by being map less or clueless, so away we went.

The trail meanders down a kind of dark little rain forested valley with a pretty creek running alongside the trail. Again, as you can see for yourself, mom got fascinated, this time by these big yellow blooms called Skunk Cabbage. After taking a bunch of pictures we continued on down to the slough.

The trails started going every which away. We came to a big deck about 20 feet off the ground that overlooked the slough. I saw a squirrel on a tree trunk beside the deck. Not realizing what I was doing I made a leap for the rail and the squirrel, about the time I realized there was nothing but thin air where I was headed mom grabbed me and pulled me back from the brink. I would have hung myself for sure. We both nearly had heart attacks. Remember the old saying "Look before you leap"? Well, I'm a believer now!

We continued wandering, having no idea where we were going. Mom said that surely we would find a sign that directed us to the Interpretive Center but we never found one. Eventually, we decided to try and retrace our steps. Mom said not to worry as they would come looking for us at closing if we hadn't found our way back by then. They'd see Shadow and come looking for us. We found our way back, thank goodness, and headed over to the Center where we found out it was closed until Tuesday. This was Sunday!

If you're in Coos Bay and like to walk trails we can recommend this place. We also recommend you pick up a map before you wander off! :)

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Eureka!

Well, holy moly, we finally have made it to Eureka and Verizon Broadband! I can't begin to tell you how much this will improve my quality of life! My mom, not known for her patience, finally has access to decent internet speed. She gets sooo cranky she gets without it!

Anyway, to bring you up to date: Our last night in Gold Beach was a humdinger! The wind blew so hard I thought Clementine was going to take flight. Big gusts of wind would hit the side of the RV and would literally sound like someone smacking into it. The racket, unbelieveable.

There were wind warnings all the way down to Eureka but Tuesday mom said "We're going!"But, the day did not begin without it's drama. Mom turned on her hair dryer before turning off the space heater and blew all the circuits. Then she was out in the wind and rain trying to take care of Clementine and hooking up Shadow. That made her real happy too!

But, away we went at the high speed of about thirty five miles per hour. The wind was bouncing us all over the place but after taking about 4 hours to make a 3 hour drive we made it to Eureka and boy were we happy to be here.

It's still raining and the forecast is for more of the same. Darn!

PS: The photographs are the last we took of the Oregon Coast. That one of the rocks is called Turtle Rock. Isn't that a hoot? It really does look like a turtle.

© Kinsey Barnard

It's Raining It's Pouring ....

The old man is snoring! And, it's getting pretty boring!

Not only that but the internet connection here in Gold Beach is the worst yet! Can't hardly wait to get to a location with better speed. Crikey! This is worse than dial up!

Anyway, we have just been going up and down 101 between Gold Beach and Brookings. Not much happening. So, without further adieu here are some photos for you to enjoy. That is if I can get the blasted things to load!

Ok, that's it! I've tried 6 times to load one photo and the transmission has broken every time. I'll have to try again later.

Cape Sebastian to Boardman State Scenic Corridor

Today we went south on 101. Our first stop was at Cape Sebastian. There is a trail there that goes down to the beach and we tried it out. As we went along we encountered more and more fallen trees across the trail until, about 2/3 of the way down we had to thrown in the towel. There were just too many trees down. I reckon it's from that huge storm we had a week or so ago.

From Cape Sebastian we went along 101 stopping at various view spots. The next place of interest was Pistol River. There are some very pristine sand dunes here if you are interested. Mom has been looking for dunes like these since we arrived on the coast. The Oregon Dunes are just too traipsed all over. Unfortunately, we arrived just as the tide was coming in and we couldn't stay long or we would have been trapped until the tide turned. We will certainly plan on going back there.

We continued on south pulling in at every spot but the best of the bunch as far as we were concerned were Lone Ranch Beach and Harris Beach State Park. Both of these places are way cool as they have lots of those rock formations they call stacks. I had a great time sniffing around and mom had a great time looking for subjects.

By the time we got to these places the tide was on its way out and that made things really interesting for exploring.

On the way back there was a bit of a sunset. Mom was pooped so we didn't wait for it to blossom. Too bad too because by the time we got back to Clementine we could see it was a great one all in pastels. Another day .....

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Otter Point/South Oregon Coast

It was a glorious day here on the South Oregon Coast!

Our first stop of the day was at the Gold Beach Visitor Center. A very nice person named Sue help us with information on places to go. There are lots.

We headed north on 101 just looking for whatever we could see. Our main stop was at Otter Point. There are some beautiful views here and you can walk right out on the sand cliffs.

Our next stop was a little further north and I don't really know what the name of it was. It's hard to see the place to pull in when your headed north but worth the trouble to try and find. There is just a little road and no signs but it's a way cool spot. You can walk all the way down to the beach among the cliffs. There is also this cavern/grotto place where you can see the surf come in. It makes a way cool sound when it does. Kind of like a big whamp!

We headed on up the coast. Mom took most of here photographs at no name places. We ended at Humbug Park. On the way back we kinda detoured near Nesika Beach and made an arc back to Gold Beach along the Rogue River.

© Kinsey Barnard Photograhpy

Florence to Gold Beach

We have bid fond farewell to Florence. It was a glorious day. The sun was out and the driving was easy ... or so it seemed to me.

We got into Gold Beach in time to take a walk and catch the sunset. The beaches here are beautiful and the sunset was too. There were lots of fishing boats going out for the evening and in one of these photos you can see a lonely trawler in the sunset.

Really looking forward to exploring a new location!

Ooops! I seem to have loaded the same photo twice and I'm not sure how to get rid of it so pardon me!

© Kinsey Barnard Photography

Turbulent Seas

Yesterday we went out wave watching. The Weather Channel had indicated that the weather would be nice but that certainly wasn't the case. It was cloudy, cold and raining. At the risk of repeating myself, and I know I am, I much prefer my Montana cold. Seriously, 25 degrees in Montana isn't as cold as 40 degrees on the Oregon Coast. Plus, I do not like getting wet!!!

Ok, enough griping. We drove up the coast and there were some pretty good waves. Mom took lotsa pictures but I heard her grousing about the weather too!

If we are "lucky" we will be leaving Florence tomorrow. Luck comes into play because we have a water faucet problem and it needs to be replaced. It was supposed to be here Friday but that didn't happen. If it comes in today we will remain on schedule. If not .....

© Kinsey Barnard Photoraphy

Oregon Dunes, Lake Creek Falls, Fish Ladders

Friday we headed south on 101 to The Oregon Dunes day use place. It's just past mile marker 200 about 15 miles south of Florence. There's a nice overlook there and if you like to walk in the dunes where a lot of other people haven't trekked through them, this is a good place. The only tracks we saw were animals tracks.

If you take the trail south south you will hit Tahkenitch Creek. It's a well marked trail if you keep an eye out for the posts. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and rainy and not very good for photography but I had a good time running on the dunes!

Saturday we piled into Marilyn's car and headed for Triangle Lake. To get there we followed 36 out of Mapleton along Lake Creek. Just before you get to Triangle Lake there is this place called Lake Creek Falls where they have ladders for the salmon. I didn't know fish climbed ladders! Anywayz, I bet when the salmon are running this is a good place to go and watch. What I wouldn't give to be able to get out there and catch them. Yum! Salmon sushi. Fat chance though, moms been told raw salmon isn't good for me. :(

We made the loop back to Hwy 126 and that was that.

Mom's getting kinda cranky as she hasn't found much in the way of photo ops lately, what with the rain and all. It was sunny yesterday and it looks like it will be sunny again today so maybe she'll find something good today.

© Kinsey Barnard Photography

I Love My Mom But .......

This is getting to be too much! I am getting RV fever! It hasn't stopped raining for a second. The rain beating down on Clementine's roof makes it sound like living in a popcorn popper! And, it never stops popping!

Where is my snow?! I miss my snow!!! It's so beautiful and SILENT!

We tried to get some walking in yesterday. We went down to Old Town and walked along the harbor there. I wind gust came up and blew me right off the sidewalk!

The only walking I'm getting now is to take care of business. This is not my idea of fun!

Well, I could complain all day about being trapped in this RV with my mom but that won't help anything so I'll be checking back in here as soon as the weather breaks and that may not b e for another couple of days.

Snow, Lions, Tigers & Pelicans

Well, wow, it was snowing this morning in Florence. Can you imagine that? And, right now it is raining like crazy and Clementine is back to rocking and rolling! We are warm and cozy though as mom finally wised up and got us a little space heater.

Today we took a really long walk down the beach at North Jetty. We went until we came to a creek we couldn't ford without getting real wet. On the way back it started to rain and we got drenched again!

Yesterday we went down to a place called Bandon where there is a petting zoo. Naturally, I wasn't allowed in. I could tell, by my nose, though there were a lot of guys I woulda liked to have mixed it up with in there.

Mom said it was kinda sad to see those beautiful animals in such small enclosures. She said you could see it in their eyes how sad they were. I suppose it beats getting shot by poachers but boy am I glad I can be free.

After the petting zoo we went over to Shore Acres and Sunset Beach. Boy that's a really pretty place. Mom wants to go back there after this storm goes through cuz she thinks the waves there will be fantastic! Also, down there was another lighthouse called Cape Arago Lighthouse.

Until next time ....
LAKOTA SUNRISE

©Kinsey Barnard

Florence Beaches & Rainbows

Yesterday we took a really long walk from the north jetty toward Heceta Head. It was really great except that we got absolutely drenched. The rain really came down. I didn't mind so much because that beach had so much good stuff on it to smell. It was my kind of nose candy! There were also lots of other humans walking on the beach in the rain and they all had dogs! I had a great time meeting them all. This Oregon place is pretty darned dog friendly it seems to me.

After the rain storm passed there was a perfect rainbow. Too bad mom didn't have her wide angle lens so she could have gotten the whole thing. It was something!

Also, while we were out there we were buzzed by a coast guard helicopter. That was kinda cool!

It's been cold pretty. Well, not by Montana standards but this marine air is pretty cold even though the temperature isn't that low. We have had frost in the morning.

©Kinsey Barnard