Back on Track

Good afternoon, my friends. Today we find ourselves about 100 miles from yesterday's overnight spot. The wind has died down some, but boy, oh boy. What a storm blew through last night! We had lightning and thunder so loud that it shook the RV! And there were high winds and hail and lots of rain. All I can say is that we were cozy inside the RV, and we did not stray from our home on wheels until daybreak. 

The kitties are taking it all in stride. After we'd all had dinner last night, they settled into their usual favorite traveling spots. Smitty was on his window hammock.

Sadie channels her Greta Garbo at this time of day. She wants to be alone in the evenings. She was snoozed out comfortably on the bed.

We had only a short distance to go today, and so we were threading the needle between check-out time and check-in time.When it was an appropriate time to leave, we headed on down the dusty trail. Instead of dust, we found the remains of various hail storms that blew through from time to time. 

And I would be remiss, my friends, if I didn't warn you that we're traveling through a Tsunami Hazard Zone today. You might want to put on your life jacket or else blow up your life raft. Safety first, my friends. One can never be too careful. 

Our drive today looked pretty much like you see below...a two-lane roadway with tall trees on both sides.

When there was a break in the trees, we could see the dunes from the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Mike and I often bring our ATV's over here in the summertime and ride. It's great fun. It's also possible to rent ATV's and other OHV's from businesses in the area. I only mention this if you're feeling adventurous for your next trip to Oregon.

Just north of North Bend, we crossed over this bridge that spans Coos Bay.

This is the Conde McCullough Memorial Bridge.

This is what The Google tells me about this bridge: It's a cantilever bridge that spans the Coos Bay on U.S. Route 101 near North Bend, Oregon. When completed in 1936 it was named the North Bend Bridge. In 1947 it was renamed in honor of Conde B. McCullough who died May 5, 1946. This and 10 other major bridges on the Oregon Coast Highway were designed under his supervision. It replaced ferries that had formerly crossed the bay. The bridge is outstanding for its attention to form and detail, and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its design and cultural and economic importance. And if, like me, you don't know what it means to be a "cantilever bridge," you can read all about it right here. And I'll just say that I read all about it, and I still don't understand it.

So here we go...

Up and over.

Whoo! Hoo! What a gas! (Follow me for more exciting and harrowing adventures.)

Okay, well that was one of the more exciting parts of the day. Up next, I wanted you to see this gigantic pile of sawdust one encounters just north of Coos Bay, Oregon. If this doesn't convince you that Coos Bay is a lumber mill town, then I don't know what will. It even smells like sawdust as you drive by. (Sorry for the reflections from the windshield. They can't be avoided.)

While we were stopped at a traffic signal, I snapped this image of the Tioga building. The architecture is so interestingly dated in appearance. Check out the outdoor fire escape. 

Well, anything like that has me inquiring of The Google, as you well know. Here's what The Google told me:

The Tioga Hotel building is reported to be the tallest building on the Oregon Coast. The building is nine stories high and 110 feet above the street at its highest point. Construction was first started in 1925, but attempts to complete it were disrupted by first the Great Depression and later by World War II. The building was finally finished in 1948. The Tioga is considered one of the most historically significant buildings in downtown Coos Bay. It is one of nine buildings in the downtown core listed on the National Historic Register. It is also reported to be haunted. It's now in use as an apartment building, and those that reside here have claimed they have been followed around the basement by a tall shadowy apparition. Voices and disembodied footsteps have also been reported on various levels of the building. You can read this article about Tioga: Haunted Temple of Coos Bay right here.

Okay, well that was interesting. Driving on, we passed by acres of cranberry bogs. There is also an Oceanspray processing facility nearby. Oregon's commercially cultivated cranberries account for approximately 7 percent of U.S. production, and the cranberry ranks twenty-third among Oregon's top fifty agricultural commodities. 

From 2006 to 2008, Oregon growers harvested between forty and forty-nine million pounds of berries per year. Cranberry cultivation in Oregon uses approximately 27,000 acres along the southern coast, in southern Coos and northern Curry counties.  If you're interested, you can read about Oregon's cranberry industry right here. 

So it was a short drive today. We find ourselves at a private RV park in Port Orford. I was amused by this happy little flower fence, made from painted hub caps.

There were a few more to the left of the image above. I love the frog.

AND DAFFODILS!!!! 

Spring is coming, my friends. Once the daffodils arrive, winter must concede. We're going to live to see another vernal equinox. Yay us!

Okay, so tomorrow we'll be driving a little farther. We'll go a little more than 200 miles until we reach Fortuna, California. We'll be at the northern end of the redwood forest, and so it should be a beautiful drive. For now, I started some soup in the slow cooker upon our arrival here today, and I'm going to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening. I might even pick up my slow-stitching and get to work on that. It'll be the first time in a couple of days, and I'm Jonesing for it.