Boulder Threedux

August 11~17

It will take us two days to get to Boulder….two very, long, boring days. We stayed in Rawlins, WY on the way west and opt to do that again……Western Hills Campground (westernhillscampground.com) is bare bones, but it’s a bearable one night stand and at least we know what to expect. Can’t stand some of the surprises we encounter.

Make it to Boulder in time for cocktails…..that is, after getting Tor in Jim and Linda’s driveway…..always a nail biting feat which Rick is getting amazingly good at.

We’re very comfortable in Tor….we don’t seem to notice how limited the space is….until you arrive at a home where you can walk more than a few feet and not run into a wall! Feels so good to have room, a garden where you can eat outside and a shower that feels absolutely huge!

We always have such a good time at the Boulder Cunninghams’….party hearty! And it’s so good to spend more time with "Big Jim".

Rick occupies most of the daylight hours working on Tor….big surprise! He takes Tor to the spa for an oil change and tire rotation, but the bigger deal is putting in a new kitchen vent and fan.

We had a minor episode on the way to Park City. One of the hatches on the ceiling decided to open itself while we were driving…..I cranked it down, but not too long later, it not only opened, but pieces of the cover ripped open leaving us with a hazard that could blow off completely and land on someone’s windshield. There was nowhere to pull over, so we were forced to drive the rest of the way to Park City with our fingers crossed. No one got hurt! Made it to the RV resort where it promptly blew off in a gust of wind. Rick configured a temporary fix with towels, cardboard and duct tape! Unattractive, but functional! We picked up a new cover and this time added a fan to help with the kitchen heat…..better than new!

Mostly caught up with family and life chores during our week in Boulder, but got out a few times. Ate at a neat restaurant, Bacco Boulder (baccoboulder.com), a trattoria and mozzarella bar…..never heard of that one before.

To an Asian/Pacific festival on the mall.

Followed by margaritas on a roof deck.

Took a picnic to Chautauqua (chautauqua.com), a National Historic Landmark built in 1898, to hear a Neville Brothers Concert.

We didn’t have tickets so we were just going to sit outside. Then nephew Jason, walks in with four tickets in hand that he scored from a radio station doing a promotional feed. Tres cool.

Leaving in the morning….1973 miles to go until we reach Newport, RI. Fashioned a route where we drive two days, then rest for a day or so. If all goes as planned, we’ll arrive Newport September 1.

Southern Oregon Coast

July 16 ~ 20

Moving down the coast in search of warmer weather proves fruitless, but gorgeous.

Finally coming to the realization we are not going to get any serious beach time in Oregon, we go to Coos Bay, a little inland, to The Mill Casino (themilcasino.com) for a little diversion.  The RV Park is adequate there, the casino is a nice mid-sized facility and the two evenings we spent put us a nice bit ahead.

The real reason we came here though, is for the Oregon Dunes, (stateparks.com/oregon_oregon), a 40 mile stretch of wind blown sands that stand up to 500 feet above the water.  I was just planning on walking them....Rick had another idea.....a dune buggy!  Rented a two-seater for an hour from SpinReel (ridetheoregondunes.com) in North Bend.  Must say, they were extremely professional and careful in the pre-ride training and checklist.  I really didn't think this was going to be any big deal....I was wrong.....it was quite a ride! 

Loved it when we were on the beach.

But going up these huge sand hills was kind of freaky because when you got to the top, you didn't know what kind of plunge was on the other side! Hard to get your bearings especially when there was no vegetation....almost like being in a white out.

A couple of days here was a good respite, but we are going to give it one more go for a beach day.  Brookings, Oregon hasn't got much going on, but there is a RV facility in a marina on the beach.  We'll take a chance.  The Port Brookings Harbor and RV Park (port-brookings-harbor.org) has nothing to boast about except it is just feet from the beach.  The facilities are not nice, but watching the beach up close and hearing the waves all night make up for a lot.

The temperature climbs enough to make some beach time possible.

The wind kicks up enough to get in some kite-flying.

And the beach walks are uninterrupted.

One thing we find quite interesting and very charming is the way the locals use the beach.  They don't seem to be coming to sit in the sand.  What we see is an almost constant procession of cars that pause for just a little while to gaze.  In the morning they have coffee and look like they are trying to jump-start their day.  At night,  ice cream cones seem to be the big thing and they are there to just exhale.

We are growing weary of traveling, but know some prime destinations are within reach.  We will go through the Redwood National Forest, then to Napa which I expect to be a near religious experience for me!

Newport, Oregon

July 11 ~ 15

Oregon hasn’t shown us great weather, but she certainly is a showcase for stunning landscapes. The drive to Newport is halted many times just to take it in.

We are staying at a resort that is part of Outdoor Resorts of America (outdoor-resorts.com). We’ve stayed at most of them and some are simply fabulous; others, pleasant. Pacific Shores in Newport falls in the middle of the bracket. Very nice, but there are no developed lots (outdoor kitchens and the like). But we have a grand view overlooking the ocean and lighthouse. Sometimes. Then the fog rolls in and the lighthouse disappears.

We bundle up in the mornings and take a variety of beach walks. The beach to our north is rocky, craggy and loaded with sea creatures. In the low tide, star fish and anemones hang from the boulders, thousands of mussels have been exposed from their rock homes and interesting limbs temporarily rest on the sand.

The beach to our south, just the other side of the lighthouse, is totally different. Agate Beach is sandy with very little ocean life apparent. The big find here is quite a few sand dollars.

Mostly, we keep jumping around just to stay relatively warm.

Bay Boulevard

This strip of about four blocks is a combination of shore-town souvenir shops, restaurants, galleries and the center of commercial fishing. It’s a fun stroll. And, though, we didn’t try it, understand Mo’s is the place to have chowder.

It’s a cool, but sunny day and we finally get to see the seals come up for a little sun bathing on the dock.

Rick books a fishing trip with Newport Tradewinds Deep Sea Fishing (newporttradewinds.com) for early the next morning….we’re sorry to hear he probably won’t get any salmon. But they say rock fish are plentiful.

I stay back at the ranch, spend the day on life chores and can’t wait to see what’s for dinner.

Rick returns with his legal limit of 6 rockfish. He also had to throw back ling cod because of size. He had a great time….but unfortunately some others in his group weren’t so fortunate as the heavy chop didn’t agree with some.

The fish were filleted at the dock and when I package them into dinner portions, I see we have just acquired nine dinners. For tonight’s super fresh, hours out of the water dinner, we decide to keep it simple. Dredge lightly with flour and egg, sauté in oil and butter. It is wonderful! Didn’t think I liked rockfish, but what I learned at the docks is there are about 40 varieties commonly dubbed rockfish. This variety tastes and looks like snapper.

Nye Beach

It is so cold today….the wind is blowing full force and I rummage around in the back of my closet to find a heavy sweater coat……note: this is July 15.

Nye Beach is a very small section on the beach that looks kind of like a little slice of Nantucket. Gray clapboard buildings with a couple of cute boutiques and galleries. Visited the shops, then had a warm, comforting, though extremely hearty, chowder at The Chowder Bowl. Bought a quart of their base, to which you add the milk, for the freezer…..will notch it down a bit with skim milk though. Have a hunch we haven’t seen the end of cold nights.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Because of the weather, we haven’t yet made it to the lighthouse we’ve grown so fond of watching. Yesterday the winds must have been a sustained 40 mph. We leave today and take a quick run over there. Turns out it’s a State Park and deserves it official name…Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (oregonparks.org). The visitors’ center gives us a good overview of the terrain and of the structure opened in 1873 and tended by a light keeper until 1966 when it was automated.

The lighthouse is striking up close and on regularly run tours you can climb the 114 steps to the top.

But what we loved most was a most unusual “bird house”. Thousands of seabirds, mostly murres and seagulls, nest on huge rocks. A guide tells us they stay packed cheek to jowl to protect themselves and their young from predators. Looking through a telescope reminded us of a some outrageous nightclub on the verge of a rave. They literally walk over each other to move.

Wish we had more time to spend...very interesting. Still trying to get just a little bit of "toes in the sand" time. Will move down the coast a bit.

Victoria ~ Outside the City

July 6 ~ 7

We bought “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” and it has turned out to be a very good travel guide.  Sooke Harbour House (sookeharbourhouse.com), about 45 minutes west and north of Victoria was mentioned and turned out to be a nice day jaunt. The Inn is lovely…not particularly fancy, but perfect for the setting, very beachy, warm and welcoming.

What we really liked, though, was where the inn sits....on Whiffen Spit…. It sounds pretty gross, but it’s  actually a piece of land jutting out into the sea providing a great couple mile walk.

Still collecting rocks to make our own inukshuk…we’re insisting all rocks must be from Canada, so we’re down to the wire on finding the perfect building blocks.

Arbutus Golf Club

We loved the Nicholas course in Whistler, so we decided to play another course, Arbutus, owned by the same management company thinking it would be great. Not so much. It’s billed as offering great views of the Olympic Mountains in Washington State and the sea. Well, there is this hilltop cross-over where you can see them.


But the course is all inland and pretty boring...except for a few visitors along the way. The most interesting thing about the area is the tree for which the course has been named....arbutus.  It's like a combination of a magnolia and a birch...only after the bark peels, the trunk is a cedar red color.  I hear it's messy just like a magnolia, so not dearly loved around this region.

Had a 44 out and was pretty pleased, but then it got excruciatingly backed-up on the inward half and I blew up. Good to get out though and the on-line tee time site (golfbc.com) offered very inexpensive rates including dinner, so not a complete bust.

We’re taking a ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles, WA tomorrow. As much as we love Canada, we’re anxious to get back to the states.

Whistler

June 19 ~ 23

The "Sea to Sky Drive" from Vancouver to Whistler is near the top of the list for drama and beauty.

It's also near the top of Rick's list in white knuckle driving....narrow, lots of switchbacks and up and down the mountain.  But, boy did I enjoy it from the back!

We're staying in a kind of funny place named Riverside RV Resort (whistlercamping.com), but it simply could  not be in a  better location.... in the village and no more than 3 minutes to the resort.  We didn't like our interior site we were first assigned, but the perimeter mountain view location we moved to was just fine.  We looked over their putting course and onto the snow-capped mountains.

It is also bordered by a wonderful walking/biking paved path and a rushing stream.  On one walk, Rick decided he would build his own inukshuk, orginally a First Nation path marker which has morphed into a national Canadian symbol of welcome.

The trail then led us to the most marvelous discovery....Nicklaus North Golf Resort (golfwhistler.com).  Not only did the course look wonderful, the path led around Green Lake, a most extraordinary sight.

Stopped in the pro-shop to book a tee time for the next day and decided since there seemed to be no booking problem, to wait and see what the weather brought.  Middle of June, still nippy and mostly overcast.

Glad we waited, got to wait it out for a perfect day and found a website (golfbc.com), where we were able to book a time for almost half the listed price.

Managed to play pretty well which really surprised me since we hadn't played in three months.  The course is challenging, but fair.  Five sets of tees lets you pick a comfortable length.  It's pretty, with nice mountain and pond views, but not stunning until you get to 15.  The finishing holes border on the gorgeous lake with the float planes.

Dinner on the terrace capped off a terrific day....great food and an incredible view.

Whister Blackcomb Village  (whistlerblackcomb.com) is massive.  Was stunned at the number of hotels and residential units that fill the area.  Couple of weird things though; you really have to search to find all the shops and restaurants.  It wasn't until our second visit that we discovered them.  If you make your way to the chair lifts you will finally find all the action.

The other rather odd thing is that nearly all traces of the Olympics are gone.  The medal ceremony park is being turned into a playground....and what's there now is adorable.  The Olympic store is closed and the mogul hill is turned into a bike run for the summer.

This is the only remmant left....an outdoor table for an ice cream shop that has the mascots strapped in.

Most of the stores are very outdoorsy of the rugged variety...there are, however, two very good markets.  The IGA in the Village and Nestor's on the highway.  I finally scored an Olympic pin, of snowboarding, for Ian...found it at the IGA.

Visited the Aboriginal Cultural Center (slcc.ca) hoping to see some wonderful exhibits about the Squamish and Lil'wat nations that first settled the area.  It is a lovely building with very amatuerish displays...and at $18 a head, very disappointing.  This was a representation of a shawl.

Rick was fascinated, though, by the engineering of an out building called the Pit House that was a representation of a traditional dwelling.

We loved Whistler...lovely and beautiful.  Tomorrow we put Tor on a ferry to Vancouver Island.  Going to go up the central coast to some areas that are a bit off the beaten path.