Red Lion Inn Coos Bay

... Eureka we followed the 101 inland and took a detour on the old Highway 101 so we could drive through The Avenue of the Giants. The Avenue of the Giants is a huge redwood forest which is the largest of its kind in the world. The trees are unbelievebly massive and some are thousands of years old. It's a really incredible drive.

We then ...

... at the Mill Casino about 4 miles from Wild Mare. Then, Saturday night we dry camped at Wild Mare, but returned to the RV park at the Mill Casino, this time with full hook-ups for Sunday night.

The time at Wild Mare was full of great food, campfires and great company. They rode horses a couple of times a day and also had a bunch of ATVs for fun on the sand dunes.

... Bandon By The Sea and searched for agates on the beach, then drove the Beach Loop looking at Face Rock and other rock stacks along the coast. Headed down to the tide pools once again until getting in to our campground a little further south in time to swim and soak in the hot tub. No grocery stores anywhere around so it was boxed mac and cheese made on the cabin porch

... it's very good to be home again. I have mixed feelings about all the work ahead of me, both to get the weeds under control, and to finish sorting out the belongings for which I have no use and find some other home for them. And, I have no immediate plans to travel again tis year, I'm already looking forward to my next trek.
Thank you to all of you who read my blog and especially those who called and sent welcome emails to me when I was so far from home. Isn't email grand??!!!

... and security latch should have been comforting enough, but somehow it felt a bit uncomfortable.

We went out for dinner that night, choosing at little Italian restaurant along the main strip called Benetti's. It was very busy for a Wednesday night, so we knew it must have been good and we weren't disappointed. Choosing a mains each was hard, with some delicious sounding selections on the menu, but we settled ...

... So we make a decision to keep moving down the highway checking the fuel gauge. Might as well use the Diesel if it's going to leak out. We continue to enjoy the scenery as we make our way down I5 to Oregon.   Our first stop was a rest area just outside of Castle Rock, Washington. We also found out that the Diesel was only leaking when it was full and its most likely a seal around the top of the tank, we'll look at getting it fixed once we are in Merced, Christina's hometown.     

... rock and her Pooh bear, (she really liked him) but sadly they left the next morning before we could give it to him. The Good People Masquerading as Really Obnoxious People. After Brenda and Ron left the people who took their spot turned out to be the most challenging and I got to face one of my worst fears about traveling on the roads. I'm aware safety is an ongoing concern, especially now it's winter and there aren't so many people around. I've learned to park near ...

... Walked around town, got our laundry done for free by the nice owner of the hostel, and downloaded some movies to entertain ourselves. It's wind and rain tomorrow...no question about it. Brian just wants to get to the Redwoods and it looks like the weather might turn in our favor when we finally make it there. Peace love bicycles

... to help overcome the bike's gyroscopic stability. In the dirt, you actually push the bike into the turn while keeping your body upright, in order to counteract the lack of gyroscopic stability due to the slow speed. So I resolved to ride dirt bike style going forward. - The route. Heading to the highway, and later back to the coast, would add at least 2 hours to my ride, since I wanted to end up back at the coast the following day. I basically said ...

... to establish the result of the Crewe Alex v Port Vale game via the bbc (a 2-1 home win). Took a wander around the place - too many flashy lights and slot machines. A lot like Rhyl or somewhere equally depressing. Managed to avoid the call of McDonald's that was trying to beckon me in detecting my boredom. So far the West coast have not lived up to its reputation. Bed at 11 or so after an hour's South Park and the only sacing grace of this place.