Wild Rivers Motorlodge Brookings

So we decided that we had had enough of motels, so we decided to camp out for a couple pf nights, we selected this beautiful spot outside the national park, it was surrounded by giant red woods and right next to a river... and (as we found out after paying and setting up camp ...

... lanes on 101. Oregon isn't too fond of them in the mid part of the coastal route. But, oh, the sparkling vistas. Very magical.<br>The staties were out and reeling in speeders, but the Vision stayed in cruise control mode or was busy navigating tight curves on cliffs so no worries here.<br>I am now very aware of tsunami evacuation routes from all the signage. That will be the first thing I look for now when I enter the small seaside towns.<br>

To get back to the Pacific, we must drive back north into Oregon and we choose a narrow, less-traveled road near Yreka, through beautiful forests and along the ugly and murky Klamath River. Once we enter California again we start to see the huge trees of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, but it is dark and we get a motel room in Crescent City and hope to see some more redwoods tomorrow.

We stopped in Pistol River and had a short ride on a horse. Anna's horse was called Fantasia and Dom's was called Dark Sun. We went up the road and through a couple of fields and we both really enjoyed it. At the end we were allowed to feed them too!

... them. She still talks about them every day, particularly  Jessica. If there is an animal or family one is always Isa and another is normally named  Jessica but the longing to see them has clearly lessoned and her ability to be present where ever we are is so fun. The Sun, The Beach. The sky cleared in Brookings, the sun came out and it was warm. Brookings lies in a banana belt, so the weather there is usually a little warmer and nicer then other places. One foggy morning ...

... highway, and rerouted it in some areas, some of these stops have closed up while others have continued and prospered. They have been passed down from generation to generation. The "Trees of Mystery" is one of the survivors, and that is where Paul and his blue Ox, Babe, live. This was the introduction to the Redwoods that Greg and I received on our trip South. Pat & I got there, and I looked across the highway to ...

... called Harris Beach - it is right on a cliff edge, close to town with dramatic views. It is still quite cold, the daytime top temp has been about 16 C and at night it drops dramatically and gets pretty cold. The van is quite warm and comfortable and doesn't suffer too much from condensation if we leave the roof top vents open a little. We are certainly looking forward to some warmer weather although in a few short months it ...

... chap in there with a torn yellow T-shirt who lives locally and was very chatty but also seemed reasonably intelligent - only "Chance" in the book. We don't get to speak many people so this was a nice meeting. Brandon is very nice but more of a one week "get-away-from-it-all" place. We ended our day in Brookings at the bottom of Oregon in a motel overlooking the Pacific which is where I'm writing this now. The room faces west naturally ...

... looked very much like the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina.(except with massive Redwood trees). This was the first day we drove more than a couple of hours. There were no Walmarts in sight for a short overnight stay, so we pulled off an exit and found a safe place to park near a hotel. We managed to squeeze a little fun in along the way. Tomorrow morning we'll just have a one hour drive to Redwood National Park! -Chris

... a drive ourselves. I can not begin to tell you how excited we were when we drove past a "West Coast Game Park" sign that promised we'd be able to walk amongst and pet the animals. This may bring up thoughts of the "African Lion Safari" for the Ontario folk, however this game park removes the safe enclosure of your vehicle ...