We decided to have a leisurely start today, as we didnt have as long a drive ahead of us. It was the first day weve had that the sun wasnt shining. In fact, there were sprinkles here and there, and it was decidedly cooler. This leg of our trip was bringing us along the ocean through many small towns, and lots of forests. We crossed over the 2 mile bridge that connects Washington and Oregon at about 11:30 am. This was an incredible bridge, and Im sure the scenery around it was wonderful. We, however, couldnt see a thing. Turns out, what we thought was fog this whole time is actually smoke from the many fires raging throughout the area. It gives a yellow tint to the surroundings, and in some areas is quite thick and acrid. We decided that this would be a good time to stop, stretch our legs, and have lunch. We all changed into warmer clothing, as it was quite cool and raw. Glad now we packed for different scenarios. We caught up on our blog as well.
this was touted as a must see place. Well, not sure who wrote that, but it was pretty pathetic. We decided to hit one of the beach side restaurants for drinks and apps. Had a great Seabreeze with a couple of oyster shots. Some couple came in and asked if we were the ones in the RVs, as there was a cop looking for Ray. Apparently we had parked in a spot that prohibited anything over 20 feet. Luckily the officer writing the ticket, and we were able to just move the rig. Of course, Im sure it had a lot to do with Rays winning personality.
We then headed out to our campground, Old Mill RV park in Garibaldi, OR. After checking in, we set up the rigs, dumped our tanks, and caught up on emails and blogs, as the wifi was pretty good here. Soon we set out to treat ourselves to a great local seafood dinner, as Garibaldi is a small fishing town, right on the ocean. The first problem was finding a restaurant that was open, or that had sit down service. After walking for about 200 miles, we found a place right
next to our RV park that fit the bill. Now we learned that no one has Halibut or crabs. (Two of the things weve been looking forward to) We settled for fried Cod, Shrimp, and steamers. The food was good, but fine dining this was not.
Headed back to the RVs to get some sleep. Everyone was pretty tired. Ray did some checking on the road conditions for our legs and discovered we may have some serious problems. The state has a web site that gives the road closures associated with the fire. Apparently, some of the roads were planning to travel are closed. Also, there arent alot of alternative routes that you can take without going miles out of the way. Well check again in the morning, and decide what we have to do. Ray said he didnt feel like getting stranded on a back road in a forest fire and having to find a pond to stick us all in. He said he didnt think this crowd would do well breathing through a straw.
Today was disappointing, as the Oregon coast is known for its beauty. We had so looked forward to seeing it, and
stopping frequently to take pictures. We traveled many miles down the coast, and saw nothing. You couldnt even see the surf in many cases. Hopefully tomorrow the smoke will blow in another direction, and well get to see some on the way to Coos Bay. That is, if the highway is
