Condo Tour

For those of you who might be interested in seeing our Depoe Bay condo, we shot a video while we were there.  However, the lack of an adequate Internet connection prevented us from uploading it to YouTube until we got to Sabrina and Bryan's home.  Click here to view the tour.

Oregon Trip Nearing An End

After a very enjoyable (and relaxing!) week at the condo we rented in Depoe Bay, we left yesterday morning. We were fortunate to have very nice weather. Except for a rainy day this past Sunday, we had a lot of sun every day.

From Depoe Bay, we drove down the coast to Bandon, which the readers of Budget Travel named America’s 6th Coolest Small Town. Our visit included a stop at the Bandon Bakery for some delicious cinnamon rolls. After that, we went down to the beach to walk among the giant rocks that populate the beach.  Then it was on to Roseburg, OR, where we spent the night.

This morning, we headed east to Crater Lake National Park. This is quite an amazing place to see.  The water is incredibly blue, and the surface of the water is so smooth that the reflections of the rim of the volcano and the clouds are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. 

From there, we drove north toward Bend, where we’re spending the night. Along the way, we stopped at the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. This is the place where the astronauts trained in the 60’s for moon landings. It was very interesting walking in the 7,000 year old lava bed.

Tomorrow morning, we head back to Tacoma.

Taking It Easy

We arrived at our condo in Depoe Bay late Wednesday afternoon.  It was drizzly and gray that evening and the following morning but it's been nice and sunny since.  Our condo is beautiful, probably nicer than the one we stayed in during our last two visits here.  The ocean views are fantastic.  However, unlike our other visits, the whales seem to be staying away this time.

Yesterday, we drove to Newport, about 15 miles down the coast  We went down to the waterfront to pick up some fresh fish (salmon is on the menu tonight).  We also stopped at Mo's for clam chowder.  Mo's is supposed to be THE place to go for clam chowder, but frankly, we didn't think it was that good.

 

We've been doing a lot of walking.  We walk to downtown Depoe Bay a couple of times a day.  It's just a quiet small town -- that's part of downtown in the photo -- but that's what we like about it.  It's not nearly as "touristy" as Lincoln City, which is about ten miles up the coast.  We also drive to Beverly Beach each day to walk on the sand. 

Tomorrow night, we have tickets to see Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakam at the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City.

Thank you, Kathy!

It can be a problem when you sell your house two weeks before you can actually leave town.  But not when you have a friend like Kathy Dahmen.  Kathy provided us a wonderful place to stay for two weeks and even made Roger a birthday cake!

We left Pullman about 6:00 Friday morning, and we're now in Tacoma for a few days before going to the Oregon coast on Wednesday.

Farewell Pullman

After making Pullman our home for the past eleven years, tomorrow we begin a new adventure. Our first stop will be in Tacoma, where we'll be staying for a few days with our daughter Sabrina, our son-in-law Bryan and our granddaughter Chloe. That's them in the photo. Next Wednesday, we're leaving for Depoe Bay, OR, to stay in our favorite oceanside condo. Then it's back to Tacoma for a couple more weeks, mostly taking care of Chloe.

On July 9, we're heading out for about three months to see parts of the country we've always wanted to see but never seemed to find the time -- New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland and Tennessee. One of the highlights of our trip will be a 9-day cruise on Royal Caribbean to parts of New England and Canada. Along the way, we're stopping in Minnesota to visit our families, and we hope to see some old friends along our journey, as well.

We're going to do our best to keep this blog up-to-date, though we probably won't post very much until mid-to-late July. We hope you'll follow along on our Excellent Adventure!