2. First Week on the Road

On Wednesday, March 26, we finished loading the RV and pointed it south on I-405. We took just about everything we owned, except the piano, but still wondered “what did we forget?” Sure enough, Ron forgot his pants, which were left hanging together in the closet where he wouldn’t forget them. He did remember such important things as the Frisbee, bag of mixed nuts and a combination lock that he lost the combination to.

It was an easy drive down I-5 to Portland before the weather turned on us. Short bursts of rain, hail and snow were interspersed with bright sunshine for the next three days. We turned right at Eugene, gassed up the RV ($3.50/gal.), crossed the Coast Range and checked into the South Jetty Campground in Florence in the early evening. It’s a very nice forested campground and just a mile or so from the Oregon Dunes Nat’l. Recreation Area and beaches.

On Friday, we were visited by Eric and Lynne Dittmer, long-time friends from Medford. We spent the afternoon watching dune buggies and motorcycles challenge the dunes, exploring Old Town Florence and looking at boats along the Siuslaw River. A great seafood dinner at Mo’s capped off the day. Willing to try anything once, Eric and Lynne agreed to spend the night on the fold-out couch in our RV. It was a freezing cold rainy miserable night. We awoke to “corn snow” on the ground. It was an experience they'll probably not soon forget. After a hearty breakfast at South Jetty Betty’s campground café, we were warmed up and feeling good again.

Saturday, the big night at South Jetty, started off with an excellent prime rib dinner, cooked and served up by South Jetty Betty herself. After dinner, Betty called BINGO. Bonnie won the final game and a $10 prize for the blackout. BINGO was followed by an ice cream social, also served by Betty who seems to do it all. What more could anyone ask?

We hit the road again on Sunday (Mar. 30). The southern Oregon coast was warm and sunny and the scenery outstanding. We stopped in Brookings to buy Ron a pair of tax-free pants before continuing on to Crescent City.

We spent the night at a small campground near the mouth of the Klamath River. At the suggestion of our host, we drove up a short steep road to Requa Viewpoint to watch the sunset and look for migrating whales. Didn’t see any whales, but the sunset was very nice!

We stopped at Eureka to fill the gas tank again ($3.80/gal.) before continuing south through the redwoods. Much of this highway was crooked, hilly, narrow and slow-going – a white-knuckle ride for Bonnie who frequently cautioned Ron about “speeding” through the curves at 30 mph. Since we weren’t in a hurry, we had plenty of time to enjoy the beauty of the forest, including a lunch stop at Richardson’s Grove to view the Grandfather Tree and too many chainsaw sculptures. And on we went down Highway 101 and into California wine country.

1. Introduction

As we approach April, it's apparent that spring has sprung in the Northwest. Buds are popping, trees are blossoming, and the grass and weeds are growing with renewed vigor. It's time to get out of town!

The motor home has been in storage since last September, following our trip to South Dakota. We got it started earlier this month, brought it home and spent a day de-winterizing, removing moss, sanitizing the fresh water tank, cleaning, lubricating, sorting and making sure everything still works. The batteries were low, but a little driving and overnight charging powered them up.

We spent the winter months daydreaming and plotting alternative vacation routes until we arrived at an agreeable route. We arrived at the conclusion that the only way to see what we wanted to see was to circumnavigate America in a counterclockwise direction. After spending most of our lives in the Northwest, we felt a need to see how people live, work and play in other parts of the country. The Gulf Coast, Florida, East Coast, New England and the maritime provinces of Canada were all on our list of places to visit. With gas selling for $3.50/gal. and rising rapidly, this may not be the ideal time for a couple of retired folks on fixed incomes to begin a 10,000 mile journey in a rig that gets 8 miles to the gallon pulling a dinghy. But, we aren't getting any younger and we feel it's time to do some of the things that we've been setting aside for our retirement years.

We plan to embark on this adventure on March 26. We'll head south through Oregon and California, then turn left toward Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, followed by the Gulf Coast, Florida and the East Coast, or until we run out of gas money. We'll take pictures along the way and document our adventures in this blogspot. Time and internet access may limit our production somewhat, but we'll add to the blog every few days . . . provided something interesting is happening. We invite you to follow along by reading our reports and, if you've already been where we're going, feel free to comment or offer suggestions on where to go and what to see, or places to avoid.