Gary is finally getting to play a round of golf.  It is the first day since we arrived in Florence without intermittent downpours.

There is a funny little boat marooned at the end of the Port of Siuslaw RV Park called the S.S. Bean.  I looked it up and it was brought here to help Old Town Florence promote itself and its commercial area.  It was named after a man named Bean who is credited with founding all of the ports on the Oregon coast except the Port of Portland.

Yesterday we walked through the cute shops in the Old Town area and bought a couple of holiday gifts for Macy and Evan.  We had lunch at a "British" pub.  It had pretty good food but the sausage rolls were tiny.  They had many products you can't find in stores in the U.S. but no wine gums.  They did have two GB stickers that Gary bought because Great Britain and Gary Bays have those initials.  He will probably stick one on his car and one on the TrailBayser.

Last night we had dinner at Three Rivers Casino because they were hosting a Shrimp Night buffet.  Gary was in heaven.  They had at least 12 different preparations of shrimp plus two different kinds to put on your salad.  You could have several different kinds custom made by the resident chef and all you can eat for just $11.95.  Can't beat that!

Here is Baby relaxing on Gary's pillow.

The beautiful Port of Siuslaw in Florence, OR is where we have landed for five nights.  The RV Park at the port is minimal but the views are spectacular.

We have had wave after wave of rain and wind, walking Jazzy and Baby in between storms.  That has worked well so far.

Here is Jazzy using the iPhone.

The roof of a nearby building has hundreds of seagulls on it.  They alternate between this roof and a nearby pier.

Today we did a few things we had been meaning to do on the Airstream.  We hung a mirror on the bathroom door and hung a few hooks inside.  After lunch we went to a movie, a perfect thing to do on a rainy day.  We saw The Accountant.  It was very bloody but interesting as it is the first movie I've seen where the protagonist was on the autism spectrum. 

We didn't get to see the full super moon last night because of the storms but what is left of it showed itself tonight.  Still stunning.

We headed for the Oregon coast on Thursday, November 10.  It was about a four hour drive to North Bend and The Mills Casino and RV Park.  We have stayed here before but were tempted back by a winter special and a chance to spend time with our good friends, Vince and Debbie S.  We were able to camp in adjoining spaces.

On the way here we saw a strange sight.  There were dozens of piles of slash, which is the woody byproduct of logging, the tree tops and smaller side branches.  These particular piles each had a piece of black plastic draped and tied over the tops of them.  They were about 6 feet by 6 feet, not nearly large enough to keep the pile dry.  No idea what they were for.

The first day we explored Charleston, OR, a small town nearby.  We also went through Coos Bay and found an RV park we hadn't heard of before with a great view of the ocean, Bastendorff Park.

The town has a large oyster industry and shells were everywhere.

Yesterday we drove to Bandon, OR known for its difficult but beautiful golf courses.  We strolled through the downtown area and went into several fun shops.  Lunch was at the Minute Cafe. 

On the Bandon waterfront we saw a life vest stand meant to save children's lives.  Great idea.

We also saw two examples of street art made completely of floating garbage salvaged from nearby waters.  Another great idea.

In the marina was a yacht called Plan B.

North Bend is known as a port for logging.  Huge piles of tagged logs can be found by the river.

Last night we went to the casino to see a Fleetwood Mac cover band.  They were fairly good but the real show was watching the audience members rocking out. Some of the fairly aged dancers had real moves but many were hilarious to watch. The lady in front of us was really wild.  I'm surprised the man in the seat next to her didn't get bruised. 

Today we worked a little in the Airstream and then went to see a science fiction movie, "Arrival".  I liked it but I don't think Gary did.  Tonight we ate dinner at the casino and tomorrow we leave for Florence.  I hope the rain holds off enough so that he can play some golf this coming week.

This trip was short and sweet.  We drove the TrailBayser to Hood River, OR which is only about an hour and a half from home.  It is in the Columbia Gorge which is known for its high winds and excellent wind surfing in the spring and summer.  We made plans for this trip with our friends Bob and Sue before we knew that a big storm was forecast for western Oregon and Washington, but we decided to go anyway.  It turned out to be a good decision.  The storm didn't reach as far east as we were and, although it was a wet weekend, we were able to go to the Harvest Fest, take the dogs for good, long walks and enjoy nature at Memaloose State Park.

We arrived mid-day on Thursday and enjoyed a wonderful steak dinner cooked by Bob on his new barbecue grill.  The only excitement was when their dachshund, Gracie, grabbed my steak off of the table and threw it on the floor.  Luckily, they had a spare.  I forgave Gracie and we had a delicious meal.

On Friday we visited Harvest Fest which was held on the banks of the Columbia River.  We had lunch at one of the food carts and visited the exhibits of fruits, vegetables and artsy items.  You can see how big someone had grown a pumpkin above.  Also, Gary is holding one of the largest apples I have ever seen. The tourist area around Hood River is known as the Fruit Loop because of all the orchards and vineyards. Gary bought some jars of jelly, a cinnamon roll and a pie and I was really lucky and found some homemade soap I had been looking for for about six months.  A friend (Jo Ann) had given me a bar of it for an occasion a few years ago but the store had stopped carrying it.  I was so happy to find it and now I have the web page for the artisan.

Saturday was a quiet, wet day so we went to the movies and saw Deepwater Horizon in a theater in The Dalles, OR.  It was intense.  After that we had a nice Italian dinner at Romuls Restaurant in Hood River.

Jazzy did extremely well for her first camping trip.  She was a little nervous and shaky at first, but quickly adapted.

We arrived home a few hours ago and, although there were some tree branches down, our house and yard looked the way they look whenever there is windy weather. 

Tonight is the last night of this great trip.  Above is a view of the Blue Mountains from Wildhorse Casino and RV Park just outside of Pendleton, OR, with a fog settled into the foreground.  So beautiful!

We drove here on Sunday from the Boise area.  This is a campground we have used and enjoyed at least 3 times before.  Pendleton is known for its big rodeo, The Pendleton Roundup, which takes place in September.  

On Sunday night we ate at a cute place called the Prodigal Son and sat at a little table cut from a slice of tree and polished. 

Last night we went to the casino to see the movie "Jason Bourne" and halfway through it a thunderstorm blew through and turned off the electricity in the whole area.  We went back to the TrailBayser and, having nothing better to do, went to sleep.  The power came on after about 4 hours.  We went back to the theater tonight to see the rest of the movie.  Gary really liked it.

Gary played 18 holes of golf yesterday and nine today.  I was so glad he was able to do it.  Yesterday was quite windy but today was calm.  The temperatures have reached 81 both days.  So refreshing after the heat wave and humidity in the east. 

Can't wait to see our family and friends at home.  Unless something unexpected happens tomorrow, this will be my last blog entry for this trip.  We have two more short trips tentatively planned for fall.  Stay tuned.

Just a short note tonight.  We saw this wine glass and bottle on I-84 on our way from Twin Falls, ID to Meridian, which is a few miles past Boise.

We are staying overnight at a lovely KOA in Meridian.  This is our type of campground, with asphalt roads, concrete pathways and gravel only in the sites themselves.  Baby likes this better, too.  Easier on her little paws.

We did not unhitch the car so we can get an early start tomorrow, so I was very lucky to see a Starbucks was within walking distance.  A great treat after our leftovers for dinner.

Tomorrow morning we will leave for our final stop at Wildhorse Casino in Pendleton, OR.  Good weather is expected so Gary can get in some golf.  We plan to be there for three nights and then go home on Wednesday.

Today we did the tourist thing around Twin Falls, ID.  Above is a statue of I.B. Perrine, the founder of this and several other Idaho towns.  This was found at the Twin Falls Visitor Center which looks over the Snake River Canyon.

This is a replica of Perrine's carriage and below is the bridge over the river named for him, although the locals call it the Potato Bridge.

Here is Gary standing by a miniature of the bridge outside the Visitor's Center.

You can just about tell that this is a picture of people kayaking on the Snake.  After the Visitor's Center, we went to see Shoshone Falls, also billed as the Niagara of the West.

When the river is up and they are not diverting water for farm irrigation, all of the rocks have water pouring over them.  I hope you can see the rainbow in the water in the pictures below.

This picture was in the Visitor's Center and shows the falls when more water is available.

Another interesting site nearby is the Minidoka Museum, which is not yet completed.  They call it a work in progress, but I found it a little disconcerting that this long after WW2 this compilation of the history of the disgraceful Japanese internment camps is not yet finished.

Gary played golf today at Canyon Springs Golf Course.  This is only the second time he has played on this trip.  Here is a view of the second hole in the Snake River Canyon.

We must be over the rainbow, because we found the Tin Man in a field outside of Jerome, ID today.  Actually, there is a phone app called Roadside that tells you where many strange things are located so you can see them on your travels.  This was so close to our new campground, KOA Twin Falls/Jerome,  that we had to go.

We reached this typical KOA after a hard driving day.  The wind was 25-35 mph the whole way and Gary's arms ached from fighting to keep in the lane.  Luckily, it was a fairly short drive, only about 3 hours.  We are going to stay here three nights.  Below is a picture looking out one of the bedroom windows of the TrailBayser.

Before dinner we took a short ride to find a golf course in the Snake River Canyon.  It is gorgeous there.  We saw a waterfall, a nice view of the bridge over the river and some lovely views of the river itself.

We also saw a ranch with a big sign over the entryway that said El Rancho Co$ta Plente.

Tomorrow we will have more adventures but one of them will not be the zip line called Zip the Snake.

Yesterday started out with a big boo-boo.  We were supposed to be heading for Green River, WY but I made reservations in a KOA in Green River, UT.  Only approximately a 200 mile error and it was nowhere near where we intended to go.  Thank goodness, when I put the address into the GPS, it told us we were driving 466 miles today, so we knew there was something amiss.  So, I called Utah and confessed and they allowed us to cancel with only a $10 penalty.  Very nice of them.  Also, we were able to get into the Wyoming park, which is certainly not guaranteed when school is out and everyone is on the road with their kids.  The covered wagon above was opposite our space.

When we arrived at the KOA in Wyoming, they had given us a space with only 30 amps so Gary used his many charms to talk them into a 50 amp site so we could use both air conditioners.  The only 50 amp site they had available was their only Super Site, which had its own patio, complete with table, chairs and a wooden porch swing.  We used our KOA points and it only cost $4.95.  Very lucky and not likely to ever happen again.

This campground is mainly gravel with a few small trees and many people gave it poor reviews online, but if you look at the surrounding geography, there aren't any trees here.  The few there were had been planted by the owners and taken care of carefully.  The dog run was all grass. We thought the camp was fine.

We met a couple from Beaverton, Oregon who were pulling an Airstream exactly like ours.  We really hit it off and ended up eating dinner together on the patio and exchanging information so we can see each other at home.  David and Penne S. and we have lots in common besides our trailers.  That was very exciting and the first time it has happened.

Green River, WY was making an attempt to be like bigger places that have fiberglass horses, cowboy boots, etc. as mascots but they couldn't quite afford those so they had plywood steers set up in a way that was 3 dimensional and painted.  Very cute.

Today we drove to Brigham City, UT to a KOA that we have used before.  The scenery was spectacular.

We kept getting "Red Flag" warnings on our cell phones which meant that the extreme heat made the likelihood of fire imminent.  In contrast to that we saw miles and miles of snow fences along the highway which keep the drifts off the highways in winter.

There are many places along I-80 and I-84 where they can completely close the highway because of adverse conditions.  If the lights are blinking, you must exit and they lower gates over the on-ramps to keep new people from entering the highways.  So far, we haven't encountered any closures, but I'm sure it happens fairly regularly in winter and during high winds.

Tomorrow we will drive to Twin Falls, ID and spend three nights.