It’s 6:30 AM on Tuesday at the Marriott Town Place in Richland, Washington.  Here’s what happened since last post:

We left at 8:30 AM Monday morning on a six hour drive (not including stops) to Richland where we are now.  Basically, east to Salem, north to Portland (I-5) and east to Richland (mostly I-84 along the Columbia River.  A couple of years back we did the big sites including Vista House and Multnomah Falls which are pretty close to Portland, so we skipped that portion of historic route 30.  You can revisit that post here.

.We made a stop at Mitchell Point overlook for some pictures.  Then we crossed from the Oregon side of the very wide Columbia to the Washington side over a bridge at Hood River.  Scary bridge!  Very narrow.  The whole length is made up of those corrugated see-thru steel plates.  Elaine was petrified.  $2.00 toll, too.  No pictures on the bridge.

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Then we drove for a bit on the Washington side and stopped at a great picnic area for our lunch.  Great for most of the lunch until the bees started coming and we retreated to Blue.

We crossed back to the Oregon side at a proper bridge and made a brief stop  at the Dalles Dam.

Finally we left I-84 and headed north to Richland.  This is serious farming country, not what you think of when you think of Washington and Oregon.  The highlight of this portion was passing through Irrigon, Orgeon just for the enjoyment of saying the name.

We arrived in Richland and checked in at the Marriott TownPlace Suites.  We had a very nice dinner with a great view at Anthony’s at Columbia Point (which was right across the street).

After breakfast we will be heading north once again to Leavenworth, WA.  More about that when we get there,

We leave tomorrow for two weeks, will be back October 1st.  Sunday was final day.  Beautiful weather day!  Keeping it brief, we had a great breakfast at Gracie’s Sea Hag.  What could be better than eggs over easy, hash browns, and six fried Pacific oysters with a side of bacon!

After break fast we took a ride on the Otter Creek Loop to Foulweather Bay which was discovered by Captain Cook, our friend from Whitby in the UK, way back when.  Pics follow. (Phone photos, didn’t have camera) No captions.

Cocktails on the balcony were under glorious sunny skies.  Dinner was at home, courtesy of chef Elaine.  The sunset was glorious.  Many pics below.  No captions.

Tomorrow morning we drive northish to Portland, then east to Richland, WA for an overnight.  Six hour drive.  No post tomorrow.  Be back again from Leavenworth, WA on Tuesday.

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Fog had cleared overnight.  Mostly cloudy but dry.  Dry is good.  Two years back we got soaked through and through at the Salmon Bake.

Morning walks as usual.  Some new sights for you from my walk.

We drove down to the Salmon Bake  at 11:30.  Long line but it moved fast.  The salmon was delicious and so was the cole slaw.  We split two desserts – brownie with ice cream and marionberry cobbler with ice cream.  As we stood in line I think we were the youngest people there.  Seems as if a couple of buses from senior centers arrived just before us.

After eating we watched the Native American dancers for a bit.  They were up from Arizona.  Pictures and video below.

Then we walked around the harbor before returning to the condo.  I bought a Depoe Bay Coast Guard jacket from the Coast Guard booth at the Salmon Bake.

The afternoon was quiet at home.  Cocktails on a cool balcony.  No sun during cocktails for the first time.  Dinner was bread, cheese, paté, pears, and wine.  We had driven into Newport before the Salmon Bake to get a last delicious sourdough baguette.

It’s Sunday morning now.  The windows were closed last night as it rained most of the night.  Depoe Bay needs the rain.  All of Oregon does.  We should see some sun today with a nice day predicted for Monday when we hit the road.

It was dry on Friday but the fog was persistent almost the whole day.  We saw the sun twice during the day.

No sun on the morning walks.  Each day on the way into town we walk by a prime piece of property right on the ocean.  It’s right next to Tidal Raves Restaurant.  Run down and apparently empty (but with an old RV parked there), it looks like it a set right out of the movie Deliverance.  Further on the seals were still basking in the fog near the harbor and the charter fishing boats were going out.

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(Aside: want to read about an English seal basking 50 miles from the ocean?  It’s here.  This irrelevant information is provided as a public service by me, the Admin.  OK, Mianne, the word is officially out – I am the mysterious Admin!)

With at least the hope of sun we decided to take a ride south to Yachats and picnic along the way. Alas, the fog didn’t lift.  We made a couple of stops along the way (at Seal Rock and at Driftwood Beach) for foggy pictures along the ocean.  Just after Yachats is Cape Perpetua.  Here you can drive two miles up to the top of the promontory for one of the best views along the whole Oregon coast.  Up we went, and at the top we were above the fog.  Clear blue skies and a nice picnic table.  But absolutely no view except of the fog that persisted below us.  That was our first view of the sun for the day.

Cocktails on the balcony was a cool affair.  I had my polar fleece on and huddled in a blanket.  But between 5:30 and 6:30 the sun shone through the fog (our second view of it for the day), and we had clear views for about an hour before the fog bank rolled back in and enveloped us.  Dinner was at home.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is the annual Depot Bay Salmon Bake.  More about that tomorrow.

Weather Forecast: Terrible
Weather: Mostly Cloudy with Sunny Periods and No Rain

They sell Kratom everywhere!  Gas stations, convenience stores.  We had never heard of it.

Kratom, which has been used for thousands of years by the local people of Southeast Asia, is becoming popular among the citizens of the United States, who are experiencing a number of benefits from it, like relief from anxiety and depression. The most important use of the Kratom is that it helps persons to detox from the use of opiate and help in its withdrawal.

Read about what the National Institute on drug Abuse says here.

Quiet day again.  We went into Newport because the Pacific Northwest map I ordered from Walmart for store pickup had arrived.  I wanted it for our road trip which starts on Monday.  It’s a great Michelin map.  I had planned on buying a USA atlas at Costco when we were there, but they didn’t have any.  Remember when getting a map was as simple as stopping at a gas station and asking for one?  Stores just don’t sell them anymore.  And there is no AAA office anywhere near here.  (It’s unlike me not having the map before we left, but there you go!)  Anyway, we stopped at Otter Rock for a couple of pictures on the way home when we caught a nice sunny period.

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Nice walk into town this morning and I saw seals on the rocks under the bridge near Depoe Bay harbor.

Inspired by my artistic patterns gallery yesterday, I decided to be artistic again!

A Potpourri of Depoe Bay Store Windows
Pictures through glass don’t come out so good!

It was cloudy and very cool, so we were bundled up for cocktail time on the balcony.  As we shivered, the clouds magically parted and we got some nic e warming sunshine.  Dinner tonight was back at Tidal Raves.  More Eyrie, but this time a Rosé of Pinot Noir.  More Seahawk Bread (baguette, smoked salmon, cream cheese, havarti, shrimp, red onion).  More great food.  Chowder starters.  Mains: Elaine – Herb Crusted Pacific Rockfish with shrimp-caper sauce, smoked salmon potato cake; Joe – Oven Broiled Alaskan Halibut,crab risotto, vodka sauce.  We shared a dessert: a Giant Warm Chocolate Chunk Cookie (with walnuts) and Tillamook Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

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First off, to those leaving comments, we read them all and appreciate each one.  I don’t reply to them individually, but if a question of interest arises, I try to mention it in the next post.  To Barb (whose has been here): it is considered off season but this September seems much busier than last September.  Elaine got her hair cut yesterday and Tom, the owner of the shop, told her it was the busiest season in the thirty he has lived here.  To Mianne (the cougar): very witty!  To Sue (my sister): do you remember living in Chelsea?  I would guess not.  I think you would have been four when we moved to Melrose.

Wednesday weather forecast:  Cloudy with lots of rain.
Wednesday weather: brief noontime shower and lots! of sun.

In defense of weathermen, Oregon as a whole got lots of rain including the north coast, Portland, and Salem.  The state needs rain badly.  Salem went an unheard of 90 days without a drop until just the other day.

We had a quiet day in Depoe Bay.  Elaine got her hair cut.  And she started a jig-saw puzzle – a picture of downtown Seattle – good practice as we will be there in about twelve days.  While she assembled the puzzle, I drove the mile north to Fogarty Creek State Park and took a walk on the beach.  Oregon has fantastic state parks!

Patterns at Fogarty Creek Park (My Artistic Side)

Dinner was at home (Shake and Bake) after the de rigueur cocktails on the balcony.  It might have been the nicest day yet.  It was quite cooler today with the high in Depoe Bay barely reaching 60.  Sitting on the balcony with the sun shining right at you feels quite warm even with temperatures in the 60’s.  (Sorry to those of you suffering in the desert heat or the northeast humidity!)  And another nice sunset.

You saw some of the rough seas.  Just the other day a Chinese couple who recently emigrated to the USA (in June) climbed down a path here is Depoe Bay to be near the water.  A wave swept them into the ocean and they drowned.  Very sad.  Their 10-year-old daughter was with them but had started to climb back up.  She survived.  Story here.  (Sue Urbani saw it on the news in Florida.) Oh, and a hiker on Mount Hood was killed by a cougar.  Story here.  One must be careful in Oregon.

Tuesday was billed as mostly cloudy with lots of showers.  We got one brief shower at about 8:30 AM.  The rest of the day was pure sunshine.  I guess further up the coast (near Tillamook) and inland around Salem and Portland did get quite a bit of rain.  But for us it was beautiful.

Quite day for us.  Separate morning walks as usual.  The shower came just as I got back.  We drove into Newport for brief stops at Walmart and Safeway.  Then we drove down to the harbor area for lunch at our favorite luncheon restaurant – Local Ocean Seafoods.  We split a grilled calamari salad – it is so good!  Then Elaine had fish tacos with the catch of the day (rockfish) while I had my usual Rockfish Italiano sandwich.  The fries here are great too.  Elaine had Pinot Noir.  I had two pints of Pacific Ale.  Ok, ok, I had three – one for dessert.

We had a brief stop to watch the sea lions.  I could watch them all day!  Then it was back home.

Lots of time was spent on the balcony in the afternoon.  Cocktails and cheese and crackers served as dinner after the great lunch.  And the sunset was perfect.

Rain is coming but Monday was perfect.  Here is the day in pictures.

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Morning Walks and Breakfast at Gracie’s Sea Hag

That last picture:  This place, originally was a gas station.  Then it was a great BBQ restaurant.  Then it became a Cannabis Store.  Now it is vacant.

The Three Capes Scenic Loop

Cape Kiwanda was great; Cape Lookout was totally fogged in; we skipped Cape Meares.

Tillamook and the Blue Heron Cheese Factory

They have an eclectic site with lots of animals and collectibles as well as a great store and restaurant.

Afternoon & Cocktail Hour on the Balcony (Surf’s Up!)

Elaine walked back downtown to get our tickets for the Salmon Bake this Saturday.  Then it was enjoying the sunshine and the surf.

Dinner at Tidal Raves

Sorry, no food pics.  We had cocktails (cucumber gin gimlet for me, rye whisky infused pinot noir sangria for Elaine), chowder (salmon for Elaine, clam for me), and for mains – pan friend Pacific oysters for me, red chili bbq shrimp skewers for Elaine.  No desserts.  We walked to the restaurant and after the feast barely made it home to bed.

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First, a few pics from yesterday’s Farmer’s Market in Newport:

Best plums ever!  Best baguette outside of France ever!  Great green beans and sweet corn!

So this morning, it was foggy and dreary at the condo.  We both did separate walks into town.

Then we decided to go to Lincoln City’s Farmer’s Market in the hope the baguette lady would be there.  As soon as we rounded the corner at Boiler Bay (about 1/4 mile from the condo), the sun was out brightly.  And voila!  The baguette lady was there, so there would be delicious sandwiches again for lunch.

We went home and watched the Patriot’s game.  My one year boycott is over.  Good game to watch.  What should have been an easy win turned into a bit of a nail biter near the end, but the Pats, as usual, prevailed.

Magically the fog lifted and it turned into a glorious afternoon.  We very happy to just st on the balcony, enjoy our sandwiches, sop up the sun, and watch the whales.  There are dozens of whales right in front of us.  You see their spouts, a bit of their backs, and maybe a fin or tail.  No breaching.  I snuck in a nap.  Dinner at home again – leftover meat loaf, more sweet corn, and more green beans.  Pecan tarts with whipped cream for dessert.

People have asked about the weather.  The official highs in Depoe Bay are in the upper sixties, but when the sun shines on the balcony, shorts are de rigeur and sun tan lotion is in use.

So our fall 2018 Air/Road Trip is off and running.  On Friday we took Execucar to the airport and flew non-stop on American Airlines to Portland, Oregon.  The flight was on-time and we were at Portland Airport before 1 PM.  A shuttle bus and a check-in line later and we were in our rental car heading to Depoe Bay.  The car is a dark blue (not navy) Nissan Rogue.  It only has 5,000 miles on it, and it rides perfectly.  Comfortable.  We name our cars: this one is blue so its name is Blue.

Before programming the GPS for Depoe Bay, we set it to take us just across the border into Washington to visit Costco.  Oregon has Costco’s but they are not allowed to sell wine or liquor.  So we bought some Kirkland vodka and twelve bottles of Oregon wine as well as a folding chair.  I always buy a chair because the ones on our balcony in Depoe Bay aren’t very comfortable.  I leave the chair there when I leave but I have no expectation that it will still be there a year later when we come back.  We also bought a block of cheese and some frozen chicken bakes (which will be tonight’s dinner).  No coolers!  We need one for the car.

Then we headed toward Depoe Bay.  Two and half hours later, after one brief stop at Fred Meyer’s for a cooler and some ice, we arrived at our condo. In Depoe Bay we stopped at the Thriftway, a small grocery store, to get essentials.  It’s just two minutes down from the condo.  The ride was uneventful (except for dealing with Portland’s horrendous traffic).   First order of business was a cocktail on the balcony.  Oh, and the chair from last year is still here!  Now we have two green Seattle Seahawk folding chairs. 

Dinner was good.  Bed was welcome after a long travel day!

Saturday was nice when we got up and it stayed nice through 4:00 PM when I am writing this prior to cocktails on the balcony.  We drove into Newport (11 miles) to visit the farmer’s market and do some shopping at Safeway.  Lunch was back at the condo – sandwiches made by Elaine on a delicious sourdough baguette from the farmer’s market.  After a nap we walked into town (about a mile), checked out the shops (pretty much just like last year), and had the largest single scoop ice cream cones I have ever seen – Tillamook marienberry!

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Dinner tonight will be here – homemade meatloaf made by the resident chef.  More tomorrow.