May 31, Sonoma

This morning we went and checked out the doggie daycare Mickey will be staying in tomorrow while we go into San Fransisco.It looks fine so he can stay.
We explored Petaluma then drove to Sonoma then up the Sonoma Valley, through all the vineyards to Santa Rosa. We stopped at a roadside stand and bought some strawberries, huge and delicious!

Mickey and Marcie from Peanuts

Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip lived near here so there are lot of little tributes to him. Mickey decided he wanted to sit next to Marcie.
We found a nice restaurant with outdoor seating so we could tie Mickey up. It's way too hot to leave him in the truck .

Our lunch was braised shortribs with butternut rissoto, best meal we've had the whole trip  A worthy birthday meal!

One day after birthday lunch in Santa Rosa, California

Back to the campground to enjoy the pool and sunshine, 85 today.

Onto California May 30

Got another early start, we have 340 miles to drive to get to Petaluma.
Another sunny day, drove south along the Redwood Hwy.101.
Nice driving through the redwoods although they grow right beside the road so a bit of caution is required.
Had a small episode in Eureka, pulled into a Dutch Bros. drive thru coffee place, looked like there was lots of room to exit but alas the trailer wouldn't make the turn without removing the building so I had to back up 270 degrees around the building to get room to turn around, luckily it wasn't very busy.
Not good for my blood pressure!
We stopped for lunch about 1pm in Laytonville.  We were kind of shocked to get out and find the temperature was 90 degrees! Quite a change from 65 on the coast.
The rest of the drive was uneventful, just long. We got to the KOA campground in Petaluma around 4 pm. We got a nice site near the pool which we jumped into as soon as we were setup. The water felt great after the long drive. Temperature here is about 82.
It's my birthday today but we are too tired to do much celebrating, Karen made me a Black Russian ,then we had an early night.

Petaluma California campsite

Travels with Mickey- May29 -Newport to Brookings

We got away by 8am, an early start for us. The day is bright and sunny and traffic is light, great for driving. We have 215 miles to go today.

We stopped at a few viewpoints to admire the views, the sun was making the waves so white against the blue ocean.
On our first trip down the coast we stopped at The Port Hole Cafe on the Rogue River in  Gold Beach and had great clam chowder so we decided to try it again . We weren't disappointed .

Mickey, our furry "travelling gnome" at Gold Beach

Leaving there we had a short half hour drive to our stop for the night, the Beachfront RV Park in Brookings, Oregon.
We arrived about 2pm, got set up and did the laundry and took Mickey for a short walk on the beach.Still forcing him to take it easy.
The park is right next to the beach , we look forward to going to sleep to the sound of the surf crashing outside.

Beachside RV Park , Brookings, Or.

Newport Oregon May 27-28

On Sunday we went and walked through  the Nye Beach historic area of Newport.

Yaquina Bay Bridge at Newport

Lots of shops , galleries and restaurants, overlooking Nye Beach.

We had lunch at The Chowder House then took Mickey for another trip to the beach.
He has a sore leg from too much running so we have to stop him from doing too much.

We came back to the trailer to get the blog up and running then tried to Skype with Stephen but the connection is slow so we gave up after a few words.
The weather was cloudy with the occasional sunny break but it was too cool to sit outside.

Today, Monday, dawned much brighter. We did a little grocery shopping then went to the Newport Aquarium. We've seen it before but it's a great place so was worth another visit.
The sun is shining so we returned to the trailer to take advantage of it.
Sat outside and ate our lunch.
Last night here, we'll try and get an early start in the morning, we have a long drive to Brookings.


Karen the siren and Mickey



Jellyfish

Travels with Mickey at Tillamook

Saturday, May 25, 2012.

We left Fort Stevens about 9:30 on our way south.
We stopped at the Air Museum in Tillamook. It is in one of two giant hangers built during WW2  to house blimps. One burned down in the 70's.
The building is huge, hard to capture in a photo.

We had lunch in their cafe.
Finally arrived at Newport Beach at 3:30pm. When John went to hook the trailer up to water, he found the plug in the hotwater tank was cracked and leaking. He spent an hour driving around the town looking for a part, but this being a holiday weekend it was nearly impossible. He got it fixed!!!! What a guy. Think he deserves a BIG drink and maybe a smooch.

Travels with Mickey, May 24, 2012

Bowpicker Tuna and Chips

Mickey at the Maritime Museum

Friday, May 24, 2012

This morning after a great nights sleep, we were off to do some shopping for food and booze, drove around Astoria looking at the sights. Had a great lunch of tuna and fries from the local food boat. As good as last year. Our thanks to Frank and Sue for telling us about this place.
Back to our trailer to put groceries away, then off to the beach with Mickey.
Drove the truck onto the beach and walked out to the shipwreck. The ship "Peter Iredale" ran aground in 1906 and is slowly rusting back into the ocean. Checked out some other beaches. Mickey was tired from chasing balls and running on the beach. He was also wet and covered in sand because he had a wonderful good roll on the beach.
Tomorrow we head to Newport Beach on the Oregon coast. We are staying for three nights.

Sandy truck !

The Peter Iredale

TRAVELS WITH MICKEY MAY/JUNE 2012

Thursday, May 24, 2012



Coffee break in Longview Washington

Lewis and Clark Bridge from Washington to Oregon

Well we started off at 6:30am from home, leaving Auntie Lynn sleeping peacefully in our spare bedroom. She is looking after the two cats, Lucy and Molly for the next three weeks.What a lucky girl. Travelled to Victoria to board the Black Ball Ferry to Port Angeles , Washington State, USA. The cost for the truck, trailer and two passengers was $235 US dollars. From there it was a very long drive of 300 miles to Fort Stevens State Park. We arrived at 6:30pm. When we opened the truck door, Karen was swarmed by Mosquitos, bug bait that she is! After a gourmet dinner of soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, we settled down with a few glasses of wine to watch a short movie, then to bed. Tomorrow we will head into Astoria, Oregon.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPadMay

Location:Nanaimo, Oregon Coast, California Coast and Yosemite Parks