WARNING!!! Lots of Cute Animal Pictures!!

This is the reason I chose to stay in Bandon.  The West Coast Game Park Safari lives here, just 7 miles south of town.  It's a MUST on your bucket list.  There's plenty of room for RV's at the end of the parking lot if you get here early.  Otherwise, it's more than worth the cost of an overnight stay in one of many RV parks.

Here's the first beauty of the day.  Most of the big cats have been raised here.  It's partly a breeding facility to provide animals to zoos and education facilities around the world.

The bengal and white tigers are gorgeous ... two of my favorites to photograph.  The best however, is yet to come!!

At THIS animal park, you can pet just about everything except the big animals.  That includes Bonnie here, a three month old black bear.

They love the milk ... which keeps them occupied while you pet them on the back ONLY.  Cute as a button, they can be rather rambunctious!!  One at a time, small groups of three or four people are allowed in.  I'm a pretty small group so I went in by myself to mostly take pictures, with an occasional pat on the back thrown in.

This is Clyde ... they get this milk supplement several times a day, but the best time to come check them out is upon opening.  Sometimes 9:30, sometimes 10:00 am and don't believe the internet.  Either call or stop in on your way to Bandon.

Once the milk is gone, water buckets keep them going until the last person gets to be up close and personal!!

This magnificent cougar just heard the alarm clock go off and was yawning while doing his morning calisthenics!!

These cutie pies are everywhere!!  They've been pretty prolific since I was here last.  If you would like to feed them, grab an ice cream cone full of goodies at the counter before you enter.  It's well worth the 50 cents to let the kids, or you, feed them.  

This beautiful pea hen was taking her baby peacock for a walk around the park.  Several other moms were still sitting on their nests.

These guys are everywhere ... and this baby got some food on his back, which he proceeded to lick off once I let him know it was there!! 

Even the donkeys are very friendly and will let anyone pet them.  Just stay away from the back end if you please.  They love to have their foreheads rubbed.

This is the baby fox you can pet.  He's just learning about that thing called a collar, but doesn't mind being petted.

Last time I got to have Bob the bobcat sit in my lap and rub all over me.  I was in seventh heaven.  This time it was a Canadian lynx baby, just 7 weeks old.  What a cutie pie.  You sit on the log like a nice human and the handler will set her in your lap (while she eats).  Sooooo soft.  Lucky for me, she had finished the bottle and I got to hold her on my lap, then she crawled to my shoulder where she snuggled up as I scratched her chin.  It just doesn't get any better than this!!

It's hard to believe they are wild animals ... she looks just like a baby kitten.  

Another of the big guys ... he grunted and roared before taking a two hour nap!!  Yup ... I was there for over three hours.  I may move here just so I can work with the babies!!

These two ferret buddies can be picked up and cuddled .....

along with this baby opossum.  This sweetheart climbed up on my shoulder and snuggled right in.  Must be something about my shoulder!!

Peppy Le Peu is the resident skunk.  He's obviously a good eater and doesn't get much exercise.  He can still waddle pretty fast though!!

More kitty babies ... this African Serval is just a baby too.  Their instinct is to attack anything moving, so quick movements are not a good thing.  She loves to play and attack anything on the end of a stick. 

Soft like a kitty, if you sit on the floor with your legs straight out, she will run across your legs so you can pet her ... on the back ONLY!!  Otherwise, they think your hand is a toy to be attacked!!

The star of the show this summer is Tatiana ... a bengal tiger baby.  She gets lots of milk every day, full of vitamins and protein for her growing body.  Being a baby, she's still a little on the thin side.  Last time I was here they had a very rambunctious 5 month old ... as big as a full grown labrador dog.

I could have sat in here with her all day.  I got to pet her for quite some time since no one else was in line.  381 pictures later, I was still going strong.

Once the milk was gone, the water bucket came out, which she promptly turned over and attacked!!

Just like a kitten, she chewed and batted it around the enclosure.

With a short attention span, she went for the green rag and kicked with her back feet while clawing with her front.  It's hard to remember they are wild animals and could take your finger off if they wanted ... or maybe your head!!

How could you not love a face like this??  Unfortunately, they all grow up to be killers, and even if you raised them, they can turn on you in a flash, as has happened many times.  In the meantime, it's sure fun to be up close and personal!!

This is Todd ... a permanent resident here.  He's two years old ... being just a baby the last time I was here to pet him.  

He does tricks for bits of apple ... I think this was just a cry for more!!

Todd is the King of the Mountain here at the animal park ... and he'd love if you came to visit him, leaving as many dollars as possible so he and his buddies can continue to get apple snacks.

This is seriously the best experience you can have around wild animals.  Oh I forgot to tell you ... watch where you step, because the 35 goats, 5 donkeys, 20 sheep, 25 deer, 5 llamas and umpteen peacocks all run around in the same space you do.  Don't panic like the girl at the hand washing station who stepped in something kind of big.  Unfortunately, her boyfriend just wasn't getting it clean enough, no matter how much he washed her tennis shoe.  Just watch where you step!!!

Brookings To Bandon!!

It was a good day in RV-Land yesterday as I moved further up the coast to Bandon.   Hwy 101 is either uphill or downhill, keeping you on your toes and keeping me between 45 and 50, regardless of the 55mph speed limit.  There are lots of humps and bumps in the road and many sections of sunken roadway.  Luckily there are also MANY passing lanes so I had no worries and traffic was light.

I arrived at the Bandon RV Park in the middle of town where they were waiting for me with a pull through site.  This Park ROCKS ... and it's all about the people and their good service!!  Yes it's small and right on the noisy highway ... but by 9:30pm the road traffic stopped completely!!  Managers John and Shirley Cook, along with Laura and Michael Bowman have made this the best place I've stayed.  The $27 a night with Good Sam discount was well worth it!!

First off ... lunch!!!  Meet Henry!!  He's clearly visible in Old Town, made up of flotsam and jetsam picked up on the beaches here.  In fact, there is an entire museum of junk made into amazing things that I will check out later.  Bring a plastic bag and help them gather junk!

Half a block behind Henry is the Bandon Fish Market.  Believe me, you will miss something really special if you don't stop here!!  There's lots of inside and outside seating, along with the best halibut and chips I've ever had, and that includes Alaska!!

This is one order ... more than enough for two people!!  Huge pieces of halibut, juicy and flakey ... along with fries and cole slaw!!!  YUM YUM and YUM again!!!  RV parking is at the end of the street, or if in your car, behind the building.

From there I wandered down to Bandon South Jetty County Park across from the Coquille River Lighthouse.  There's plenty of parking and turnaround room here for your RV where you can park and walk the beautiful beaches.

Butts up is the word here, although there really weren't many people.  Small boats went in and out of the harbor as I listened to the sad ring of the bell designating the mouth of the river.

From County Park, turn right and you will continue down the coastline on Beach Loop Road to many pullouts and parking areas.  This is face rock ... it looks like she's coming up out of the water.  Although there are places to park RV's (a tour bus came by at Face Rock), this is better seen in a car.

On the other side is Elephant Seal ... every rock here has a name.  There is access to the beaches at every parking area ... and it's GORGEOUS!!!  

All around the area are deer munching down on green grass.  Not the least bit afraid, I walked pretty close to this baby for pictures!!  

About that time, I received an email from my Realtor that needed to be addressed, so I drove back to the RV park, where frustration quickly set in.  My new computer wouldn't recognize the HD printer I have.  After two hours of pulling my hair out, which I really couldn't afford to lose, I walked to the office and asked if they had any way to print.  

Here's where the good service came in ... they immediately hooked my computer up to their printer and I went to town ... 16 pages printed just like that!!  That kind of service doesn't happen very often!!  I thanked them profusely and went back to my rig.  

It was then that I found out we have an offer on the ranch!!  EUREKA!!!  I traipsed back to the office and they offered their printer and scanner for the rest of my stay!!  WOW!!!  What nice people!!

The good news is that finally, after three hours and 25 tries this morning, I got my computer to download the printer drivers and my printer/scanner is working!!!  Another 30 minutes and I had it working wirelessly!!  TA DA!!!!!!

I'm off to the West Coast Game Park Safari today ... the neatest place EVER where I will get to pet the babies, usually including tigers and bears ... OH MY!!!

And We're Off Again!!

The first order of the day is to wish Miss Terry a wonderful happy birthday!!!  I said goodbye to them yesterday morning as they headed further North on the Coast.  We'll be playing leap frog for the next few weeks!!  When I mentioned I was making lemon cupcakes from a box of cake mix, her face showed in an instant that cake mixes weren't acceptable!!  I just laughed ... knowing my cooking skills, but this sweetheart of a lady gave me a signed copy of her cookbook so I can aspire to better cooking and baking!!  I'm SOOOO excited!!

I couldn't wait to try some recipes, but it wasn't going to be yesterday.  Apparently I've come in close contact with someone's stomach bug!!  I spent a miserable day inside and now I'm starving, but afraid to eat.  My destination is only a two hour drive and I hope to be on the road by 10:00.  

Since I'm in low-four-wheel-drive mode, I better get busy!!  See you in Bandon!

Fog, Fruit, Fun and Food!!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads in the country!!  I hope you have a great day and maybe a nice barbecued STEAK!!!

It's been the usual foggy mornings here in Oregon.  Several of the locals were complaining, but I just love the cool weather.  I can run comfortably and not become a flaming fireplace of heat when I stop!!  The harbor was very busy yesterday with fishing boats lined up by the dozens trying to get back to the dock.  Unfortunately, I didn't see any catch!!

It was then I spotted the white tents ... which always mean there's cool things to buy!!!  The usual jewelry and crocheted items didn't catch my eye, but the sign that said "buy one ring, get four free" was tempting, to say the least!!  Now THAT'S a bargain!!

There was only one table with vegetables and fruit on it, but they were spectacular ones.  Juicy red tomatoes and plums that apparently had a pomegranate tree in the woodshed.  I didn't try the nectarines, but the plums were delicious!!

Baskets full of blueberries and cherries covered the end of the table, but I passed on those.  I don't want to get TOO healthy!!!

I dropped my purchases off at the car and went in search of the ice cream store, when I spotted even MORE white tents at the back of the buildings across the street.  On this side there was great music, beautiful jewelry, more crocheted items and food vendors.  I passed on the food and went straight for this necklace.   It's much more spectacular in person and handmade by a local artist.  It will go great with my cowboy boots, don't you think??

I have it on good authority that Slugs 'N Stones ice cream store is much better than it sounds.  I didn't stop in on this trip however ... the sun finally came out and my car was getting too hot for the fruit I purchased.

I took a back road home ... always looking for adventure on the back streets of every little town, but mostly to miss the traffic ... when I found this little philosophical gem!!  I have to say I AGREE!!

Back at the rig, I spent the afternoon with Nick and Terry Russell learning all I could about weaving looms.  Terry is a self-taught genius when it comes to this stuff and I wanted to learn all I could to see if it's something I might want to try ... not to the extent she does, but with a small table top model.  There's a LOT to learn about this craft!!  Loaded up with magazines and DVD's, I spent the afternoon learning the lingo ... heddles, warps, boat shuttles ... until it was time for dinner.

I'll eat anything, so Terry and I left it up to Nick to pick a place where we could partake ... O'Hollerans Steakhouse and Lounge, right on Hwy 101, seemed to fit the bill.  You can't miss it if you eat around 6:00 pm ... it will be the place with no parking spaces available!!  Definitely go early to this gem!!  We found out why it's so popular ... the food was delicious.  Nick and I both had steak and prawns while Terry had salmon cakes.  YUM YUM!!!

I watched another DVD before crashing on the couch.  These 4:30 am mornings from puppy kisses are killing me!!!  Nick and Terry are taking off to greener pastures further North, while I stay one more day.  This might just be a good day for napping!!!

Butts Up On The Beach!!

There was no running yesterday, as I tried to work the knots out of my sore muscles from climbing Mt. Everest!!  It's a good sore though, so I really can't complain.  There's not a lot going on in Brookings, but there ARE many beaches where you can spend some quiet time.  My first stop was Lone Ranch Beach, just a few miles North.

It's a great beach, lots of beautiful sand and if the tide is out, tide pools to wander through.  The cold ocean water hitting the hot sand from the sun, resulted in immediate steam rising, making it kind of spooky.  One of my favorite sports is to go butts up and see what goodies and treasures I can find.  I probably saw all of five people at this beach, most of them butts up also!!

There are picnic tables here if you wish to bring a lunch, and definitely bring a couple of chairs.  Protected by the rocks, it's not windy, just a beautiful place to hang out.

All along the shoreline were these funny blue things ... maybe some kind of jellyfish??

There's lot of little tiny crabs ... this one bit the dust when he got caught on a sunny sandy patch.  When alive, they are such a dark brown color, they are barely visible.  If you carefully lift any rocks around the water, you will see them scurry away.

There were lots of snails, both in and out of the water.  These two are actually in the bottom of a three inch deep pool.  If you touch them and they move, there are probably hermit crabs inside.

The ocean waves make beautiful patterns on the beach ... each line the result of a tiny rock or piece of debris.

Treasures!!!  These will all go back to the beach today except the one bottom piece of sea glass.

My new friends the Youngs suggested I check out one of the antique stores in town, where many more treasures were reside.  Antique stores seem to be on their way out, as I'm finding fewer and fewer.  This small undersea pitcher by McCall was a real find however, adding to my collection of things on the shelves in the rig.

You KNOW I didn't forget the quilt shop, and there is a GREAT one here.  These designs and colors are just off the wall!!  They have many more traditional bolts since they expanded their store by almost double and the staff are very friendly and helpful!!  The prices are good too!!!

I had a peaceful evening (the sun doesn't go down here until about 9:00) until a lady with good intentions created a very bad situation and became a screaming maniac!!  It happens everywhere I suppose!!  She came to the Elks to drop off loads of cardboard in their collection bin, but let her dogs run loose in the process, including a large golden retriever, who promptly attacked a very small dog walking on a leash with her owner.  

The lady had the nerve to blame the man, and soon there was a screaming match.  All the while her dog is circling to get another shot at the puppy, just outside my rig.  It finally took two other elk members and me to get her and her dogs back in the car without further incident.  I wasn't sitting this one out when a poor defenseless puppy was at stake!!

Long story short, the lady finally left and puppy will be okay but had two teeth-mark bites on her side.  Please everyone .... even if  you think your dogs are the best behaved in the world, PLEASE keep them on a leash.  That could have been my Cooper out there, in which case she would have been flat on her back on the ground after this mama bear put her cub away in the coach!

It's another gorgeous sunny day for exploring, but the last leg of a 212 mile relay race is being staged here today, meaning traffic will be horrible.  I want to check out Port Orford, but it's closer to my next stop than this one, so today I'll just hang out in the rig and bake ... in my new Breville oven!!  Wish me luck!!!