Ahhhhhhhh Peace And Quiet!!

You can probably guess my destination from this first picture.  This is Cow Country ... Tillamook  Cheeeeeeeeese and of course Ice Cream!!  Right up my alley!!

The interesting thing I noticed upon leaving Long Beach yesterday is that I wasn't nervous about it and didn't need two sleeping pills.  One did the trick just fine!!  I must be getting used to the routine. It was sad however, as I pulled out on the highway.  I certainly wasn't going to miss the fishermen or the crowds, but I will definitely miss the company, including the Chances who left the week before and Terry and Nick Russell that I left in the morning.  Alone again ..... sniff sniff!!

No worries, I've got lots of adventures left to experience and my puppies provide lots of love, even if they DO drive me crazy!!!  I crossed the Astoria Megler bridge amid fog and clouds, but no traffic.

The fishermen were out early as usual.  I understand they can catch two salmon per day per person.  Although some use spoons and different types of lures, many try shrimp or herring for bait.  Most, if not all the fishing is done in the river as the salmon head upstream for spawning.

Here comes the tallest part of the bridge.  The construction continues, but I got lucky this time and didn't have to stop ... at the top ... on the steep hill ... where I worry my brakes will fail!!

On down the road, it was a slow trip.  The roads are really rough in this section with 30mph corners every half mile or less.  This 92 mile trip took me over two hours to complete.

Part of that was because of the new Oregon Highway Patrol.  I bet you didn't know they changed their uniforms to lime green and black.  If the speed limit was 25, he went 15.  If it was 45, he went 25, leaving a string of cars behind him 20 or more long!!

 As I came into Garibaldi, I almost missed the train that appeared out of nowhere around this corner!!

I was a happy camper when I pulled in to the Tillamook Elks RV Park.  Not the cheapest I've stayed at, but the $20 per night is worth the peace and quiet.  My nearest neighbor is at least 30 feet away and there's not a fishing boat in sight!!  Lucky me, just as I was coming in, the guy on the end pulled out from the only available pull-through site.  In fact, there is only one space left in the park.

I learned something about the wind yesterday after settling in.  With lots of open fields and a little breeze, I got out one of my kites to practice.  Having last flown in a gale on the beach, when I unwound the lines, they immediately tied themselves up into knots.  They have a strong twist in them, that when stretched due to too MUCH wind, go crazy wonky!!  Next time, move those lines further out on the leaders so as not to stretch them so much.

Try as I might, once untangled, I couldn't fly worth a darn.  As the wind travels over the corn fields and trees here, it moves in gusts and eddies making flying nearly impossible.  I really need a steady wind, so I put it all away.  This week I'll go to the beach where there is nothing but water to interrupt the waves of wind.

In the meantime ..... I think I hear the ice cream bell ringing!!!

Fond Farewells!!

The only thing worse than no wind at the beach for kite flying, is too much wind and saying goodbye!!  It ended up being amazing on both counts!!

When Nick and Terry tapped on my door and said to come look at the sun Saturday night, I thought it was just another sunset.  How wrong I was!!  The smoke from the fires in Washington had hit the beach, making for a majestic sunset like no other.

I grabbed my camera and flashlight and literally ran the half mile to the ocean to get some pictures before it disappeared below the horizon.

Too bad I didn't think to grab a coat.  The wind was blowing sand like crazy and it was freezing cold. It's hard to get pictures when you're shaking, but I stuck it out to the end!!

Upon closer inspection, the ocean was covered with waves of birds, flying a foot or so above the water.  Thousands of birds that just kept coming the entire 45 minutes I was on the beach.  I'm guessing there was a fish run of some kind.  Among the birds were pelicans diving over and over into the water, coming up with dinner.  

I took 161 pictures!!  I just couldn't stop clicking the shutter when I saw this through the viewfinder.  It got better and better every minute!!

Slowly, the sun began to sink behind a fog bank, looking like molten lava.  By now the beach is full of people, all amazed by the sight unfolding in front of them.  Sometimes Mother Nature puts on a spectacular display!!

Once behind the fog, the red-orange light lit up the sky as we waited for it to show itself one more time.

As the brilliant yellow sun finally fell below the horizon, I said a sad goodbye to one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in my lifetime!!

I spent most of yesterday putting things away, washing the windshield and dumping my tanks.  Unfortunately my puppies were both sick again, but I think I found the problem.  A bag of dog treats seems to be the culprit.  As soon as I gave them one, Cooper got sick.   Jessie followed not long after, so all the treats went in the trash.

The saddest part of the day came when I had to say goodbye to Nick and Terry.  The BEST part of the day was when I was invited to a going away dinner ... lasagna, garlic bread and salad!!  When Nick says Miss Terry is a great cook, he means she is an OUTSTANDING GREAT COOK!!!  Believe it or not, I even got a batch to go.  I apologize, but I'm not sharing and I'm cutting it into five pieces to make it last longer!!

After lots of stories and much laughter from a memorable week, we said our fond farewells as I head South to Tillamook this morning.  I hope I can find a place to fly my kites.  If not, I will console myself with the best lasagne I've ever eaten!!!  Thank you Miss Terry and Nick for your friendship and answering all my silly questions about looms, weaving and kite flying!!  It's been a wonderful summer!!  I'm really looking forward to seeing the Chances and the Russells in Arizona this winter!!

One Is Never Enough!!!

You can never have enough kites.  That's the main thing I learned at the kite festival yesterday.  Everyone you meet asks what you fly and how many you have.  I think he (or she) with the most kites wins!!

I arrived early and saw only one lonely figure sitting at a table eating something that looked delicious.  I couldn't pass up the biscuits and gravy, which were yummy.  Turns out, the stranger was Lolly Hadzicki, one of the owners of Revolution Kites.  We became friends immediately.  

Lolly introduced me to Henry Dancy, one of the premier flyers from France who has over 200 kites!!   I have a long way to go!  He's speaking to another flyer from Vancouver Canada.  These are two of the best flyers in the entire world!  We had quite a conversation to my surprise and delight and they were full of flying tips.

Lolly brought a Revolution Kite Simulator with her, tethered on bungee cords so people can get their first feel without crashing the kite.  I gave it a try, and even with no wind, it worked fairly well.  Both Mario and Henri gave it the once over too.

With a little help from an INDOOR kite flyer, I was able to pick up a few new moves.  I was in seventh heaven!!!  

There are many different types of kites, including lots of single string cellulars like these.  Although a little difficult to get in the air, there were over 50 flying in this mass ascension, when the wind finally started to pick up.

Once back on the ground, everyone got together for a picture.  There's some really serious kite flyers here!!

Then the sport kite competitions began, including this gentleman flying a revolution.  They are scored on how they complete compulsory figures to music, gathering points throughout the year.  With enough points, you are invited to fly at the invitation-only National Competition.  

Revolutions are a popular kite ... so popular that they have their own field to fly in, roped off to protect the spectators.  These kites have carbon spars in them that can crack your head open ... especially if I'm flying!!

Here's the gang controlling the seven kites above.

As you can probably imagine, this kite belongs to a newlywed couple.  It's signed by everyone who came by to say congratulations!!  Many times people order plain white kites, which are then hand painted with designs like lions and tigers ... just like RV's!!

This is John Beressi ... also one of the best flyers in the world.  He's won everything there is to win, so now he flies mostly for fun.  On this day, he was teasing the children with his kite.

It's pretty spectacular to watch ... he taps the kids on the shoulder with the kite, then takes it away so they will chase it.  Of course they can never catch up, so he circles over their heads and lands on the ground, then takes off at the last second.  Here he came down fast, stopping just above them with a snap, to the squealing delight of the kids.  That's John controlling the kite on the very far left of the picture.

It was an amazing day on the beach that I'll never forget.  Once back at the rigs, the wind picked up even more, so I headed to our little beach for some flying time.  Here's the thing about kite flying .... you don't set up right next to someone who is already flying.  You know what happens when you do that??  You crash into MY kite ... and Nancy becomes an ogre!!

Even though I asked them to move further away, they ignored me, flying their two single string kites directly over my head, with no control whatsoever.  I just don't understand people sometimes!!  I packed up and headed home.  There's always another day.

About 7:30, Nick Russell tapped on my door.  Seems the wind has finally blown all the smoke from Washington fires over to the coast ... and the sun was a spectacular color of orange.  I grabbed my camera and ran to the beach for some GREAT pictures, which I'll post tomorrow.  The ocean was alive with millions of birds flying just above the water and pelicans were falling from the sky, catching dinner.  Just another day in Paradise!!!

Sometimes The Jello Jiggles

Even being parked in a beautiful RV on a spectacular coast in Washington, doesn't always work out like you expect.  Sometimes the jello jiggles instead of shaking, just messing up your plans for the day.  It's those days I dread, because I can't sit long without being bored!!

My plan was to head to the kite festival, getting pictures of the mass ascension to be held on the beach.  The morning began with a sick puppy and went downhill all day.  I probably should have planned a little better, since I didn't drive to the parking lot until 11:00.  It was totally packed, with another six cars racing around trying to find spots to park.

Traffic was terrible due to a car parked at a stop sign with his right rear wheel up on the curb.  What was THAT all about!!

I probably could have found parking, but it would have been over a mile away.  The kite festival is a big deal in these parts.  Since I needed money and a car wash, I diverted to the North end of town where I found a Credit Union and loaded up on cash.  The elusive car wash couldn't be found, so I dejectedly return to the rig.  Now what???

At last there was a little wind, so I gathered up my kite stuff and made the half mile trek to the beach.  A kite is not just a kite ... it is an ultralight or full sail for light winds, a mid vent for medium winds and a full vent for 20+mph-blow-your-hat-off winds.

I used my ultralight above to start.  After many leader adjustments I finally got it flying pretty well, doing twists, turns and figure eights and hovering.  I'm trying to learn to fly it upside down, so there were lots of crashes to the ground also!

Nick and Terry Russell came out about an hour later to fly their New York Minutes ... that's Nick's black, red and white.  We've all been lusting over the Eliot Shook revolution kites, this one being the equivalent of a full vent.

Who wouldn't want to fly one like THIS!!  Gorgeous .... but every one he makes is different.  He's an artist, so he won't make two the same.  

Here's the one I REALLY want, just change the colors from pink to purple or lavender.   It's on my Christmas list, so we'll see what happens.  I'm going to be a good girl so I can make Santa happy!!

After two hours of flying on very sore legs from my trek to the lighthouses, I gave up and came in to find a sick puppy again.  It's Jessie this time .... my what a mess!!!  Much as I want to head back to the kite festival for pictures, I may just have to stay close to home.  That's what happens when the jello jiggles!!

A BIG Disappointment!!

As much as the weather forecasters said there would be wind yesterday, there was little to none here on the Washington coast.  Definitely a big disappointment, since I am finally seeing some improvement in my kite flying!!  With no wind, there's no kites ... not even down at the festival!!

When the sun shines, make hay, which wasn't going to happen either with the fog and clouds, so I went to see an even bigger Cape Disappointment on the north side of the entrance to the Columbia River.  It was named by British fur trader John Meares who turned back at this point, missing the discovery of the Columbia River in 1788.

The first stop was Bell's View, which overlooks Long Beach far into the distance.  This trek was about a mile, and honestly, not worth the uphill climb!

Next up, North Head lighthouse, just around the corner.  Constructed in 1897, the Lighthouse Keeper stayed in this beautiful home.  Immediately there arose a problem.  With the light burning 30 gallons of fuel a night, one man couldn't keep it lit around the clock.

Two Assistant Lighthouse Keepers were immediately hired and given quarters in this matching duplex.  In 2012 all of these buildings, including the lighthouse, became the responsibility of the U. S. Coast Guard and are now available for vacation rentals.

Ships coming from the North, couldn't see the Cape Disappointment lighthouse because of this rocky outcropping.  Many times they missed the entrance to the Columbia River, risking loss of life and limb, not to mention the ship in the Graveyard of the Pacific, so North Head Lighthouse was built.

This is what she looks like today, a little worse for wear.  The problems began when they painted the outside in an attempt to waterproof the 65 foot tall building.  That caused even more problems, locking in the moisture resulting in crumbling of the brick structure.  Restoration will begin next summer to return the tower to it's full glory.  

The rusted staircase has been repaired, along with many of the doors, making sure they are exact replicas.  I must say they have done an excellent job so far.  For $2.50 you can climb to the very top.

Up three stories, you come to the metal cage where the Fresnel lens used to sit.  It was removed to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center where it can be viewed today.  That's a good thing for tourists, because it made much more room for us to hang out at the top.  Sitting on a 135 foot cliff makes this lighthouse over 195 feet tall.

The views from the ground are just as spectacular, although a little dark on this foggy overcast day.  Just around the mountain to the left is Cape Disappointment State Park campground.  By this time, I have about 3 miles under my belt, in shoes I shouldn't wear hiking.

Further south on the tip of Cape Disappointment is the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, which I bypassed this time in favor of hiking to the lighthouse.  It's all about the pictures, so I began the steep decline along the well worn trail, thinking it was about half a mile, when I came upon a couple coming back up the hill.  They never found the lighthouse, had given up and turned back.

Just in the nick of time, someone else came up the hill who had been to the lighthouse and gave me directions.  Turns out, you must go all the way DOWN the mountain on the right to the beach shown here, then go back UP the mountain on the left.  It's VERY steep BOTH ways.  

This is Dead Man Cove, probably aptly named, but no one knows for sure.  It's a beautiful spot to rest up for the trek back up the hill.

I ran into a family along the way, so figured it couldn't be too bad ... after all, I'm in shape and a runner, right??  Did I say it was steep?  It was and I didn't have my running shoes on, so my feet were complaining loudly, until I reached the top.  The view of the Columbia Bar was pretty spectacular and thankfully visible.  With over 106 days of fog every year, I got lucky!  Way off in the distance at the end of the jetty is where the big ships come through. 

The lighthouse itself is a beauty, but you are not allowed inside, nor can you get a very good picture, since it stands on the very tip of the cape.  I'm as far back as I can get, kneeling in the bushes for this one!!  Honestly, you can get a better shot from the walkway in back of the Lewis and Clark building and save yourself the hike.  Built in 1856, this too is now in the hands of the Coast Guard.   Luckily, I survived the trek, but added a few more miles to my legs on this one.

Back at the trailhead, I wandered around Fort Canby, originally built in 1863 during the Civil War.  In the early 1900's, the Army created Battery Harvey Allen and Battery O'Flying with concrete gun emplacements.  By 1918, the guns were removed and shipped overseas to be used in World War I.  Used again in World War II, by 1947 it was deactivated and all the guns were removed.     

You can wander in and out of these three batteries, reading about the fort along the way.  

One room still has artwork from the 249th Coastal Artillery.

After four hours of hiking, my legs are tired and my stomach is crying, so I stopped for some five star pizza at Serious Pizza Plus, near the State Campground.  I guess you really can't believe everything you read on the internet.  I gave it one star, at best.  My large meat lovers  ... $25.00 worth ... was undercooked, soggy and pretty much devoid of the meat I was craving.  I'd pass on this one if I were you!!

Hopefully the wind picks up today at the kite festival, as I could use a short walk to loosen up my sore legs ... along with some aspirin I should be fine in ..... maybe a week or so!!

The Fishermen Of Long Beach .......

I have to admit I love fishing!  I'd love it even more if I was on a boat with these four good looking guys!!  Unfortunately for me, I have to have "the patch" to keep from getting seriously seasick.  Hard for a scuba diver to admit, but all that bobbing and weaving just makes me feed the fish.

As I said before, the campground is packed with fishermen and their boats.  I have seen a few walk past my rig with a fish or two, but when these guys came in yesterday afternoon to the cleaning station about 100 feet from my rig, I jumped up for a picture.  They said their camp got 11 salmon today!!  Krikey that's a lot of fish!!!  They clean them here, apparently dumping the leftovers in the dumpster, cut and wash the steaks, then vacuum seal the packages and drop them in the portable freezer they brought along.  This ritual is then repeated every day!!

As to the "other" fishermen across from me ... here's a look at the fire they started, much wider and about half as long as their boat.  Surprisingly, the Park Ranger drove by this morning, right up to the trailer to check out the burn area, then left.  I imagine these guys won't be lighting up anything else.  If this park wants a better rating from it's customers, maybe they should be riding around a little more often.

At the kite festival on Tuesday, this car was parked next to the engine they were giving away.  Nick Russell was hoping they were giving away the CAR!!  He would look pretty nice driving Miss Terry in this red beauty.

Here's a few more kite flyers.  The chiropractors of Washington and Oregon will probably make a fortune at the end of this gig.  Everyone ... and I mean EVERYONE, walks around looking up, sooner or later ending up with a crick in their neck!!  

Here's part of a train with brilliant gem colors and fluttering tails, resembling dragonflies.  These kites aren't as pricey as you might think.  You don't have to fly them, just launch, take a chair and enjoy the view.

If those are too big for your taste, you can always make your own kites like these.  Stick a few wooden skewers in the ground, top with bendy straws (bent over) and watch them move back and forth in the wind.  It's really quite fascinating!

On the other hand, you could always go BIG with one of Eliot Shook's kites, hand made and sewn by a true artist ... none of them are the same.  This red, white and blue model is pretty spectacular and will run you about $600!!  Makes those straws look pretty good, right?

Today's kite agenda is all about handcrafting.  Anyone who creates their own designed kite, can enter the comprehensive competition and earn bragging rights for an entire year.  You do have to be able to fly it and it MUST be pretty!!  I'll probably drop in for a few pictures, then I'm headed down to Cape Disappointment.  There's five star pizza on the menu tonight!!