This one is all about the shellfish!

We took the Pacific Coast Highway all the way from San Diego to the northwest corner of Washington.  Then we headed east along the the 101 until we could catch highway 90.  Most of the drive was spent looking at acres and acres of trees.  It was interesting to see the roadside signs that told us when a particular forest was planted. We stopped just west of Port Angeles.

We drove down and around the Seattle-Tacoma area.  We just didn't want to risk a ferry ride across the sound with an RV and car.

As soon as you drive into Port Angeles you notice 2 things: Main Street ends at the sea and a huge Masonic temple.

We couldn't figure out how they teach the elk to punch the button at the elk crossing. 

An out of the way place outside of Port Angeles with awesome tempura calamari, halibut, shrimp and clams.  And of course it is served in a plastic basket lined with paper.  The best places to eat aren't always fancy!

Right across the highway from the cafe was an inlet.  The beach was covered in a variety of shellfish.  It had an aroma that attracted Georgy but had me looking for a shower!  

seaweed, mussels and barnacles

the clams are so plain and rough on the outside but bright purple inside.

I have no idea where this shell came from: he didn't seem to have any close family members with him at the beach (and no hitchhikers aboard either!)

What a beautiful design.

I hadn't ever seen an oyster shell on the beach until this trip.  I was intrigued by the layers of shell and the shape! It takes 2-5 years for an oyster to grow to this size!

Just a few more pics from Oregon

What I see is wholly dependent upon where we happen to stop.  Mark had to take a call and we had cell signal in Port Orford, Oregon.  That meant I got to wander around with my camera.  

This is the gallery owner: she didn't know I was watching her as she carefully placed her new sign in front of her window.

Fish on a fence.

2 orange flowers: one for Damian and one for Evan.  

Blueberries!

Yes, another bridge!

I was amazed by the sand dunes.  They seemed to pop out of nowhere and were surrounded by pine trees.

This is a protected area for cultivating oysters.  We saw huge mounds of oyster shells being hauled off.  If I remember the story, Ewing Kauffman got his start by grinding oyster shells in his garage to make calcium supplements that were later named OsCal.  He then founded Marion labs, later owned the Kansas City Royals and was a huge supporter of the Kansas City arts.  Who knew that Kansas City has such a strong connection to Oregon!

A mountain lake.

We stopped to buy fresh halibut, salmon and shrimp.  Georgy posed with seal...

Miles of sand along the northern Oregon coast.  I think that it is granite based in Oregon and I understand that the Oregon dunes are the largest expanse of dunes in North America.

The inland dunes with the ocean in the background.

The Heceta Head lighthouse.

I can see how people at the time of Christopher Columbus thought the world was flat.  I marveled at the stonework on the side of this mountain.  I imagined men hanging by ropes lowering stones down the side.  Man, I have a great job! :)

Curled up on Mark's jacket with her new toy.  Georgy is one spoiled pup!

Tacoma and points east

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge as it stands today.  I remember physics classes that talked about the original bridge collapse being related to resonance: today they think it was due to negative damping.  In any case, the original bridge only survived for 2 months before it died a violent death.

The Cascades from my perch in the passenger seat.

Fog settling into the valleys in the Cascade mountains.  It seemed as though the sun shone in patches: bright sunshine surrounded by dark clouds.  

One of many lakes in the Cascades. We slept through a hail storm and never heard a sound.

Easton Lake, east of Seattle, northwest of Spokane. The water was still and clear.  The state park was one of the best campgrounds we've visited to date.

The sun setting over Easton lake.

I loved this pic: the reflections on the water were spectacular.

Family hike in the woods.  I think Georgy had 3 baths that day.

I think the clouds look better in their reflection!

We're finally in Oregon!

After 36 days in California, we finally made it to Oregon.  We certainly didn't plan to spend a month there, but we had some enjoyable diversions (and some mechanical issues) that kept us there a bit longer than expected. Oregon did not disappoint!

The beach is like a giant Etch-A-Sketch: we leave our prints and then the tide comes and readies the sand for the next artist.

Dinner in the harbor at Brookings: really great clam chowder, crab melt and halibut at the hungry clam.

A water parking lot.

The fog rolled in on us and just brought a beautiful hush to the woods.  We stayed with Bob and Sue-we intended to stay next door on my sister and brother-in-law's land but it was just too muddy.  Bob had 30 amp service, water and sewer hook-ups and was kind enough to open his home to us and allow us to park in the drive.  We've met so many genuinely nice people on this trip.

I just really liked the look of this y-shaped tree.

The forest floor

The caterpillar was about the size of a penny.  I was enamored with the contrasting colors in the ferns and moss.

Wish we had some sunshine: Bob and Sue have such an awesome view of the ocean and a gorgeous house in the woods.  We're on our way out in this pic.

Trish and Travis, we're just about to pull out to the street, your driveway is directly behind us.  I believe the logs were left from Bob's place after construction.