A little something for everyone

Winchester Bay is a tiny town, mostly servicing the harbor and the small commercial fishing fleet. But it's also an access point to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. So it draws non-sailors too. As a result, there are several camping options clustered closely together.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm staying in one of the dry camping areas in Salmon Harbor Marina (see the red X). You can stay all along the jetty and in the two perpendicular areas. It's good if you're there for the boats and/or prefer camping on pavement.

If you want to be able to pitch a tent, be next to trees, build big fires and have plenty of room for your ATVs and dune buggies, then there are the two parts of Windy Cove Campground.

And if you want full hookups for your RV and don't want to mix with the riffraff, there's Winchester Bay RV Resort on the other jetty.

These are just the three options that are side by side. There are others nearby. Take your pick.

Hurray for e-books!

Obviously, I can connect to the Net right now. I usually can. It's my main source of information, entertainment and time wasting. But what do I do when I'm too far out in the boonies to get online? I read.

Some of my recent reading

I've done a lot of reading this month. I've read until my eyes couldn't focus anymore. I've read myself to sleep.

That's curious, considering how much I hated reading when I was a kid. I thought it was such an inefficient way to communicate, and that the stuff they wanted me to read didn't seem worth the effort.

As I headed out on the road, a friend let me copy a hard drive full of e-books onto my computer. Hundreds of books. Even so, I've purchased more e-books. And more e-books.

My teachers would be so proud—though they might not be thrilled with the types of books I'm reading. Not too much "literature." Not much from before the 20th century. I have a crapload of classics. I'll get to them someday. In the meantime, I have some non-fiction and some pulpy stuff calling my name. Yes, Elmore, I'm on my way!

A little fog for atmosphere

Okay, Brian

Sittin' on the dock of the bay

Actually, it's a glorified parking lot by the docks in Salmon Harbor Marina, at Winchester Bay, Oregon, where the Umpqua River empties into the Pacific.

This is a new camping experience for me. Well, the parking lot thing isn't new, but the location and scenery is. I'm not a sailor, but boats on water are nice to look at.

Services include water, trash, bathrooms and showers. It's a short walk to the commercial district.

It was overcast this morning but cleared off by 2:00. Then the fog started rolling in at about 8:00. That's the coast for ya.

I've paid for four nights. I might stay longer. I'll need to see whether it gets too crowded as the July 4th weekend approaches.

Exactly where I left it

One of the advantages of living in 60 square feet is that there aren't many places something could be. The trick, though, is remembering which place.

It happened again today. I had bought a nine-month supply of my medications the last time I was in Mexico. And I put it... somewhere.

There was a moment after not finding the pills where I thought they would be, and after not finding them other places I thought they could be, when I wondered if I'd used them all up. Would I need to make a mad dash to Mexico to get more? That would suck.

I finally found the neat row of pill bottles in the back of cupboard, behind some canned food. Because that location made so much sense at the time.

Maybe I need to make a treasure map of where I store things.

This is why I went to the coast

Unless you live in the Northeast, you know how hellishly hot it has been or is about to be. The Pacific Coast, along with some areas of the Sierras and Rockies are the only places in the West not like ovens. And, as this article explains, it's not going to get better very soon.

My former plans are on hold. I'm going to hang out by the ocean for a while. A couple of weeks, maybe. Or more. Come join me.

From one side to the other

By the time I picked up my mail yesterday, it was a bit late to start my trek to the coast. So I went as far as La Grande, where I got a hotel room, had a great, hot, long shower, found a laundromat and a do-it-yourself car wash. It's best to start a journey with as many things clean as possible. Then I was out the door and on the road early this morning.

The Interstate wasn't the most scenic or soul satisfying route, but it was the most efficient. Google Maps and GPS wanted me to take I-5 all the way to Eugene before cutting to the coast. But I wanted to check if the news I'd received about the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City was accurate.

It was. They've stopped allowing RV camping in their parking lot. Rats. It was such a handy—and free—place, a short walk to the beach or to Safeway. But I guess some people were abusing the casino's hospitality by camping there for months at a time. Thanks, jerks, for spoiling things for the rest of us.

So, I'm at the Three Rivers Casino in Florence instead. No ocean view, no grocery within a short walk, but it will do for now. I researched some other casinos and campgrounds along the southern half of the Oregon Coast. I'll check them out and report back.

Retreat! Retreat!

Oh crap. A triple-digit heat wave is about to descend upon the region. Everywhere along my intended route to Jackson, Wyoming, will be super hot. Upper nineties and hundreds. Even higher elevations will be excessively warm. The closest place that won't be broiling is the Pacific Coast. So...

That's one of the good things about this mobile lifestyle. We can flee bad weather.

As I wrote the previous sentence, a buck deer strolled past the Rolling Steel Tent. Six feet away. In a parking lot in downtown Joseph. I don't think that will happen at a casino in Lincoln City, Oregon. But tradeoffs must be made.

Meanwhile, back in Redmond...

The first coat of paint is on. Lou said the former green color stood out too much and that tan will be more stealthy. The trim will be a different shade. I vote for a white roof, though.

Out of the woods

If I had months of patience, I could get some excellent photos of the Joseph, Oregon, area. Others already have. It's a very pretty place. Mountains, valley, streams, lakes, nice little town (though I haven't found a laundromat). I'm surprised I hadn't heard of the place before. I guess I don't hang in the right circles.

Anyway, it's good to have a change of scenery. Here are some quick shots I took this morning.

Local humor

Chet inspects the flux capacitor

Um, okay

We're not in the city anymore, Dorothy

Local flora