Day 36 (July 9) A different beach in a different state

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Today we had an early breakfast at the Hotel and drove to Garibaldi, OR where we would catch a train to Rockaway Beach.  This train is one of the many scenic train rides happening all over the US.  We have ridden others before and each one is unique and different. This one is called the

Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad.  It starts in Garibaldi, OR and after a short 30 ride you end up in Rockaway Beach, OR.  You get about 30 minutes to walk through the shops there or hang on the beach after which you board the train and head back to Garibaldi. We managed to visit the beach and grab a couple of pastries at the local bakery in our short time there.

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We then drove about 8 miles to the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  The parking lot was full by the time we got there but we managed to find a small spot park the roadster safely.  When you enter the building, you are immediately overcome by the smell of food at the grill and a lot of people milling around and finding their way.

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We headed upstairs and began a self-guided tour.  There, you can see and read from beginning to end the process of cheese making.  On one side is the how they make the cheese and on the opposite side is the cutting, packaging, and shipping of the cheese. Like all things these days, the tour dumps you smack dab into the gift shop where you can spend lots of money.  We donated our fair share, grabbed a couple of bowls of ice cream and called it a day.

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Day 37 (July 10) An old road, some waterfalls, and an old friend

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We let Dot sleep in as she hadn't been able to do that since we began this trip.  When we finally did get moving it was noon and so we headed off in search of Multnomah Falls.  

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The falls is on an old section of US Highway 30 here in this part of Oregon. The highway begins at an intersection with Hwy 101 and goes all the way across the United States. Like most of the old highways across the country, this too had been replaced by Interstate 84.  What's left is part of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. There is a visitor's center near the beginning of this section of road and following that are seven waterfalls and a dam that produces electricity but also has a set of locks to help ships coming from the Hood River navigate to the Columbia River below the dam.  We were able to see three of the falls but traffic was heavy so we couldn't stop and take our time and take more photos.  We were also meeting up with an old high school friend and his wife for dinner later so our time was somewhat limited.

 

We managed to drive to one end of the road, make a stop at the dam and drive all the way back to the visitors center which was closed due to Covid.

On the trip back the road was pretty open so I test the roadsters ability to handle the abundance of curves by changing the cars setting from Comfortable (the default) to Sport+. Wow!!! What a ride so much better handling than I ever thought possible.

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We then drove to a local Olive Garden here in Vancouver and met my old school friend Gene Camacho and his wife Denise.  It had been more than 50 years since we last saw each other. We spent what few hours we had catching up and eating some pretty awesome food!

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Day 38 (July 11) A mountain with the top missing

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Today we took a drive about 2 hours north to check out this volcano that came alive and collapsed into itself on May 18, 1980.  There are 3 visitor's centers, one at Silver Lake Visitors Center, the Forest Learning Center run by Weyerhaeuser located just inside the blast zone, and the Johnston Ridge Observatory at the end of the road.

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Since all of them were closed (Covid) we drove to the end of the road which ends at the Johnston Ridge Observatory and found the parking nearly full. Though closed, here you have the best view of the inside of the volcano.  The "dome" which is the result of the magma still pushing through to the top, is quite large and while it has been 41 years since the initial eruption, at times you can still see steam coming from near the top of the dome and occasionally from a couple of vents just below the initial blast area.  In all it was a pretty good day.  Tomorrow we move to our last stop, Klamath Falls, OR.

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Day 39 (July 12) Vancouver, WA to Klamath Falls, OR - 303 mi.

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Where we stayed: Running Y Ranch Resort, OR

 

We left around 11 and stopped at People's Church in Salem, OR to meet up with a wonderful couple Mark & Donna Hermann, who used to be at CCC. Mark was in Media & Donna in the Choir with us. We spent the next hour just catching up. They gave us a tour of their church and admin area and we got to meet their shepherd Pastor Tom Murray. The rest of the day we spent driving to just west of Klamath Falls to the Running Y Ranch Resort & Spa where our timeshare has 90 units.  After unloading all our gear, we drove about 15 minutes back to the city of Klamath Falls and had dinner at Wubba's BBQ and afterward a short stop at Fred Meyer to pick up supplies for breakfast & dinner for the rest of the week.

 

Day 40 (July 13) A lot of smoke and a black widow

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Today we spent the day just quietly lounging around our condo. We did venture out to the Spa and signed up for a couple of sessions for Thursday & Friday. It is really smoky here today and so we decided to have dinner a little earlier and then take in movie in town. We are gonna see Black Widow!