August 2019
Off we go on our first serious adventure since 2015,
coincidentally the year we bought our lovely second home in the woods of the
Sierras that we try to visit every other weekend. This quest will be to inspect
and investigate three towns in south western Oregon with the idea that we might possibly want to move there.
Our town, and home, for the last thirty years has become a wasteland of empty
buildings, extensive homeless, intense gangs, crime and elements we can no longer face.
The final straw was a gun fight a few weeks ago in front of our home that
resulted in bullet holes in two of our neighbor's houses. The challenge will be to find two homes close
to each other as we refuse to leave our daughter and her family here, and she is equally eager to go.
Our nest, animals and plants are left in the capable hands of Josh, son to Cat, who has had many years of experience with all his charges. Off we go, Thursday, August 8th of 2019,
packed to the hilt as usual. Clothes, bathroom bag, kitchen bag, computer bag, this and that. Maps, books, clipboard, music,
snacks. Grants Pass or Bust!
We took the ever so familiar route as if we were traveling to Willits to visit Mum, stopping at
Granzella's for soup and salad, making the first leg in record time - two hours
and fourty five minutes. Granzella's has superb minestrone and salad bar, the waitress smiles even though it is lunch rush hour. There was more than the usual brown lettuce
in the salad, but it was still a fun stop providing us with the super yummy cinnamon bread we always buy, and a scarf from the gift shop.
Off towards the coast on Highway 20 to see a good sized fire across Clear lake. Sister Susie is at her dentist in Ukiah where a woman sitting with her in the lobby has just
heard of the fire and fears her home might be lost in it! Having feared for ours
cabin in more than one fire, we can relate and I tuck a prayer away for her. We met Sue and her friend, Evie, at the Schatz bakery inside the Friedman's Hardware store where we talked for house - so
good to see her! We continued to the coast, north of Highway 1 to Fort Bragg,
through the most magnificent trees and forests and finally to the Shoreline Cottages by just after eight.
Oh so sweet, the
Shoreline Cottages consist of rows of cottages in a U-shape, some connected, some not, around a grove
of tall trees. We have room 10 out of 11. Faith and her
dog, Gypsy, welcome you brightly, we register and peek in our room. One room, bed,
gas fireplace, couch and coffee table, desk and chair, one cupboard/table kitchen with everything you
could possibly need. A bit squishy but completely serviceable. There is a telly and a DVD player and
then, all the movies you could hope for in the lobby. I grabbed four. Double doors lead to a private, fenced patio with
picnic table and benches where you can smell the fresh salty air from the ocean
only a few blocks away. The tub was jacuzzi style with the rain style shower head dropping from the ceiling in the middle of the tub.
Odd, but again, workable. We had to look hard for negative points, which include no ice on the premises, and the extra large plush towels are hard to wrap around your
wet hair.
The bathroom sink is a clear bowl on a glass counter so you can see everything
below the sink, a bit disconcerting, but a matter of taste, too. That's digging pretty hard for undesirable aspects. All this for $149,
plus tax etc a night.
Now that we are settled into our new digs we head out for dinner, first to the recommended
Angelina's. This is a larger restaurant, semi attached to a hotel,
the separate bar houses many of the
locals, the restaurant is pretty empty and reminds me of the restaurants oft
times found attached to a bowling alley. We seat ourselves in one of the many booths to discover ripped vinyl upholstery, move to another
booth just as we notice the odor is not, well,
something we want to eat near. We were glimpsing over the menu, it looked fairly standard, when we decided we should probably meander down the street in search of another location for food.
The one waitress who waived us to any table didn't blink an eye. Off to the incredible town of Mendocino, just a few miles down the coast. A
quaint, captivating seaside town decorated in victorians and tiny shops that
looks like time stood still. There we discover
Patterson's
Pub. It is a small place, an older and totally charming house turned into a
bustling business. Six tables and a bar, we pick the only free table under a wall which sports the head of the largest
Moose I have ever had the privilege of standing next to.
The menu is a killer; salads, fish and chips, prawns, salmon, starters of all kinds, pastas, burgers made from either elk, bison, Kobe beef, turkey or vegies,
sandwiches, wraps and a price range of $14 to $22. And Lizz, she was wonderful, knew exactly what Scotches they carried without having to ask or look, brought me my Glenfiddich
and Dave's n/a Bloody Mary promptly. I chose the salmon special with a basil drizzle, it came with a romaine and parm salad, and the most delicious, handmade salad dressing.
David picked the ribs when Lizz made it clear they are usually gone by now and there were only two servings left. And, we know why they go so quickly, he barely took a breath
while devouring that meat that melted off the bone. Top it all off with a mac and cheese that beats mine, and mind you, I do not say that often.
Hugs all around after dinner, stop by a tiny store for a bag of ice and we are
off to bed, very cozy and comfy bed! And oh so quiet!
Friday - we pack up and head out, bound for Brookings on the southern coast of Oregon, but only after we play in Fort Bragg. We headed to the dollar stores for a plastic bowl
for me to have my oatmeal in, and ran across
Harvest
Market. What a mistake. This is like all the hard to find, not in my
hometown grocery stores that cater to the, well, discriminating tastes. Hows
that sound? Ok, foodies, food hounds, food snobs. Super cheeses, my tea, David's apple cider, a shirt for Landon, a bamboo shirt and cami
for me, a spice grinder that might just work on caraway seeds, hot cocoa, so many fun things, to the tune of $213. Yikes. Breakfast at
Egghead's again, still there, still expensive ($51), still crowded, still blah on the hollandaise
(when will I learn to look at my own notes?) but still super food AND on sugar cane biodegradable plates now.
Highway 1 includes some phenomenal scenery,
tall and thick deep green coast redwoods decorating the sides of severe, winding switchbacks, some
of which are not for the weak hearted! Oregon does have splendid
turn outs for slower vehicles, quite frequently, too! Lush ferns, lovely,
beckoning dark woods with sparkling sunshine galore filtering through as we
drove on. Cypress tree tunnels and a halcyon sea just beyond redwood, pine,
cedar, cypress and birch trees, in and out of tsunami zones, omg houses
and pink ladies in full, glorious bloom everywhere you look. We took a potty break at one of the beaches, actually two, one of which proved to be so incredibly odorous I
had to refuse its use. Sad, but true. So moving along, here is a woman taking
photos of the wilds off the road, lo and behold, there is a Roosevelt elk,
per the neighbor, just the tippy tops of his magnificent antlers showing above
the five foot berry bushes. David comes
to a screeching halt, I walk back with my camera and take photos of one of the most noble
one ton beast, calmly grazing as we take his photo. Simply breathtaking and awe
inspiring.
We reached Highway 101 at 2 pm,
through the town of Piercy which is truly only three houses, and the past the Eel River, truly fabulous
to see, especially when you hail from a drought stricken state. What is Confusion Hill, anyway? Ditto on Trees of Mystery.
We finally reach Brookings at 7pm, and found the
Wild River Motor Lodge with ease.
That's when the first, and only, trouble started. We had room 104, ground level as requested. I was told it was a
full bed, happy for me as it is what we have at home, but I was not prepared for just how small that room truly was, nor was I prepared for the smell. We started to unload only to
realize that all our belongings would be on the floor, in front of the baseboard heater, less than three feet from the foot of the bed. No bathroom counter of any sort, no extra
space what so ever. In the so called bathroom was a closet area with a suitcase
stand below the standard closet pole, the area was so narrow that my long summer
dresses would simply not fit at the same time. One or two negative aspects would
have been acceptable, but not this many. I spied two worn, torn but serviceable, neatly folded towels on the shelf
above the pole in the 'closet'
with the note that stated these were for your dogs. This clearly explains the outstanding smell. Well, let's just turn on the fan. Oh dear, what a noise. Ok, this is not going to work,
the fan was the proverbial straw.
While I called around for another place, David went to talk to who we presumed
was the owner, he offered to refund only one day after suggesting he could replace the fan and
additionally insisting that
animals were never permitted in that room.My husband returned to the car with the news, so I took a photo of the note and the pet towels and went to talk to the man.
I politely suggested he should refund both nights,
would he be so kind to which he promptly refused, even after I showed him the photo on my phone. I left, laughing at him. What a jerk, but karma will serve.
Thank goodness for Cheryl and the
South Coast Inn,
and thank goodness for her last minute cancellation that provided us with a room. We did not realize it was a B&B, but we had few choices at this last minute. What a delight this turned out to be. Besides Cheryl
herself, her home was a duplicate for my mother's in style, smell, decor, you name it. We had the downstairs room, technically a suite, and it was delightful. It might
require another
chapter to describe her home. We stayed two nights, met Sam and Dan (who was from Petaluma and knew the Juanita of notorious form from Sonoma), and enjoyed every minute of the stay.
Dinner was at the recommended
Beach Front Bistro down at the
harbour, thankfully the waitress allowed us to dine at the last minute. We shared shrimp salads and crab cakes, yummy, David had clam chowder, Glenfiddich
and a Bloody Mary, $67. Very spacious, clean and pleasant atmosphere, plenty of
booths and tables. We were so tired I didn't keep many notes but it would be
fair to say it was an experience worth repeating. Great service, highly recommended.
Saturday came after we slept like logs in a king bed, miles away from each other. The morning was spent catching up on email (283!!)
on Cheryl's informal dining table off the kitchen sipping tea and wandering around
Cheryl's lovely home.
Then off we go to explore the town. Our traditional late breakfast/brunch was spent at the
Compass Rose Cafe, a sunny, trendy, smart cafe.
A tad tough to find as they are hiding in the corner of a strip mall, but worth it. They had the most delightful collection of
trivia cards and books to entertain, a healthy menu which made it hard to decide on our meal. I settled on a Smith River omelet (green onions, green pepper, avocado and cheese),
while David did a Smith River with ham. The killer was the hash browns, laid flat with a panini press, but the incredible, unidentifiable flavor will have to stay that way,
they aren't telling. When we get home, I want to try a sandwich made from chicken, tomato, avocado, provolone and pesto. Yup.
Off we go again to
the small beach front town, a junk store that provided a "Release the Kraken" tee for my beloved grandson, and then my first exploration into a Fred Meyers store. Oh dear. $145 of
clothes, but David has two shirts, too!! If you live near a Fred Meyers store,
you dont need Walmart, or Target. The access to the beach was too crowded to participate, so we went drive about
to look at houses for sale (omg, nothing under $700K) and ended up at the harbour where there was a
Pirate Festival, fun, fun, great costumes and friendly booths and a new gorgeous fluorite obelisk.
We notice the drivers aren't horribly courteous, if you choose to make a left
turn without the benefit of a traffic light, you are going to wait a very long
time. Back to the house, then out again to the recommended
Pacific Sushi and Grill.
Oh,
I mourn the days I was so brave and had a steel stomach. A full bar where we sat
in the laid back, quiet dark until a table was available, again with our
standard Glenfiddich and Bloody Mary, an atmosphere we find rare and thoroughly
enjoyable. Quite soon, after a funny false alarm we were escorted to one of the many wooden, comfy booths.
The menu is an interestingly wide variety, I decided to go for broke and ordered the Chetcho while my husband settled on a hamburger. He actually did quite well with the chopsticks, too!
My dinner was served cold, silly me, I had no idea, cream cheese and green onion surrounded by seaweed (?) and then rice, topped with salmon I was warned about, smoked but still
retaining a raw texture. I did better than I expected, finishing off three portions. What was simply delicious was the tempura vegies! Goodness, might I have more?
Sunday morning sadly brings our departure after a morning of chatting with all
the other tenants in Cheryl's comfy kitchen. The funniest thing was that Dan,
another tenant, was from Petaluma and remembered well the Juanita of Sonoma, a
notorious madame who was literally chased out of each town in the area, one by
one. My father had stories galore, and to find another person who remembered her
was a real delight. After 28 miles in an hour and a half through the most
gorgeous redwood highways, back down through California and back up into Oregon
we see the huge sign "Cannabis" and "Welcome to Oregon" and "Congestion" and a warning sign about
littering, the penalty is six grand! No wonder Oregon is litter free. Walking in to the
Crystal Kaleidoscope in Selma is stunning, their prices are wonderful and I am sure David
is again grateful we don't live nearby.
What is the story behind some of the names of the roads here, I wonder? Eight Dollar Wine Road and Butcher Knife Creek?
ont> Well, truth be known, we got a wee bit lost. Thank goodness for Constance at the
Motel Del Rogue who talked us through the maze of Grants Pass
streets to their place. Now that was a piece
of heaven that spoke straight to my heart, probably a throwback memory of our
yearly camping with my Daddy in my young, tender years. Motel Del Rogue is a long row of dark wood cottages with their backs opening up to the
ever flowing Rogue River. Rustic, charming, nostalgic, perfect.
Our little home, room 4, for the next four days has a fireplace and the bed in the living area, a separate
and compact kitchen complete with everything one might need. I have a fondness
of objects of the past so the tiny sink with a built in drain on the small
counter made me smile, as did the narrow gas range. Add a large comfy bathroom
and a deck with a couch and table and benches. The highlights and positive points are numerous; seating out in front, easy parking, end tables on both sides of the bed, chairs and a
couch for stuff, telly, cable and captioning, small but full sized frig, nice,
large bathroom counter, fantastic shower. We searched long and hard for any negative aspects and found just
three and they are really, really picky. No fly swatter, lol, we bought one, and no electric plug in the bathroom, easily fixed with an extension cord, and thin toilet paper, probably
best for a septic system.
We would spend Monday through Wednesday exploring Grants Pass, Rogue River, a wee bit of Medford, and the outlying areas. We met with realtor Marian and toured the
huge 4400 square foot house on 4th Street, a story onto itself, brunched at the
Taprock, a very nice multilevel restaurant on the Rogue, a
tad pricey, visited the manufactured homes in Medford, and may have found the
perfect model, grabbed groceries at the
Farmer's Market,
Cartwright's (where David found my highly desired and hard to find Monk fish,
and I found new discoveries; yummy leopard melon and starfruit), Fred Meyers
again, Walmart and the electric store. We wrapped up the first day with dinner at the
River's Edge, a very busy place that knows a
salad fork should be cold and has creme brulee is to die for. We visited friends
who had moved to the Merlin area, met many people from California including a
guy at Cartwright's from Twain Harte, spent a fortune at
The Kitchen Company cooking store in GP, found a large, incredible fabric store,
the Plaza Sewing, Quilts and Vacuums, with wonderful ladies
downtown, had breakfast
at the Powderhorn, lunch at the Downtown Market, always returning to our new found nest to sit on the deck with our Plowman's style dinners
of fruit, cheese, salami and crackers and watch the river flow south and the
geese fly north every night. The motel owners, Kevin and Constance, are simply grand, we loved to sit and chat in the front, trying to get the cat, Philobuster, to accept pets.
At least I got a purr out of him. Oh, and we dog sat a sweet whippet mix named Jackson whose Mommy and Daddy were staying at the motel while they went to dinner. We always miss our fur
babies when we travel, so that was a special treat.
We are headed back down to California today, Thursday, downright reluctantly. Kevin gave us a tour of all the rooms
before we left, looking for the perfect room to return with Jena and her gang;
cottage 14. Welcome back to California! The land of, "You can't do that", incredible heat, serious and stupid
drivers and traffic, constant road construction and signs that advise of double traffic fines in
construction zones even if there is no one working in that area. Five long hard hours to Auburn,
passing by Mount Shasta, absolutely fascinating, and the somber, devastating
results of last year's Delta fire, sixty three thousand acres of burnt trees and
blackened mountainous terrain. At the
Holiday Inn we found a very nice room with easy access,
but only one bed nightstand, tee hee.
Large roomy everything, coffee/water area, semi cold frig, more plugs and lights than I have ever seen and enough to have to call the front desk to figure out how to turn one off.
Every lamp had plugs in their bases!
Debra met us at the hotel and we all walked down the hall to
Max's for dinner. First glance is very
impressive, a dignified atmosphere of subdued wood and stone colors with
glimmers of sparkle from the extensive bar with open shelves and large wine
glasses on each table. This gave me hope after reading
the two star rating. We were seated promptly, drinks ordered and delivered. It was amusing that I asked if they had Glenfiddich, was told Glenlivet but she would check, she came back
with the drinks, never said a word, but my taste buds knew perfectly well I had a sharp tasting Glenlivet, yet the bill read Glenfiddich.
I once experienced a Drambuie that tasted completely wrong despite the fact I
saw my drink poured from the bottle, so I have to give them the benefit of doubt
here. We ordered a vegetable hummus starter,
the waitress, Sandra, I believe, placed that order, returned for us to order the cobb salads
for the ladies and a corned beef sandwich for my honey. We were all talking and catching up when dinner was
finally delivered, we all looked at each other, hesitated, then told her she
might as well cancel that starter. She looked slightly surprised, said, "It didn't arrive?" and just walked away. No apology, nothing. The salad was fine, (how can you mess up a salad??)
and David enjoyed his sandwich. The bill was a bit pricey in my opinion, I guess
the bad reviews were spot on after all, I doubt we will be back.
Back to our room to crash. The weirdest thing was the wifi would not work in the room. It was fine downstairs, it was fine in the hall, but the minute I crossed the threshold of the room
and closed the door it would quit. I had to sit on the floor in the doorway to check my mail.
Good thing it was a late hour! Ants on and in the bed discovered too late at night to change rooms was creepy, but the
hotel discounted our bill in the morning. I wanted to purchase one of their
light but warm duvets, but alas, it was not possible. After packing up for the last leg home we met Debra at the
Edelweiss 2 in old town.
Full glass window store front, sweet decors, tables covered in old time newspapers, and the menu? Oh my! 51 omelettes! Standard breakfasts, pancakes and waffles, burgers,
sandwiches, pitas, salads, small potions meals, espressos, smoothies, and even beer and wine! The waitresses are super friendly and jump right in with our weird humor,
they brought us
enough food to serve an army, and it was all heavenly. David's ham was huge and thick and soft as can be. $44 was a super deal for the three of us! This would be a mainstay if we lived there.
In the same great complex,
directly across the door of the cafe was the door to
The Silver Store. Oh dear, I was doomed from the getgo. I could not have passed that
doorway to save my soul. David found an incredible hat, I left with a new ankle bracelet and three new silver rings.
Even Debra found a Nanook of the North hat! Oh, and then there was the metal store,
Wizards of Metal. We relieved them of a witch weather vane for home and a
large brushed stainless steel squirrel for the cabin front yard.
Back on the road, only two and a half hours to home lengthened by serious traffic on an
early Friday afternoon. The heat topped at 110 as we stopped at Subway in Redding where the sandwich maker
said 118 was a high a few years back. Finally home to 106, and I was so excited to get back I didn't even write down the time of mileage, typical when we are tired
after a long time away from home, of not being away from our
own beds, family, fur babies, familiar stuff and standard routine. But I would not have missed any of it for the world. Differences between CA and OR? Besides the obvious?
We saw three homeless types in OR over the period of one week, yet saw a dozen
just between the off ramp and our driveway
I don't remember a single siren in OR, at home we weren't home ten minutes before we heard two
Dogs are allowed almost everywhere in OR
Brookings drivers are not courteous, GP slightly more so
There are pot farms everywhere, I finally learned the difference between smoke and hemp farms
The OR recycling is not as strict or as extensive as CA
Gas was 2.69, milk was 3.99 in OR
OR has long, long freeway/highway on ramps
OR has turnouts for slower cars everywhere