Bandon with Michelle



Nicole & Brian, at www.FarWesthostel.com

 I totally enjoyed staying at Brian & Nicoles hostel in Port Orford, OR.  While there, I also met up with Beck, and she offered me the use of her pickup to drive around in while she was at work.  I had a great time checking out the areas around Port Orford!  Also while I was there, my cousin Michelle decided to drive down and spend the weekend with me.  She booked a motel in Bandon, and came down to Port Orford to get me and take me back north.  We had a great 2 days in Bandon, even though it was really foggy!  I always enjoy spending time with Michelle, and was thrilled to see her again.  Some of my foggy beach pics turned out almost eerie!

Beck and her pickup




 

On Sunday, Michelle took me back down the road and then she headed back north to Lebanon.  I made my way into Harris Beach State Park, by Brookings.  This park was one of the nicest I've stayed at, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that they even had laundry facilities.  A few days ago I received an email from Dannie who lives in Brookings, and she had offered to meet up with me for coffee.  So when I got settled in at the park, I called her up and told her I was there.  Come to find out, she works at the park, and she'd be in to work on Monday morning.  I decided I'd stay put for a day, and we'd get together then.  The next morning she met up with me at 8am and handed me a sausage & cheese biscuit and a hot cup of coffee from McDonalds.  What a pleasant surprise!  We visited for a bit before she needed to check in to work, and decided to meet again during her break time.  Dannie was a permanent rv'er for about 12 years, and I enjoyed hearing about her travels and how she worked at different places -- especially because that's exactly what I want to do after this trip.  I totally enjoyed spending her break times and lunch time with her!

My cousin Jeff lives in Roseburg, OR but has been temporarily working in Brookings, so I texted him and asked if we could get together.  He suggested we go out to eat that evening, so he swung by and we went down to the dock and had fish & chips.  It was great to see him again, too.

After that I headed down the road the next day.  I made it to the California State Line, and then only walked a couple miles more to Kamph Memorial Park, where I pitched a tent for the night.  I've seen plenty of parks that were better than this one, but I was still glad to have a spot.  Plus it was right on the beach, and i got some great sunset pictures that night! 

Bandon, OR

Port Orford, OR

Port Orford, OR



From there I headed to Smith River the next day.  It was only 6 miles away, but it seemed like a really long 6 miles.  It was a cloudless, sunny day, and the sun was hot beating down on me.  During the whole 6 miles, there were only 2 spots on the road where there was any shade -- and I stood in those 2 spots for a good 20 minutes each.  I knew my arms and face were turning really red, but wasn't sure how much until I got into town.  I stopped at the tavern right next to the grocery store, and the first thing Rick said to me is "you are really red!"  He then handed me a cold beer, and we started talking.  I was exhausted, and was glad to be sitting in a cool, shaded area.  After visiting for awhile, Rick offered to let me stay there for a couple nights and do some cleaning for him, and that he'd pay me for it.  He showed me a large storage room with a bed and a bathroom in it, and i said sure, that I'd stay put for a day or two.  So I did some cleaning and vacuuming for him, then in the evening it felt good to kick back.  The next day he drove me back to Brookings and dropped me and a ton of dirty laundry off at the laundromat.  6 loads and 3 hrs later, he picked me back up and took care of a few more errands before heading back to Smith River.  He paid me for my work, and the next day I was heading for Crescent City.

Michelle, sending me down the road!