OREGON...Tired of the Exile

August 16, 2026: I'm at my breaking point. I feel like I've seen everything there is to see although I know I haven't. Some locations and highways I've seen two, three, and four times as I zigzag all over the place. I'm tired of driving, tired of worrying about where to park, where to get healthy food, fighting Oregon's parking ordinances. Not that I really have a "home" to go "home" to, but I still feel hopeful for Tucson. Except for the current 106 degrees AND DUST STORMS. I really don't know where in the whole world I want to be!

After seeing the Titanic exhibit, Google Maps took me on a tour of Portland's rich neighborhoods up in the hills. This was an attempt to head west back to the coast. Eventually I reached Highway 26. I considered staying at a rest stop for the night that was highly recommended online, but I arrived too early for the twelve hour limit. I planned to go to the Astoria Aquatic Center for a shower. Online said the showers were inexpensive (the pool is indoors so swimming wouldn't do), but when I looked again online to confirm times, today they cancelled swimming on Mondays! UGH! I kept going. 

Fantasizing...

Here I want to pat myself on the back for 1.) NOT buying that incredibly delicious Gluten-free Chocolate Cream Pie in Corvallis, and 2.) NOT buying the taste-bud tantalizing S'mores Cheesecake in Astoria! I kept driving. Kudos to me. I did, however, eat something with gluten in it a few days ago and my neck is sore. It's doing a number on my thyroid, but I didn't eat enough to really take a toll so my energy hasn't crashed. I really need to be better. So I'm not all angelic with my incredibly restrictive diet. Living in a van with consistently high stress levels tempts my willpower so I cave a lot. I love my comfort food! 

Drove down the coast to Tillamook. Again! This time the traffic going north and east was bumper to bumper! Parking everywhere was filled and the beaches looked like California! Eeeewww! Maybe this is the last hurrah before school starts? It wasn't this way a week ago. I ended up on the Cape Meares Lookout, same place I was a few weeks ago. Lots of silent fog, drizzly mist, and falling leaves. It's is a quiet off highway location with the exception of the honking cars speeding by at 4:30 am. Again, Oregon is a very unfriendly state. I don't ever remember honking cars in any other state!

This, however, is new:

What is it? Initially it looked hard like plaster, but I sprinkled some water on it and it's powder. You can see over to the left where the water hit it's clumping. What is it? If it's just flour, why would anyone dump it on the side of a road?

I considered reporting it to the police, but then I figured they'd think I'm some paranoid, crazed old woman wasting their time. Why do I care? I can't control rude, thoughtless people who litter let alone people dumping illegal drugs! Or flour!

August 17, 2026: I'm feeling bored now and long to go back to Tucson. Just killing time trying to stay out of the heat. Tucson is supposed to be 106 degrees today. No thanks. I can be patient. It was foggy, wet, and cold all day.

August 18, 2026: Drove through Oceanside early in the morning. Then to Lincoln City where the Spring Lake Loop Hiking Trail was located. It was short and nothing to look at except screaming children in front of me. I even took an unknown trail in hopes of getting lost (and getting away from screaming children), but it just dumped me out on the road up from where I started.

There are quite a few backpackers walking down 101. Every now and then I'll see a backpacker early in the morning come out of the woods. I don't think the backpackers are hitchhiking since no thumbs are visible, but walking the coast! Very cool! There are a lot of cyclists, too. It would be hard to ride a bike in some of these winds! At least it's not raining.

On the route today I passed an RV hanging off the highway over the cliff supported by pine trees! OMG! It was quite frightening! The front of it was facing the highway so my assumption without knowing anything is something sideswiped it and pushed it off the highway! It couldn't have driven off the road or the front would be facing the ocean. You really can't plan for these things. Life is fragile. I hope no one was hurt.

Went to the Newport Walmart and the Oceana Food Co-op for supplies. Stopped at Neptune Beach just south of Yachats. Beach walked a bit, breathed in the fresh air, dipped my toes in the ocean waves. I'm trying to suck in as much ocean as I can before it's time to head back to the dusty, dry desert. Same with trees. It still brings me so much joy to be surrounded by so much green!

On to Coos Bay for organic food and overnight at the public parking with 24 hour limit. Very quiet night.

August 19, 2026: I've reached a milestone!!! At around 7am as I'm lazying around in bed thinking not very seriously about starting my day, I got my first knock on the van! Two very pleasant police officers good morning-ed me then proceeded to tell me overnight parking is NOT allowed in Coos Bay municipal parking lots. 

I apologized profusely, pointed to the sign not ten feet away that says "24 hour limit" and said something to the effect, "I would interpret that as one overnight is allowed. AND, this location is on the iOverlander app and many people have claimed it's a wonderful place to park overnight. No one has ever had any issues." 

He replied very kindly by reciting the ordinances and locations one can park. I told him I was aware of the 8pm to 7am street parking and all the other options in the area, but I selected this one due to its proximity to the food co-op [one block away] AND it seemed very inviting with THAT 24 HOUR SIGN! Seems like you all need some new signs if you don't want nomads parking here." 

He said, "I understand. If you plan to stay in town at any length or plan to come back, just so you know." 

I informed him, "I stayed here about a month ago. I was traveling up the coast and now I'm on the way down. I'll be leaving in about an hour." 

They were nice, but really??? The 24 hour limit sign needs to be replaced with an unfriendly common Oregonian warning "NO OVERNIGHT PARKING" or how would we know? I watched them walk to the next van and knock on their door. I always have these unwelcome experiences in Coos Bay. 

I packed up and left heading south. Stopped at Arizona Beach! I saw this exit off 101 on the way up, but missed the turn off then and vowed I'd return. I'm from Arizona! I have to go the Arizona Beach! It's a day-use only beach. I met some ladies who were camping in the camping section hidden beyond. Camping is by lottery only. They said they come every year and it's named Arizona Beach because it gets a constant pocket of sun. True to its name, it was sunny! Most places on the coast especially this early in the day are drizzly and foggy! However, it smelled like dog doo-doo! I moved spots thinking maybe there was some nearby, but it didn't matter where I moved. Maybe people are not picking up after their dogs here leaving a copious amount all over? I went walking along the beach...it's a really clean beach compared to most. Probably because there aren't any humans around with dogs.  I spotted only one doo-doo dump from one very large dog.  

I took off my sneakers, waded in the stream that blocked the parking lot from the beach, and walked the length of the beach. No one around. very relaxing. Closer to noon it became very populated. I left. I picked a container of blackberries on the way out.

The southern end of the Oregon Coast is so much less crowded! The dramatic cliffs and jutting giant rock islands make it so beautiful. 

Drove to Gold Beach for some flat rocks. Maybe I'll paint them. Ten acres of the beach foliage is BURNT! It wasn't like this last time I was here! Last week there was a fire. It is believed someone in a tent on the beach was cooking with a fire. The once fresh ocean air smelled like smoke. Yuck!

I considered for a minute starting to drive east just to find an overnight off the noisy highway, but the temperatures quickly rose to 75 degrees. Too hot! I am such a wimp!! I drove back and parked on the side of 101 overlooking the ocean as I tried to gain perspective. It is warmer down here in the south. The highway traffic was noisy. It reminds me of Alaska. After a while I got tired of overnighting on the sides of highways with too much traffic noise. I've reached my limit.

Hwy 101 just south of Port Orford

I decided to move, drove to Sixes River Road which is about three miles north of Port Orford. Side of road pull out. The traffic was a little busy around the end of the day, but at night so nice and quiet.

August 20, 2026: Drove to Port Orford. Found Buffington Park and ate breakfast. Went looking for a shower that is supposedly at the marina, but the one I found was outside and looked filthy. It's only 60 degrees and foggy. I'm not going to shower outside and freeze. Went back to Buffington Park and ate a salad for lunch. The park is very cool, in the woods, but with lots of entertainment: skateboard area, horse area, baseball fields, mini-golf track, bathrooms, jogging/hiking trail.

The temperatures are supposed to be in the high 70s over near Klamath Falls eventually. The date keeps moving further away. I'm waiting and plan to head back there, BUT there are also SEVERE FIRE WARNINGS so we'll see what happens between now and next week.

Overnighted right on a large 101 cement pullout south of Port Orford with the view above. It was cold, densely foggy, but the traffic not too bad.

August 21, 2026: Worked all morning. Cloudy, foggy and cold! I went to bed last night with frozen feet, and they have been frozen all morning. This means it's too cold for my body. This morning was about 55 degrees. Still tolerable, but borderline. I hate cold weather. Time to head east...maybe...slowly.

Headed south to Gold Beach (again!) to find some refill water. Then toward Agness on a beautiful river canyon highway. It's so green with mountains of pine trees! And the sun came out! I sang aloud all the way down the highway, "Green. Green. Green. Sun. Sun. Sun." Yeah, my songwriting talents are wanting.

Online there is a overnight area that was advertised as huge and off the highway just before one gets to Agness. I got here and there are big piles of gravel...? What is it? On the other side are old blacktop pieces piled up growing grass so I'm guessing it's a dumping ground for ODOT? They don't work on the weekends. There isn't a sign saying it's private property or "no overnight parking" so I'll take my chances. The highway is very quiet so hopefully no one will even notice me. The deciding factor: This space is within the Siskiyou National Forest so I can stay for fourteen days! Of course, it could be private property and just not marked. This is my thought process when trying to figure out where I can overnight without problems!

It's Friday night. It's always a risk in the country not knowing what kind of hooligans might be bored and hoping for something ignorantly entertaining to do. I always imagine the worst, but I'll risk it because I don't want to go too far east too soon as Grants Pass is still in the 90s. It's about 72 degrees right now. Nice, but still cool.

August 22, 2026: Very quiet night in the national forest-ODOT dumping ground just west of Agness!!

Speaking of national forests, I came across an article on the top ten worst tick infestation locations in Oregon. This sounded like good information to know until I read the article and the ten locations basically covered every inch of Oregon!! I kept saying, "Been there. Been there. And there. Parked there. Also there." There is no safe place to stay away from ticks. I just don't want my blood sucked nor do I want a tick infestation in the van. I try to remember to check for ticks when I come back from a hike, but sometimes I'm so tired and distracted I forget.

Second night at the ODOT dumping ground. I've had maybe three vehicles pull in, two left immediately, one parked and the couple got out. I have no idea what they were doing leaning on the bed of the truck. Ten minutes later they left. There are bullet shells all over so I wonder if on a Saturday or Sunday some of these people were here to shoot off some guns. I have no idea. The second night was very quiet.

August 23, 2026: I was worried when I plugged in Galice into the Google Maps when it gave me a "restricted access" warning for the road without explanation. My paper map has a note the road is closed during the winter. I had no idea what was at Agness as it's one of those unincorporated communities. Sometimes all they have is one building used for a grange. I calculated how much gas I had left in case I might have to turn around and go back to the coast should the road be closed. I did NOT want to go back to the coast! The drive is so incredibly beautiful especially early in the morning along the Rogue River. If I didn't run out of food, I'd stay a little longer. 

I drove about five minutes and out in the middle of no where was a resort! It looks like they have a campground, cabins, and a store right next to the river. I asked at the store about N.F. 23, the road to Galice. He said it's fine, four small gravel sections, 50 miles to Galice. No mention it is single lane with pullouts! BUT the road is spectacular, as usual for Oregon! It looked like a park road with white lines on each edge. There were a few viewpoint parking lots with gorgeous views of Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. They don't have "no overnight parking" signs so someday I may return!

Then there are the damn truck drivers racing toward me like they had somewhere important to be on a Sunday morning without any regard that there is a very large van coming at them! I slow to a stop or we might collide.

Green! Green! Green! Green!

After happily arriving in Galice, which is a campground with a store and a few houses (that's it!), I drove to Grants Pass. The weather jacked up to 88 degrees. Shopped for healthy food at Gooseberries (almost every item was at least $1 more than any other store in the state!), paper products at Walmart, forgot to get water at Winco (damn!) and then headed north up a mountain for some BLM camping. The dirt road was horrible, water rutted, and dusty. The first flat area with sky I stopped although Google Maps wanted me to climb further up. Later someone said there is nothing up there and according to the online maps, I'm not even in the right vicinity of where I was supposed to be! Oh well! This is Google at its best! It's an adventure! It's Sunday afternoon so I hope all the ATVs have gone home or they are going to drive by and cover Big Blue with dust. I guess it wouldn't matter since Big Blue is already covered in dust. Only four vehicles came up the road and kept going down the other side. I found out from one of the jeeps that "other side" dirt road went to Porter, a tiny hamlet seen on the paper map, but in the right direction where I want to go.

Wonderfully quiet and peaceful night!! Well, except I'm still fantasizing about Chocolate Cream Pie! Can I drive two hours to satisfy a craving? I hope I don't cave...

OREGON! The OMSI Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition

August 16, 2026: I got up early and drove through downtown Portland. I really love using Google Maps with the highways/interstate option blocked because I'm sent on backroads and into neighborhoods that I would otherwise never know about. I would probably get lost trying to find my way without this app!

Downtown Portland was wonderful early in the morning before anyone was awake! Gorgeous old buildings and no traffic. I have to say even though highways in Oregon are well maintained and look like park driveways, city streets are consistently horrible! Klamath Falls, Coos Bay, Astoria, Salem, Eugene...all the same. Potholes, cracks, dips, patches. It's bad enough worrying about the road condition in addition to worrying about other vehicles, bad drivers, pedestrians stepping in front of you, negotiating one way streets and roads that veer off in all directions! On the way out in the afternoon when the traffic got crazy, it was life-threatening!

I headed to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) to see the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition and to try to figure out parking in advance. Online the website said there is street parking if you don't want to pay. Well, street parking is a thirty minute walk in a deserted industrial area. I shouldn't say "deserted" as there were plenty of homeless laying on the streets, sitting smoking under the bridges, or milling about. I didn't feel safe leaving the van parked in this area. Parking at OMSI was $5 for two hours or $8 for all day.

The Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition ticket cost came to $30 including parking. That included some minor discounts. Interesting exhibit and I'm glad I did it. I had the urge to do something touristy since I so rarely treat myself to anything but fattening deserts. I liked the exhibits: artifacts brought up from the ocean, photos, displays, and educational information. It would have been a great exhibition if it wasn't so crowded! And noisy! They offered headsets that read you the display labels, but too many parents decided they needed to read aloud everything to their kids. Good god! It was like stereo speakers with one parent on one side reading one and another parent on the other side reading something totally different. I thought I'd go crazy! I had to plug my ears with my fingers in order to read to myself without the constant reading aloud interruptions. I would have loved the exhibit without PEOPLE!

The new information I gleaned was fascinating. First class tickets cost in modern day equivalent over $100,000!!! Who can afford that? Even the very rich, how can they even justify it? The modern day equivalent of a third-class passenger's ticket cost was about $900! Even that is expensive! I always assumed third-class were incredibly poor, but I guess not! Contrary to my past assumptions, the restaurant menus for each class were displayed and third-class ate very well!

I found the findings of artifacts very interesting. Whole suitcases with paper items (music sheets, postcards, money, etc.) were found still intact. Some luggage with clothes preserved especially if they were in leather bags which held together even after eighty years. One case had perfume samples belonging to a perfume manufacturer who was bringing the samples to the USA to try to sell. In that day and age they manufactured natural perfumes from bergamot, rose, lavender...and the perfume in the bottles still smelled! 

The displays often had one item, but the label said many were found. I think they should have displayed more than one. There was a tin (?) container of toothpaste they believe the White Star Line gave for free to passengers since so many were found. Why only display one? Why not multiple so we can see the front, top and bottoms of the box? Same with dishes. Why display one? I would rather have been amazed at the volume of what was discovered preserved on the ocean floor. Yeah, I know that would be a lot more work transporting and displaying. I wonder if this exhibit is being shown in other locations simultaneously so they spread the artifacts around. 

These au gratin dishes were displayed as they were found - in a row. It seems the wood cabinet in which  they were stored kept them safe during the sinking, but on the ocean floor the sea water disintegrated the cabinet leaving the dishes. I find it fascinating so much of the dishware was not broken.

Upon entry they give you a "boarding pass" with the biography of one of the passengers on the back. At the end, you can scan your boarding pass and the computer tells you if your passenger lived and what became of them. The first boarding pass I chose was a man's name. I traded him in for a "Mrs. Henry William Frauenthal (Clara Heinsheimer).

I've read a lot of Titanic biographies over the years. Some are very dramatic, others very mundane. Very little about most of the passengers. I've always wondered what kind of lasting trauma survivors experienced. No one likes to talk about that. I assumed if I had a "Mrs." she was probably first-class and survived. Both my passenger and her husband survived. I wonder if their mental health was a direct result of their Titanic experience? This doesn't say if Henry Frauenthal, her husband's brother survived (mentioned on the back of the boarding pass) and I didn't look at the final list of victims and survivors for his name.

The exhibit was missing a lot of well-known biographies. I saw the Titanic cemetery in Nova Scotia last summer with a story about a French man who kidnapped his young sons from his divorced wife. No mention of him or his sons. Nothing about the women who stayed with their husbands (Strausses). I thought the most heartbreaking biography highlighted was the Allison family:

I'm sure they were in a panic, stressed and not thinking straight, but why didn't the husband put his wife and daughter in a boat and then continue to look for the baby? So sad. History doesn't know, but assumes, if the parents stayed together because the wife refused to leave her husband. According to online information (I couldn't resist!), Trevor Allison was adopted by Allison relatives. When he was 18 years old he died from food poisoning.

The coolest "artifact" was the ice wall that is the same temperature as the iceberg. When I touched it I jumped and screamed a little unprepared for the freeze. The information also talks about the temperature of the water, how salt water freezes at a lower temperature, and how most people died from exposure rather than drowning.

Other interesting tidbits were the artifact recovery processes. There is still a lot left on the bottom of the ocean, but the shipwreck is disintegrating due to metal-eating bacteria and as it disintegrates it covers up the artifacts on the sand. Although the ticket was expensive, I hope some of the profits go toward more recovery.

It took about one and a half hours to see with me reading nearly everything. 

I followed Google Maps out through downtown Portland in the afternoon when the traffic got crazy. I just drove it slowly and remained hyperattentive. I was tempted to park and take a walk in that awesome shopping district, but remembered parking a small car was difficult. I had no confidence I could find a parking space big enough for Big Blue. I saw Powell Books and kept driving. In the afternoon, opposed to the morning, the homeless are all over the streets, sleeping right on the downtown corners in the old town district with tents and piles of sleeping bags. Right in downtown! It was pretty bad. Police don't seem to control it like they do in other towns. Maybe they've given up?

I was outta there by noon, heading west.

Oregon: OMG! Autumn Leaves are FALLING!!

August 11, 2026: I'm seeing fall leaves dancing in the wind, mambo-ing on the highways, rumba-ing on the roads, square-dancing on the streets! Some of the trees are turning colors! The maples are turning red! (Love those maples!) I awoke to a thick layer of dew on the windshield and it was cold last night in Newport! FALL IS HERE! Or almost?! It's just around the corner! That means my exile is almost over! I wonder when it'll start raining?

I made a laundry stop because the Newport's Laundry Queen on 5th Avenue is so clean and wonderful! The best in the state. But clearly unfriendly with "no overnight parking" signs! Nomads dread seeing these! UGH! So inhospitable!

UNFRIENDLY!!!

Also, the dryer ate my quarters and gave me only five minutes in return. UGH! On the bright side, there is nothing better than clean clothes. I have recently realized I have an unhealthy obsession with washing my throw rugs all the time, too! I love it when they are clean and fluffy on my bare feet!

Then I went beaching. I had an urge. I needed the sea breeze on my face, sand in my socks, the smell of fishy things, and the incredible views that I'm convinced make me healthier. The water was a mix of bright blue and turquoise. Gorgeous. The fog kept rolling in and out. Lost Creek Beach was first on the map after leaving Newport going south. I found a little witches' rock. Always a good sign.

Continuing south, I stopped at Another Beach...I have no idea what the name of it is. I just know it was free parking, but access was down a cliff so I passed on the walk.

I stopped at another beach parking lot, but a fee was required. Ah, NO. I walked around Yachats (pronounced YA-HOTS) and found painted garage doors on an orange house and a painted seal sculpture near the highway welcoming visitors with its crazy colors.

I found my people!!

Stopped at the Alsea Bay Wayside and gazed at the bay. Such a beautiful day! 

I love the bridges along 101. This was just before Walport and build originally in 1901 over the Alsea River and Bay. I love the sculptural pillers on the ends. Very art deco with green glass light fixtures. I wonder if they are lit at night? Newport also has a bridge with pillars, going north right after Hoover's Bar. (That is still making me laugh!) Most of the towns along the coast have bridges with pillars looking like miniature Empire State Buildings.

I stopped off at Strawberry Hill where there were sea lions frolicking in the surf! For some weird reason, my camera didn't work??!! They would have been little black and gray dots in the water anyway so no great loss. I really need some binoculars and a better camera with a magnificent zoom in lens. I was told there was a pod of whales swimming down from north of Yachats, but I didn't see anything and then the fog rolled in again.

Overnighted at Brays Point up on a cliff overlooking the beach. Although it's a pullout right on 101 with traffic until about 11pm, damp sticky air, AND there is no cell phone service or internet, I really like this location. It's very windy, but the wind dies down at night.

August 12, 2026: I drove to the Florence Goodwill and bought something that might serve as lounge wear since all my pajamas and most of my t-shirts have holes. Why can't clothing last forever?? 

I drove to Coos Bay. Grocery shopped at Natural Grocers, but their water refills smell and taste like chlorine. UGH! Walked the farmers' market they have downtown on Wednesdays and there was a woman who made gluten-free bakery items Yeah, I overinduldged. I wasn't impressed though which is always disappointing although helps my willpower. Parked at the swimming pool, but didn't swim. Parked at Ferry Park in North Bend. Overnighted on the street in North Bend right next to the firestation. There are signs all over overnight parking is allowed between 8pm and 7am.

Every now and then my ankle has pain like a knife is stabbing it and I can't walk. Just out of the blue. I can hike for seven miles without a problem, then out of no where I can't walk at all. I think it's the hardware. Hmmm...I really don't want to have it removed and chance it not healing right.

Pretty boring day....

August 13, 2026: Quiet night! I'm trying to decide if I should stay another night and check the post office for a forwarded check or leave and swing back later. It's pretty boring here. It's also cloudy. I don't think my solars would charge under these conditions.

Natural Grocers is having an anniversary sale so I got a new free shopping bag. I love these shopping bags! The grocery checker was going to give me a cartoon one. I hate stupid cartoons and I asked if I could trade it. I got FLOWERS!

What was very strange at this visit to Natural Grocers is I usually get refill water since it's so cheap at .35 cents a gallon. This water was chlorinated! Yesterday the checker tried to tell me they don't chlorinate anything, but then today I ask the assistant manager and she said when Coos Bay treats the water once a month, they put too much chlorine in and the filters can't get it all out for about a day. Good to know! Blah. It kind of defeats the purpose of claiming the water is filtered and clean if it's NOT!

I headed for Corvallis via Drain to stop to swim at the pool. I checked with the kid at the counter to confirm there was a class and waited in town for six hours. I get there at 5pm, say, "I'm here for aerobics!" The silly little teenager who does not smile mumbled something while she looked in the other direction. 

I looked at the other silly little teenager who also doesn't smile and asked, "I did not understand a word she said. What did she say?" 

She mumbles a little clearer, "No one is showing up for aerobics." Mumbling the reason I again did not catch.

What? So it's cancelled and the other stupid teenager couldn't tell me that six hours ago? 

First stupid smile-free girl responded, "Oh, we can have it. I'll just read off a paper." 

I starting laughing and said, "I have never taken this class so I would not be a good pupil not knowing how to do the various exercises. Can I do laps while you read off the paper." She didn't think that was allowed. 

The other smile-free girl said, "That'll be $4." They charge more for aerobics than lap swim. I left. I don't have the patience to deal with stupid smile-free girls today.

Got to Corvallis and stayed at the wetlands. OMG! I parked right next to the most beautiful blackberries. Since they are inland, they are riper and sweeter due to the heat. They are so good! I was also kept company by too many hornets.

August 14, 2026: I met a woman the last time I was in Corvallis who was really friendly. We met at the Willamette Park for a walk. She took me on a tour showing me some of the trails. We saw a huge owl!! I then went to the First Alternative Co-op for groceries I couldn't get at Natural Grocers the day before and Natural Grocers for water since I was totally out of water by this time. I smelled it to make sure it wasn't poisoned with chlorine. Checked out a thrift store my new friend suggested, but it was small and didn't have much. I checked out the swimming pool, but it was crowded and expensive at $6. I'm not sharing a lane with up to three other people for $6!

Ate lunch at the Willamette Park, washed my Goodwill clothes AGAIN. The weather is 80 degrees - warm, but cool enough to be tolerable. Leaves falling all over! Overnight at the wetlands again. Picked more blackberries. Quiet night.

August 15, 2026: Met my friend and we went to the farmers' market in Corvallis. Very nice. Met a lot of very nice people. One in particular was a woman who does wire wrapped jewelry. She lives in an RV in an RV park. When she first arrived in Corvallis she lived in the national forest moving every 14 days. I could never tolerate the cold of year-round living.

The market had a lot of liberal political booths (my people), lots of organic produce, lots of bakeries (none gluten-free). I saw the BIGGEST blackberries I've ever seen - at least two inches long and so delicious! I didn't buy any since I just loaded up on side of the road berries. I managed to avoid buying anything that looked like a dessert!

As I drove through Albany on my way to Silverton, I saw a sign for a farmers' market. Saturday is the day for markets! It wasn't nearly as big or as nice as the Corvallis market. Drove to Silverton. Everyone gushes about this town. It was OK, but not impressive. Drove to Woodburn. I misinterpreted this Mexican Market as a farmers' market, but I think it's just a downtown area full of stores.

Drove close enough to get to Portland without being in Portland. Overnight at the MAX Train Park & Ride in Beaverton. The lot was almost empty, very quiet. The late afternoon sun was very hot on the van. One is allowed to park overnight for 12 hours.

Trees are turning colors fast. Weather is cool. Fall is here! I keep watching the weather in the south and in Arizona. It's still over 100!

Oregon Coast: Still Zigzagging...

August 5, 2026: I stayed at Hult Reservoir all morning in the nice cool weather. As I was on my computer a little black spider fell from the ceiling onto my keyboard...and disappeared. OMG! I searched all over for it. It is NOT good to have a spider living in the van. I have read about black widow infestations in vans. No, no, no...where did it go? Is it laying eggs as I write this? I'm pretty sure this is what I get for parking under trees in the woods. I kept feeling things crawl on me until I couldn't take it anymore and packed up to leave. Not that leaving does any good with the spider IN the van, but I had to take my mind of it. The heat was building anyway so time to head to the coast.

I drove to Eugene for supplies. OMG! Once I got out of the woods everything was thick with smoke! I could hardly see the hills. My eyes and lungs burned and I felt a headache coming on. 

I stopped at Discount Tires to ask some more questions trying to decide if I should get a tire rotation or splurge and get new tires. Of course, the charming employee talked me into new tires by convincing me the inside of the shop is air conditioned and filtered so it would be comfortable to get out of the smoke. I needed tires. I just don't want to spend the money. They were fast! Probably so I wouldn't change my mind.

Ignore the missing hubcabs. I have yet to replace them. 
Discount Tire guy said I should just buy some fancy rims.
He thinks I'm rich....

I got some road Michelins. No more all-terrains for me. OMG! The van rides so differently now! SO SMOOTH! I go over a bump and can barely feel it. It turns so effortlessly. The brakes seem to work better. Big Blue sails down the highways now...unfortunately. I have to try harder not to get a ticket! It still stutters on hills, but not as much. What is causing that? Maybe the transmission is adjusting to the new tires? It makes me so angry to think how long I stressed out about the van running badly. I hope these tires are better. I hate having to rely on men for good information as they have failed so consistently in the past.

Drove to Drain thinking I could swim, but the swimming pool was closed due to air quality issues. It's smoky in Drain, too, maybe not as bad as Eugene. I stopped and took photos of these gorgeous "castles":

So gorgeous! I love the rich brown color with lime green trim!
It's currently being used as the school district office.

I headed to the coast hoping the air was cleaner and the temperatures were cooler. They were! It was 65 degrees rather than the 95 degrees. I stayed overnight on Dean Creek Road right off Highway 38 which is about two miles east of Reedsport. The highway was so noisy all night, unlike 101 that goes silent after 11:00pm.

A man in a truck pulls into the pullout behind me. I thought he was going to stay the night. Suddenly I smelled dog shit. At first I checked the bottoms of my shoes that's how strong it was. Then I realized this guy let his dog out to shit and then left. So incredibly rude!! What is it with bad dog owners?

August 6, 2026: Woke early and drove just a mile down the highway to the Elk Viewing Park. I've driven by this place several times usually in the afternoon and I've never seen elk. This morning at the crack of dawn I drive by the first herd that was just on the other side of the blackberry bushes from where I was parked. Got down to the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Park, pulled in very slowly and there were about 200 up front and center! As soon as they saw my van, the began to move away. Lots of babies. I was afraid to get out of the van. Now they are specks on the horizon.

I drove into Reedsport thinking I should clean out the van and use their high-powered vacuum, but it was $3.00!! No way am I paying $3.00 for a 2 minute vacuum. I have a whole van to vacuum where a spider could be hiding! 

I went into The Sugar Shack hoping to be tempted. Oh, what a beautiful bakery, old school with all the classic favorites! Love the pink! All bakeries should be pink! Nothing gluten-free, fortunately and unfortunately. I was able to resist all temptation.

I drove back to the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area, cleaned out the van the best I could, did not find the spider, ate breakfast, and gazed at the elk every now and then as I typed on the computer. There are bathrooms and garbage receptacles here. It's cool and not smoky. This is luxury! I think I'll stay all day and work.

Overnight in the parking lot at the Reedsport Dog Park.

August 7, 2026: I couldn't find schedules for the Coos Bay swimming pool and when I got there it's closed for swim meets. Very disappointing. It's not very organized with floating timelines and changing schedules. I left and toured around to see towns I missed on the first visit, but I went too far east and encountered smoke again. I felt directionless all day. I didn't want to be where I was and I didn't really know where I wanted to go. Came back to the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area. I love it here. It's so peaceful aside from the highway traffic noise and the tourists.

Close to dusk a woman drove up in a pick up truck. She got out with her little snorty flat-faced dog and walked around my van which I though very strange. Although we were both wearing tie-dyed t-shirts which might inspire a connection, my instincts flared so I avoided initiating conversation. 

Later I noticed she was trying to pry open the back window to her truck's canopy. Did she lock her keys in the truck? I felt a surge of empathy since that is one of my greatest fears. Yep. She did. I kept asking if she needed help. She said she had no one to call, didn't want to contact a locksmith because they are too expensive. I said, "Breaking that window might cost more than a locksmith." Then she confessed she didn't even have a phone, didn't have any way to find numbers, but she rejected my offer to call and she kept babbling about her life. She seemed very needy and manipulative, unable to focus, and I kept thinking I should stop being a super-empath and walk away. I loaned her my crowbar and damn if that back window didn't violently shatter with tiny glass pieces flying all over. Her dog panicked then got loose from its leash running haphazardly through the parking lot. 

There was so much drama surrounding this woman she was irritating me. Then she's whining about how she can't drive over the glass or she'll get a flat tire. OK, I have a broom! I started to sweep the glass while she stood there and watched. Honestly, I didn't want to hand her the broom because I figured she'd waste time babbling instead of doing anything and I figured I could do it faster and she'd leave faster. I also didn't want to leave the glass all over and risk running over it myself. At one point she pulls out a cigarette as if she's relaxing and watching her own personal reality show. I said, "If you smoke, I leave...with the broom." She immediately apologized and put it away. I might be overly empathetic, but I do have some boundaries. Something about her made all my instincts scream a red light warning. I was on high alert waiting for her to suspiciously ask for a favor or want to see my van. She didn't. People in general are so obnoxious in so many different ways. She eventually drove away. I left shortly after. I was going to overnight across the highway, but she creeped me out so I drove a good distance into Reedsport and overnighted again at the dog park.

August 8, 2026: Dog Park was so quiet all night. Not sure how long I'm allowed to stay as every city's ordinances are different. Did a few speed walking laps around the Dog Park and then on a metal "thing" (not sure what it was) I found a kindness rock!

I love finding kindness rocks! I traded the painted rock I found at the Klamath Falls swimming pool for it and left it on the metal thing in its place so hopefully the artist of this one will find it and feel excited. Now, you aren't supposed to put googly eyes and glitter in the wild as it's dangerous to birds and other wildlife so I might not use this one as a trade in the future. I kind of wish I would have kept more of my painted rocks so I could have used them as trades. Hmmm...maybe I should start painting again?

I checked the day's impending temperatures and air quality indexes: Klamath Falls should be 92 degrees and 109. Not good. Medford is 97 degrees and 88. Bly is 92 degrees and 149! Corvallis is 89 degrees and 58. Eugene is 89 degrees and 67 so both those I-5 corridor towns have cleared slightly. Reedsport is 67 degrees and 51. I'll stay on the coast for now!

Overnight at Dean Creek Road pullout.

August 9, 2026: August is for BLACKBERRIES! They are all over the sides of roads! Whoo Hoo! Free food!

Headed to Highway 101 north to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. It's a national forest. I have no idea if my America the Beautiful pass qualifies. They have a poster for all the qualifying passes and several of them are national passes, but no photo of my pass. BUT most of the cars already in the parking lot have their America the Beautiful pass on their dashboards so I threw all caution to the wind. I hiked one hell of a hike, felt lost most of the time, but at least I remembered to take a photo of the map. (Not that it helped!)

Yep, I did the whole loop! I keep vowing I will only do short hikes, but early in the morning with what feels like unlimited energy, I just couldn't help myself. By the time I got to the beach and struggled walking through deep sand, I was exhausted. 

I made it uphill through sand dunes to Threemile Lake.

Where to go? The signs were horrible or nonexistent. The map was basic and not helpful. I saw some campers right on the lake's beach, but I did not want to walk down there only to be told I would have to climb back up the embankment. I couldn't see any other good trail. The family camping said, "Nope, gotta climb back up that embankment and go to the right." Damn. I found the correct trail which felt like a neverending uphill mountain, but through gorgeous forest.

I read recently a scientist doing research discovered if you spend time out in the woods once a month it supports your immune system! This isn't just an hypotheses - they now have scientific evidence. It certainly feels good to breathe fresh air and I kept taking deep breaths.

Here is a photo of my hiking buddy.
I must be in the northwest!

By the time I got back, I thought I would collapse. Enroute I was so tired I was afraid I'd trip on a root and fall off the edge into a ravine imagining no one would ever find my body in the abyss covered with ferns and other thick vegetation. At an intersection with no signs to show which way, one part of the trail was covered with sand that had avalanched down the hill. Scary. Which way do I go? I trudged over the sand and non-existent trail because that's the kind of woman I am! I continued hoping the trail was on the other side of this newly formed dune. It was! My instincts are commendable.

I hiked a total of seven miles! I'm too old for this! Two miles on one trail, one mile on the beach and about four miles up the other side of the loop. The map says this section is three miles, but the signs said four miles. It felt more like 15 miles! However, the weather was perfect and it was a beautiful, stunning hike. Curse my old body!

I attempted a sponge bath, made some lunch, then headed to Florence for an overnight. I read on an app you can park in Florence for 72 hours before you have to move at least 600 feet. I have no idea where people find these rules. I often look online and can't make sense of the ordinances. I started out parking in a vacant lot behind Les Schwab, but then worried if this is private Les Schwab property, they might not like that. So I moved onto the neighborhood street. The wind picked up and it was like a hurricane blowing sand from the dunes all over. THEN kids on dirt bikes and mini bikes started racing up and down the street and around my van. I left. I thought I should park on a beach cliff off 101, but with the hurricane winds, I didn't think that would be a very relaxing night of sleep. I went back to the Dean Creek Road near the Elk Viewing Area. Nice and quiet, familiar and safe.

August 10, 2026: This month is flying by! The summer will soon be over. I'm really happy about that as I'm not good with killing time and waiting for the weather to shift. I'd rather drive, but also rather not spend a fortune on gas. Bly's air quality index is up to 267!!! Wow! I wonder when they will finally get control of the wildfires?

Killing time. I once knew a man in Washington who lived in a van. His wife died, his son died, then he lost his job, and lost his house. I don't think this narrative is unusal for van lifers. So many are struggling to make ends meet and find any option for housing. Or they have some kind of disability that prevents them from living in apartments or houses contaminated with mold and chemicals. 

He was living in a crusty old van, participating in an annual lottery to be able to park up in the heavily wooded logging properties in the hills. I would see him daily when he came into town for errands or mail. He spent most of his day parked at the marina, the city park, a parking lot, or a pullout on the highway. Sometimes he'd just be sitting staring out the windshield. Other times reading. Parked and sitting in a van year round. He had a dog named Cybil until she died. I asked him why he didn't travel because being parked constantly staring out the window with the same mundane view would be incredibly boring. He said his social security is a pittance and he didn't have the money for gas or extras.

So here I am...parked. Sometimes I sit. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I work. Sometimes I'm on the internet reading or listening to music. I'll take walks or go on hikes. I don't get too bored and if I do I change scenery, but this year in an attempt to not spend so much money on gas, I'm more like him than I care to imagine. 

My last few encounters with him were not good. He was very volatile. My last conversation with him was right after he was released from the hospital having had a heartattack. I asked him how he was doing and when he went into great, horrific detail, the look on my face expressed concern like any emotionally healthy person would react. He started screaming at me repeating over and over, "DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT! DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT!" He was fearfully unpredictable, volatile for no reason, and disrespectful. I walked away and made a point never to approach him again. I wonder if he's still in his van living such a desperate life?

I drove to Newport. I debated whether this was a good idea. Do I really need to drive that far? Well, they have the best laundromat in the state so, yeah, I do!

Bly's air quality is now 362!!! WTH??? I thank the powers of the universe I didn't buy that house!! How would I be able to breathe?

On the way to Newport I saw a bumper sticker that made me laugh: "Due to a Wizard's Curse, I am Unable to Wash this Car." LOL! The white car was actually really clean.

I also saw a bar called HOOVER'S! That is hilarious! I think they need a logo that has vacuum cleaners looking like women, but I think that would defeat their purpose. Or maybe the owner's last name is Hoover and it has nothing to do with a play on the name Hooter's?

LEAVES!? I'm seeing falling leaves...

To Be Continued...