Oregon Coast Side Trip: Day Eight

July 14, 2026: I awoke with no trees on top of my van! Hooray for the simple celebrations in life!

I drove to Bend and although Google Maps wanted me to stay on the main highway, I saw a sign for "SCENIC ROUTE" and headed up the Santiam Pass on Highway 242. True to its claim, it was scenic!

The road was smooth as silk, maybe new, no potholes or cracks, like a park road, and the first section was gorgeously, densely wooded. It had plenty of twists and turns and at times was very narrow, but little traffic early in the morning. At the top were lava fields with walls of lava rock on each side of the highway!

At the apex of the mountain was a castle-like observation tower built in the 1930s of these lava rocks. It had these awesome arched windows that framed the various mountains: Three Sisters, Mt. Washington, and Mt. Jefferson with a bronze circular guide to tell you which was which and a rock-carved plaque below each window.

Mt. Washington

Three Sisters

The drive was beautiful especially early in the morning. Well worth the side trip!

I drove through Sisters to Bend. In the morning it was a very pretty town, but later in the afternoon it became congested with tourists. I did errands in Bend. Visited Discount Tires which was not a good experience. I think I'd prefer Les Schwab, but they don't have stores in Arizona!

I attempted to swim at Juniper Pool which is supposedly the best pool in Oregon. It's huge, and the outdoor pool is actually under a removable awning, but the chlorine was so strong I decided against it. (Is it just extra dirty?? Hmmmm....)

I finally found the Old St. Francis "hot springs" but I think it's just a soaking pool and looked more like a beautifully tiled bathtub than a hot springs. Also highly chlorinated. After reading that fact about chlorine, I'll never be the same! By that time the temperatures outside had climbed to 95 degrees so soaking in heat wasn't as appealing. I had an urge to go back to the coolness of the coast!

I stopped just east of Corvallis to park overnight at the Jackson Frazier Wetlands parking lot. It was quite popular with cars in and out going for evening walks or walking their dogs, but once the sunset it became really quiet.

Oregon Coast Side Trip: Day Seven!

July 13, 2026: Overnighting at Blue River Reservoir on this tiny country road was quite possibly the quietest night I've had in Oregon. No traffic all night and the boating parties went home yesterday afternoon. So nice!

In the peace of the morning, I cleaned out the van. I try to do this once a month by emptying out the innards, dusting or washing every surface, and vacuuming the carpets and fabrics. I haven't done it for a while since I avoid doing it if parked on dirt or grass for fear of ticks or other bugs. I don't want any kind of bug infestation. Periodic cleaning deters bugs, mice, and mold. Mold loves dust.

At this time I also go through every tote to see if there is anything I haven't used and garbage it. There are things I am storing for my future home like baking dishes, ceramic containers, bowls, art, lightbulbs and now a bag of hubcaps. I really wish I could find a base so I didn't have to store all this unnecessary stuff in the van which takes up too much space! I ruminated and worried about my mosaics being stored in a woman's garage in Tucson. She said she'll only store them for a year. Well, a year is almost up! Then what do I do? This causes me too much stress and I've almost made some bad decisions buying property just to have some place to put those mosaics!!

Today is a lazy day...

I have a pile of books here in the van. Some of them I get from  the free shelves at libraries and I keep them handy should I come across a little corner neighborhood library. I love those. I stop and look whenever possible and exchange books I've read for new (used) books. This way I don't have to spend money on a book I have no idea if I'd like or not, and I can keep the books as long as I need until I feel like reading.

Today I felt like reading and it's a story about a vampire. I realized too late it's a romance. Eeeewww! I've had this book for maybe a month? I can't remember where I found it maybe in a little town in eastern Oregon? Anyway, I open it and there is a bookmark of Vincent van Gogh with Sunflowers on his jacket! Nice bookmark - double sided which is unusual and clearly higher quality than one without a double side. I love getting gifts from the universe. I feel a little bad that someone might not have realized they left the bookmark in the book when they donated it, but like I said, I cannot remember from which community I found this book and I'm not going to spend $40-$100 in gas to try to return it to its owner. So I'll be thankful and then pay it forward eventually.

I stayed at the Blue River Reservoir again. As I'm laying in bed for the night I hear a loud crack and crash. OMG! I looked outside but didn't see anything except the wall of dirt/cliff across the road. All of a sudden I'm paranoid a tree will fall on my van! I'm not being unreasonable! It could happen. Wouldn't that be a nightmare? Would it push me off the ledge, over the cliff, into the reservoir 100 feet below? Damn, the useless things I worry about!

Oregon Coast: Takin' a Break: Day Six!

 July 12, 2026: Once the highway 101 traffic died down, it was a very quiet night. I woke up at 5am. I love this time of the day. People still sleeping. No traffic. I feel like I have the earth to myself. The photo below is the morning view of the coastline. The clouds and drizzle are finally clearing, but it's time for a break from the gray and damp.

I drove south, back to Florence, and headed east to Eugene on highway 126. Did a bee line to Whole Foods for a shot of civilization. It's so nice when they have a meat/fish counter and I can buy one piece of stuff instead of huge packages that just go bad since I don't eat it fast enough.

Then on to the Amazon Swimming Pool which opens on Sunday at 11:30. It's big, but so darn crowded! There are no reservations so the line outside started around 10:30am. Way too chaotic and noisy with lap swimmers, water walkers, hoards of screaming kids and many lanes of the swim team practicing. I did my 45 minutes and got the hell out of there. But I couldn't smell any chlorine! I recently read the smell of chlorine isn't really the chlorine, but the chlorine mixed with sweat and other human excrements so the stronger the smell, the dirtier the pool. I find that hard to believe. I'm sure chlorine right out of the bottle stinks. I don't know....

I planned to go to Bend, but found a nice pullout on a little road past Blue River Reservoir that goes to the revervoir's official campground.  I washed my Goodwill clothes that still stink (third handwashing) soaking them in Borax. I washed my rims that no longer have hubcabs because one fell off and I won't spend $50 on a hubcab so I took them all off. Washing the rims did not make them look better. Then I ate blueberries and gazed at the view:

It's much warmer here at 80 degrees and the sun is actually out!

Oregon Coast! Day Five!

 July 11, 2026: In the morning I walked a lap around the dog park then through the town of Reedsport. I left early on Highway 35 to an organic blueberry farm (Estill Farms) for some u-picking!! Google Maps took me to who knows where and I parked under their sign and tried to call but no one answered or returned my call. Then on the way back I found the blueberry farm. HUGE blueberries covering the bushes! Easy to pick, and oh, they were so tasty! I babbled the ear off of the woman in the row next to me. Her name was Yvonne and she grew flowers. I intended to pick about a half of a bucket, but I was talking so much I wasn't paying attention. I picked 10 pounds! At $3.50 per pound (for organic berries!!) that was $35!! Thankfully they fit in my refrigerator!

I then headed to Florence to a very, very busy laundromat, but the only one in town with top loaders. The parking lot was filled including three vans and two campers. They had seven top loaders and five were broken! The incredibly nice laundry lady said it's really difficult to get parts for the older machines. So that explains why so many in other laundromats are broken!

I met another van woman doing her laundry. It was fun to talk to someone else living in a van. However, I'm not sure why van women think I want their dogs in my van. They always walk right up and either throw the dog in my van or let it jump in. Would it be fine with them if I jumped into their vans uninvited? 

Earlier I offered her some of my blueberries and she said, "Yes." Not five seconds after I gave her a baggie of blueberries she asked me if it would be OK if she gave them to some man...???!!! WHAT???!!! I was livid! So incredibly RUDE. Why not just wait until I leave and give them to him? Why take them if she didn't want them? Why would she think my gift to her was to be given to someone else right in front of me? Why not wait until I'm gone and the do it? Just the question was rude. The guy loudly thanked her for the blueberries and I loudly said, "YOUR WELCOME" back. I've never met another woman living in a van who wasn't absolutely obnoxious, self-centered, condescending or just rude in some way. Probably from spending so much time alone? I wonder if I'm as socially inept?

I drove around Florence, walked to the market, then headed north along highway 101. I stopped at Bob's Creek beach. I walked on the beach and attempted to walk on rocks with pools of sea water, but it brought on TRAUMA RECALL...it felt too slippery. I had my high top hiking boots on which makes me feel secure, but...

Then I drove just south of Yachats to Thor's Well which is a collapsed cave that spurts water with the waves. The hike was only .4 miles on a paved walkway which is good since my ankle, knee and leg have been hurting. The weather was cloudy and drizzly. The walkways were wet. TRAUMA RECALL!! as I very carefully tiptoed down the path making sure I wouldn't slip.

I briefly watched as they carried someone out on a gurney and again, TRAUMA RECALL! I wonder if the person broke their ankle? Eeeewww! Beaches will never be the relaxing experience they once were!

I spent the rest of the day eating blueberries. I parked on a pullout on highway 101, but I really need to stop parking on the highway. It's so noisy with all the traffic. Unfortunately, I really don't want to drive on a dusty, dirt road up into the middle of no where to camp either. I think I'm tired of the gray, cloudy, drizzly days and noisy highway. Tomorrow I'll drive east.

Oregon Coast! Day Four!

 July 10, 2026: Awoke to clouds. Walked the boardwalk and passed a woman saturated in perfume. WHY??? WHY, I ask?? I find these people pathetically self-centered and lacking in self-esteem at the same time. It has to be a mental illness to have such a toxic addiction.

I came upon this bit of passionate graffitti while walking. Another daily reminder of where I am. I'm more inclined to cross out the yeast. As beautiful as the Oregon Coast is in the summer, I know during the winter with dark, cloudy days and constant rain, mold is an epidemic here. So toxic.

And then there is Ford. Another horrible experience. I get there 30 minutes early for my appointment. The service agent who was so helpful the other day is dismissive and condescending. This odd schitzophrenia is unnerving and my spidey-senses spiked. Is this change in personality because he knows he's about to try to screw me over? Another young guy who I think was a mechanic says they might not be able to rotate my tires because the van is too high. Excuse me? I didn't call in for an appointment. I showed up in person with the van that the service agent looked at. He couldn't tell me this two days ago? 

I said, "They only reason I'm here is to get a tire rotation." I was absolutely horrified. I'm so tired of these auto MEN manipulating and conniving to get me to spend money by luring me into the shop under false pretenses, "Oh, but we can do your oil change instead". 

I look over at the asshole agent and ask, "Can Les Schwab rotate my tires?" He said, "I don't know." He told me days ago that Les Schwab will have to balance the tires. It seems his information is selective when it's convenient. Then he told me because of the type of tires I have, they will more than likely wear out earlier than normal around 30,000 miles. 

I said, "I'm already at 30,000 miles and every mechanic I've encountered in the last couple months has told me they have another 30,000 miles to go!"

He looked at me like I was stupid and said, "How could you have put 30,000 miles on them? You've only had them a year."

I replied, "I drove to Alaska last year and across Canada, and then across the United States." I guess I caught him in another lie.

So I left! I walked out. Got in my van and drove next door to Les Schwab. Yes, they can rotate my tires and they don't have to lift it off the ground to do it, but they might not be able to do the oil change. I was having a meltdown at this point from all the man manipulation. So I asked them to rotate and balance the tires and if they can get to the oil and filter change, that would be good or I'll just go somewhere else for that. They did it all! Not sure why these people always create so much stress. This isn't rocket science.

So my van is actually running so much better! No loud noise! No sputtering up a hill! All these problems I've had in the last year and a half is because of the bad tires that one dealership sold me!! They also need to be rotated all the time, twice as often as I would normally do. In another month, I'll replace the tires.

After all this shenanigans, I couldn't wait to leave Coos Bay. I headed north to Reedsport and parked overnight at the dog park! It's highly recommended online. It was a quiet night other than the yappy dog at the house next door, but eventually even the yapper was brought inside and peace prevailed.

Just before bedtime, I tripped over my rice cooker cord spilling the pot with old food and dirty water all over my rugs!! There have been so many times I almost did this so it's not surprising. When you don't have a whole lot of room to move around, these things are bound to happen. (To date, I still have NOT spilled my urine containers!) I tried to soak up the liquid as much as possible, then stuffed the throw rugs into a plastic garbage bag. I'll need to find a laundromat tomorrow. I can't have wet rugs covered in old food sitting around the van especially in this damp environment.

Day Four has concluded. See you on Day Five!

Oregon Coast! Day Three!

 July 9, 2026: Once the loud-talking group left taking the cackling woman with them last night, it was a very quiet night with a lovely, peaceful morning. I woke early to sunshine and walked the city venturing out on the boardwalk along the bay.

Sunny, cool, beautiful, and the air smelled so clean and refreshing! Coos Bay is a nice town, spread out with wide streets often one-way. It's a little run down with vacant buildings, but Central Avenue is well-kept with street murals and hanging flower baskets.

They have a food co-op that is right downtown (a block away from where I parked) that is well-stocked with everything and a few blocks away a Natural Grocers that, like Whole Foods, is familiar and consistent. The Coos Bay Information Center was horrible, smelling like perfume. I asked them if they had air fresheners and she said no. She asked why and I said, "It smells like toxic perfume." I left immediately with the beginnings of a headache. I was hoping to find out about the music festival this weekend and maybe get some free postcards. Oh well. It's not worth getting poisoned!

Swam at the pool. People are really friendly even if I HATE having to share a lane that is too small. The woman I was sharing with who was incredibly nice decided to back stroke and she kept crossing over into my half of the lane to the point where I had to hug the float line to keep from getting hit. I was so spoiled swimming in Tucson where the pool requires reservations and is so big one doesn't have to share!

Hiked around Mingus Park. The trails go way up into the forest. So beautiful and the air is so clean.

Parked overnight at the 24 hour public parking again. Very quiet night.

Oregon Coast! Day Two

July 8, 2026: Highway 101 wasn't too noisy at night, but every now and then a semi would pull in behind me and idle his engine for an hour. One guy had his talk radio up full blast. Why are they so thoughtless and rude? Like parking on the side of the highway in Alaska, this might get really old. 

When I woke up at the crack of dawn (literally) to another semi behind me, I moved back to the Sisters Rocks parking lot which is a little off the highway. I parked facing the gorgeous view of the ocean. Can you see the little speck of blue at the top left corner? Probably not! But Big Blue is there!

This dashing, adorable seagull kept circling my van hoping for a handout. At one point he jumped on top of my van and it was only then did I exit the van and chase him away...he came back. He's very well-mannered and patient, although relentless. He just stands there close by waiting. And so clean and pretty!

I worked all morning then went for another hike on the Sisters Rocks trail. The tide was out so it was fun to see the whole beach when yesterday it was barely a small patch of sand. However, this time I was on a mission. I love beachcombing. I can't stop myself even though I have no room in this van for rocks or shells. I can't resist the gorgeous white quartz rocks that shimmer wet like little jewels. Yesterday I found a little scallop shell that was so perfect and bright orange. That should have been a clue. I looked inside and didn't see anything until later that night when I washed the shell and there was a little scallop in it! I felt so bad. I tried finding an accessible beach where I was overnighting, but I was parked up on a cliff again. So today I felt obligated to walk it back to its home and throw it in the water. I hope it survived one night in a plastic cup with filtered water!

This is yesterday's tiny beach with the tide out. It's a totally different beach now!

I also hiked a different path today and found a cave with waves washing into the inside of it:

They always look so beautiful on a beach and wet...

After hiking I drove north on Highway 101. I stopped in Port Orford and went to the co-op. OMG! They had fresh Oregon strawberries!! I continued to Bandon. I was always told to visit this town and how beautiful it was, but I wasn't impressed. It was a little boring, but I did stop at the food co-op. Most of the shelves were bare so matching the town, not impressive. Beyond Port Orford the highway goes inland so no more beautiful views of the ocean.

I headed next to Coos Bay visiting the Ford dealership immediately and for the twentieth time whined about how the van isn't running well and it creates too much stress knowing something is wrong, but everyone telling me there is nothing wrong. I begged for help! This service agent seemed way more knowledgeable than all the others and sounded helpful. He asked how often I get the tires rotate. I said with each oil change so every 5,000 miles IF the mechanics actually do it which I have found they don't and then lie about it. He said I should be getting the tires rotated every 3,000 miles or my all-terrains will start cupping which will create a whole lot of noise and bad handling. OMG! YES!! Finally someone who knows what they are talking about! He also said the tires are really excellent tires, but too big for the van. He asked if a tire shop sold them to me and I said, "Nope, another dealership." He was shocked at the incompetence as I sat wide-eyed, nodding, and yelling, "YES, I TOTALLY AGREE!" LOL! He also said when his dealership suspects a tire issue, they will actually take the tires off the customer's vehicle, put his manager's  high-quality tires on, and test drive it to see if it makes a difference. No one has every offered that before! I WANT THAT!! So I've made appointments trusting this man was willing to help and not just use me as his next cash cow. It would be such a relief to get all this fixed after a year of torment and incompetent mechanics not knowing what to do! The first appointment isn't for a couple days so I'll be exploring Coos Bay and the environs in the meantime.

I headed to the outdoor swimming pool for some swimming! I recently made it my goal on this adventure to try all the outdoor pools in Oregon. This pool is located in Mingus Park - adorable little park with a Japanese-style garden, bridges, a paved walking path, forest trails, and lots of greenery. Very quiet and peaceful.

Well, peaceful unless you walk by the pool! The Mingus Park Pool did NOT have bugs floating all over! It was really clean, but small with communal showers (eeeww!) and button timers (eeeww!) so you have to try to wash all the chlorine off your body while at the same time punch a button to keep the water coming. That shower water was NOT hot. Getting out of the pool with the cool wind was also very cold. No dressing rooms and the floors were wet and muddy. The swim team ended their practice so a bunch of teenagers hung around screaming and throwing footballs in the water while I'm attempting laps. Then small, screeching children came for swimming lessons. It was NOT relaxing nor to my liking. I fear after eight months of glorious, well-organized swimming in Arizona, nothing will come close! I'll try again tomorrow in the afternoon.

I did swim at 5:30pm failing to realize my towel and swimsuit will not dry in this cold, damp nighttime air. I headed to the only laundromat still open. One dollar for only ten minutes of drying, the machines taking only credit cards for payment, and it didn't even dry my towel completely (but good enough). They did not have top loaders. Not a laundromat I care to patronize.

An obsession I've acquired lately is getting the van weighed at every weigh station. I can't believe it took me a year and a half to learn how to do this and now I'm addicted! I started doing this after too many stupid mechanics tried to tell me my mechanical problems might be because the van was overweight. I argued, "No, it's not!" But I didn't really know for sure. I just know it's not converted like so many others. It doesn't have wood walls, a kitchen counter, a stove/oven, refrigerator, a shower and toilet, nor do I have a husband, two kids and four dogs like some do. It can't be overweight! Problem is every weigh station weighs differently! So which one is right??? 3,500 (my first try during a pounding thunderstorm and I don't think I had all the wheels on the scale!), 6500, 7000, 6900, 6950, 7100??? I'm just taking an average ignoring the 3,500 number. At 7,100 lbs with cargo it's actually about 2,500 lbs under the maximum weight with cargo which is 9550 lbs. I wish there was a class that taught people who own a Ford Transit how to do all these things!

The Walmart here, like every other town in Oregon, is NOT friendly to nomads. They all claim it is the city ordinance. However, there is 24 hour public parking lot right downtown Coos Bay that people recommend although with warnings the homeless mill about in this area all hours of the night. There was a group talking for hours in the parking lot with some woman cackling constantly and loudly. People!! I don't care as long as they can't get into my van and I stay locked in. I'm not sure how "24 hour parking" works? Can I leave for the day, come back at night, and the 24 hours starts again? I have no idea. Once the group left, it was a nice, quiet night.

End of day two on the Oregon Coast!

Oregon: Klamath Falls on the Rebound

I was initially interested in Klamath Falls due to a tiny house that was for sale. It had been on the market for almost a year. I contacted the seller's agent who reeked of perfume. She claimed she was wearing so little perfume I would not even smell it. I could smell her twenty feet away.  I told her to stay away from me. I didn't think anything would come of this house or I would have told her I could not use her as my agent. I ventured forward, but it was a royal pain to have to avoid her all the time when I needed to ask questions. She screwed up several times just before I made the offer and I fired her. I found another agent who told me she can't be around perfumes or scented candles without dire consequences. I immediately latched onto her and I expressed my profound gratitude. We submitted an offer and the seller would not come down. I walked away and left for my eastern Oregon adventures telling my new and fragrance-free real estate agent I'd be back in a week or two.

After the eastern tour, I came back to Klamath Falls. My agent didn't answer my emails for a few days and I worried if she gave up on me. Then she responded...she had been diagnosed with a very aggressive CANCER!!! WTF???!!! I tried, I waited, then I gave up. Although she seemed really eager to find me a home and said she'd let me know the timeline, she never got back to me and I really didn't want to bother her during this stressful time. I figured this was a sign...I wasn't meant to be in Klamath Falls.

In the meantime, I stuck around just in case she reappeared and experienced Klamath Falls. I think is what one needs to do anytime one is considering a permanent residency. What is really going on? Is this where I want to be? Besides...I have another three months. Why not stay in one place for a time and save gas money? I had my voter's ballot forwarded to Klamath Falls so I had to wait for it.

The problem with this reconnaisance plan is something a friend of mine told me. She is a retired real estate agent. She said, "Time kills all deals." She's right.

I stayed at the Great Meadow Sno-Park about thirty minutes to the east of Klamath Falls. It's has an awesome hiking/mountain biking trail through the woods. More importantly, a huge parking lot that is paved! 

I'm so tired of parking on dusty dirt so this was a gift. It was usually very quiet. Every now and then another van or RV would pull in for the night, other trucks would stop for a rest - mostly men going to the bathroom right out in the open pointing into the grass or hiking a bit into the bushes to do what I don't even want to imagine (eeeewww!) But it was a good place to spend some time while I lurked in town and big enough for privacy. One advantage of this location is it has internet and cell service! One huge issue, besides the man pee and defecation, is the garbage all over. And I mean all over! People are disgusting not caring about the environment!

So back to Klamath Falls. Here are the good things about Klamath Falls:

First, the people here are really nice. Yeah, there are a lot of bad drivers and defecating men, but most people are friendly, helpful, and conversational. 

Second, the town of Klamath Falls is cute, maybe a little depressed with vacant buildings downtown, but a good size. It has basic amenities: a library, multiple parks, a Walmart, a FRED MEYER, a WINCO!!! (I haven't seen a Winco or a Fred Meyer for a long time! I must be in the northwest...), a Natural Grocers so plenty of gluten-free and organic food, a laundromat with top loaders, and an outdoor swimming pool!

I discovered the outdoor swimming pool! It's geo-thermal heated with the hot springs that run under the town! I've been told a lot of the houses are also geo-thermal heated. Wow! Now you'd think this water would be hot, but it's not. I've been told during the winter the water's temperature is 85 degrees and although the weather is freezing, the water is steaming! It's a small pool, only 6 lap lanes with the far end third of the pool is designated for swimming lessons and another end for open swim. Their schedule is weirdly confusing with overlapping everything. This is totally unlike the Arizona pool that is incredibly organized. Once one pays the monthly ($40 for an outsider), or six month fee, or one day for $5.00, you can come and stay for hours (unlike the Arizona pool). There are classes one can take by just showing up! There is equipment hanging or in large storage containers to use for free (!) and lounge chairs and picnic tables all around. It has a lot of advantages, however, it can get crowded really fast. Lap swim is shared lanes (eeewww!), open swim is noisy and chaotic with children screaming and jumping in the water usually on top of you. The number one issue are the BUGS! Bugs flying out of the water and floating in the water covering the surface. It's so gross. The breast stroke is a must just to be able to push the bugs out of the way while you swim.

Last, but not least, beautiful landscape with pine trees, rivers and lakes. One of the best parks is Moore Park. It's huge, right on the lake, with paved trails all around and hiking trails up into the hills. It's gorgeous. I spent many days in the parking lot using the garbage receptacles, the bathrooms, and enjoying the scenery. I even accidently encountered the Klamath Kinetic Club doing their annual races on the water using people-designed and people-powered machines that can roll, float, and climb. That was really fun to watch!

Now for the disadvantages of Klamath Falls:

The first time I saw the lakes I was so excited about so much water after months in Arizona. However, closer look, or rather a closer smell, and my impression has definitely changed. They announced at this water race, don't fall in the water...it's filthy. It smells horrible! There are so many birds bathing and shitting in it. Mostly ducks of every kind, but I've seen herons, cranes, pelicans, storks, Canada geese, regular geese, and smaller floating birds of unknown species. Not just a few here and there, but HUNDREDS in every pod!

It smells like a sewer or a really dirty, shit-covered farm. It is so gross! The docks are covered with layers and layers of bird shit. The water is tinted brown with duck shit sludge. I would never try to swim in this lake.

Then there are the BUGS as mentioned above floating on the top of the swimming pool. They have these weird little bugs that look like mosquitoes, but don't bite. If one drives down by the lake, there are walls of them over the road. My windshield, hood, and front license plate was constantly covered with them and getting dried bug guts washed off Big Blue is really challenging. Eeewww! I've been told at certain times of the year (like now) the midges are out, too. Tiny little irritating bugs easily inhaled. The first time I encountered the bugs in the swimming pool water, I was horrified and asked, "What are all these bugs?"

Klamath Falls is cold! While I was here in June I would wake in the night to 37 degrees! In June!? I read an online article on the six cities in Oregon that are not good for retiring. Klamath Falls was on the list due to the cold temperatures. Everyone has told me last winter was very mild which was unusual, maybe due to climate change, but the winter before had four feet of snow! I moved from the northwest because I can't tolerate cold due to my thyroid problems. Do I really want to live in the cold?

Air quality is often bad. I think is due to the forest fires in the area. I know Medford was smelling like burnt bread when I was there and now the air quality is at a 136!! I stayed near a prescribed burn in June near Klamath Falls, and Klamath Falls in July was around 76. Not good. Unfortunately, if I want to live anywhere near trees, fires are always a risk.

Last but not least, I hate juniper trees! They stink. They are ugly. They aren't really trees at all, but large scrubby bushes that are prickly and unfriendly. The landscape is always ugly with juniper trees.

Good-bye Klamath Falls!

Oregon Coast! Day One and a Half!

July 6, 2026: After waiting for too long for my forwarded voting ballot to arrive, I finally gave up and left for the coast! All that work to get registered to vote and I don't even get to vote!!

I stopped in Medford for my free windshield wipers, walked downtown Ashland, drove through the surrounding countryside, then headed back north, west, then southwest on Highway 199 into California and up Highway 101. When I arrived in California the temperature dropped from 97 degrees to 85 degrees. Once on Highway 101, the temperature was a cool, clammy 57 degrees. I arrived around 5pm and it was already foggy. My plan is to start at the far southern coastline and work my way up stopping at every beach I can find.

First stop, furthest south over the Californian-Oregon border: Brookings. Eeeewww. Creepy. The population is 6,800 and the homeless percentage is way higher than any place I've ever been! I attempted to find a place to park for the night and encountered debilitated RVs, junky cars, and banged up vans with homeless men staring at me from their sitting spots in the dirt. Hoards of homeless roaming the streets together like feral dogs. I left and headed north. I was told later the closer one is to California, the more drug addicts are living on the streets.

I parked overnight on a trailhead pullout right on Highway 101 called Thomas Creek. It's within the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor. The temperature was a cool 57 degrees, but everything felt so wet from the fog. I thought I'd hike down to the water the next day, but I didn't realize how far up on a cliff I was and there is no access to the beach! The trail to who knows where was steep and scary looking! Do I need to break another ankle? No thanks.

July 7, 2026: In the morning a really nice, very clean, white car pulled up and parked. The man in it got out. He looked homeless. Clothes brown with saturated dirt. Very dark, dirty tan and scruffy, long hair. I thought it very strange the dicotomy between his appearance and his car. He went into the woods. 

Soon after I could hear a dog barking like crazy and both the man and the dog came out of the woods. The man kept trying to catch the dog, but the dog was not having it. Beautiful dog and looked well-cared for. The dog came near my van. I opened the side door and tried to get it to come closer. He seemed scared. I had a weird feeling I should not leave my van unattended with that guy around. Another car pulled up and the dog was continuously barking at everyone. Very nervous. I heard the homeless-looking guy say it wasn't his dog. As I left, the new car was calling the authorities on the dog worried it was dumped off. I told them the dog was not here last night and seemed showed up with that white car although I did not see the dog get out of the car. Something was going on there...my instincts said to leave.

I headed north to the next pullout and hiked the trail through the woods. The views through the trees were spectacular even with the heavy cloud cover and fog, but again, I was up on a cliff with no access to the beach or what is known as Secret Beach. (See photo above.)

I continued north and stopped at another lookout with a view of The Arch. Very frustrating not being able to get down to the sand as I've seen photos of people frollicking on these beaches.

Continued north and found Meyers Creek Beach, huge pull-out, and lots of beach! The sun finally came out!!

Stopped at Gold Beach and walked the beach. Didn't take any photos, but I did gather some gorgeous rocks! Lots of dog poop bag dispensers...I use the bags for rocks and shells!

Continued to Sisters Rocks that has a wonderful trail from the highway pullout to the rock cliffs.

Parked overnight on another pullout just north of Sisters Rocks. All night semi trucks would pull in behind me and idle their engines for an hour then take off. So irritating. How can men be so incredibly thoughtless??

And that was the first day and a half!!