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 Yvone 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.