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!