Henry and I decided to visit the two attractions housed under the same roof; Ripley's Believe It Or Not! and Louis Tussaud's Wax Works, in downtown Newport, Oregon.

We began with Ripley's. 

Ripley's is a totally unique exhibition filled with an arty, bizarre, macabre and downright weird collection of oddities and curiosities. The Ripley museums were founded by Robert Ripley who traveled the world seeking out artifacts to add to his weird and wonderful collection. His passion for the mysteries of the world eventually lead to the creation of a newspaper feature in New York at the turn of the twentieth century called "Believe It Or Not!" Due to the extent of Ripley's collection and the public's growing desire to see it, Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museums sprang up all over the country.

I would buy Henry the annual book of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not!" every Christmas as he had been hooked ever since visiting the Ripley's museum in San Francisco when he was 8 or 9 years old. He loved the shocking pictures, questioned the reality of some of the artifacts and poured over the narratives trying to weed out fact from fiction. He was fascinated.

Henry and I are both drawn to the strange and the imaginative, so Ripley's travels, explorations and mysteries delighted us at every turn. Though it was little creepy in places.

We enjoyed some wonderful artwork made of burnt toast, buttons, bottle caps, and trash. We measured ourselves against the world's tallest man and the world's largest boot. At 6' 4" tall, Henry and his Nike dunks were dwarfed by them. We saw a display of shrunken heads, animals with two heads, a footballer with three legs, twisted costumed creatures with violet eyes, historical artifacts, and an array of other unbelievably strange things.

A highlight was The Star Room where we immersed ourselves in the sensations of floating in space surrounded by twinkling stars. We even had the opportunity to complete a space walk. It was all out of this world.

We then moved on to Louis Tussaud's Waxworks that leaned towards superheroes, science fiction, scary movie characters and fantastical beasts. 

I enjoyed Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter duelling in an exhibition of Priori Incantatem from the movie 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.' Voldemort was screaming the green killing curse, 'Avada Kedavra,'  and at the same time Harry was screaming the red disarming spell, 'Expelliarmus.' The two spells collided, the twin cores of the wands became intertwined and the rare effect of Priori Incantatem occurred. It was magical to see it happen! My favorite exhibit of the day!

Henry enjoyed sitting next to Sheldon Cooper, placing himself on the set of Stranger Things (apt!) and kicking his legs up on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office in the White House.

We also enjoyed all the movie references and marveled at the artistic waxwork recreations. Everything looked very real!

An astonishing day out in every way!

When Dawn retired from Intel, she moved to Bend in Oregon and built her dream home with her husband. She has lived in Bend for a good few years now and considers it home.

The day after our arrival, Dawn popped over to visit us at the trailer and to make some plans. She brought with her two loaves of banana bread and the most delicious English Muffins. Made from scratch!!!! Not only were they delicious, I mean really delicious, I was mightily impressed with the uniformity of all the muffins. They were utter perfection in every way. Dawn could definitely be a professional baker. I'm kinda embarrassed to say that between the three of us, we ate everything by the end of the following day. Everything. We are officially greedy pigs! Sorry, not sorry!

It was lovely to see Dawn. Clearly life in Bend agreed with her. I was once again struck by her thoughtfulness, kindness and gentleness. She is a truly beautiful human being.

Together we made plans to meet up and visit the High Desert Museum the following morning.

Celebrating the local wildlife, history and culture, the High Desert Museum was a gem, sprawling over 135 acres, with exhibits both indoors and outdoors. We began outside and headed straight for the otters exhibit. We saw three of them playing very briefly before they scampered inside to rest. They were so cute. We continued to walk outside on a trail that celebrated the native tribes indigenous to the area and the early pioneers that arrived in Oregon in canvas covered wagons, seeking a better life.

We enjoyed seeing the birds of prey, native to the region, including hawks, eagles and owls of different varieties. At least one of the owls winked at me ;) I was struck at the size and majesty of the bald eagles. They were huge! We tested our own wingspans, but nothing could compare to the condor or albatross. 

Inside there were more animals; small rodents, lizards and snakes. A friendly snake hissed his hellos, but unfortunately I don't speak pareselmouth so I didn't understand the rest of his message. 

One of my favorite exhibits was the wildlife photography of the wolf by world famous photographer, Ronan Donovan.

You can check out his exquisite work at www.ronandonovan.com

The wolf is Kim's spirit animal. Always has been. I enjoyed the artistry of the photographer, particularly the shots taken in my beloved Yellowstone. I could have stared at those images for a loooong time. They were incredible. The drama, the scope, the packs, the survival of the species, all captured beautifully. 

We finished up with a cuppa in the cafe and I bought a topographical, contour map of the Three Sisters Mountains.  

The next stop on our Grand Adventure took us to the Heceta Beach RV park in Florence, Oregon.

The first few days after we arrived were wet and windy and so we had an enjoyable time hunkered down in the trailer with Kim working the stock market, Henry catching up with his gaming friends online and I settled down to read my beloved Kindle. I am reading Eleanor Elephant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. I am also making my way through the futuristic "In Death" murder mysteries by JD Robb. Lovely to just snuggle down with a cuppa tea and a warm blanket and just read. It's November and we are heading towards winter. I can feel the change in temperature and pressure in the air. I've been noticing the trees losing their leaves and the last of the summer blooms falling by the wayside. It is such a lovely change from the desert and I love settling in to each new season.

On the very next dry day, we headed in to town to explore the arty downtown area of Florence.

Lying at the mouth of the Siuslaw River, you enter Florence by passing beneath the expansive concrete double rainbows and ornamental art deco pillars of the Siuslaw River Bridge making a stunning backdrop for the downtown area with expansive views of the river and the bridge. The bridge is an iconic symbol of the city. Designed by Conde McCullough, opened in 1936, the key feature of the bridge is the double leaf bascule in the middle that lifts to allow clearance for fishing boat traffic. Along the banks of the tidal river, snowy plovers, a variety of sandpipers, blue herons, white egrets, cormorants, gulls, songbirds and other birds I couldn't quite identify, provided wonderful entertainment with their stooping, whooping and swooping. A lady in the crystal store told us she had even seen a couple of orcas chasing seals down the river and into the harbor last summer.

In the harbor we could see the halibut boats and signs for fresh local crab. We could hear sea lions barking somewhere in the distance. The tang of salt in the air made you lick your lips and yearn for a bag of chips wrapped in butcher paper with lashings of salt and vin, just like we would get on the seafront back home in England.. 

We spent a leisurely hour or two walking the main street, popping in and out of the shops that seemed to lean towards local crafts and art work, chatting with the friendly locals and enjoying the ambience of the riverfront. 

The sky turned a grisly grey and we felt the first spots of rain that quickly turned into a downpour. While Henry and I huddled under the awning of a nearby gallery, Kim dashed back to pick up the truck to collect us. We headed back to the trailer for an early dinner of Kim's special homemade chicken curry. Delicious!!!

Best. Curry. Ever.

​❤️❤️❤️

Kim and I continued with our quest to seek out and find all eleven lighthouses in Oregon with a day trip out to Bandon, between Gold Beach and Coos Bay on the Oregon coast. This time we set out to find the Coquille River Lighthouse.

We found Bandon to be delightfully charming with plenty of cool cafes, galleries and mom and pop gift shops. It is perhaps most famous for its Circles in the Sand annual event, now in its tenth year, where groups of artists create mesmerizing labyrinths and other elaborate designs in the sand on a mission to spread love, joy and kindness.  Unfortunately our visit didn't coincide with the event but we saw the lovely wet, sandy beaches, perfect for this style of artwork.

We stopped in the old town for an early lunch in a beautiful old building that housed a co-op of local artists. We sipped our specialty coffees and we each had a lovely bagel with cream cheese, lox, capers, dill and lotsa freshly squeezed lemon on top. Delish! We then mooched around the artists stalls, enjoying the diverse artistic styles and media. I enjoyed the sculptures made out of reclaimed plastic and other debris found in the ocean. I especially loved the crested puffin that reminded me of the macaroni penguin. I have a bit of a thing for penguins and puffins as they are loyal, eccentric and comical, a bit like me.

After lunch we walked around the old town marina where we saw an array of colorful boats bobbing on the river, saw the skeletal wooden legs of bygone docks, listened to the barking seals and screaming gulls, did a bit of window shopping, and generally mooched around town.

We then returned to the truck to get the most advantageous view of the Coquille River Lighthouse. Built in 1896, the purpose of the lighthouse was to light the entry way into the Coquille River and to provide safe passage for local fishing vessels through the perilous sandbars. As well as the lighthouse, a fog horn was also built at the site to help guide boats through to safety when it became too foggy even to see the light. It was first lit on February 29, 1896 and it was the last official lighthouse to be constructed on the Oregon Coast. The lighthouse was fully functioning until 1939 when it was decommissioned and an automated beacon was installed on the south jetty to take its place. 

From our viewpoint across the Coquille River, we found it to be a quaint little lighthouse with a bright red base, whitewashed walls and dark top, only 47 feet tall, built adjacent to a squat octagonal keeper's house and boathouse. Through the rising mists it looked beautiful.

After taking numerous shots of the lighthouse we explored the southern end of town through Kronenberg County Park and onto Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint. By the time we got there, the mist had descended and was swirling around the rocks making a spooky scene worthy of the witches of Macbeth. The words "something wicked this way comes" turned over in my mind. The black rocks below resembled witches hats and the churning ocean became some kind of  powerful potion. Once again we had stumbled upon nature's magic. I was mesmerized and let the mist swallow me as the wind whipped my hair and took my breath. Fabulous!

 I ❤️ Taylor Swift.

I'm a total Swiftie.

It has been the summer of the Eras Tour and Taylor Swift has been on my playlist since the tour kicked off in Glendale, Arizona back in March. I was totally bummed that I could not get tickets to the very first concert that was in my home state. Grrr! Ticketmaster! Grrrr!!!!!

After watching endless TikTok's of the tour and getting first hand info from my bestie, Heather, I was chuffed to bits to finally watch the show at the cinema in Crescent City. It was not a packed audience on the opening night of the cinematic release, but I did get my free souvenir popcorn bucket (which I will cherish) and I sang my heart out all the way through.

 Obviously, neither Kim nor Henry chose to accompany me.

It was epic!

Legendary!

Adjacent to the Trees of Mystery roadside attraction in Klamath, California, there is the most incredible display of Native North American artifacts in a gorgeous little museum simply called "The Collection."

As I mentioned in my last post, other than the Heard Museum in Phoenix, this has to be my favorite and possibly the most beautiful collection of Native American Artifacts that I have found in my travels so far.

Colorful Kachinas, clay pots, baskets, rugs, maps, intricately cut and stitched clothing, a vast array of fishing gear, totems and superstitious tokens, feathers, furry skins and polished hides, weapons, ingenious fire and food making artifacts, jewelry and so much more. It was well laid out and covered the more familiar work of the Apache and Navajo tribes in the south, to local Klamath tribes such as the Modoc, to tribes spanning across the whole of America including the Dakotas, Sioux and Seminole.

Marylee Thompson Smith was the main collector and benefactor of this unexpected find. She said these words when the little museum opened on March 10, 1968:

The museum was a treasure trove of the art of the First Americans. You could feel their history, heart and soul, through their hands and their handiwork. Truly, sadly, a lost art.

​It reminded me of these lines from Keats' "Ozymandias:"

Seeing the Redwoods and the history of logging that took down 80% of the majestic giants, followed by the tour of this museum, by the end of the day I was reeling from a feeling of loss regarding nature, art and humanity itself.

We had passed by The Trees Of Mystery, just outside Klamath in the far north of California, on our way up Highway 101 to get to Crescent City. You could not miss the giant fibreglass statues of Paul Bunyan and his beloved pet, Babe the Blue Ox standing in the well manicured gardens of the car park to this roadside attraction.
​
We were excited to visit. When we arrived, we took our time walking around the huge statues and acquainting ourselves with the story of Paul Bunyan, the famed giant, plaid-jacketed, big booted, lumbering lumberjack of North American folklore, and his pet Blue Ox, Babe.

It was fitting that Paul Bunyan and Babe stood there welcoming us to the Trees of Mystery as the history and traditions of logging and particularly the carving of large hunks of wood into works of art was told as we walked along the interpretative trails.

I was actually familiar with Paul Bunyan. In the movie Fargo, a carved, rugged statue of him is glimpsed covered in snow as the murderers pass through the North Dakota town in the dead of winter. In fact I can't think of Paul Bunyan without also thinking of one of my absolute favorite actresses, Frances McDormand, in her Oscar winning role as Marge Gunderson in the movie.

You betcha!

I am also familiar with the iconic "Muffler Men" molded out of fiberglass, inspired by Paul Bunyan, that stand in gas station forecourts along my beloved Route 66 and other slightly decrepit byways in North America. Originally, the first 'Muffler Man" was created to carry an axe, appropriate for Paul Bunyan, but later the axe was replaced with the giant fiberglass man holding a muffler, tire, huge wrench or some other car related object as an advertisement to draw customers off the road to take a break from their journey, stop for some food and for some car maintenance. You can read more about the "Muffler Men" in my Route 66 photographic journey through Arizona.  You may need to scroll down until you arrive at the Flagstaff photos and the pics of the giant men. Check it out here.

Once upon a time the original folk tales Of Paul Bunyan began with American loggers sharing exaggerated stories around cosy campfires of a giant axman who could fell tall trees with a single chop. Their tales became embedded in to local lore, bringing awe and appreciation to the hard logging work they did across America, with their own sweat, spit and bare hands.

The loggers' stories of Paul Bunyan, strong and handsome with a chiseled jawline, over seven feet tall, with a stride of seven feet in length, striding across the plains, through the forests, doing the work of many were passed down, mouth to mouth, in the honored tradition of folk tales. According to their stories Paul Bunyan carved the Grand Canyon with his axe, created the Great Lakes as a personal drinking bowl for Babe, and if you keep a careful watch, you might be lucky enough to see Paul Bunyan riding Babe like a cowboy. Oh yeah!

At 49 feet high, the statue of Paul Bunyan at the Trees of Mystery is the tallest statue of the folklore hero in America. The stuff of legends! 

We made our way to the trails and spent a happy day meandering through the wide variety of trees, almost like a tree exhibition, crowded together for our enjoyment. One of my favorites was the ancient giant Redwood named the Brotherhood Tree.  It is one of the largest and oldest living things on the planet. It was named in hope for the brotherhood of man. It is over 2000 years old, 19 feet in diameter, 60 feet in circumference and 297 feet tall. Wow! We were awestruck standing next to a living entity that had been growing for much of recorded human history. We also enjoyed the Candelabra Tree, Elephant Tree and Cathedral Tree. 

Henry spotted Bigfoot, banana slugs and a giant mosquito.

I loved the "I love you" sign.

We had enormous fun bouncing our way along the 100 feet high aerial netted suspension bridges and platforms in the canopy of the Redwoods.  Of course Henry and Kim jumped as high and hard as they could (as if they were in a lift!) on the ropey bridges to make us all jiggle and giggle. Even the kids were laughing at us! Fun!

Henry grabbed my phone and took these lovely, flattering shots. Anyone else have a family member who takes daft pics?

Next we headed for the Skytrail where we took a gondola up the forested hillside, about 1/3 of a mile and 1,570 feet up, through the tallest of trees with a spectacular view at the top where you could see the Pacific Ocean glinting in the distance and incredible views of the Klamath River and back country. At the summit there was an observation deck called Ted's Ridge, where we took in the panoramic vistas.

We finished the day touring the most amazing Native North American Museum. After the Heard Museum in Phoenix, this has to be my favorite museum of tribal artifacts. It was truly incredible. More about the museum in my next blog post.

​This was a memorable day and once again, the trees were the stars.

We really fell in love with Dunsmuir, so Kim and I set off to explore more of the little town, located about an hour north of Redding, California.

I had never heard of the town before, but I was aware that my dear cousin Pippa was in touch with the local Mount Shasta Goddess Temple and was astonished to discover it was located in Dunsmuir. I had to find it! Having visited Glastonbury in the UK so many times and enjoyed its spiritual vibe, especially Glastonbury Tor that is believed to be the heart chakra of the world, I was excited to delve deeper into the history of Mount Shasta, believed to be the root chakra of the world, and connected energetically to Glastonbury.
 
Kim and I sauntered through the town, most of which seemed to be shut down for the season, peering through the windows, enjoying the murals and the honest, down-to-earth sense of community. There was a huge art gallery filled with excellent work in various mediums from local artists.  

Of course we found the home of the Mount Shasta Goddess Temple at the Sacred Well Metaphysical Store. I explained my cousins connection with Yeshe and the Temple to Albert, the kind gentleman behind the counter. He made us feel very welcome. Of course I had to buy a moon shaped obsidian crystal that just called out to me. 

​A lovely low key afternoon. ​

We set out in the dark, before dawn so that we could watch the sun rise through the fog over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was chilly and clear as we left Petaluma, but the closer we got to the bay, the foggier it became. 

First we drove to the Golden Gate Bridge Vista Lookout on the Marin County side of the bay but it was so dark and foggy, we could barely see the bonnet of the truck. We got out, looked blankly into the fog, laughed, got back in the truck and headed for the bridge.

In the eerie morning fog, the ghostly Golden Gate Bridge loomed up before us, as if we were traveling across the sky.

We headed to Baker Beach, still in the dark, parked up, walked to the beach which was deserted except for a lone fisherman we could barely make out in the distance, and waited for dawn with our hot coffees. I walked the length of the beach to get as close a view of the bridge as possible and as the sun rose and the fog cleared a little, it was a magnificent sight to see the iconic "International Orange" of the Golden Gate Bridge stretching across San Francisco Bay. ​

​A memorable morning!

We spent the rest of the day doing a mini tour of the city. We drove to Lands End and stopped for yet another incredible view of the bay, just as the fog was lifting, then on to Golden Gate Park where we stopped to see the Murphy Windmill, the largest windmill in the world when it was built in 1908. From there we drove through the arts district of Haight-Ashbury to check out the Grateful Dead House which was the communal home and headquarters of the band from 1966 to 1968 and has since been designated an Historical Landmark. We sought out the pastel-painted Victorian homes known as the "Painted Ladies" standing shoulder to shoulder on the slopes of Steiner Street on the edge of  Alamo Square. 

We continued driving the city (not like Ken Block), enjoying the rise and fall of the streets, as if we were teetering and toppling over the edge at the top of a roller coaster. San Francisco   felt familiar as we had seen it so often in films and TV shows. We enjoyed looking out for the parking meters touched by Adrian Monk and Mrs. Doubtfire's house. We stopped for a stroll around the Palace of Fine Arts down by the marina. Built in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the extravagant, neoclassical icon stood with a quiet dignity, the idyllic pond still and serene, even the grey herons were sleeping with their heads tucked under their wings. It was very quiet down there. Nevertheless, Kim and Henry were keeping a beady eye open for robbers and car jackers.

The journey back over the Golden Gate Bridge at the end of the day was much clearer and we could see the two 746-foot tall towers of the spectacular suspension bridge in all their glory.

I love the ease of taking snapshots with my iPhone 13 Pro Max. I do not own a fancy DSLR camera, I prefer to take lots of quick pics with my phone and then sift through to find one or two reasonably good shots.

At Yosemite, you truly cannot take a bad photo because the scenery is so stunning. I had fun exploring black and white photography in the park, especially using the long exposure facility on my phone to take pics of the waterfalls. It's all part of the creative process for me. At the back of my mind I am always considering documenting the moment for future generations, Henry in particular, but also any future ancestors that might be interested in life in 2023.

I was excited to explore Yosemite through this creative lens and I was looking forward to revisiting the Ansel Adams Museum in Yosemite for further inspiration.

Born in 1902, Ansel Adams' passion for landscape photography led him to the pristine wilderness of Yosemite. His meticulous craftsmanship and dedication to capture the grandeur of the park resulted in his timeless, iconic black and white photographs that celebrate Yosemite's natural beauty.

In the park there is a wonderful little museum celebrating the life and work of Ansel Adams that I remembered visiting back in 2008 on Kim's sabbatical. Prints, postcards and huge framed black and white photographs are absolutely stunning. As you walk in from the beauty of the park, you cannot help but be delighted to see the familiar sights  captured in a photo, taken from the most advantageous angle. The photos tell a story of Yosemite over time. Capturing all four seasons of Yosemite as it lives, breathes and unfurls with life, from the first buds of Spring and the rushing waterfalls in the valley to the snow topped trees and mountains in the depths of Winter, the changing personality of Yosemite in all its miraculous moods.  

In honor of Ansel Adams, here are my best efforts at black and white photography in Yosemite.

All photos are taken with my iPhone 13 Pro Max.