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!

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!

The Prehistoric Gardens on the US101 between Gold Beach and Port Orford was first established as a tourist attraction in 1955 when 23 life size dinosaurs were sculpted and then homed in the most beautiful ancient woodland. 

It was a misty morning when we arrived and there was not another soul in sight as we were greeted by a huge T-Rex in the car park. Nestled in a valley pocket and protected from the elements, the vast ecosystem of temperate rainforest appears to flourish in a tropical, prehistoric fashion.

The garden itself was made up of huge ancient trees, many over 300 years old, with an undergrowth of lush ferns, moss covered rocks, common skunk cabbage with the most enormous leaves, and prehistoric algae clinging on for dear life wherever it could find purchase. The early morning light lazily blinked its way through the mist and the trees.

A gentle walk around the hushed garden was magical. It cast its morning spell over us as we wandered through the garden to find one colorful dinosaur after another. It was glorious. I can't quite express how lovely and perfect this mystical morning stroll around the Prehistoric Garden was for us all. 

After my never-to-be-forgotten baptism in the Pacific Ocean at Ophir Beach, we resumed our trip along the Oregon coast between Gold Beach and Brooking exploring the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, stopping at all the stunning view points and marveling at the ruggedness of the coastline and the iconic sea stacks and lone islands, the eroded remnants of jutting headlands and geologic uprisings; Buena Vista, Cape Sebastien, Meyer's Creek, Pistol River, Whaleshead, Lone Ranch and of course Natural Bridges Viewpoint.

There are nearly 2000 sea stacks and small islands to be found in Oregon creating a magical, almost mysterious visual panorama. They are part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and are protected as they provide a critical habitat for thousands of birds and shore life, some rare and endangered. The rocky ledges are favored by seagulls, guillemots and cormorants which we could see at almost every stop. We also saw brown pelicans flying by in a V-formation, looking very much like prehistoric pterodactyls. The stacks are also home to  bald eagles and peregrine falcons who find fish and food aplenty in the pines and in the ocean. We are excited to see tufted puffins further up the coast. I keep my binoculars in the truck and take time to try and spot the birds.

After a few stops, we drove on to the Natural Bridges. We stopped and made the short hike over to the viewpoint to see the natural sea bridges, carved by eroding waves. We did not make it down to the beach or the bridges as the trail was wet and muddy from the previous day's downpour. It was so slick and steep it would have been easy to slip down the face of the cliff. We did not want to risk it, even though it was a beautiful day, the conditions just didn't work out for us.

One of the best features of the Pacific Northwest is how the pine trees butt right up to the edge of the ocean creating the most picturesque views where land meets water. We saw the very best of that today.

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.
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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.

Kim took this incredible photo of me and Henry walking in amongst the giant Redwoods on the Stout Grove Trail in the Jedediah Smith State Park.

​What an experience!

After an unplanned detour due to fires, we headed to our eighth stop on our Grand Adventure, Crescent City, California. On the way there, Henry began reading the reviews of the site we had booked and learned there had been several thefts, break-ins and some vandalism reported. So, on the fly, we cancelled that site and booked a new site, while we driving towards Eureka. Very last minute! Thankfully we hit the jackpot with Lighthouse Cove RV Park in Crescent City. It was literally right on the beach and the views of the bay and the lighthouse were fab.

​Still in California, but right on the border with Oregon, our plan was to explore the Redwoods National and State Parks in the region.

Henry adored the site and spent most of his afternoons on the beach on his phone chatting with friends, picking up rocks and shells and watching the seals surf in the waves, so close to shore you could see their dark pool-like eyes, twitching whiskers and smiley faces. I am so glad we changed sites and stayed on the beach instead.

We set off to explore the town of Crescent City, basically to find a launderette and a grocery store. It was all over very quickly as the town was tiny. The sea front road to the lighthouse was all torn up due to road work so we bypassed that and meandered around the streets. We found a Safeway and I spotted a tiny movie theater next door to it, which I stored in my memory as I knew the new Taylor Swift Eras Tour Movie was coming out soon.

I am a total Swiftie!

From the boat we plodded up a very steep slipway in the rain towards a rickety old bus. We boarded and drove up a very narrow road that was cut into the side of the cliff, maneuvering around tight corners, a hair's breadth from toppling down the cliff and crashing into the lake about 70 feet below. I could not look and held my breath the whole way up! Kim and Henry said the view of Lake Shasta and the surrounding mountains was spectacular.

Thankfully, it was a short journey up the hill to the entrance to the caverns. 

Made of an unusual local limestone in which we could see embedded and preserved fossils of marine flora and fauna, telling the history of the area being underwater 270 million years ago, the entrance to the caverns was through a nondescript doorway that led into an ancient passage way fit for Indiana Jones. The cavernous adventures had begun!

We were immediately struck by the otherworldly beauty of the limestone formations. Huge stalagmites and stalactites, flow stones, snowballs, formations that looked like streaky bacon, sprawling natural sculptures forged over thousands of years, underground lake mirrors created a mystical experience. Considering it felt like an Indiana Jones adventure, we were relieved there were no snakes, however we did see a lot of tiny bats and heard the scraping noises of blind salamanders.

Formed by the movement of tectonic plates pushing the limestone up out of the earth over 200 million years ago, we moved from one  cavernous room to another. The caves were known to the local Winto Native American tribe who used them for sacred rituals and ceremonies, most probably involving music as the acoustics were incredible. The cathedral-like caverns were over 120 feet tall. 

Our oohs and ahhs echoed around the chambers.

It was a breathtaking experience to be in the "Lost Kingdom" of the Lake Shasta Caverns.