I took Ollie for a lovely long walk amongst the dunes on the beach at Yaquina Bay. It reminded me a lot of family walks on the beaches at Wells-Next-The-Sea in Norfolk, England. It was a brisk walk and a brisk day. Ollie decided she wanted to dig to China, so I cut those shenanigans short by luring her away from her excavations with the wave of a stick. It worked. She had a great run. 

I had the ulterior motive of photographing yet another Oregon lighthouse, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, blinking out over the bridge and bay. It was not as flashy ('scuse the pun) as the Yaquina Head Lighthouse a few miles up the road, but it had its own diminutive beauty.

Ollie and I left the beach when my cheeks and nose turned pink and I could no longer feel the tips of my fingers.

We spent the day heading south, ambling down the coast, stopping at Seal Rock and Waldport, checking out all the mom and pop shops and galleries along the way. 

We managed to pick up some beautiful photographic prints, a small, light blue glass buoy likely washed ashore from a Japanese fishing trawler and some postcards to send home to my Dad.

The truck was all steamed up as it was cold and little drizzly. We stopped in a small car park surrounded by pine and spruce trees and headed down some steep and slippery steps to reach the beach at Seal Rock, a State Recreation Site. We could taste the salt in the air.

The site was made up of a basalt ledge with an array of sea stacks, reefs and knobbly rocks formed 15 million years ago as a result of lava flowing from volcanoes across the Pacific Northwest.  The basalt was eroded over time by waves, wind and rain creating the most peculiarly shaped rocks.

The centerpiece was Seal Rock, a dramatic basalt behemoth shaped a little like a seal, sitting offshore, where we could see pelicans, cormorants and gulls sheltering from the pitter patter of the rain. 

The beach was strewn with wet logs, hauled in by the tide. A few sandpipers lazily pecked  at the shoreline. To the south we could see the tide pools built on the basalt sill. Due to the weather, we were the only ones on the beach. Once we concluded there were no seals or sea lions lying around or any blue jellies, we let Ollie off her leash and she had a good run, sniffing out exciting tidbits to nibble on. Once she found a worthy stick, she was in heaven as she and Henry played games together.

We walked down the beach to the tide pools and I could spot urchins and stars, but as the tide had already turned and was coming in at quite a pace, we didn't step on to the ledge to explore any further. We ambled back to the truck and moved on to Waldport.

The Alsea tribe were the first known inhabitants of Waldport and gave their name, or vice versa, to the river and the bay located in the heart of the town.  Early European settlers came from Germany in the late 19th century, officially naming the town Waldport after 'Wald" meaning trees in German, and "Port" due to its proximity to the ocean.

The day was a little dreary and grey and Waldport seemed to be the same. It was certainly brightened by some beautiful murals on the sides of the building on the main strip. We parked by the bridge next to the visitor's center. From our vantage point we could see the cliffs overlooking the bay and watched some pelicans land in perfect formation.

We didn't stay long in Waldport as we were getting hungry. We returned to the truck and headed back to the trailer for an early dinner and to escape the rain.

Morning cuddles.

On our way back from Yaquina Head Lighthouse the day before, we spied a wide expanse of sandy beach. We could even spot a few dog walkers. We decided we would return to give Ollie a good run.

We discovered it was called Agate Beach, an Oregon State Recreation Site. On the drive to the beach, dark clouds quickly rolled in from the Pacific turning the sky black and we thought we would have to abandon our plans for a walk. The wind picked up but the rain held off. By the time we had parked, we virtually had the beach to ourselves. We could see a couple of razor clam diggers in the far distance, out towards the lighthouse, and a couple of dog walkers.

As soon as we got onto the beach over a short little wooden bridge, we let Ollie off the leash and she galloped off, enjoying the sand between her paws and the wind whipping her ears making them dance. All bundled up in woolly hats, fleeces and waterproof coats, we set off to catch up with her.

We spent an exhilarating couple of hours on the beach. I was looking for agates, jaspers and carnelians, but it was just miles and miles of sand and we chose not to walk too close to the shoreline as the waves were crashing in. We didn't want to risk Ollie frolicking in to the waves to the point of it becoming a danger. She was relaxed on the sand, enjoying the off-leash run.

It was chilly to begin with but as the dark clouds rolled away the sun came out to say hello, we warmed up . We walked for miles, almost all the way back into Newport.

Memorable fun day.

We were so fortunate that our RV Site in Newport was so close to Lost Creek Beach, so we spent early mornings and evenings playing by the water.

Once Ollie finds a stick, the fun begins. Henry runs and runs and Ollie scampers after him until they're both smiling happily, panting, with shiny eyes and noses. Ollie is still a little nervous of the water so Henry keeps a close, protective eye on her. He's also very aware of her picking things up off the beach. As a puppy, she loves to find things and have a good chew on them. Watching Henry and Ollie together is pure joy.

I wrote a little message to my darling niece Nancy in the sand, just to say hi. She had been writing messages in the sand that week, back in the UK, so I wrote back to her. She is so sweet.

I like to mooch along the shoreline beach combing and rock hounding. Eyes searching out little treasures. I was hoping to found an old glass buoy washed ashore from local boats, but alas, no luck this time.  I pocketed some agates in warm, earthy shades of gold, amber, and rich bourbon. I was delighted when I found a huge hag stone that looked like a Google marker. I found quite a few more but left them behind on the beach for others to enjoy. 

About a week after our arrival in Newport, a jolly good storm blew through one night, leaving debris; wood and weed on the beach. It also left the beach covered with small blue jelly fish. I had seen something similar on the Morro Strand beach in California. They are called 'velella velella' jelly fish or 'by-the-wind sailors,' seeing as they look like little boats with little blue sails. The entire tideline was deep blue with these jellyfish. And Ollie loved them with the passion of an undergrad slurping down blue jello shots. 

After the first day of sneakily eating a couple of the blue jellies, despite being kept on a tight leash, she was a little bit poorly so we thought she had learned her lesson. She had not. She continued to fervently chase the blue jellies down as if they were the last chip in the bag. All our beach time from that point on meant Ollie was on her leash to prevent her from devouring her favorite little blue snack. 

Bye-bye Sisters, hello Oregon Coast!

The journey from Sisters, over the Cascade Mountains, in Central Oregon, on a gorgeous April morning, turned out to be bright and beautiful. It was a glorious day!

We had not fully anticipated how treacherous the winding curves, steep descents and scary drop-offs that we would have to navigate after we summited the Santiam Pass could have been. We were just so focused on getting over the Pass. Fortunately the roads were very clear and once we descended the mountains, crossed the busy I5 and dropped into Albany then the flats of Corvallis, we were itching to catch our first glimpse of the ocean.

Our next stop was in Newport, Oregon at the Thousand Trails site called Whaler's Rest.

On arrival we requested a full hook up site with the best opportunity for a strong wifi signal, especially for Henry. We were directed up a steep hill and we spent at least 20 minutes trying to back into a very tight site. We ended up shifting over to a neighboring site so we could gain extra leverage to safely manouver the trailer and park her up safely.

As I began setting up the trailer on the inside, Kim began setting everything up the trailer on the outside. He quickly discovered the standing water pipe was leaking, spraying both him and the surrounding area with water. It quickly became waterlogged and exceedingly muddy. We were parked in a bog.

We asked to move sites and found a lovely pull through site on the other side of the road. We quickly settled in. 

The site was within walking distance of the Lost Creek Beach, so I set off after dinner, with Ollie scampering along beside me, to potter through the woods, cross the road and to run wild on the beach. We while enjoy the scorching evening sunset.

Fortunately for us, we stayed in Sisters longer than planned and found our darling Ollie.

Olliebobs, Holly Ollie, Jolly Ollie, It's a Jolly Ollie Day, Olz, Ol, Olliebaba, Good Golly Miss Ollie, Boo Boo, Curly Wurly Girly.

​Our sweet girl.

As April 1st approached, Kim and I drove up to the pass to see first hand what the roads were like. We did not anticipate the banks of up to 20 feet of snow at the height of the pass. However the roads had been salted and ploughed and if the day time temperatures reached 40 degrees or more, we felt pretty confident we could maneuver the trailer over the mountains.

We checked the weather every day and made contingency plans to stay longer if necessary, but on April 1st the sun was up, the sky was blue and the temps were in our favor and so we said a fond and grateful farewell to Sisters (and Cibelli's Pizza) and headed off towards the Oregon coast and our next site, Whaler's Rest in Newport.

We made it out!

We spent many days hiking the trails around Sisters, Oregon. Ollie bouncing and skidding about in the snow made it extra special. We enjoyed seeing all the birds; the Piñon Jays, Mountain Chickadees, White-headed Woodpeckers and an array of warblers and nuthatches. The American Robin was always a welcome sight on the trails too. We saw plenty of deer watching us carefully, ready to run. 

The small town had olde worlde charm particularly with the Christmas lights and decorations during December. Filled with small mom and pop shops we spent many a happy day exploring. Henry and I particularly enjoyed the Antique Mall where he managed to snag a retro handheld Nintendo Black Jack game. His love for Antique Malls was born.

After buying a pair of Birkenstocks in Bend and thoroughly enjoying pottering around Antique Malls for hours, I think Henry is turning into me!

There was a lovely food truck called Brunchies where we stopped for a late breakfast one morning before our hike. It was very windy and we ended up chasing after food wrappers. Ollie loved the game!

Alpacas with full winter coats grazed lazily at the north end of town at the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge. It reminded me of my sister Caroline's 50th birthday when we walked alpacas through the woods on a sunny June morning last year. The alpacas were so friendly and calming to be around. Known for spitting if they feel threatened, I kept a beady eye on them as I took the circular walk around their huge enclosure, but they were quite happy to have us come quite close and whisper messages of love and gratitude to them.

Here are some more pics from our time in Sisters.

We finally got snow in Oregon!

For me it was dreamy, Narnia, fairy tale snow. I could watch it fall from the sky and shake off from the surrounding pine trees for hours on end. It was magical. When the sun came out the snow literally twinkled! I made snow angels, caught flakes on my tongue and made a snowman. So much fun!

For Kim the snow presented new challenges in the trailer. With nightly temperatures dipping to -22 degrees we upgraded to an insulated and electrically warmed water hose, we kept the heating on 24/7, particularly ensuring the underbelly of the trailer stayed warm and dry as the snow began to drift and pile up around and under the trailer. Kim went out every morning to clear the steps and a pathway to the car. Gas bottles needed to be filled daily. Daily inspections for leaks from potential pipes freezing and cracking were carried out. Any snow that built up on the roof or the slide outs had to be cleared so the weight didn't cause any damage. 

For Henry it meant lots of snowy walks with Ollie. To see them both playing in the snow was heart melting. Ollie loved the snow and enjoyed playing off the leash in the little dog park on site. Henry began to train Ollie with some simple commands like sit, spin, shake hands. Treats and poo bags were in his pockets at all times. Days in the powdery snow with family and a beloved puppy bounding about with pure joy is a winter gift I will remember forever.

​So much love!

Our first Christmas in the trailer!

​After a trip into Sisters to see what decorations I could acquire at the thrift store and the dollar store, I found these amazing Christmas Nutcrackers, some fairy lights, candles, a tiny but real Christmas tree and other Christmassy bits and bobs. All for under twenty bucks! Win! I dried out slices of orange for festive tree decorations.

Christmas lunch was very traditional. Prawn cocktail followed by roast turkey and all the trimmings followed by Christmas pud, mince pies and ice cream. Considering we only had a small convection oven and three burners on the stove, it was a triumph. We had our bottles of Mexican Coca Cola and some Asti for the table. With our Santa hats and fun Christmas jumpers, we pulled the crackers, shared the silly jokes and of course retold the joke from the Vicar of Dibley;

What do you do if you see a spaceman?
I don't know, know, know, know.
​Park in it, man.

We toasted absent family and friends, particularly our mums, and tucked in to our delicious Christmas dinner.

It was Ollie's first Christmas with us and she had some special treats and was very well behaved. What a gift she is! Best. Ever.