As we approached the end of our stay in Florence, the dense sea mist continued to rise and mingle with the grey drizzle, draping a big wet blanket over us. We were forced to acknowledge that we were in the midst of the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, and of course the endless rain, making it a typical Autumn in Oregon. We embraced it. It made a happy change from the beating heat of the Arizona desert that we had endured for two decades and more.

The colors of Fall were all around us. The leaves fell from the skeletal branches of the trees surrounding us at the campsite, bright, burnt oranges, sunny yellows, mottled greens and chestnut browns carpeting the ground. If we were lucky enough to catch a leaf as it danced and helicoptered to the ground, we held it close to our hearts and made a wish. We could smell the campfires of our neighbors and it prompted us to make our own fire. . We stood with glazed eyes watching the blaze glow in the half light, listening to the spitting flames lick at the wet logs, watching our breath make its own morning mist with every deep sigh, sinking our hands into the pouches of our hoodies. We started thinking about soups and stews for dinner. Every season has its own treasures.

With Henry settled for the day sorting out his latest Pokemon cards that he had picked up at Fred Mayer, Kim and I set out to find Sweet Creek Falls, a famed local beauty spot, recommended to us by the locals in town.

We followed the twists and turns of the Siuslaw River, eerie in the mist. We spied a fairy tale Hansel and Gretel wooden cottage, smoke rising from a stone chimney, a wrap around porch with weathered adirondack chairs positioned for the best view of the river, and a little jetty with a gently bobbing boat, with oars at the ready, at the bottom of the garden. We spotted an elk or two raise their heads as we drove by, lazily watching us from the grassy banks of the river. There was hardly any traffic and we drove in silence enjoying the stillness of the day.

We made a sharp right turn and drove about ten miles or so following Sweet Creek to reach the signposted trailhead.

Well, words cannot adequately describe the quintessential Autumnal scene before us. The colors of the leaves carpeting the path, the waters of the creek with the swirling pools and gentle falls, the surrounding woodlands, dark and deep with promises to keep, was simply idyllic. 

I hope the photos convey the beauty of the scene. We really need Willy Wonka smell-o-vision so we can close our eyes and fully inhale the woodsy smells of the dripping, damp ferns, the tiny lichens and impossibly green mosses, fallen branches, leaves mulched into the muddy ground and the fresh scent of the sweet creek. A true sensory experience.

We walked a five mile round trip on leaf littered pathways, zig-zagging wooden bridges and slick river banks. It was heavenly!

​Breathe it in!

​On yet another drizzly day, we stepped in to a world that was created over 25 million years ago to get a first hand feel of the persistence of nature, the power of the pounding ocean and the timeless joy of flubbery marine mammals.

We visited the Sea Lion Caves located just outside Florence.

As soon as we entered we were informed there were no Stellar Sea Lions in da house. We were neither disappointed nor deterred. Instead we were excited to descend into America's largest sea caves. Carved out of basalt rock the caves were advertised as twelve stories tall and as wide as an American football field. 

We walked out into the light drizzle and took some photos outside before taking the lift down into the subterranean caves. The ride in the lift seemed to last forever because we managed to discuss all the emergency scenarios, Henry had a jump around to test the cables, I giggled at the memory of Peter Sellers and farts in lifts, and we also compared the ride to the lift going in the opposite direction in the Empire State Building in New York. Yes, it was a long ride down!

The small caves we first entered were dimly lit with red and green lights and there was a screened viewing platform where you could observe the sea lions in the massive amphitheater of the main cave. We confirmed there was not a single sea lion to be seen but we enjoyed watching the waves roll in, crashing over the rocks, so we could get a glimpse of how the caves were formed over the millennia. The main cave lived up to the hype. It was enormous and echoey and had many caves and tunnels leading off the main chamber. We did see a few bats fluttering about at the top of the cave and we could see why it was such a favorable environment for the colony of sea lions that call the cave "home." It was clearly a sanctuary for seals, seabirds and a diverse array of other shore creatures too. 

I loved that care had been taken to preserve the sanctity of the cave so that us humans could not disturb the precious habitat. We could observe but we could not enter.

To the north you could walk up a staircase for another view of the coastline where we could see other inlets and coves leading round to the Heceta Lighthouse winking at us in the drizzly distance.

We loved every minute of this roadside tourist attraction.

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.

​❤️❤️❤️

We couldn't resist a return trip to San Luis Obispo, CA, to add more bubble gum to the walls of Bubble Gum Alley. We last visited in 2008 on Kim's sabbatical. This time we visited in the rain, and had fun trying to make the gum stick!

It was still a bit icky and not the place for germaphobes!

Here are some pics from our rainy day in March 2023 and some pics from June 2008. Double Bubble Gum Fun!

 We almost stumbled on a nudist beach at Pirate's Cove, our first stop of the day in San Luis Obispo Bay, but due to the wet, windy and slippery (arrrr, me hearties, that's what she said) conditions, the path was closed. We did see some disappointed nudists arrive and then depart. 

We drove in the rain to Avila Beach, splashed along the shoreline and then when our teeth began chattering we stopped to warm up with a lovely cuppa coffee from The Kraken.