We Made it to Oregon (Finally!)

Except for our day-trip to Crater Lake, we have spent the last two months wandering through California. Since Mark has never been to Oregon, and Denisa hasn't been there since she was a child, we were both looking forward to this new state of mind. Known for its rainy weather, it is fitting that the "Welcome to Oregon" sign is framed between our windshield wiper blades on a rainy day.

Our first order of business was to fill the motor home with diesel once we crossed into Oregon. We are glad to get away from California's higher fuel prices. Their state legislation just passed another state fuel tax of 12 cents per gallon for gas, and 20 cents per gallon for diesel. We were glad it won't start until November 2017. They promise to use the new funds to fix state roads, and we can confirm that California has some roads that need fixing.

We'll have to get used to Oregon's law that doesn't allow drivers to pump their own fuel. The guys in the fluorescent  rain jackets do everything for you. We usually fill diesel in at large truck stops, but Mark found this good price at a local grocery store filling station right across the  Oregon border.

As we drive north on Highway 101, we are learning more things about our new state. There are lots of brown signs, pointing out ocean viewpoints or hiking trails on the beach. In Oregon the coastline is open to the public, and there are lots of beautiful places to stop and enjoy along that coast.

This first section of the highway is literally right against the ocean. Oftentimes there are huge rocks in the surf for us to enjoy as well.

We are also seeing a road sign that is new to us, "Sunken Grades Ahead." Coming from an academic background, we're thinking that someone isn't doing well in a class, so their grades are going down. Instead, it means to hang on for a bumpy ride.

We also saw a fair amount of roads that are actually caving off so that complete lanes are closed. Update on the closure on Highway 101 south of us in California: After finally getting that section re-opened, 27-hours later there was a massive land slide that will close it again for some time. We watched actually footage of the slide happening, and it was one of the scariest things we have seen in a while. We are so glad to be north of that section now!

We are staying the next few days at Turtle Rock RV Resort near Gold Beach, Oregon. We found out the campground got its name from this pile of rocks on the beach. You can definitely see the shape of the turtle. You can also definitely see Mark, proving that it is a sizable pile of rocks.

We can get to that beach via a short trail that leads from the campground, and goes under Highway 101. In a 3-minute walk from our motor home we are on the beach!

We are still getting used to the idea that there seems to be rocks rather than shells on Pacific Beaches.

Instead of black rocks with white squiggles, this beach is covered with a smorgasboard of rocks with different colors and textures. This was a handful we picked up on the beach our first evening.

Besides Turtle Rock, our beach has another famously named sea stack. This is Kissing Rock, and it's bigger than a house. That's Denisa standing out front, feeling tiny by the Kissing Rock. It's not named for the shape of the rock, but rather for the private spot behind this massive boulder. We peeked around the rock, waiting to see who would be kissing there.

We did find a couple sitting on a log. But the curious part of this scene were the big cameras and tripods surrounding them on the beach. There was also a woman circling the area, perhaps the director? What was going on behind Kissing Rock? Two days later we found out that HGTV (the Home and Garden Network) was in our neighborhood, shooting a scene for an upcoming show. Rumor has it that the episode was about a beach house property close by. We rarely get HGTV these days, but we are certainly curious about that episode.

It was a cool afternoon, with chances of rain. Not necessarily a good day for filming. But we really like what we see here at our first campground in Oregon. We have 50 amp electricity, water and sewer hookups, a good selection of cable television stations, strong AT&T signals for phone calls, and pretty solid wifi through the resort. For a full-timer in a motor home, that is like the cadillac of campground accommodations. It's a sweet deal for the half-price rate through the Passport America agreement. We are really liking Oregon so far!