We left Tillamook to get an upgrade done to the motorhome. We decided to add True Toppers to the rig. They replace the slide toppers with a unique method to clear off the slide tops as they come in. No more noisy slide toppers! We spent Sunday 20 July until the morning of 23 July in their yard and shop. It took more than 2 days to do the work as it is quite extensive. It also required the awning be moved down a few inches which was surprisingly difficult. The shop did a really good job, and I am looking forward to getting some serious wind to see how it works. Astonishingly it has been remarkably calm ever since!
We then decided to head to the Oregon coast to get out of the awful heat. The temps were mostly in the mid 60s for highs and low 50s at night – lovely! We stayed at the Florence Elks Lodge downtown for convenience. One day we headed north on the coast driving to Newport. We had lunch at a fabulous place called South Beach Fish Market. I had the most fabulous halibut and chips I have ever had! Highly recommend!
Make sure you turn the sound up for the videos. I love the sound of the ocean.
I love the way the fog is climbing the mountain in this shot.
And you can’t see the rocky shores of Oregon without seeing a lighthouse (or two).
The north coast is very rocky. We were there at nearly low tide plus the swells were quite low, so some of the splashing you normally get along the rocks wasn’t very visible this trip. We did get to see some of the standard sights including some sea lions sunning themselves plus some others fishing off the shore.
Another trip we took was south. Around Florence the coast is sand dunes. They are everywhere! Behind the shops, trying to overcome the side streets, everywhere! It is a really popular area for dune riding on ATVs, motorcycles, and UTVs. Kind of makes sense since this is the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.
One of the things we learned is that the county park at Winchester Bay has all kinds of fabulous camping available. There are a large number of dry camping sites that are non-reservation. I think we will definitely stay there the next time we come to the area. We spent all kinds of time in the area, and we saw another lighthouse!
And I finally finished my Christmas quilt top. My kids bought me a fat quarter bundle of Christmas fabrics for my birthday in November. As said they had noted I didn’t have a Christmas quilt, and decided I needed one. They were right! I worked on it off and on during our winter trip, but I managed to finish it this week. I will press it at home with the Laura Star steam pressing system. It is the best way to get flat seams, and I have totally gotten spoiled with it.
I also finished the June and July Kona Block of the Month kits. I was remarkably late with this, but I really do like this blocks. They are all big blocks with lots of pieces. You can make them with just half square triangles, but the enjoyable part is trying to figure out how to use different block types to minimize seams. For example, there are a lot of flying geese you can use instead of two HSTs. Now I just have get ready for the August block in a few days. And I am much happier with the July and later color scheme. Each month there are 40+ squares of a specific color palette. We choose from the package each month, and the others will be used for borders and sashing. I am also signed up for a class on various border options that can be used for this class quilt or other quilts.
After the joys of the coast we moved to Springfield, just outside Eugene. Again, we are staying at an Elks Lodge here, a place we have stayed before. Still hot here, but there is supposed to be cooling down in the next few days. I also got to visit a quilt shop in Springfield, Jean Marie Fabrics. Lovely collection of fabrics in a very crowded shop. I am beginning to collect fabrics for the oven mitt class I am doing at the Rocky Mountain Motorhome Association rally in October. I need 1/2 yard for each kit that will make 2 oven mitts. I found a fabulous fabric with red, yellow, and green chilis on it, plus another with miscellaneous produce on it. Those are the types popular for kitchen stuff.
We will stay here until Thursday morning when we will head back to the Ray Benson Sno-Play area. This time I sure hope it is cool enough to do some UTV riding! It was too hot the last time we were there, and I wasn’t feeling too well. I am still having a bit of incision drainage which is problematic, but it is getting much better.