With the slide back in place, we left Florence, OR, heading south on US 101. We've driven this route a few times before, and for some reason, I always forget how big the Oregon Sand Dunes are. I forget about all the lovely view points. Some day we will come and stay in the area for a week so that we can actually stop at those view points and take a few pictures. Many of the view points are just wide spots on the shoulder and do not accommodate a trailer/RV. As it was, the weather was wet and foggy and there were very few photo opportunities for a person (moi) who knows nothing about taking good photos. I recognize good photos when I see them, but taking them....well, it's a learning process.
Do you ever drive through towns and wonder why they are there? What supports the community? For many years, we lived in Westport, WA, population about 2000. It is a town supported by its fishing industry (both commercial and charter boats), shipyards, and tourism. And it is obvious when you drive through the town that this is why it is there. Kim and I seem to have the discussion of why is this place here often when we drive down the coast. In particular on this trip, I seemed to focus on Bandon-By-The-Sea. So I decided to look it up. This town is primarily supported by its tourism.
Here is a blip from Bandon's Chamber of Commerce website:
"Call it Bandonor call it Bandon-by-the-Sea. However you refer to us; our seacoast town is sure to delight you with its charm, its scenic beauty, its rich opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and its warmth shown you by its people.
Located on the Southern Oregon Coast where the Coquille River meets the Pacific Ocean, Bandon, Oregon is 90 miles north of the California border, about a 90 minute drive to Interstate 5 at Roseburg, five hours by car from Portland and about nine hours from San Francisco.
It is home to five world premier golf courses, Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old Macdonald and Bandon Preserve, all of which are part of the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. In addition to the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, there are 2 more courses in Bandon, Bandon Crossings, an 18 hole course and Old Bandon Golf Links, a 9 hole course. We are quickly becoming known as Oregon's Golf Coast!
The scenic beauty which Bandon offers is unparalleled. Enjoy birding, surfing, crabbing, fishing, mushroom picking...and so much more! We are sure you'll find Bandon very enjoyable!
For all that it has to offer, it remains charmingly undiscovered and unspoiled.
The people who live here (population 3100 or so) love it, and each year, first-time visitors discover why.
We hope you will walk along the paths of this website to discover Bandon for yourself."
Now, I don't play golf, but five golf courses in a town with a population of 3100 seems like a lot to me. I'm also not into surfing, crabbing, fishing or mushroom picking, but I will admit there sure is a lot of scenic beauty in the area. Another place to visit when we can.
So down we go, through Bandon, Langlois (another even more curious place in the road), Sixes, Port Orford, Gold Beach and Brookings. We finally crossed into California at about 4:45pm. Surprisingly, the Agricultural Check Station was closed. I wonder if this is a cost saving measure for the government or if the check points are seasonal depending on what crops are currently growing.
Our destination was the Village Camper Inn RV Park in Crescent City. I called ahead to let them know we were close by. Unfortunately, I got voice mail. I wasn't too concerned because we had reservations with a confirmation number. I figured there would be something left outside for us directing us to our space. However, there was nada. I called the owner on her cell phone, which she had kindly left on her outgoing message. She was two hours away. Apparently the person managing the store while she was gone was to have left instructions for us. Oh well. The park was not full, so we were able to pick a spot and just set up. It's a nice little park, from what I could see. It was raining and getting dark, and we were more interested in getting set up than we were in looking around. After the morning's adventure with the slide, we were ready for some adult beverages. Too bad for Kim that I forgot to pick up some more tonic water. For the record, gin and ginger ale is a combo not to be repeated. I settled for some boxed Merlot by Bota Box. And I won't be buying that again. The night before I had a Merlot by Black Box, I think it was called, which wasn't too bad. Am I happy to be approaching and spending some time in Northern California Wine Country? You betcha!
Anyway, the park is adequate. It was an easy access, not too far off Hwy 101. It was quiet and green and very peaceful. There are nice patio slabs with good picnic benches. And from what I could tell by how quickly Kim got things set up, the ground must be pretty level. There is 50 amp power. The water pressure was good. Our Verizon/Millenicom Mi-Fi is working great. Cell phone reception seems fine. We enjoyed the cable TV. There are not many campers around us, but I don't see any satellite dishes, and would wonder if the signal was any good with all the trees. I am sitting here enjoying my morning coffee and hoping to see some wildlife.
With a quick prayer of blessings and thanksgiving to the RV Gods, the slide will come in without issue and we will be off to our next stop. The Golden Rule RV Park in Willits, CA, for another over night stay. The forecast is for 62 degrees and cloudy but no rain. That's almost summer weather for those of us from Western Washington!
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