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One Year

It is really hard to believe we are there already, but today marks the one year anniversary of our teary, excited, scared shitless departure from home. One year of living on the road. One year of adventure, heartache, and learning. One year of every day being new…new vistas, new campgrounds, new friends, new life lessons, new ways to look at everything, especially ourselves and who we are, and what is important. We have become more resilient and more vulnerable at the same time. We have learned more about who we are and where we fit and don’t fit, and where and who we want to be. How can one year accomplish so much…and what will the next year bring?

Some of our favorite highlights from the past year:

One year ago we packed the Wee Rover and left everything we knew behind to start our adventure.
We have camped in amazing places.
Driven as far north as one can to dip our toes in the Arctic Ocean.
Fell in love with British Columbia and the Yukon.
Were lucky enough to see Denali in between the storms.
Witnessed the glaciers.
Said goodbye.
And hello!
And enjoyed spectacular sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.
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Port Orford Headland

How could I forget to blog about the Port Orford Headland, thank you Astrid for reminding me. If you have limited time while travelling along the Oregon coast, I recommend 3 stops: 1) Cape Perpetua, 2) Heceta Lighthouse and 3) the Port Orford Headland. Originally a coast guard station, today there are walking trails, a coast guard museum, sea lions and beautiful vistas.

The Coast Guard Station operated from 1934 to 1970. Lookouts manned a 37ft tower on the headland point watching the ocean for distress signals. When one was seen, the ‘surfmen’ would run down 532 slippery steps to the boathouse where they would launch their 36ft boat into the often raging waters. Their motto was, “You have to go out…you don’t have to come back”.

Drawing from a display board showing the boathouse and sea wall in Nellie’s Cove, 300ft, or more than 530 steps, below the crew’s quarters and operation headquarters.
Nellie’s Cove today.
One of the 36ft boats used by the ‘surfmen’. It looks too small for a calm ocean, imagine going out during a raging storm?
The Port Orford Harbor is right around the corner.
The view is spectacular.

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Port Orford, Oregon

Port Orford is an eclectic, artsy, sleepy little lost village on the Oregon coast…just the kind of place we like:) It is also home to the only dry dock or “dolly dock” on the west coast. Originally a deep water port, deep enough for a Japanese submarine to hide in during WWII, it was perfect for the large ships of the lumber industry. The only problem was the old south wind which made the port too turbulent to be used about 3 months of the year. Today, a jetty makes the port a safe shallow harbor for the commercial fishing industry. There isn’t a bar to cross which makes for more fishing days, but there isn’t safe mooring so the boats must be hoisted out of the harbor and put on trailers.

The Port Orford Harbor has 2 large cranes to lift the boats in and out of the water.
The first stop for a fishing boat upon returning to the harbor is at the smaller crane to unload their catch. The gray bin is lowered, filled with fish, weighed and then lifted out of the boat.
The boats then move to the big cranes to be hoisted out of the water. Sorry for the jiggle in the middle, the water was trying to soak my boats and the wind was howling.
The boat is carefully placed on its trailer or dolly.
Moved into its place on the dock.
And it is all tucked in for the night along with the other boats.
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Stout Grove

I know…more trees. We just can’t get enough of them. They are magnificent! Stout Grove in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, said to be the most scenic stand of redwoods, is on the northeast end of Howland Hill Road, just 1.5 miles in once you enter the redwoods. The trail through the grove sits on the bank of the Smith River, is only .7 miles around and is easily accessible to all levels of hikers.

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Howland Hill Road

Howland Hill Road in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park is 6 miles of pure redwood bliss. The gravel, sometimes muddy and sometimes dusty, road is not for RVs or trailers. The sharp turns and narrow passages around potholes and trees is not for the faint of heart, but a must for anyone who wants to really experience redwoods. It takes you into the heart of the Jedediah Smith Park linking you with hiking trails like the Boy Scout Trail and the Mill River Trail that take you upclose and personal with redwoods that have witnessed hundreds of years of history. We highly recommend adding it to your “Bucket List”

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A place to spend eternity

The other day, while exploring the Jedediah Smith Redwoods, we stopped at tiny pullout and began, again, oohhing & aahhing over the grandeur of the trees. At the back of the pull out, we found a tiny trail heading down into the trees towards the Mill Creek below. There we found the most awesome little rocky beach tucked down in the grove. It was so nice we went back today armed with snacks, books, and something to sit on. I even gave a shot at the first swim of the season, but got turned back at knee level! While there, we noticed what we thought was a forest service boundary marker. Upon closer inspection, this is what we found. What a spot to spend eternity.

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A trip to a Fairy Ring!

We stopped to pick up a new daypack for M and one of the sales guys sketched out a rough map to the Titanic Cathedral Trees in the Prairie Creek Redwood State Park. The woods are always calling, so off we went.

“Fairy Rings” or “Cathedral Trees” are sometimes seen in Redwood forests. The death of an old tree often nourishes the growth of new trees. Sometimes the burls at the base and seeds from the dying tree create new trees that form a circle around the old. The rotting old tree in the middle eventually decays allowing for a “hole” in the canopy that gives the new trees sufficient light to grow creating a fairy ring.

Tip: The weather in the Pacific northwest can change quickly, so along with water and snacks, always pack a raincoat and an extra warm layer when hiking, even if you are out for a short jaunt.

Tidbit: The Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway is a short easy paved drive thru the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. At the southern end is a visitor center and a resident herd of elk.

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California’s Lost Coast

California’s Lost Coast travels through dramatic landscapes. Within a 25 mile stretch, we went from the windswept Highlands of Scotland, to the shores of Newfoundland, to the farms of Vermont, and to the twistee steep turns of Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail. It was a magical drive that transported us to some of our favorite places. Thank you Richard for recommending the drive! The pictures, as usual, do not do justice to the scenery.

Tip: The 25 miles of road we travelled from Ferndale south along the Lost Coast was mostly paved, but it is not recommended for large vehicles or vehicles towing. There were several tight switchbacks, a few very steep inclines, and well, what goes up must come down so steep descends, and some quite narrow sections with recent mudslides.

Tidbit: The only thing that could have improved our drive was to have done it on our motorcycles!!

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Avenue of the Giants

Today we took a nice day trip through the Avenue of the Giants. The rain has been relentless here in northern California (7 inches in 24 hours), but the weather broke this morning and we were off. The Avenue of the Giants is a nice paved drive that paralles Rt. 101. Along the way, there are many places to pull over that have well graded paths that make the redwood groves accessible for those less steady on their feet or for those with limited time. We found a fallen giant at one of the pull outs and spent a while clambering about. A very nice relaxing day, and it wasn’t raining!

The paved road is accessible to all types of vehicles, but I am guessing it is quite crowded during the summer.
The paths at some of the pull outs are quite accessible. The road is right behind Darrin.
A huge fallen tree. Normally hiking in the forest we would never walk on an old tree. This one by the side of the road had seen some heavy use.
And its roots.
A beautiful drive we highly recommend.

Tip: Top off your gas tank before heading to the Avenue of the Giants. We found gas only to be available near the southern and northern ends of the drive.

Tidbit: We still highly recommend hiking one of the trails that take you deeper into the redwoods for the full effect, if you can.