Wednesday, June 10
“This is the day, crew! We are going to the beach!”
Bridget and Reggie, eyes brightly alert, take their crew positions in the Perfect Tow Vehicle. Bridget stations herself in the middle of the bench seat, granting herself a forward view of the road. Reggie prepares to pilot his doggie bed between the front seats. I fire up the PTV and, with the Best Little Trailer securely hitched . . .
“We have lift-off!”
We pull out of Whittaker Creek Campground and follow Route 126 as it sidles along the Siuslaw River on its course to the sea. We turn into Florence and make a quick stop for gas before motoring northward on historic Route 101. I stop at Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park, dump tanks, and return to 101. Trees and dunes and the lay of the land obscure the ocean from our view.
And then, in a breath-taking moment . . . there she is . . . the Pacific!
Oh, the glory of that first sight!
“We’re here!” Reggie and Bridget spring to their feet. Bridget squeals. Reggie jumps into my arms. “C’mon, you aren’t going to believe this!”
We scurry down a path between holly bushes, rhododendrons, and craggy trees, following fellow tourists to the beach.
The wind heightens our excitement!
“What IS this place, Reggie?”
“Do you remember the beach, Bridget?”
After the initial shock and awe, the crew is caught up in this new world.
The sound of the waves, the expanse of the beach, the soft sand under paws, the cool wind, and me, running around laughing . . . .
Bridget and Reggie run with me, hopping and twirling with delight! Rather than dampen the excitement, I forget about photos for a while and simply play.
I want to let Reggie and Bridget run free — that was the plan — but I decide not to risk a protracted chase in the brisk wind to catch Reggie if he should run off, become confused, and not return.
Tomorrow we will come to the beach early, before the wind picks up, and then they’ll be free to run off-leash.
Watching the happy frolics of Bridget and Reggie around me has me laughing and I resume snapping photos and laugh some more . . .
Reggie loves the sand!
In a frenzy of fun, he digs and digs while Bridget and I share a moment of amusement at his antics. “That’s our boy!”
The serious, squinting faces in the next photos are due to the wind as well as me insisting they be still so I can record the moment.
Although this next photo indicates otherwise, Reggie’s eyelid inflammation is gone. The wind is the reason for the squint.
We play until the wind becomes too much.
Exhilarated, we run across the sand to the path that goes up to the parking area. The crew has a drink inside the PTV.
“Hang on, guys. I want to grab a few more pictures before we go.”
An elderly many carrying a bucket comes up the path from the beach. As he approaches I smile with a greeting.
“Hello! Whatcha’ got in the bucket?”
He grins, comes over, and holds the bucket out for me to look.
“Hmm . . . rocks. Looks like someone has a project.”
“Yeah, my wife wants these for her flower beds. I come down here and gather up a few at a time.”
I learn he’s 85 years old and his name is Hal.
“I’m a pure Hal. That’s my name, Hal. It’s not a shortened version of Harold.”
Hal and his wife have a travel trailer, too.
Hal is originally from South Dakota and had a career in foresty.
“We’re in Florence right now.”
The two of us stand, oblivious to the brisk wind and the passing of time, gabbing like old friends who’ve been separated for years.
We discuss numerous topics, skipping from one to another as if jumping from rock to rock over sea pools.
He asks about my life and I point to the Best Little Trailer and explain my move from a house in Georgia to a life on the road.
Hal’s reaction is warm and exuberant.
“I’m very proud of you!” he exclaims. “You are very brave!”
It’s time to go our separate ways.
We wave goodbye from our vehicles. I call out . . .
“It was nice meeting you, eighty-five-year-old pure Hal who hauls rocks in a bucket!”
Bridget’s and Reggie’s eyes reveal they are pleasantly pooped.
“Okay, you guys take a snooze while I look for our camp.”
(Note: I pull into a few waysides as we move northward and take more photos, leaving the crew inside the PTV. Some of those photos are above. I’m not sure what was taken where!)
Beyond Yachats I drive into Tillicum Beach Campground.
This is a Siuslaw National Forest Campground ($21.82/half-price with senior discount pass). I drive the loop. The campground is almost full. Although nicely situated by the beach, it doesn’t appeal to me because of the fierce wind. We need to go inland.
We continue northward to Waldport and turn eastward at Alsea Bay.
Route 22 takes us to Blackberry Campground, a small, national forest campground along the Alsea River, quiet, peaceful, with lots of smooth lawn and no wind.
More about Blackberry, the rest of this perfect day, and more beach fun in the next post!
rvsue
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