LEAVING COBURG, OR

With all of the repair and maintenance issues completed, we're outa here! Spending the last 3 days, mostly in the jeep, with our 4 legged children, has been less than optimum, regarding leisure time. But, with work done on all 4 slideouts at Monaco, and the engine & generator serviced at Cummins, we'll be heading for the Mill Casino RV Park in Coos Bay, and a visit with my cousins, Karen & Dan.
The two pictures show the relationship of Monaco on the west side of the street, and Cummins on the east side of the street. Over the years, we've stopped here at Cummins Northwest several times, and have never had any problems with work that they have done. Yesterday, they got the motor home in the shop at 2pm, and before the end of the work day, at 50,646 miles, we had new engine oil & oil filter, 2 new fuel filters, a new air dryer and the generator was also serviced. Even though Cummins says that the engine oil needs changing every 18,000 miles, I routinely change it, or have it changed at about 6-8,000 miles. I don't think we'll be in a big hurry to leave this morning, as the fog has set in, and hopefully, it will burn off a little later.

NEW PAINT

The damage to the lower left portion of our front street slideout, was repainted yesterday, unfortunately, that was about all that got done. The repair and new paint looks good, it just took from 9am to 3pm in the paint shop, which killed most of the work day, for the other issues yet to be finished. With any luck, the work on the bed slide should be done by noon, and we'll be able to sort of keep our appointment across the street at Cummins Coach Care. The original appointment at Cummins was 8am this morning, but they said that this sort of thing happens, and they would try and get us in, and done this afternoon.
This will be the 3rd day spent mostly in the jeep with our two animals. Sami is a trooper, and has gone through this sort of thing, many times in the past. Gracie however, takes a little longer to get settled and after almost losing her in the forest, on the WA Coast, we are extremely careful whenever a door has to be opened. One more day of this routine, and again with a little luck, we'll be headed toward Coos Bay tomorrow, and a visit with my cousin Karen & her husband Dan.

THE NEW MONACO

After the old Monaco Corporation filed bankruptcy last year, the company was purchased by Navistar, a multinational conglomerate, who makes International Trucks, and a lot of other things. The new RV Company is now called Monaco LLC, and we are now parked at their much smaller service center in Coburg, OR. Without going into a lot of detail, the main purpose for this visit is that each one of our 4 slides had something that needed to be corrected. The motor home was in the shop all day yesterday, and corrective action was finished on 3 of the 4 slideouts. The good news is that our Extended Warranty is picking up the tab for 2, due to broken parts. We're on our own for the other 2, which can best be described as "wear & tear".
The previous service center in Harrisburg, OR was much larger, with room for about 40 motor homes to park, and dozens of technicians. The service center here in Coburg has parking for 15 RV's, with 7 techs currently employed. Unfortunately, while working on our largest slide, (the one with the refrigerator), a jack slipped, causing damage to the exterior, lower right on the slideout. The picture shows the damage repaired, and today, it goes over to the paint shop for the finishing touches. As they say "do do happens", I just wish that the do do had happened to someone else.
Also today, our king size bed pedestal has to be dismantled so that the rollers can be changed, and some metal placed on top of the plywood. It seems that over time, the rollers started eating into the plywood (genius design), and without a fix, the rollers will continue tearing up the wood. This is the biggest job of the 4, and naturally, the one that we have to pay for. We have an appointment across the street at Cummins, tomorrow morning, so, I'm hoping everything including the new paint, gets done today.

MONACO LLC

After a short drive south on Hwy 97, then over the Cascades on Hwy 58, we arrived at the Monaco Factory in Coburg, OR at noon. When the old Monaco went into Bankruptcy in 2009, most of their facilities in Indiana, and many of their operations in Oregon were closed. When the company re-emerged as the new Monaco LLC, a Navistar Company, they re-opened their factory service center at the main facility in Coburg, OR. The old service center in Harrisburg, OR was much larger, with approx. 40 RV parking spots. This facility has parking for about 15 rigs, and we were here early enough to get backed into a slot. This morning, I'll get us checked in, and the service writer will document our issues. Primarily, all 4 of our slides have varying degrees of problems. So far, nothing big enough to keep a slide from going out, or coming back in, but I'm afraid if there aren't some adjustments, that may be the case, somewhere down the road. I'm not sure how long this will take, but I allowed 2 days, then we move across the street to Cummins Northwest, for engine and generator maintenance. Yesterday afternoon, I finished washing and waxing most of the drivers side of the motor home, so the bones are a little creaky this morning.

LEAVING BEND (again)

This morning at 6am, the outside temperature is a chilly 34 degrees, and it's a good time to be moving on down the road. We're heading over to Coburg, OR for a couple of appointments, one at Monaco, and one at Cummins Coach Care. This completes our 3rd stay this summer, here at the Thousand Trails in Bend/Sunriver. During those 3 stays with a combined time of a little over a month, we've grown more and more attracted to this high desert/forest area. In fact, we came close to making offers on two different properties, but decided that this isn't the right time to be lowering the bank account. Perhaps, somewhere in the future, this might be the place that we spend much of our summers. For now however, the motor home serves the purpose of a "summer cabin", very nicely.
The top picture shows the motor home in our parking spot, and the picture of Sami on the dash, is typical of where she spends much of her time. When the sun gets too hot, she retreats either to the front passenger seat, or to her sofa. When we get back to Lake Havasu, in about 3 weeks, the routines of our animals will change from living in a little house, to a much bigger house. In either case, they have both adapted quite well to both domiciles. Yesterday, I packed up the BBQ, the flagpole, and all of the outside stuff, and Patty caught up with the laundry. Today being Labor Day, I'm not particularly looking forward to being on the highways with everyone else in the world, but we don't have that far to travel, and we sure as heck are not in any hurry.

NATIVES IN SISTERS

The small town of Sisters, OR is located on Hwy 20, about 18 miles northwest of Bend. We have driven through Sisters on several occasions, and have vowed to stop "one of these days". Well, yesterday was that day, as we picked the weekend of a Native American Crafts Festival, located in town at the city park. There were quite a few vendors with a lot of neat stuff, but except for a couple of Tee Pees, the Native American theme was a little less than dominant. We found a couple of things we couldn't live without, and enjoyed the nice day, and festive atmosphere.
The local musicians were having a good ole time, and the crowd seemed to be enjoying what they were playing. We got into a conversation with one of the vendors who was talking about moving to Arizona. He said that he loved living just north of Redmond, but the long winters were starting to take their toll, and he was looking for a little warmer climate. We sort of told him to be careful what he wished for, as the Arizona summers were way beyond "a little warmer". When we were seriously looking to buy a summer property, just a few days ago, we often overlooked the fact that we already have a summer property. It's called a motor home, and it takes us to the cooler climates during the hot Arizona summers.
This gentleman had just created FIRE, by the age old method of rubbing, or spinning a stick onto another piece of wood, and this little girl was fascinated when the kindling burst into flames.
One more thrift store in the train bank. No day adventure would be complete without a stop at the local used everything store. In this case, it was the habitat for humanity who benefited from the sale of donated items. We seldom buy anything at these stores, but as the old saying goes,
"one mans junk is another mans treasure". I have found a few books that at least keep me interested enough, to continue looking in these stores of cast away stuff. I think the train bank is now almost full, and Patty is forever obligated to ride any tourist train that I happen to find, for the rest of her days!

BEND, OR

Our primary plan yesterday, was to check out a going out of business sale, at a western apparel store, then catch a movie that was filmed almost entirely in Lake Havasu last summer. The first part of the plan came together like clockwork, and I found a couple of western shirts, plus a (gulp), black felt cowboy hat. Since we learned for sure a few weeks ago, that we would again be contracting with the new merchandise vendor at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, I knew I would need another shirt or two, but had no intention of buying a western hat. I guess the old saying was appropriate, "the price was too good to pass up", and I'm now the owner of a very nice cowboy hat. Whether I actually ever wear the darned thing or not, is another question.
On the way to the movie theater, we drove up to the top of Pilot Butte, which is a prominent landmark in the City of Bend. The panoramic view of the city was worth the short drive for a couple of pictures. Before heading to the theater, I checked the local paper, and the movie Piranha 3D was listed as playing, however, when we arrived and asked for 2 tickets, we were told that yesterday was the last day. We were both disappointed and kind of glad at the same time. Neither of us had much desire to watch a movie that has been described as quite gory, and in the category of a "Jaws" on steroids. On the other hand, we were curious to see how our winter home was portrayed on the big screen. It looks like we'll have to check it out when the DVD comes out. Today, we're headed for the town of Sisters, where there's some sort of Native American arts and crafts festival.

ASLEEP ON THE DASH

Both of our critters spend a lot of time on the dashboard of the motor home. Sami's time is when we are moving, so she doesn't miss anything as we travel down the road. Gracie dominates the dash after we are parked somewhere. Occasionally, they will share the space when we're stopped, but almost never when we're moving. Gracie's claimed spot when we're on the move, is in the recliner, and when Sam gets tired of looking out the windshield, she curls up on the sofa. I took this picture of Gracie yesterday, when the sun was peeking through the trees, and I guess she decided it would be a good time to catch some rays, and take a nap at the same time. We did some cleaning projects yesterday, but other than when I took some material back to the Real Estate Agent, we didn't go anywhere. Today, we're headed into Bend to do some shopping, and we might catch a movie.

TOUGH DECISION

As was the case, the last time we were in this area, we seriously debated the issue of buying some property to use during the summers. Previously, we found a bank owned mobile on 1 acre, that had a great price, and we considered it for purchase. During this visit, we found another mobile home on 1/2 acre that we have been back to see twice. The asking price seems to be quite a bargain, and if the real estate market comes back, even a little bit, this would probably be an excellent investment. We visited the Real Estate Agent yesterday, and got most of our questions answered. We were close to making an offer, but decided to sleep on it until today. I read through the Covenants and Restrictions of the subdivision, finding no red flags, like architectural review committees, or outrageous association fees. This morning, my gut feeling is, even though a big part of me wants to do this, it just doesn't feel right. Perhaps, in our older years, the conservative approach seems to be the more prudent course of action, despite the very strong impulse to pursue a project, that on some levels, appears to be very attractive. I don't think this story is closed for good, and as much as we have gone from hot to cold on the idea of a summer property, I have a suspicion that there is another chapter ready to unfold, somewhere down the road.

MORE TEMPTATIONS

This is the latest property in the area to tempt us. Even though we sort of decided last time we were here, that buying a property wasn't what we should do, the temptations continue to present themselves. If I didn't look at Real Estate in the various publications, or scan the Internet, there obviously wouldn't be any reason to be tempted. But, for some reason, I keep looking. Maybe it has something to do with the low prices, and the bargain hunter instinct that dwells inside me. This small parcel is 1/2 acre, with a 1260 sq ft, 3 bedroom, 2 bath mobile. The structure is in pretty good shape, but needs a few things like carpets. It's in a subdivision here in Sunriver, with paved roads, city water, and city sewer. Asking price is $69,900, with a County assessed market value of a little over $100,000. Before the drop in housing prices, the market value was around $150,000, and was in fact listed for sale a couple of years ago for $160,000. Most of the bare lots in this development are in that$50,000 to $80,000 price range, so the attraction is amplified by the improvements that already exist. Now we're back to the basic debate, and that is - if we had a property in the area, would it become our primary focus, and take away from the summer lifestyle that we enjoy so much? I think the answer is more yes than no, and so the debate continues.

SNOW AND FLAKES

I snapped this picture at our parking spot, in the Thousand Trails Preserve at Bend/Sunriver. Those white things are snowflakes, which came down for a brief period yesterday morning. Nothing stuck to the ground, but it definitely has turned colder here in the high desert of central Oregon. The latest, most unbelievable news coming out of D.C. is almost incomprehensible. When I heard this story, I just shook my head in disbelief. Based on the news reports, it seems that our State Department has filed a report, citing the State of Arizona as being problematic in the area of human rights. The narrative in this report is of course based on Arizona's recent enactment of SB1070, which mirrors the federal immigration law. It's common knowledge that if the Feds were enforcing current immigration law, and securing our borders, there would have been no need for Arizona to take matters into their own hands. Nevertheless, even though the new Arizona law specifically prohibits racial profiling, and is essentially the same as Federal law, our State Department thinks that Arizona is now a violator of human rights. Here's the best part - this report was filed with the Human Rights Council at the United Nations! Two countries that are on this council are Cuba and Libya. So, if I have this right, our State Department is referencing the State of Arizona, as being a potential violator of human rights, to a United Nations council on human rights, and two members of that council are Cuba and Libya. Are you kidding me! The absurdity coming out of Washington continues unabated, and on some levels, borders on insanity. There was no dialogue with Arizona, no notification, no nothing. Governor Jan Brewer was astonished, and actually learned of this action by the State Department, on the Internet. Thank goodness, she has enough backbone to stand up to the Federal Government, and wrote a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Part of her letter stated "Simply put, it is downright offensive that the State Department included the State of Arizona and SB1070 in a report to the United Nations Council on Human Rights, whose members include such renowned human rights champions as Cuba and Libya. The idea of our own American Government submitting the duly enacted laws of a State of the U.S. to review by the United Nations is internationalism run amok, and unconstitutional." She further demanded that the reference to Arizona in this report to the U.N. be removed. Her letter, and the State Department Report can be viewed on www.az.gov. With flaky stuff like this coming out of D.C., it's becoming clearer and clearer why an increasing majority of Americans are feeling a huge disconnect with policies and legislation in our nations capitol.

PRINEVILLE, OR

This picture was taken of Prineville, OR from a vista point, overlooking the Prineville Valley. This small town of about 10,000 is located 18 miles east of Redmond, and is about 35 miles from Bend. Our visit yesterday turned out to be a wild goose chase. I saw some acreage on the Internet that I wanted to check out, but it turned out to be a bad address. Without further investigation, we enjoyed the Sunday drive, and the birds eye view of this small OR town. Just outside of Redmond on Hwy 26, we turned into a development with 20 acre parcels, and a few megabucks homes. On one of the parcels, with a for sale by owner sign, stood a large metal building, with drive through 14' doors, and a studio apartment. One of the doors was ajar, so naturally, we had to check out the inside. At the time, we didn't know the size of the acreage, and this building was almost exactly what I have been dreaming about, regarding a summer place to park the motor home. Intuitively, I pretty much knew that this was way out of the price range we wanted to be in, but nevertheless, I made a phone call to a local Realtor. She didn't know what price the owner was asking, but informed me that the parcels were 20 acres, and the starting price was $199,000. My brief hopes were crushed, because even at a distressed price, this property with the building, had to be over $300,000. I told the Realtor that we locked the open door, and I was still curious enough to find out the price, so she agreed to try and find out. Still not sure, buying some land here in Central OR is the right thing to do, but it has been fun looking, and dreaming.

A NEW DIRECTION?

Judging by the turnout yesterday, Glen Beck's Restore America Rally, at the Lincoln Memorial, it appears to many, that there is a huge disconnect between mainstream America, and the political leadership in Washington D.C. When I say leadership, I'm not just talking about the party in power, I'm talking about the majority of our elected representatives, who just don't get it. The message at this rally was less political, and more about the restoration of traditional values. The framers of the Constitution recognized that government was not the answer to all of societies problems, but rather, the path to a more perfect society was by way of individual responsibility, family values, spiritual guidance, honesty, and honoring the basic principles that founded our great country, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Clearly, several hundred thousand Americans, gathered between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, were sending that message to our elected officials in the nations capitol. In addition to those thousands, I think it's safe to say that there are countless millions, including myself, who don't think that a "nanny state" is the answer. The path of irresponsible, out of control, government spending, started by the Republican Party, and continued by the Democratic Party, is a recipe for disaster. The idea that the cost of trillion dollar programs, such as health care reform, can be passed on to future generations, is one of, if not the most irresponsible example coming out of Washington D.C. There has to be an end to this reckless government blank check, and I hope that the rally yesterday sent a gigantic message to Congress and the President. In my mind, there is no question that the mid-term elections in a little over 2 months, will either be the turning point, or it will be business as usual. I agree with the political news media, there hasn't been a more important election in our lifetime, than the one coming this November. No matter what your political ideology, my hope is that everyone will educate themselves, and make a decision as to what they want their country to look like in the future, and then vote!

IT WAS TAILS

We didn't exactly flip a coin, but we did decide to head east toward the Thousand Trails in Central Oregon. I canceled our reservation at Whalers Rest in Newport, and made a new one at Bend/Sunriver, and we were on the road by 10am. We drove east on Hwy 26, which was a new road for us, at least to Portland, then it became part of the route we had traveled before. We pulled into the familiar Bend/Sunriver park at about 3pm, and after unhooking the jeep, I located a 50amp site near the entrance station. With all of the trees, it can be a bit problematic finding a spot where our Winegard automatic satellite TV antenna can have a semi clear shot at the southern sky. This is our third visit to this park in the last couple of months, and we'll be here for the next 10 days. Part of our plan this time, is to explore the area around Redmond, which is about 15 miles north of Bend. Redmond (pop. 25,000) is smaller than Bend (pop. 80,000), and sits about 1,000 feet lower in elevation at approx. 3,000 feet. There's something abut this high desert area that is extremely appealing, and returning here for another stay was not a hard decision.

LEAVING SEASIDE

We've been parked here in the Oregon coastal community of Seaside for the past 10 days, and this morning, we'll be headed.....hmmm, not exactly sure. We have a reservation at the Whalers Rest Thousand Trails on the central Oregon coast, just south of Newport, however, as I write this, I'm thinking of going back to the Bend/Sunriver Thousand Trails in central Oregon. That's the beauty of this summer lifestyle. We're able to change directions, or plans, on a moments notice, based on whatever strikes our fancy. Patty mentioned to me yesterday, that a lady in the laundry room told her that they had just come from Whalers Rest, and it rained most of the time they were there. Her words were "we had to muck it out" when we left, due to all of the rain and mud. I'm not one to change plans, based on one persons observations, but, weather is always a factor when we are considering travel plans. We've been parked at the ocean for over 3 of the last 6 weeks, and even though I like the cooler weather, the clouds and fog tend to get a little old after awhile. We had a good rain last night, and more is forecast for the coming week.
The one thing I know for sure, we're hitting the road this morning, I'm just not sure where we're going at this particular moment. When Patty awakens, we'll have a discussion, and make a decision. It might go something like this - Heads we go south, Tails we go east.

EQUAL TREATMENT

In just the last few weeks, our non-lap cat has done a 180 degree turn, and has discovered the benefits of snoozing in one of our laps. A few mornings ago, I snapped this picture of our feline curled up in Patty's lap, while she tries to read and drink coffee. My time in the recliner is usually in the afternoons when I either read a newspaper, magazine, or in rarer instances, a book. It's usually about the time that I have the newspaper spread out, that Gracie decides it's the perfect time to jump in my lap. This of course requires that all reading material be removed, so that the lap is unobstructed for the proverbial cat nap. If this process isn't accomplished quick enough, our finicky fur ball is not at all hesitant to look for an alternative place to catch a few winks.

We are rapidly approaching our 1st year of parenthood for this most unusual cat. Since our rescue of her from the Flagstaff Humane Society folks, she has adapted quite well to our traveling lifestyle. Her kitten like antics are always entertaining, except when the behavior turns a bit destructive. Her claws have a way of finding places that leave certain degrees of evidence that she was there. We discussed having her declawed, but decided that the trauma to her wasn't worth the benefit to us. We can live with a few claw marks, after all, it does give our surroundings a little bit of character. Tomorrow, our two critters will settle into their respective traveling spots, as we will be driving south on Hwy 101 to the Newport, OR area, for a stay at the Whalers Rest Thousand Trails.

A LAZY DAY

This picture of our totally spoiled Beagle, is representative of my day yesterday. Didn't do much, didn't accomplish anything, didn't go anywhere, just had one of those days where I did a lot of reading, and as the saying goes - "veged out". In the afternoon, Patty drove into downtown Seaside, did some window shopping, and stopped by the local Safeway, before returning to the motor home. We've been here in Seaside for about a week, and will be leaving this Friday. As Thousand Trails Parks go, this is one of the nicer ones, with lots of elbow room. Our next stop will be just outside of Newport, OR, located on the states central coast. From there, we go inland to the Eugene area, for a couple of appointments, one at Monaco, and the other at Cummins Coach Care. After getting a couple of things fixed, and some routine maintenance done, we'll return to the OR Coast, heading farther south to the Coos Bay area, and a visit with my cousin Karen, and her husband Dan. That stop should be around the weekend of Sept. 18th, and from there, we'll start working our way back to Arizona.

A GUARDIAN & SALTMAKERS

On one of our recent trips into Astoria, we noticed a Coast Guard Cutter tied up at the dock, adjacent to the Maritime Museum. While we were waiting for the trolley, we walked out to this guardian of our ocean borders, and snapped a couple of pictures. During WWII, my father served in the Coast Guard, but in those years of war, being in the Coast Guard was much like being in the Navy. He served in the south pacific, surviving the dangers of that duty, only to return home and lose his life in an auto accident. So, whenever I see anything relating to the Coast Guard, I feel like there's some sort of intangible connection.
This past weekend, a small group of volunteers, in conjunction with the Seaside Museum & Historical Society, the Pacific Northwest Living Historians, and the Lewis & Clark National Historic Park, re-enacted the Lewis & Clark expeditions salt making, on the beach near Seaside, OR. These actors, dressed in period clothing, represented a group from the Lewis & Clark Party who found a suitable, ocean side location, in which to boil seawater, and the subsequent making of salt.
The process wasn't too complicated, it primarily consisted of keeping fires going 24 hours a day, and as the seawater boiled away, the concentration of salt increased. The fellow pictured below, was playing the character of SGT Patrick Gass. When the death of SGT Floyd occurred, early on during the westward journey, Gass was promoted from Private to SGT, and was one of the leaders of the expedition, below Lewis & Clark.
This actor, speaking as SGT Gass, explained to us, and several others, the exact process that they used in making the salt. My question was why they traveled so far south (approx. 15-20 miles one way) from their winter quarters at Fort Clatsop, to this location. His answer was that the Columbia River dumps so much fresh water into the ocean, that they had to travel south, away from the mouth of the river, to find ocean water with a high enough concentration of salt.
Many of the salt makers made this one day journey, over the course of about 2 months (Jan/Feb
1806), and when they were finished, they had enough salt to last for the entire journey back east. This is just one on the many side stories of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and for folks like Patty and I who are interested in history, it's a fascinating story. These actors and their encampment, brought the story to life.

THE ASTORIA COLUMN

The Astoria Column stands on the highest hill above Astoria, OR, and is 125 feet tall. Last year when Patty and I visited Astoria, we drove up the hill and admired the column, but didn't climb to the top, because it was closed for maintenance. Well, this time, we climbed all 164 steps, then had no choice but to unclimb those same 164 steps. The view of Astoria, the Columbia River and the bridge, was nothing short of spectacular.
This remarkable, one of a kind structure was built in 1926 by the Great Northern Railway that arrived in Astoria in 1893. The column's 14, twenty five foot long scenes represent the triumphs, conflicts, and turning points of the Pacific Northwest. The artwork is known as Sgraffito, an Italian art form, that combines carving and painting into the concrete structure.
When Patty and I reached the top, we stepped out onto a small platform that gives you a 125 foot high, 360 degree view of the area. I must admit that my mostly latent fear of heights, was kicking into overdrive, as the metal railing just wasn't quite enough of a barrier to stop my acrophobia from dominating the otherwise beautiful panorama. I snapped a couple of pictures and told Patty, "that's enough", I could have sworn that this solid piece of concrete was swaying in the wind like a spindly tree in a hurricane. Once inside the door, and on the steps back down, my anxiety rapidly disappeared, and despite some stressed leg muscles, it was good to back on solid ground.
After watching the kites in Long Beach, and checking out the Astoria Column, we headed back to the motor home, and our two anxiously waiting, 4 legged kids. Patty prepared a delicious shrimp stir fry for dinner, and it was an end to an enjoyable day. (except for the swaying in the wind)

LONG BEACH KITE FESTIVAL

We returned to Long Beach, WA yesterday, for the annual Washington State International Kite Festival, on the world's longest beach. A few weeks ago, while staying in this area, we heard a lot about this kite celebration, so our curiosity being what it is, we drove north about 45 minutes, back across the Columbia River to Long Beach.
The road to the beach was closed, and occupied by lots of vendors, so we had to search for a parking spot in town, and walk out toward the ocean. I started the walk with my jacket on, as the day was mostly cloudy, with an occasional burst of sunshine. When we got out to the beach, we watched an activity where a teddy bear was hoisted up to a stabilized kite, and remotely cut loose on a parachute. As the bear dropped toward the sand, the kids scrambled to be in position, where they could catch the critter before it hit the beach. After watching for awhile, we headed back toward town, just as a large group was organizing some sort of parade with flags and banners.
On our drive back to Seaside, we drove to the top of the hill above Astoria, and stopped at the Astoria Column. I'll detail more about this world famous structure in tomorrows blog. Our final stop on the way back to the motor home was at the Fred Meyer Superstore in Warrenton, for some groceries, that of course included a few pints of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.