table rock

Day 154 – Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway Part 2

Day 154 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

My gracious hosts for the evening prepared an excellent breakfast of oatmeal topped with cinnamon, bananas, and raisins; a soft boiled egg produced by their own hens; toast; cranberry juice and coffee…a feast!  After breakfast and of course a shower, I toured Richard and Renate’s Alpaca Farm.

Alpacas on the Web

Richard, from New Jersey and once in sales for a large company, and Renate from New York City, once a curator for a museum, retired from their jobs early and moved to Brookings where they opened a retail shop as a retirement business.  While Renate loved the business, Richard didn’t, so she said, “Then find something else for us to do.”  Richard said, “Let’s purchase a herd of Alpaca.”  So around ten years ago, they began their alpaca business called www.alpacasontheweb.com.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
watson falls

Day 153 – Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway

Day 153 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

So I didn’t look for the cache at Wal-Mart this morning as the landscape crew was nearby. But I did decide to drive inland toward Crater Lake today.  The scenic byway began at a lower elevation in Roseburg, so I figured I could at least enjoy a handful of stops in Umpqua National Forest if Crater Lake wasn’t feasible.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
ducks

Day 152 – Travel Day

Day 152 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Today was very uneventful.  I tried filling up VANilla with gas when a scruffy man in a black hoody came running toward.  I thought, “Uh Oh”.  He says to me, “You can’t pump your own gas in Oregon…it’s a $500 fine!”  Well, then they might want to post some “Full Service” signs on the pump!  So Oregon and New Jersey are in a league of their own on the gas pumping laws. 

Anyway, he finished the job and then I found Portland Bagel Co for breakfast. I hope to find a few more locations when I come back to Oregon.  What interesting flavored bagels including S’more bagels and rainbow bagels.  I could have left with several, but picked Tillamook Cheddar…delicious!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
sea lion caves

Day 151 – Oregon Coast Highway Part 2

Day 150 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

I awoke to a lawn mower…a signal for a second day of sun!  I had planned to head inland today to Crater Lake, but passing up a sunny day on the coast of Oregon seemed ludicrous, especially since it will be my last day on any coast for five months.  VANilla took us from Bandon to Cape Arago where we visited a couple of state parks.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
sea stars

Day 150 – Oregon Coast Highway

Day 150 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

For some reason, despite my glass of cabernet in a tin cup, I didn’t sleep a wink last night.  I’m not sure if it was the nearby traffic from Route 101, the sound of diesel engine belonging to large trucks that seemed like they were unloading freight outside my window, or that I was just out of my element a little.  Pros and cons of parking lots as compared to campgrounds kept racing through my mind…perhaps that will be a thought of the day sometime soon.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!