Oregon 101 into California

Sept 12 We left Nehalam Falls Campground in bright beautiful sunshine and as we crossed the mountain back to 101 our world became dark and gloomy. Fog hung heavy in the air across the ocean right up to the mountains and we were in the midst of it.

We actually took two days going down spending the night in a state park campground.

As we rolled onto 101 there were lots of fishermen out taking advantage of the salmon runs. This is a common theme all up and down the coast.

Floating port-a-potties!

 As we passed through Tillamook we saw this giant hanger looming. I initially passed it by but curiosity grabbed me because it looked a lot like the blimp hanger I had been in with Darrell Fowler in Elizabeth City, NC. Turns out it was a sister hanger. During WWII they built nine blimp bases across the country to patrol against enemy submarines and provide early warning against attacks.

See that cross beam above the hanger doors, it is twenty feet high, two and a half sheets of plywood standing vertically.

 Because these massive hangers were built during WWII they had to be constructed of wood. They are an engineering marvel. Only Hanger B stands today as Hanger A caught fire and burned to the ground. All that is left of it are the four massive concrete pillars at each corner.

 The inside of the hanger could hold 9 of the L-Class blimps. The movie said that they housed a collection of vintage war birds as part of the museum but there weren't any on display today. There was an F-14 Tomcat and a few Soviet Migs and some helicopters but nothing fancy. The hanger is the star of this show.

 After eating lunch at the hanger we continued down the 101 finally meeting up with the ocean and we were treated to spectacular views despite the fog. It was in the low sixties and with a wind coming off the water, I had on sweat shirt and a jacket. Becky was ready to be wearing something else because she wore the same sweatshirt for several days. We didn't think that we would be in the cold this summer and didn't pack many long sleeve shirts. I haven't felt like we have had a proper summer. Being in the northern US is cold.

We stopped somewhere in here at Carl G Washburne State Park to spend the night.This is the only picture I have of the campsite. It was a pretty nice place but expensive. We did find out that a disabled veteran can get a pass to all Oregon State Parks and can camp and use them for free.

Rum and marshmallows for dessert. (No rum for the boy). Driving the 101 and then the CA 1 left me worn out physically and emotionally. But it was well worth it!

 We stopped at an overlook for Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. They had places to rent side-by-sides and ATVs but we did not. It would have been fun!

 In Port Orford, 101 makes a sharp left turn and a little street runs straight with the words ocean view painted on it. We drove up to see the sights. It was a beautiful cove.

This bench was at the Port Orford ocean view. Becky really liked it. 

 Lots of rocks on the coast looked like this big shark fin.

We crossed the line into California and added another state to our camping map. The drive ended in Crescent City, CA as our jumping off point to see the Redwoods. All this fog has made me gloomy and I'm ready for some heat and sunshine but we won't find it for awhile yet.
The animals picked up flees and Becky has been waging war with the little buggers. She gave the dog and the cat a bath in the sink because it was cold outside.