Waldport, Oregon

We were lazy in our departure this morning.  Perhaps that was due to the fact that we had enjoyed our stay at Port Orford RV Village so much and the fact that we hated to leave the friends we had there, both old and new.

Our drive up US 101 for the 140 miles to Waldport was a mixed experience.  This was, after all the end of a holiday weekend, and traffic was “heavy”.  Can I say “heavy”?  Certainly not compared to any metropolitan area, or even probably on any interstate highway in the country.  But for US 101, I’d say it was heavy.  We knew just off to our left was the breathtaking Oregon coast, but the farther north we went, the curvier the road became.  Not only curvier, but also more narrow and much fewer passing lane areas.  As a result, Gene and I both had our eyes on the road trying to anticipate problems that might arise.  We had a minor heart stopper when we read the low clearance sign of 11’6” as we approached a tunnel.  We had been forewarned of this hazard and knew we had plenty of headroom if we stayed toward the middle (and highest point) of the tunnel.  Hugging the yellow line, our exhaling breath was audible as we exited the tunnel on the other side.

With our total attention focused on staying alive, we missed the gorgeous coastline.  That’s okay, we’ll have another opportunity tomorrow as we drive southward to pause at the numerous pullouts to catch the views.  Besides, today was a little misty off and on, plus the other holiday travelers trying to catch a glimpse, would have made it a less than optimal experience.  We’ll enjoy that later under better conditions.

Having used up all of our fun factor for today during the drive to Waldport, we were more than a little dismayed when we missed the entrance to our campground on Oregon 34.  About the only thing we could do was continue on and hope to quickly come to a place where we could turn around safely.  I snatched up the truckers atlas and, like I expected, Oregon 34 was not a designated truckers’ route.  I remembered at a social hour discussion sometime last week that there are several covered bridges in Oregon.  A quick “thank you, Lord” escaped my mouth as I saw an RV park up ahead--the perfect place to turn around.

Now, safely parked without permanent damage to us or the Everest, and a little relaxing time to calm our nerves, we are ready for whatever adventure tomorrow may bring.