Where is Jack, Day 112?

We were up very early this morning. Nancy went and showered and then we went for a long walk. The phone service in this site is not as good as the last site, but this morning Nancy spoke to Susie for quite a  while before getting cut off so she decided to try to call Gail. They talked for a while (Nancy says she misses her friends), then she had to charge the phone. It must take more juice when calling long distance. Either that or it's time for a new phone. Anyway, Nancy and I are going somewhere, today. We're not sure where. We're saving another trip to Cape Lookout for tomorrow, so maybe we'll head to Pacific City and up the coast a ways.

We had a great day. We did go to Pacific City and took a long walk. Then, Nancy went to the Pelican Restaurant and Brewery to have a hamburger. (Rich, Susie, Michael, Keely, and Peyton have been there).  I waited in the truck. Nancy said the burgers taste better with company. That's why she usually packs a lunch and eats in the truck with me. She meant to get a picture of the sign, but forgot. She did get a picture of the restaurant from the beach.

Then, we went out on the beach. I didn't feel like playing ball, I just wanted to watch everything that was going on. Cape Kiwanda is the home of the Pacific Dory Fleet. Nancy wishes she had taken her movie camera or at least knew how to use the clip function on her camera. First, you hear them beeping their horn and then they come racing in toward land and they slide up on the sand out of the water. It is a riot to watch. Nancy tried to get one in stages, and then found a clip on the web.

Dory Coming in At Cape Kiwanda (Video)

Another Landing (Video)

I keep meaning to tell you that Michael told Nancy when he and the girls got home, he was watching "One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest" and part of it was filmed in Depoe Bay. Figures. We were in a zodiac boat and the waters weren't quite as rough, but our captain waited out in front of the harbor for the right moment to get in. You can see why, here.

Pulling into Depoe Harbor  (Video)Aren't you glad you didn't watch this before we went, Michael, Keely, and especially, Peyton?

Gosh, how Nancy loves the water. She's a wreck as a passenger in a car, but could ride waves all day long. For more videos of "fun on the water" do a search on You Tube. Nancy wishes she had known about Dory Days

Okay, back to the blog. I got carried away. Nancy took a lot of pictures (what else is new). I'll just put them here.

One going in

There were probably 10-15 of them at one time while Nancy watched from the restaurant.

Here comes another one. This guy came far up on the beach, but he was hidden behind the other boats and cars so Nancy couldn't get the picture she wanted.

Activity on the beach

Kids come barreling down these dunes like nuts. The waiter in the restaurant told Nancy that there have been quite a few injuries because hidden in the sand are sticks. Ouch

We had a great time watching everything around us, then all of a sudden, POOF everything was gone. Just that fast. Haystack Rock, the dunes, the boats by the water--FOG rolled in. That's what happened to us when we were whale watching, it was clear one minute and the next fog was between us and the coast. So, Nancy and I decided to move along to a new adventure. We didn't have far to drive when we came across another little sandy road. We parked, and look--another trail!

Oh, and there's water up ahead!

Everything looks very peaceful, but there are remnants of days when it's not so serene. Can you imagine how powerful the waves must be to throw this piece of wood up on the beach? It's a little hard to see, but in the background is a shroud of fog rolling in. Soon we weren't able to see that whole area, including the mountains.

All over the beach was netting that probably broke away from crab nets or fishing boats.

Oh, how we love this place. We came home to rest for a while, but will probably take an evening drive IF we don't fall asleep.

Another Therapy Update

When I first started this therapy, I had my doubts as to whether it  was going to help me. I was determined to give it my best. I've had two wonderful therapists working with me twice per week. Francine and Leslie are wonderful, loving and caring ladies. They want me to get well. I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. 

I had a difficult time in the beginning, but after the last session I came home and did the usual. Took a pain pill and put ice on my back. I had the best week since surgery so far.

Today, the parking lot was full when I arrived, but I was able to walk the full length of the building without the horrible hip pain that I had just a couple of weeks ago. I can't even describe how bad it was. Amazing! The workout was fairly rigorous. Balance is a big part of helping the back recover which means strengthening the core muscles. I'm doing much better with balance. I told Leslie, today, that I can almost pin point the exact time I let my core muscles go--when I stopped wearing heels and dressing up for the job. I'll never do that, again. Easy to hide not holding your stomach in with a sweatshirt three sizes too big for you! Leslie and Francine make workouts fun because they are such pleasant people. I don't know how many people in the Atlanta area ever read this blog, but if you ever need therapy, ask your doctor to write a prescription to Integrated Therapy. They have a number of locations in the Atlanta area.

As I did the workout, today, I kept my focus on being able to travel, again. Different scenes and places I want to see, again, were like a movie in my head. Before I knew it I was done. I'm still keeping the fall as my goal to go camping, and it seems more realistic, now. If it works out, during the winter I'd like to head south to some of the parks I've read about in Sherry and David's blog. Oh, and Susan would like to go to Charleston--she loves it there and wants to take Jack so I'll have to fit that in. Probably should make reservations, now.

I belong to a swim/tennis club a couple of miles from here--have had the membership since my kids were little. Rich always kept it so I did, too. Funny how that worked out. I'll use it this summer to continue to strengthen my muscles on my own. I'm going to post a few of the memories that I was thinking of while in the pool, today. Onward and upward.

James Island

Haystack Rock Pacific City, OR

Santa Fe

Virginia City, NV

Hemingway Reading Area Memorial, Ketchum ID

Don't Need to Tell Most of You Where This is-Jackson Hole WY

A Picture I'd love to See Again For Real, But I'll Always See it in My Memories 

Silverton CO

DAV Memorial, Taos NM

DAV Memorial NM

The Square in Taos NM

Where is Jack, Day 111?

This is a lazy day. We wore ourselves out, yesterday. It's tempting to go back over to Cape Lookout--maybe later, but Nancy said she thinks it might be crowded. Blah to that. We were walking this morning and Nancy said, "You know, it's hard to pull myself away from this place. How about you?"

Maybe we'll take a ride to Pacific City. Nancy is hoping kids have gone back to school and there will be fewer people. Right now, though, we're just layin' aroun' doin' nuttin'.

Oh, I forgot to tell you. When Nancy was in Oil Can Henry's the other day, they told her that her truck was a 2004. She said, "No, I bought it as a 2003." The guy said they made a mistake when they advertised it because on the permanent door panel, it says 2004 and also on something in the engine. Nancy felt she got a good deal, but now she says she's got an even better deal. Even her registration says 2003. She hopes they've been servicing it correctly--even Dodge has records saying 2003. When she bought it, the truck was like brand new--even when she left because she had all maintenance done on time and had it detailed each year--the last detail being just before she left. Poor thing has really taken a beating--mostly from the sand and stones being thrown up from the road. When she and Susie were in California a piece of wood flew off a truck and stuck right in the front grill. Fortunately, it's running fine.

Well, aside from walking locally a few times, today, we have nothing to report. Tomorrow, we'll get an early start and see where we wind up. I like to sit by the window by the couch and see what's going on in the campground. Nancy opens the window and shade a little so I can see. She asked me if I saw Susie earlier and I got all excited.

Where is Jack, Day 115

Today will be a day of rest and a day of getting ready to move, tomorrow. We won't know where we are going until the rubber meets the road. I've been thinking and thinking, so has Nancy, and we can't make a decision. Does this mean it's time to turn east? I wish I knew.

Well, it turned out not to be a day of rest. After Nancy took her shower, we went for a walk and then we got in the truck and went to Hebo one more time, and on to Pacific City where we had fun on the beach, then sat and watched the waves for a while. Then, we went to the supermarket to stock up, came back to the campground, and Nancy hooked up in 5 minutes. All that's left tomorrow is the water, electric, cable, and dump after her shower and we'll be hitting the road.

We didn't take any pictures, today. Just soaked up the wonderful scenery and relived happy memories.

Where is Jack, Day 103?

Michael and the girls left a little while ago. Nancy and I miss them and are a bit sad tonight. We had a full day filled with fun, though. I don't think we could have fit anything else in the time that Susie spent with us or when Michael and the girls were here. Days were packed. Nancy was a little apprehensive about how we would fit four people in here, comfortably. She bought extra pillows and aside from sleeping, we used them to sit down at one end of the trailer on the open couch and table bed to talk and watch tv. We really weren't in much except to sleep so I think everyone was as comfortable as could be expected. Last night, Nancy woke up and was cold. She had put long underwear and sweats on to sleep. Peyton had the bed across from her (the girls switched every night) and the window was open and she looked like she was freezing. Nancy closed the window and covered her back up with the blanket and she sleepily said, "Thank you Gramma, I love you." Nancy turned the heat up and before we knew it, it was TOO warm.

The girls are very good to me, and Michael played ball with me this morning before we took off to take the Three Capes Scenic Drive.

We saw Tillamook Bay, Cape Meares Lighthouse, the Octopus Tree, and other beautiful sites along the way. They stopped for lunch in Pacific City at the Pelican Brewery and Restaurant—the same place Nancy and Susie went to—the same one where Nancy and Rich used to get lunch and eat outside. They didn’t have a patio, then. Michael got to see “his Dad’s haystack rock” and wanted to drive through Hebo once again. He also saw the little air strip that Rich always talked about. Nancy didn’t take many pictures because when Susie was here, she took pictures, but there are a few.

Michael really liked this part of the Oregon Coast. Okay, there are a few more pictures than I thought.

This is the sign on the lighthouse side. Michael and the girls took me, but Nancy stayed back and read her book. I can't remember if I told you, but the lighthouse was vandalized and suffered a lot of damage. They caught the teens who did it. From what we were told, they shot the windows out and damaged a lot that can't be replaced, i.e., the original glass. Such a senseless thing to do.

Michael always takes the time to explain things to his girls. He wants them to see as much as they can see as they grow up. 

You've seen the Octopus tree before, but not with Michael and the kids.

Nancy walked part of the way with us to take some pictures.

To top the day off Nancy and Michael took the girls to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. The girls saw how cheese was made, and then they and Nancy sat in the café waiting for Michael to come in. He was on the phone trying to seal a deal. Nancy and I have our fingers crossed that it works out and is very fruitful for him and his company.

The girls had ice cream while they waited. When he came in, they went and got him and Nancy ice cream. They are such great kids. I’m very proud of them and I know Michael is proud as a peacock, too.

Nancy had a great time, but she told me she's going to relax for a few days. Then she needs to have the oil changed in the truck, stop in the RV place, hopefully get the truck washed. The trailer will have to wait. She doesn't want to think about driving right now or where we're going next. We think it's Washington, but she's a bit burned out planning trips so she'll renew her spirit. This area brings many memories flooding back, and I think Nancy is tired mentally and physically. A little down time will help.

Where is Jack, Day 80

Hoorah, Nancy got up this morning and took me for a long walk around the bay. Then, she said, "You want to go to Sausalito?" Of course I did.

We went and walked around the docks and in the town to see the little shops. People are always very friendly to me. After about an hour, Nancy told me I needed to rest in the truck--I knew why. She wanted to get lunch in the nice little deli-restaurant she had lunch in the last time we were there (not the restaurant with Paul and Betty). Nancy was careful not to get tangled up in the hills where the houses are perched on the terraces. She wonders how any people who live in Sausalito have brakes and transmissions left on their cars.

We decided to try to find our friend Ms. Patricia her stamp for the Golden Gate. We asked several people where to go and they all came up with Marin. So, we wound up in the Marin National Recreation Area where we spoke to a ranger who told us that there is no such thing as a National Park Stamp for the Golden Gate Bridge because it's privately owned--only a stamp for the National Recreation Area--we happened to be in Marin so we used one of their stamps. We tried to call Ms. Patricia, but we couldn't get a signal. The ranger showed Nancy a Golden Gate commemorative coin and she thought Patricia might like that. We got it. We are hoping that maybe Susan will be near the bridge on the city side because when we got back Nancy looked up Golden Gate National Park and there is a park; in fact there are several. She also called Ms. Patricia and she said she was on the city side. Since Susan is taking the ferry, we don't know if she'll be near the bridge It's very confusing. Nancy really wanted to get the stamp for Ms. Patricia, especially since she couldn't get the one for Muir Woods and we left the Grand Canyon area before seeing the canyon. The place where Susan went on the skywalk was an Indian
Reservation and they didn't have stamps, there. It was the west side (Oops, I got side-tracked).

The visitor center at Marin is located in what used to be the chapel for the soldiers at Fort Baker during WII. We also saw many barracks in the hills which are not occupied any longer. Nancy took so many pictures, but we can only show a few. There were things we missed, but we didn't want to get in the midst of commuter traffic so we went away satisfied with what we saw.

The next few pictures, I'll try to give you an idea of the terrain we went through and were in while exploring, today. One could probably spend a month looking around this area, but we've run out of time because tomorrow we're going to lunch with Paul and Betty, and Susie is coming on Friday. Oh, well, we've had a good time, anyway. Oh, wait, Nancy says we can do our own exploring while Susie is in San Francisco.

This made us think of Keely. There was a place to go horseback riding.

I loved all the smells around here. Nancy said it reminded her of the fields of clover in South Dakota. Between that and the aroma of the sea, we were in heaven. I think someone I know was here before me. Hmmm...

There was a lot of road construction going on. We managed to fit into a few of the pull offs to take pictures, but the one that Nancy had her heart set on was not to be. They had flag men on either side of it to channel traffic into one lane each way. When we approached the point, we were waved on and weren't allowed to stop. Nancy couldn't stop to ask if there was somewhere else to park because her phone rang at that very moment. So what we got are not the famous pictures you see on postcards, but we can still say we saw the Golden Gate. When we moved to Atlanta, my brother Michael was only 5 years old. When we got to the Verazano Bridge in NY, he yelled in his NY accent, "Dad, Dad, da Golden Gate!" Nancy and Rich always laughed about that.

We think this is Alcatraz, but we're not sure. Maybe one of our readers knows though the pictures are hard to see when they are small. I think you can click on them to enlarge them or I think the control or command key and the plus sign will do it--thought I think they don't come out as clear.

We took a ride to Marin Beach. We saw many surfers and a group of kids having a blast playing touch football. We stood on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific and enjoyed the beautiful weather that we had the good fortune to encounter.

Phew, Nancy sure took a lot of pictures and it was hard to choose which ones to show. We're getting hungry so we'll have to get in the truck, again. Nancy doesn't want to leave a lot of food in the trailer when we go to Monterey with Susie.

Then, comes the fun, we'll go for a walk along the bay.

Ms. Patricia just called Nancy and she's happy with the stamp that she got. So, that's a load off Nancy's mind even though we may get another chance to go up there. Then, again, as she said to Ms. Patricia, 4th of July weekend might not be the best weekend to go.

Well, we're off. Hope everyone has a nice evening.

Well, I thought the adventures were over for the day, but OH, NO. Nancy decided to try to see San Quentin up close. Well we got right to the gate. It's strange, you approach it from a very narrow residential street with signs that say, "Slow Children Playing". 

From there we decided to find a different place to walk and went over the San Raphael Bridge. We got sort of turned around and went over in Port Richardson (which we heard, from Suzanne, is not the place to be). We put the campground in the GPS, but seemed to be just getting further away. It, then, dawned on Nancy that she had "No Tolls" as one of the navigation options. She changed that, and we righted ourselves and came back over the bridge, paying the toll on the way back (tolls are only one way on the bridges). Driving home was miserable because we were headed directly west and the sun was blinding us. That doesn't seem to stop the crazy drivers around here. Suzanne said that she has noticed that they have gotten worse over the past couple of years.

When we got back, we found a new trail and took a long walk. It tired me out, but I was glad to get out of the truck (so was Nancy, the explorer). She got us on a hill so narrow and steep that I put my head down and hid!

We got back and she went to take a shower so that we're all set to go after my walk in the morning. We're not used to a schedule and I can't say that we like it. Tomorrow to find the airport and then to Fremont, and Friday to pick Susie up and on to Monterey. Nancy has to look up the hotel on the computer--the Bay Park, I think.

Sure wish we had the camera with us, today. There is water EVERYWHERE around here. If it weren't for Nancy's other kids living in Atlanta and the crazy drivers and too many people, she said she'd move here. Of course, you have to have a million dollars for a little condo as big as the trailer--that might factor in!