Seals, or elephants?

7:24 am - Friday - October 9th - Seal Rock, OR - 52° F, 100% humidity, wind, heavy overcast today with a forecast high of 61° F, and rain this evening.  On this date in 2018 we arrived in Delaware, our 48th state in the Newell.......↴

Thursday is our Friday, so what happened on our 'Friday'?  I spent my entire 2 hour shift working with Greg to remove and replace a leaking PVC pipe at site 20.  I have circled where the leak was.  First we had to dig out around the base of the pipe to give us clear access to the leaking coupling, and then shut the water off so we could cut the pipe below the leak, and install a new one.  Once the water was off (we have to turn off all the water in the park) we cut the pipe just below the coupling (this is what was leaking), and then wait a long, long time for all the water to drain out of the system......site #20 is apparently the lowest point in the park.....doh!  At any rate we finally were able to install the new section of pipe replete with a new hose bib, finishing just before 12 pm......

.......and that was it for my 'Friday'.....I arrived home just after TLE.....another grueling work week at SRRVC!

Around 2 pm we took a walk down to Seal Rock Beach, taking off our flip flops when we reached the sand......

......below is a picture of Elephant Rock, which is the most prominent rock feature at Seal Rock Beach, which makes me wonder why it is not called Elephant Rock Beach?  There are no seals anywhere around here.....NONE.  Anyway, it just something I wonder about.  I know that many years ago......many, many years ago there were a lot of seals out of the rocks, but that was a long time ago......

Elephant Rock.....you can see it, right?

.....we hung out for about an hour before walking back to the Newell......

......the day began with heavy overcast, but eventually we ended up with partly cloudy skies, and a beautiful time at the beach.  I never get tired of just sitting on a log (there are a lot of storm tossed logs on Seal Rock Beach!) and staring a the ever changing lighting and how is plays upon the water.  Breathing in that salt air for an hour certainly puts one in a perfect mood for a nap.

Around 4 pm I drove, by myself, into Waldport to buy a few grocery items for TLE.  Until we began living and traveling full time in our Newell I never, ever went to the supermarket.  That was TLE's domain.  She knew the secret of finding stuff at the supermarket, and I did not.  Now I, too, have unlocked the secret of the supermarket and do, on occasion, run to the market for TLE.  My task this day was to buy some bacon, some oyster crackers (they were out, so I got club crackers) for our second round of fish chowder, and some more Bolthouse Mocha Cappuccinos....if you have never tasted this amazing, life enhancing elixir you must!

Around 5:30 pm TLE reheated the fish chowder, and cooked up a little bacon to crumble into the chowder.....OMG....I'm in heaven.  I cherished ever bite!  It really is true that bacon makes EVERYTHING better.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to by a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Living well.....

 7:14 am - Thursday - October 8th - Seal Rock, OR - 54° F, 100% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the south by southwest.....rained all night......still raining.  Heavy overcast today with more rain in the forecast, and a high of 60° F.  On this date in 2017 my son, Tim, was married to Laila at the Mission Inn Chapel in Riverside, CA....what a beautiful bride, and service......↴

I like Wednesdays and Thursdays because I get to work by myself.  Frankly, I like working with Terry, and I have no complaints, but I really like working by myself just as I often did at Ramona Oaks RV Resort (aka: RORVR).  It had rained all night Tuesday, and into the early morning hours Wednesday, but by 10 am (my start time) it had been 'dry' for a couple of hours, so I had no rain to contend with as I cleaned (sanitized) 9 sites which were being vacated that day, plus began to clean the 50, or 60 lights around the park which illuminate the entrances to each site at night.  The cleaning of the lights involved removing the protective top and removing the lens to clean, and then reinstall.  Each light took about 5 minutes to clean.  By the time my 2 hour shift was completed I had cleaned 10 lights, and will continue to clean them over the next few days.

TLE, who worked in the office from 9 am to 12 pm, made it home a few minutes before me, and thus another day toiling in paradise was complete.  In the afternoon I spent time cleaning my new Dickinson Marine Sea-B-Que in preparation for the grilling of two more 'so tender they melt in your mouth' filet mignons we purchased at Safeway a few days prior.  Did I tell you how much I love this new and improved version of the Sea-B-Que?

I spent some time in the trailer puttering around as I am wont to do from time time, which includes making sure our Garmin cyclocomputers and the flashing taillights we run when riding on the highway are charged.  Even if we don't use them they do need to have their charge topped off every couple of weeks, when it is colder like it is right now.

Around 5:30 pm TLE served an appetizer dish consisting of a bowl of fish chowder, and a slice of sourdough toast.....that was TLE's first attempt at a chowder, and it was amazing, just as I had anticipated.  I lit the Sea-B-Que around 6 pm and by 6:30 pm we had those aforementioned 'so tender they melt in your mouth' filets with a side of spinach for the main course.  A perfect ending to another great day lived well on the Oregon Coast.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to by a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Exploring......

7:10 am - Wednesday - October 7th - Seal Rock, OR - 50° F, 100% humidity, wind - CALM.....very heavy cloud cover....rained all night....forecast high for today is 60° F.  On this date in 2018 TLE and I were having dinner atop the new World Trade Center building.......↴

Exploring is what our lifestyle is all about, right?  We can take our time, because there is no rush to see everything within a defined timeline.  We are able to settle into an area, become comfortable, and then begin exploring those things which interest us.  We are not constrained by workaday lives which beckon us to return after a  week, or two, or three.  We can stay in an area for a few days, weeks, or months as we choose.  Whenever we decide to locate in an area for months at a time our site must have the 'IT' factor (Lake Tahoe, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Acadia National Park, etc).  The 'IT' factor may be different for others, but for us it involves great views like a river view, ocean view, mountain view, a valley view, or a combination thereof.  Ultimately that location must offer opportunities for hiking, biking, and sightseeing.  Seal Rock, OR is such a location.....it definitely has the 'IT' factor for us.

We have driven through Florence, OR several times over the years, but had never stopped off to visit the historic 'Old Town'.  Since Tuesday was a stellar weather day we decided to take the 40 mile drive south after we got off work at 12 pm.  Although it is only 40 miles, the road is twisty, and windy in many places, and it takes the better part of an hour to make the drive.  We left home around 12:20 pm, and arrived around 1:15 pm in 'Old Town' Florence.....

.....it was time for lunch and 'Old Town' is chock full of interesting bistros, restaurants, coffee shops and ice cream stores.  We wanted to sit outside on the water, and quickly settled on the 'International C-Food Restaurant'......

....we had to wait about 10 minutes for a table on their deck overlooking the Suislaw River.....

....I ordered a pint of their Depoe Bay Porter, and TLE a glass of their house Savignon Blanc. For 'starters' we both had a cup of their Clam Chowder, and for our entrees I ordered their Sear Ahi Tuna Salad, and TLE their Crab Cakes.  The beer was exquisite, the Clam Chowder was delicious, and the Seared Ahi Tuna was divine.....

Seared ahi tuna salad....OMG!

.....we had a nice view of the historic Suislaw Bridge built back in the 30's......

.....and the old dock area still replete with the decaying pilings which used to suport the docks, and warehouses which lined this area......

.....the 'Old Town' is replete with interesting 100+ year old buildings......

.....by 2:30 pm it was time to begin the drive back to Seal Rock, but no drive along US-101 is complete without a stop at the beautiful, historic Heceta Head Lighthouse located about half way between Florence and Seal Rock.....

......while tours of the interior of the lighthouse are closed to the public right now because of the pandemic, you can park in the spacious parking lot, and walk up to the lighthouse on a nicely graded gravel path......

There used to be two lighthouse keepers homes

....the remaining home is now a B&B ($260/night)

.....the lighthouse boasts a First Order Fresnel lens, one of the largest ones every made by Fresnel, and it is still operating......

.....the lens cost $80,000 back in 1894, and was first lit that same year.  It was electrified in the 30's, and is now automatic.  The U.S. Coast Guard maintains the light......

Moi checking out the historic Cape Creek Bridge (under renovation)

......the views looking south along the coast are mesmerizing......

.....after our brief interlude at Heceta Head we arrived back home around 4:30 pm.  The marine layer began to move in, but we were still treated to a muted sunset, nonetheless.....

.....thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to by a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!