As we continued our way to California, we stopped off at two more coastal towns before heading inland. This leg of the trip was a bit more laid back in that the change in the weather from summer to fall kept us inside the motor home a bit more than the last leg.
Girabaldi, OR
From Hammond, OR, we drove south about two hours to Garibaldi, Oregon, a tiny fishing village on Oregon's Tillamook Coast. We stayed in an RV park in the Girabaldi Marina, a bustling harbor used for commercial fishing and crabbing and recreational boating. While there, we enjoyed some stunning sunsets over Tillamook Bay. It was a quick walk from the RV park to a fish market selling fresh-caught seafood. Of course, we had to buy more oysters because we couldn't let the remainder of the bourbon Chipotle butter sauce go to waste. After we dined on those, however, we decided we are oystered out for a while.
One day, we drove 10 minutes north to Rockaway Beach, a popular and crowded tourist town that visitors have been frequenting since the 1920s. Rockaway Beach is also known as the "Irish Riviera" because of the large Irish-American population in the area.
A steam engine train that travels between Girabaldi and Rockaway Beach provides tourists with scenic views of several lakes and the bay. You could hear the constant soft whistle of the train from our RV site. Instead of a train ride, we opted to grab lunch at a highly rated Indian food truck. Happy tummies.
Depoe Bay, OR
We continued south a couple more hours to Depoe Bay, Oregon. Depoe Bay is known as the "Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast" due to a resident pod of gray whales that makes its home offshore from March through December. The water was so turbulent while we were there that we didn't see any whales nor could we take the pups down to the beach to run because of a Beach Hazards Alert that was issued along the coast from southern Oregon to middle Washington. This was the first sizable ocean storm of the season with up to 13-foot seas coming onshore. It was magnificent and frightening at the same time.
We did take a trip into the Port of Newport, about a 20 minute drive south. We have a favorite restaurant there, called Local Oceans Seafood located at Newport's Historic Bayfront, that has a gorgeous view of the port and provides a selection of some really unique and tasty fare.
Before heading to Newport, we found that one of our car tires was flat as a pancake. So, Cliff enjoyed an unplanned 20-minute workout with our bike pump to get the tire back up to pressure so we could make it to a tire shop in Newport. Mission accomplished.
While we were returning from the tire shop, we received a call from the RV park scolding us because our dogs were barking incessantly and driving our neighbors crazy. This was a first for us.
Upon returning, we found our neighbors and their quiet, well-trained dogs sitting by their campfire in full view of our dogs. Man, they had some nerve... Needless to say, we apologized profusely.
McMinnville, OR
We wouldn't be very good RV Winos if we didn't make another stop in wine country before going home, so we headed east to McMinnville, Oregon, which is in the middle of the North Willamette Valley wine growing region. It is known for classic Burgundy-inspired Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris. The region consists of six AVAs (American Viticulture Areas) with more than 330 wineries.
We visited five wineries, with our favorites being De Ponte Cellars in Dayton and Willamette Valley Vineyards in McMinnville. Both of these wineries offer fuller-bodied Pinot Noirs that appeal to us, so we took home a half case from each.
Tonight we will break open a bottle and serve it with Almond Encrusted Salmon with Leek Lemon Cream Sauce. Yes, red wine with fish. Gasp.
A Break Before Our Next Adventure
Today, our last in McMinnville, it poured rain, so we stayed inside the RV with the pups and enjoyed a lazy day before two days of travel. Tomorrow we hop on I-5 and spend one night each in Grants Pass, Oregon and Redding, California before landing back home in Jackson. We are sad our summer journey has come to an end, but that just means we have our next workamping adventure in Mesa, Arizona to look forward to. We head to Mesa at the beginning of November.
Stay tuned for more travels with the RV Winos. Salut!
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Comments
Pinot Noir + Fish= Nirvana
This could turn into a travel with Cliff & Anne Marie TV series. Your blog is so well-written & interesting.
Love reading about your adventures!
Love the blog! Makes me want to travel the Oregon coast! Keep writing!