Desert Diva

Today I’ve met up again with Ray and Terrie who are taking a “mini break” from Salmonberry Park. I’m camping with them in a HUGE state park. It will be fun to have another “campfire” dinner and some challenging games of Scrabble or SkipBo.

I can’t believe that today is the last day of July and that in a little over a week I’ll be back at my job.

Wouldn’t it be not to worry about a job and money?  I suppose that working keeps me “honest.”

Today was a day of exploring thrift stores and visiting the Firesteed Winery, the home of a very tasty Pinot Noir. After a very nice “tasting,” I purchased a bottle of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

I then drove to Grande Ronde where I “camped” in the lot of the Spirit Mountain Casino. Tomorrow, I’m driving to Newport to meet up with Ray and Terrie at Beverly Beach State Park.

I think I’m having too much fun! 

Sometimes, it feels good to live a life on the road with an anonymous nature.  At other times, it’s nice to connect with new (and old) friends on the road. 

At the moment, I’m in a coffee shop in Eugene, Oregon (with WiFi) called “Brewed Awakenings.”  June had come here a week or so earlier with her friend Dixie and hated the “noise.”  To my ears, the “noise” is a soft drone of conversations about adventures, future plans, and the rhythm of day-to-day lives.  It’s the quiet conversation I remember as a child falling asleep to and feeling safe and secure. 

I left the “camp” of Doc, Jo, and June this morning once more to venture out on my own.  As nice as they all are, we seem to “clash” at some intersections.  Last night, I was told (in a joking manner) that “I talk a lot.”  (I interpret that to mean I talk too much.)  At first I was hurt, but then I realized that these women are 15-20 years older than me and two of them have hearing aids that need “tweaking.”  They are content to spend the day in their rigs reading and watching television, which I’ll probably do at their age.  However, with my vacation slipping away I feel the need to experience and explore as much as possible.  While they are all sweet and loveable, our interests aren’t the same.

Another example was yesterday I was excited about the finds I made at a thrift store of some acrylic paint and brushes.  The response was that “You’re going to need a larger rig.”  I plan to use the equipment for future walking sticks and stones to make paperweights. 

I’m still trying to decide if I’ll spend the day in Eugene or drive to the coast.  Maybe I’ll do both…..

Yesterday was a lazy day in Junction City.  June and I had lunch at the local cafe, an ice cream cone, a trip to Safeway for cookout fixings, a nap, and then a cookout in back of Doc’s rig. 

It seems I’m in the mode of eat and sleep, eat and sleep!  :-)  I’ve decided to stay one more day and then drive over to the coast to meet up with Ray and Terrie before my trek home. 

I love these lazy summer days…..

Today I sadly left Salmonberry Park where I ended up staying for a week with Ray and Terrie.  I have to say it was one of the highlights of my trip this summer.  I thought I wouldn’t want to be inland for that long, but I loved every minute.  Although the scenery was beautiful, Ray and Terrie were the “perfect” hosts. I drove from Salmonberry Park to Alsea Falls where I stopped to have lunch and then take some pictures.  I arrived in Junction City in the late afternoon and found where my “on the road friends” Doc, Jo, and June were camped at an RV shop getting repairs.  June and I drove to Eugene to get online and then had dinner at a “fast food” restaurant called “Mucho Gusto Mexican Kitchen.”

I plan to go back to the coast to visit Newport and the infamous “Rogue Brewery.”