Making the Most of the Day

May 24, 2011

I’ve been watching the weather for a break in the rain and finally found one!  It’s only supposed to last for one day so we decided we had better take advantage of it. 
So off we went to Florence, OR to the state park that is closet to our home, Jesse M. Honeyman.  This park is right in the middle of the Oregon dunes and in better weather, is filled mainly with ATVs and their owners.  In the off season, you can ride your OHV right onto the dunes from the campground.



This access is only open October thru April which is a good thing since we are camped two spots down from this access road.  From May thru September, the OHV must be trucked to a nearby access point.  I did hear a little noise from the vehicles for a while but it wasn’t bad at all.

The campground itself is a mix of tent and RV sites.  All sites have water and electric and some have sewer.  It’s very strange though.  The sewer connection is halfway up the driveway so unless you have a really long hose (which we don’t) it is impossible to connect.  The water and power are clear at the back of the lot so pulling too far forward then poses a problem for those hook-ups.  I walked around and looked at some other sites and they are all configured pretty much the same.  Go figure.
The sites are roomy and have a lot of shrubbery between sites providing good privacy and separation of space.




What’s camping without a campfire?  My intrepid fire maker got busy and got a nice fire going right away.



And what’s a campfire without hot dogs???


That’s doing things the easy way.

Florence is famed for its wild rhododendrons and last week was the annual Rhododendron Festival.  There are many of these beautiful shrubs growing wild in the park and this one is right on the back perimeter of our site.

     
Some of you know I have been sick for over a week.  One of the reasons to come to the coast was to see if some fresh air and sunshine would help.  I am feeling better but I just can’t seem to get any strength back.  That’s very frustrating for me as I am not one to lay around and do nothing.  I haven’t felt like writing – not that I had anything to say anyway!  I have barely felt like reading, and commenting just seemed to be too big of a task. 

Last night I tried to comment on some blogs and Google was doing funny things to my comments.  I am not a computer novice even though this is going to sound like one! I would make a comment and it would disappear when I hit enter.  Or Google would ask me to log in and when I logged in and tried to comment it would show me as anonymous and ask me to log in again.  I couldn’t get anything to work.  I am wondering if it was just me or did anyone else have problems?  I finally decided it was more than I could deal with and did not even try and find a solution…I just packed it in and went to bed.

So, even after a day of at least partial sunshine, I am feeling down and gloomy and like I am never going to feel good again and the sun is never going to shine.  Woe is me!!!  I think I need a good swift kick in the pants or a road trip to a sunny location.  How does one make it through a dry spell of no travel??

We have no internet signal here but Russ saw what looked like a Wi-Fi logo in “B” loop so we may mosey on over there and see if I can get this blog to post.  If not…well you’ll be reading this on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.  Thanks for stopping by and listening to the complaints and ramblings of a feverish mind.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Okay, I could have just deleted the last paragraph above or just left it as is and you would never know the difference.  However, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to add the following explanation.  We did go back to “B” loop looking for the elusive Wi-Fi signal but it was not to be found.  This is the sign Russ saw.


Now, honestly, doesn’t that look like a little broadcasting doogadget?  Alas, we discovered to our chagrin, it is not the State of Oregon’s attempt at experimental Wi-Fi in state campgrounds…it is nothing more than a symbol telling campers that the amphitheatre is that way!  SIGH!!  

We went out to breakfast in Florence before taking off for home this morning.  Amid the rain and dark clouds, we found an oasis of warmth and great food.  It’s called The Brown Hen and it is a small cafe on the west side of Hwy. 101 at the south end of Florence.  The coffee was great and the food was hot, well prepared and more than plentiful.  The cafe is being remodeled and the windows have been replaced with absolutely gorgeous stained glass images of scenes around Florence.  It is worth the visit just to see the windows.  The prices were a little steep, but with the portions they serve, a breakfast entree could easily be shared by two people.  I highly recommend The Brown Hen if you are traveling near Florence, OR.