Going home…

IT’S TIME TO GO HOME. We’ve been traveling and living in our motorcoach about four years now, and it’s time to go home. We’ve seen this great country from coast to coast. We’ve been to the beach at the Pacific, the Atlantic and on the Gulf of Mexico. We’ve stayed at beaches, in the mountains, along streams near waterfalls and in desert areas. We’ve gone boating in beautiful lakes and experienced the Fall colors in New England. We’ve met some remarkable folks and many have become friends. We’ve survived some real challenges and had some great celebrations, but it’s time to go home.

BUT THERE’S A CATCH. Where’s home? When we left San Diego four years ago, we sold our home in Deerhorn Valley. For years now, our motorhome has been home. And now we’re ready once again for a more traditional one, as in “house.” As we’ve explored this country we’ve given lots of thought to where we’d ultimately like to retire. There are so many wonderful states and cities, it’s hard to pick. Beach or mountains? Big city or little town? Temperature? Weather? We’re always hard pressed to answer the inevitable question we’re asked, “What’s your favorite place you’ve visited?” But, we’ve pretty much made up our minds. Oregon will become our new home.

OREGON OR BUST. We’ve been to Oregon many times, both before and during our Great American Adventure. The very first trip we took in our first motorhome was to the Oregon coast. We’d planned a three week trip and we ended up staying for almost two months. The scenery is drop-dead gorgeous. There aren’t a lot of people and the congestion caused when too many of them get together in the same place. More folks live in San Diego County than in the entire state of Oregon! The rivers and streams are abundant and so are the fish that populate them. The climate ranges from arid in the east to tropical in the northwest to temperate in many other areas. There’s lots of rain, but that’s what makes the state so green and lush. and the temperatures aren’t extreme. So, we’re heading to Oregon and we’ve made reservations for the winter at a beautiful park in Salem, the capitol. Of all the places we’ve been in the state, we perhaps enjoyed the Salem area the best. We’ll see what awaits us.

There are eleven lighthouses on the Oregon coast. We’ve visited about six of them.

OUR ADVENTURE CONTINUES. But this is certainly not the last you’ll hear from us. No way. We’ve got lots of real estate to cover between here and there and we intend to take a good look at it. We’re not scheduled to arrive in Oregon until mid-November, so we’ve got four months to “show you around” before then. Our plan is to return to Kentucky and Tennessee, two of the most picturesque states we’ve discovered in the nation. Then we’ll take a look around Arkansas and perhaps see the Clinton Library. After that, we’ll just meander west, stopping to see whatever strikes our fancy. We’ll keep posting about our trip and hope you’ll keep following us as we move along.

The Chetco River: One of our favorite places in Oregon.

OREGON COAST. These are some pictures of the Oregon coastline. Isn’t it breathtaking? I remember stopping to take pictures of a scene like this and remarking that, “This is about the most beautiful place in the world.” We’d get back in our RV and within about a mile there would be another equally beautiful spot. This happened all the way from Brookings in the south to Astoria almost to the Washington border.

UMPQUA RIVER.  This is one of the principal rivers of the Oregon Coast. These pictures were taken near the town of Roseburg, another spot we’re considering. I’m going to have to brush up on my fishing skills and perhaps get a little boat to launch at different spots around the state. It seems as if wherever you drive in Oregon you see “Boat Launch” signs along the side of the roads.

SALEM, OREGON AREA. Located in the western region of Oregon, Salem is the state capital and the county seat of Marion County. The city has a population around 154,000 and is the third-largest city in Oregon. Salem is less than an hour’s drive from Oregon’s largest city, Portland. And it’s only an hour’s drive in a different direction to the coast. The road winds through scenic farmland and then twists through the forest. The perfect day trip! And the Willamette River runs through the west side. The city has a mix of beautiful scenery and bustling business.

SO, HERE WE GO. We’ll stop at a few spots in Alabama and then drive to some gorgeous country in Tennessee. We’ll see you in a few days at Gunter Hill Campground near Montgomery, Alabama. You’re going to enjoy it!

I’ll continue my story next time.