Wandrin Blog

This is an annual series made up of short pieces from travel writers and their experiences of travel. Some are new writers. Others are seasoned who have been writing travel experiences for many years. Always unique, the series selections cover a wide selection of travel experience from the local to the exotic; an internal discovery or -- to quote Kira Salak -- "to see what cannot be imagined".

Pull into a filling station in Oregon and someone runs out and handles the pressing the buttons on the pump, sliding the credit card through the machine and pumping the fuel for you. Why? Because it is a state law that you cannot pump your own fuel. It is a known fact that you are illiterate and cannot be trained to operate the pump and pump your own fuel so they have made it illegal. In fact, if you get caught fueling your own vehicle, the service station owner -- and you -- can both be fined.

If they are going to pump your fuel it would be nice if they cleaned the windshield and emptied your waste basket. Nope. It's only the pumping of fuel.

You have to wonder how come you are capable of handling it other states, but not in Oregon.

Actually, New Jersey is another state where all fuel is pumped by an attendant.

When I was traveling down highway 101, I had pulled into a roadside rest to take some seascape photos. In the parking lot was parked one of those 30 passenger shuttle buses that had been converted into a home on wheels. It was Pete's home. When he graduated from college seven years ago, he lived in a van and was following the motorcycle circuit and other times climbing rocks. As he traveled he ended up working for a motorcycle events organizer doing menial tasks until the owner discovered that Pete could manage and arrange the whole thing. And he does. Sturgis is one of his yearly stops along with Daytona. He flies to most of the events rather than long drives across country.

Now he works for six months out of the year and the remainder of the time he plays. He carries a motorcycle on the back of his coach for local travel and climbs rocks and mountains when he isn't earning some dollars at the motorcycle events.

Since travel and exploring is now in his blood, I wondered whether he could ever settle down to a sedentary job that required close to eleven months of work every year. He didn't think that could work for him. I would agree.

...and as I drove away, I realized I didn't take a photo. I was ticked. No way to turn around with the trailer behind.

This Passport America park is in beautiful Redwood Country. This park is a large lawn for parking. It is well maintained. Even the permanent tenants don't detract from the park. For $12.50, this is a good stop.

This journey of exploring the Oregon coast has been seascapes, historic bridges, light houses, many cloudy days, some rain, a great coastal storm and an occasional clam chowder.





Latest photos are the Oregon Coast Florence to Brookings

As I have traveled the northwest, I am amazed at the number of espresso and coffee stores, drive throughs and kiosks. Perhaps they are as frequent in other parts of the country, but I doubt it. Every block within a small town will have a stand alone kiosk or a grocery store with Starbucks or its national brand equivalent. With the sheer numbers of coffee stops are the names to go with them, usually espresso is in the name some place. Puns are a popular approach such as a recent sighting -- Espresso Stomping Grounds.

There are few times that I spend money at one of these. I am not a coffee drinker so my patronage is a Chai Latte. Okay. So it is dessert. If they use powdered Chai as a base, I pass on that and head down the road. Powdered Chai is like instant tea -- bad tasting grainy stuff.

Subtitled: 20 LIfe Lessons from the Fiascoes That Shaped America.

With stories about the Leisure Suit and the annoying Microsoft Office help icon "Clippy", this is a great read about some bad ideas that actually made it to the market. The book explores each disaster and the history behind it and its final demise. This is well written and funny book about ideas that went "Oops".

In memory of my cousin Jo Ann....

Live each and every day of your life.

Love those everyday tasks and life experiences.

Live love for family, mankind and our natural world.

Live life. Love life. Live love.




Memories of Jo Ann will always be with me for her loving support of my parents during their final years.

Ivan Doig is a fiction writer I always enjoy reading. This novel is set in Montana like most of his other books. That feeling of place permeates the characters and their reactions to their world in the first decades of the 20th century. The story is focused around a one room school and speaks to education that may come from daily newspapers, from the school's curriculum, from the school's playground, from observations of a world around and from some persons who enjoys teaching -- beyond the scope of the syllabus.

The book reminds me of my own youth growing up in rural Wisconsin -- and attending a two room school for grades one through eight. (There was no kindergarten in those days.)

Once again, writing without sentimentality, Doig writes a great story that evokes life of an earlier time.

These travels along the Washington and Oregon coast have been -- mostly wet. There have been a few days of sun shine peaking through for a few hours to get some great seascape photos.








There was a break in the clouds as I drove another forty miles down the coast to arrive at Florence, Oregon. At this slow pace, it will take a long time to get to sunny weather.






Regarding all that moisture... A recent medical report indicated that this kind of weather can cause development of webbed toes and moss growth on the north side of one's body. With that prognosis, it is definitely time to move a little faster in search of sunny days.

When I pulled into the campground at Newport, once again I met Brian. So we did more exploring. One day a storm developed which made for great drama at the ocean as the waves crashed to the shore and in some places created foam which would be caught by wind devils taking that foam far into the sky and across the headlands of the ocean.








We were at the Taquina Lighthouse to really get the full effect of the 60 mile an hour winds. Brian was able to lean into the wind momentarily for this photo before he was dropped to his knees by the winds.








Taquina Lighthouse on a clear day -- actually the day before the storm hit.







Photos Galleries recent update is: Newport area photos

Private membership campgrounds will no longer be reviewed.

Chinook RV Park is near Lincoln City, Oregon on the Siletz River. This is a Passport America park. Most of the guests bring their boats for salmon fishing. Standing water, potholed road, and mud did not give a good first impression. In better weather, my impressions may have been more positive. However, there is access to the sky for satellite TV and I could access the internet through the air card.

From my nomadic location in Lincoln City, I joined Brian at Pacific City and we headed to Tillamook for a day of exploring. The first stop was at the Tillamook Air Museum. Originally a hangar built for blimps, the huge building is now a museum for war planes. We passed on the opportunity for another air museum tour, but this plane parked outside looks like it couldn't fly. Kind of like the bumblebee that flies in spite of defying the laws of aerodynamics. This plane dubbed the Mini Guppy was joined by larger versions called the Pregnant Guppy and the Super Guppy. These planes were designed to ferry large cargoes for military and NASA use.

As we neared Tillamook from the south, we knew we had entered a dairying world. The green pastures were crowded with dairy cows. (I know one when I see one.) They were mostly Jerseys with a sprinkling of Holsteins, Ayrshires and Gurnseys. Brian (grew up in Chicago) was impressed with my knowledge -- a little. As we drove around town, we passed the high school. I couldn't resist the photo op. The Tillamook High School sports teams are dubbed the "Cheesemakers". (Can you fit that into a team cheer.) Since my roots are in the cheese state of Wisconsin, I was glad they didn't dub their teams "Cheeseheads". That term is reserved for Wisconsin.

After a cheese sandwich lunch (what else in cheese country), the next stop was the Tillamook Creamery. Cheese tasting was the first stop including the fresh curds. Unfortunately, the curds had come out of the cooler so they didn't have that squeaky texture that I like from really fresh curd. Ice cream was the real reason for the stop at the Tillamook Creamery. Chocolate was my choice -- as usual.

On the way back to Pacific City, we had stopped to walk the beach. It was another of the overcast days that have become most usual for me as I have been going down the Pacific Coast. The locals have indicated that the current weather is about a month ahead of its annual schedule.





Photos Galleries update: Lincoln City area photos.

Prior to reading this book, I knew little about Walt Whitman other than that he wrote "Leaves of Grass". Callow follows Whitman from his birth in 1819 to his death in 1892 with all the events and experiences that had influenced Whitman's life and his writing. Throughout the book, Callow uses extensive research and frequently quotes Whitman to bring context to the poet's life and words.

This is a great biography written as a story of a man's life. Walt Whitman is less of a mystery after reading this biography, but -- to me-- he remains an enigma.

Subtitled: Traveling Light Through China, Japan and Russia

When his wife asked him for a divorce, Newsham did the obvious. He bought a ticket to travel in Asia. He started in Japan where he climbed Mt. Fuji. Next stop was China where he feared he would die -- several times. Enough of being sick he headed to Moscow via Siberian railroad. These travel experiences occurred in the late 1980s -- long before the Russia and China that is available to the tourist today. Traveling within the rules and regulations of these closed countries proved to be humorous -- for the reader. The scenes in Moscow are comic as the author along with a very brave and insistent fellow American traveler confronted one bureaucrat after another as they traveled through Moscow to see the sights and extend their visas.

This a thoroughly enjoyable read as the Newsham tells his travels in a conversational style that allows the reader to experience the travel as fully as the author.

A recent purchase of a pre-owned Thousand Trails campground membership allowed me to park at the Thousand Trails preserve in Seaside. This was a base for exploring (and eating) around the area. Brian also has a membership with Thousand Trails so we continue to explore together.

The weather continues to be overcast and rainy with an occasional partly cloudy day. This has been putting a serious crimp in wearing shorts every day. The day time highs are typically in the 50s. This weather would be typical for the rest of the winter season. Soon I will start a more speedy travel south to enjoy more sunny weather.

Stella, an acquaintance from the Saguaro SKP park in Benson Arizona, lives in nearby Cannon Beach for the summer months working as editor on the varying publications that her son produces. Along with other like minded thinking SKPs Fred and Pamela, Brian and I enjoyed a crab feed and other victuals at Stella's place.

Updated the Photo Galleries... Check out the photos while exploring around Astoria Oregon area or check out those taken exploring around the Seaside Oregon area.