The Big Escape

 

Heading into the Redwoods, Northern Cal

Yes, we have temporarily left the Sacramento area.  We are currently at Huntley Park, Gold Beach Oregon...one of our favorite places to just kickback and camp, enjoying the peacefulness and friendly atmosphere that we enjoy here.  Thursday we left the upcoming 100 degree weather, drove to Bear River Casino near Eureka where we stayed the night, and continued on to Huntley Park Friday.  We will be here until Monday when we continue up the coast.  

Ferndale is known as the "Victorian Village" because its entire downtown resides on the National Register of Historic Places.  

It has been a comfortable ride.  Drove through the Clear Lake area, through the Redwoods, and a side trip to Ferndale, a quaint little town near the Bear River Casino.  Got gas at the Casino gas station paying $5.65 a gallon, way less than the $6+ offered at regular stations.

Bear River Casino

The Bear River Casino Resort is owned and operated by the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria.The Bear River Band is a federally recognized Native American tribe composed primarily of Mattole, Bear River, and Wiyot people.

 

Friday we enjoyed a nice drive along the Newton B Drury - Redwood Scenic Parkway, in the Redwood National and State Parks.  Traffic along Highway 101 was not too bad, a few ongoing construction zones, but no long waits.  In Brookings Oregon we stopped at Fred Meyers for some gas, low $5 range, and groceries. 

Camp at Huntley Park

Arriving at Huntley Park around 2 pm, we were greeted by the park manager Shawn, who after 6 years still remembers us.  We have not moved the van since parking.  The only slight downside was needing the generator running to operate our AC yesterday for 3-4 hours due to the 90 degree weather.  FYI: when we first started coming to Huntley Park in 2017.  In 2019 we were going to be here for most of the summer...but Dad went into the hospital, then rehab.  He survived that scare, but not the one in November...we all sure miss him.  Then COVID hit, and as the years went by, we just never made it back to Huntley Park until this year.  Part of me wants to stay the remaining 3 weeks of our planned trip sitting right here...but there are other places we want to return to...and one new National Park to visit...so tomorrow we will continue up the coast.

One of my favorite Cooper Pics from Nancy's Blog

 Our hearts go out to our blogging friend Nancy who lost her BEST BUDDY Cooper to heart failure a couple days ago.  We know how hard it is to lose a dog, especially a great companion that Cooper was.  So sorry for your loss...and your hurting Nancy  Read her blog about Cooper HERE:   

 

We also heard a couple of weeks ago that Gerry, Marcia's oldest friends, passed away with Gerry's daughter Ruth holding her in bed.  A quick and peaceful passing, but it leaves a huge hole in Marcia's heart.  We just saw Gerry back on March 29th.  You can read about that visit HERE:    Above is one of my favorite pictures of Marcia and Gerry, taken back in January of 2016, Amelia Island, Florida.  YES, that is Skruffy on Marcia's lap.

 

New Assisted Living Facility for Mom and Dad

At Sister's House, Citrus Heights, CA

When we arrived in California back in May, Mom and Dad had already been looking at The Terraces Assisted Living Facility in Roseville.  The Brookdale Facility was ‘OK’, although there were a few issues that all of us were not very happy about.  And it was very unfortunate that when dad went into the hospital the last time, that when the emergency cord was pulled, no one showed up so Patti called 911 herself.  Amazingly the fire department showed up, hauled dad off to the hospital WITHOUT any staff member at Brookdale even knowing about it.  We never did get a good reason for that.  However, the MAIN REASON Mom and Dad decided to move was that it is closer to where Sandy and where Patti live.  For Patti it shortens her drive by nearly 5 miles, and Sandy by 2.5 miles.  That is a 33% reduction in travel for both of them, and due to the traffic congestion getting to Orangevale, it is even more of a time savings than that for both of them.  There are also a few other considerations that make this a better facility for Mom and Dad.  No one knew that on the day the move was to take place, Dad would be released from the Hospital.  No one said that life was going to easy, and Marcia and I did not arrive until the next day from Oregon so we were of no help whatsoever.

When you walk into the front door of The Terraces, you are greeted by this wonderful entryway.  There are chairs off to the right of the stairs, there is a welcome desk which always has someone there during normal hours (like 8-6), and the people…both staff and residents, have been very, very nice.

Above is a picture of the front left of the facility.  That wooden walkway leads up to a side door, which is locked, there is no key hole, but it leads very close to Mom and Dad’s apartment.  Although it is not good to arrive this way, it is good for exiting…so I typically park in a dirt area near here, enter through the front door, exit through this side door later.

At Brookdale they had a two bedroom apartment, and the kitchen was a bit larger.  The Terraces, as did Brookdale, provides three meals a day, and you can also get snacks if needed, so the small refrigerator, microwave, and limited cabinet space will be adequate for their needs.  The living room and the bedroom is larger, and there is a large walk in storage closet next to the bathroom, so the space meets their needs.  There is also a larger patio which overlooks Cirby Creek, and Mom loves to sit out there...I wish I had taken a picture of the patio.

Dad has been doing pretty good since he got out of the hospital 10 days ago.  On Sunday we had a BBQ at Arny and Sandy’s house, and Dad was able to handle the nearly 3 hours from when I picked them up to when I got them back.  Any type of move, especially at their age, is not easy…even when Patti and Sandy handled the majority of the move.  Heck, the only thing Arny and I moved into the apartment was this brown reclining love seat that Sandy found a few days ago...we both got hurt doing it.  Nothing major, let’s just say Arny’s fall was much harder than my fall, and my fall was much more entertaining, and thank goodness neither took place at The Terraces.

Had we not came back to Sacramento early, today would have been the day that we left Huntley Park…instead we left 12 days ago.  Oh, I miss this view, one of my favorite views that I enjoyed every day.  I loved taking the camping chair out and just sit there watching.  If I was inside the motorhome at my chair, this is what I would see out my side window too.

Even when the peace and quiet was momentarily disturbed by the Jet Boats going by…

…the boats were offset by the abundance of birds and wildlife which I enjoyed watching…including this group of Snow Geese which showed up the day before we left.

   

And I certainly enjoyed watching the many Osprey, and the one Bald Eagle (pictures above are only of Osprey) which were constantly on the lookout for fish.

 

And when fish was caught, they flew off to their nest to share with the little ones.

And when fish was caught, they flew off to their nest to share with the little ones.

The Osprey seem to be EVERYWHERE along the Oregon Coast.  These two above lived near the Public Library, where I would go and download movies onto our Kindles a few times per week.  One of those times I took the camera and got these shots above.  I never did spot the nest, but I am sure it is nearby. 

We try to be away from Florida during the summer and during Hurricane Season.  We have been watching Dorian for the past week.  Although we are thankful that it is not passing over Tampa as earlier paths showed a week ago, we are also thinking of those people in the Bahamas who lost everything.  We don’t know how many lost their lives, I am sure the number will be pretty big for such small islands, but we are thankful that the track will take it out to sea away from the large population along the east coast.  Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are struggling through this.  We also realize that Hurricane Season still has two more months to go…we will be watching...

Nearly a Month at Huntley Park, LOVING IT!

At Huntley Park, Gold Beach Oregon

We have been in Oregon for 40 days now, and here at Huntley Park for 4 weeks this Tuesday.  40 days, and we had rain for part of one day, overcast two days, early morning fog about 8 days (burned off by 9 am) , and we ran the A/C one day for 3 hours while at Loeb State Park.  To say the weather has been near perfect would be an understatement.

This afternoon I FINALLY got a few pictures of the Bald Eagle which has occasionally been traveling up and down the Rogue River.  Today it landed across the river from us, and I got the camera.  For the next 90 minutes it did not fly anywhere, but was keeping a sharp eye on the river, and the Osprey were keeping a sharp eye on the Eagle, although they did quiet down a bit after about an hour.  Skruffy’s alarm went off on my phone reminding me that she needed to have her diabetes test…by the time I got back out the Eagle was gone (Skruffy tested at 88, so she is doing well).  I still have 2 more weeks to try and catch it flying along the river.

So many birds along and in the water…

 

 

Of course, the Osprey are never too far away from the water…always watching, always aware, always sounding an alarm when an intruder, such as the Eagle or Buzzards fly in on their territory.  They work together, helping other Osprey.  I saw one Osprey miss a fish, getting in on a second try, and three Seagulls flew after it trying to steal some food…but other Osprey met the Seagulls head-on, and next thing I knew the Seagulls were headed back to the Ocean.  Just then the Eagle flew in…but being out numbered, it just continued along the river as the Osprey gave their shrilling cry over and over again until the Eagle was out of sight.

Inside the campground there is an abundance of Stellar Jays and Northwestern Crows…both loud, always searching out that camper who leaves food out, or fish guts which have been tossed out along the bank.  Sometimes they can descend upon your “area” and make things a bit noisy for a short while.  I have yet to have been “hit” by their "white debris" as they fly overhead…but we still have a couple more weeks...I might have to invest in a hat.

I took another short excursion along the north side of the river, found a place to turn around and low and behold, there was a young buck and a doe.  Saw the doe first, got a few pictures of her, and then I saw the buck.  Amazing how they blend in unless you really look things over.  Counting the deer we saw on the way to Agness, and on runs back into Gold Beach and back, we have seen around ten deer this year.  Others in the park have seen a few Elk, but we have not had such luck…yet.

For the past three weeks our fishing neighbors have been here in full force.  Our immediate neighbor was here for nearly two weeks, first with his wife, a daughter and two very young grandkids, but five days later the daughter and grandkids left.  A week later, the wife and husband left…but in their place three tents, relatives of some of the other fisherman, moved in for the week.  Today, they all left, all of them...but they left their RVs and their boats, and many will be back Friday. 

I close with this shot of “Libby Pond”, which is a body of water on the other side of the river from us...the north road runs along it. The Libby Pond property is up for sale, including what they call a sportsman’s hall (no sleeping, just a large hall includes a kitchen).  The entire property is 184 acres, and the asking price is just under $900K…just in case anyone is interested.

Day Trip to Agness—Population 100

At Huntley Park, Gold Beach Oregon

 

Agness Oregon (yes, spelled with an extra ‘S’) is 28 miles up the river from Gold Beach, about 20 miles from Hensley Park where we are staying, and has a general population of around 100 people.  It is known for essentially two things…good fishing/hunting, and a stop for the River Jetboat Tourist excursions.

Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go, and on that boat, there ain’t no where to go.  Ok, now don’t let the above image stop you from taking the tour boat…the $65-$100 price might stop you, but the boat does stop at a small resort area in Agness, and yes, they have flushing toilets.  The first four pictures “IS” Agness…the Country Store (just reopened after being closed for a few years), the Community Building, the Public LIbrary/City Park (in a old 2 room school house which shut its doors in 2010) and the Post Office (which is one of two Post Offices in the country that still get their mail delivered by river boat).

Lucas Resort is along the Rogue River just after the Illinois River dumps into the Rogue River.  Cougar Lane Lodge and Singing Springs Resort are the two stops that the Jet Boats use to allow people to get out, take care of business, and eat lunch if they desire. These resorts are next to each other, and if two or more boats are docked at the same time, you had better get to it (lunch and your business) because you only have an hour.

The views of the Rogue River are just spectacular.  Getting to Agness is a bit awkward…you travel up the road along the south side of the river, go past Agness by 3 miles, cross the river, and then travel back along the north side of the river where Agness is located.  The two middle pictures show views from the bridge over the Rogue River, with the left one looking up river, and the right one looking down river. (Yes, I just stopped on the bridge, got my pictures, and got back into the car…not any traffic whatsoever.)

This bridge above is the south side road, known as the Agness Road or Agness Highway, and it is crossing the Illinois River right before it empties into the Rogue River. 

The upper picture is a view of the Rogue River right after the Illinois River merges, and in the upper left by that building, you can see the spot where the bottom picture was taken from.  Yes, we went down that little steep dirt road, got to (not on) the sandy beach and decided that was not going to happen (although there are tracks from other vehicles, most likely 4 wheel drive vehicles)...I had to back up that dirt road until I could turn around because I did not want to get stuck in that hard sand.  I still have the fingernail marks on my right arm from Marcia who was either scared, or mad..I still don’t know which.  Bottom line, we made it out just fine…(and no, I really don’t have marks in my arm, that was a joke…but she really hates it when I go down these dirt roads.)

If one desires to bypass Agness, they can go up the Bear Camp route, with warning signs, all the way to Grants Pass, about 55 miles away.  It is a paved, mostly single lane road, which, in the winter, is not maintained and has been the demise of numerous people who, in late fall/early winter, traveled this route (mostly due to GPS commands), got stuck in snow, and froze to death.  If you were coming west along Bear Camp, you would see this directional sign as you merged onto the Agness Road...left to Gold Beach, right to Agness.

 

On the south side of the river (remember, Agness is on the north side of the river) is the Agness RV Park, with a Grocery Store, Dump Station, WiFi, and rates of $34 per day, $204 per week, $329 for two weeks, $440 for three weeks, and $475 for a month..but with metered electricity.  These are for full hookups, with WiFi and Cable TV.  Now, here is the kicker…there is NO VERIZON CELL PHONE SERVICE (there is AT&T) after you pass Huntley Park.  “IF” you have a smart phone, I am sure you can make calls hooking up to the WiFi which reviews say is spotty most of the time.  All of the reviews at campgroundreviews.com are positive with the only negative mentions is the “long, winding road for 28 miles from highway 101”.  Many people are calling this area "New Agness".  The RV Grocery Store stole so much of Agness' business, that the Grocery Store in "Old Agness" shut down for a few years...just reopening this year.

Halfway between Gold Beach and Agness is the Quosatana National Forest Campground. 

It is a lovely 43 sites campground, $20 per night, $10 with senior pass.  Like Huntley there is no electric hookups, and water stations to fill your tanks, BUT it does have a dump station, BUT no cell phone signal at all from any company outside of satellites.  During this very busy fishing season, it was about 3/4 full.  There are small and large campsites, and it is first come, first serve park.  The picture at bottom is the fish cleaning station, which stands away from all of the campsites not far from the boat launch, and has closing garage style doors to keep the bears out, and a garbage disposal to rid the remains of the fish.  BEARS?  Yes, there are bears…just a mile down the road from the campground we saw some Quail cross the road, then a fawn…and 1/10th of a mile later we saw a black bear…both of which ran quickly away before we could get a picture of them.  Later we saw a young buck as we got closer to Agness.  We struck out getting pictures of any of them.  It took us four hours to get to Agness and back...thank goodness for that potty station!