Fri. We got up emptied the tanks and got gas. We started north on I-5. We were planing on stopping half way at Redding. We got there it was 11:30 so were going to get through the mountains. The next thing we knew we were in Or.(First 5 pictures below lakes, snow cap mountains, and bare Mt.). We stopped in Talent and got things set up, rested, then went to Ashland. It is where they have the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It is one of the largest repertory theaters in the nation. It was started there in 1935. It has presented all 37 Shakespeare's plays a total of 303 times and 335 other plays for a total of some 29,000 performances to an audience of aprox15 million. After finding a parking place we walked around town. At the festival welcome center the folks told us about a sandwich wrap place to eat. The wraps were big and delicious. We also got a brownie and later found a Starbucks for coffee. We looked around the festival area and they have a free lawn area at 6:30 to 7:30(middle bottom)where they do different entertainment. Then as we walked around one of the three theaters we were told that folks that had group tickets and have extras they give them away. God is good, a lady came by and asked if we needed tickets and gave us two( bottom right). They were in the middle balcony about two rows up. they were selling for $45 a person! Some of the seats in the 3 theaters go for over $100.The play was Hamlet and the music was Doom Metal. We did not think we would like the music but he did a great job and it went right along with the play. The play ended over three hours later and as tired as we were the time went fast.
Sat. We got up and moved to Gold Hill Or. After we got set up they were having a pot luck so we enjoyed fried chicken and the fixes. They also told us that not all the food was eaten and they were going to have left overs at five. This place is amazingly beautiful. They have several big Maple trees that is in front where they had the pot luck. It was 90 out and it was so shaded you didn't even know it. A couple took us shopping to Fred Meyer store which we had never been in. Wow its huge, has clothes jewelry, toys, guns, groceries. You name it, it has it. On the way home he took us the back roads home to see the country side.
Sun. We drove to Grants Pass for church. The towns theme was bears, as you can see from the picture below we found several of them.
We went to Ma Mosa for lunch. We shared a plate with kale, fried potatoes, corn beef, poached eggs and special sauce along with biscuit and homemade jam(top left).This restaurant is organic and only makes food from local farmers. The town also had murals(top middle), statues(top right) and fountains(middle left). The flowers are from there and Jacksonville which is the town we drove to next. Jacksonville was founded in 1852 and it was here that the Pacific NW first gold discovery occurred.
We then drove to a lavender field. Wow the aroma was wonderful and calming. 2nd picture they hang them upside down to dry. Bottom picture is the machines to make the oils middle bottom is the dried flowers you can put in sachet which we did and boy does our car smell nice! Bottom right picture is bunches of lavender already picked. We also bought some Lemon Lavender Shortbread cookies which was very good.
Mon. We drove to Grants Pass to go on a jet boat ride through Hell's Gate on the Rogue River. The first 5 picture is the boat ride. We saw butterflies, deer, eagles, osprey, and egret. The boat pilot did several 360's and splashed us as we went up and down the river. There were 5 boats with 60 some folks each. We went through Hellgate Canyon(a narrowing in the river). As we went through he told us John Wayne, Gun Smoke, and River Wild were filmed there. Bottom middle picture is the lodge we had lunch at. We tried some Dutch Brothers coffee and for the afternoon it was good. When we got home we relaxed.
Tues. We got up and drove to Cave Junction. 0ur first stop was Taylors Sausage Country Store that had cheeses and sausages. We ate there and had potatoes, onions, peppers,mixed with 3 different sausages. We also had one of their homemade biscuits. We brought in our cooler and they filled it with ice and the meats we bought. Then off to Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, to see the giant Sequoia and coast Redwoods. Below are some of the pictures we took. It is hard to capture how tall and big around the trees are. They say some could be 3,200 years old and 380 feet in height.
From there we drove up the coast to Bandon. Stopping many times at the coast line to take pictures and see the shoreline.
We stopped at Brookings at the wonderful welcome center, had pancakes at Mattie's Pancake House, and we were going to the only place that a plane bombed the USA. They had dropped four bombes trying to catch the woods on fire but it did not work the woods were to wet. We then drove to Port Orford which is the only port that fishing fleet is hoisted from the water onto the dock and stored on rolling cradles to escape the rough seas caused by sever winds. Put in the morning and taken out as they return with catch(bottom left 2 pictures). We then drove to Old Town Bandon. where we sampled A LOT of many popcorn and chocolates at Cranberry Sweets!! We then walked over to the Face Rock Creamery where a child size homemade ice-cream had 2 huge scoops of ice-cream for $2. It was sooo good. Then we walked around and sampled all the cheeses and choose 3 kinds to bring home. We then headed home which was a long drive. We drove around 367 miles today.
Wed. This is a slow day. We got up walked, had breakfast, did some bills, and the blog.
After lunch we drove to Medford, where "Harry and David" Store is. We took a tour and enjoyed seeing them make and package things. Top left some of the pear trees where they got there start. Middle is the marble Pear on the floor of the packing building. Four pictures on right where they are packaging. Bottom left two they were making there moose track popcorn.
We then drove to Central Point where they have a creamery(1st picture top and bottom) which is known for there bleu cheese and A chocolate place(middle top and bottom. The flowers were in town on several polls and the snow on the Mountain was taken just outside town.
No comments:
Post a Comment