In My Secret Campground, Washington State

August 17, 2018

I'm sitting in my van, 

looking out the window at a beautiful milky blue river run past. 

Most of the weekend campers are gone now

 and all that remain are my van friends, 

Nelda and Jerry, Sassy, and Sally.  

This is a gorgeous spot for $5 per night, 

and I wish I could stay here a couple of weeks. 

But my granddaughter starts an ice skating camp next week 

and school in 2 weeks, 

so next week is the only time she has free to spend with grandma. 

I'll pack up in the morning and head back to the city for a few days.  

After that, all I know is I'll be looking 

for a place to watch the Perseid meteor showers 

on the 12th and 13th.

Getting here was fun. 

Sassy, Sally, and I stopped at the YMCA in Tillamook for showers. 

We drove up Highway 101 to Parkside Restaurant and Lounge 

where the girls treated me to a birthday breakfast!  

Wonderful food!  

Wonderful company!

I grabbed a few jelly packets at the restaurant 

and when I opened the back of the van to put them in,

my favorite cup fell out and broke!  

I decided it was a sign to let go of broken things,

like a relationship with a person I thought was my friend.

So I took a photo to remember it by,

then had the waitress toss it away,

where broken things go.

We continued up the coast,

on Highway 101.

There were so many beautiful things to see,

like these odd rock formations.

and these GORGEOUS plate-sized flowers!

We stopped at a sign that said Haystack Rock 

and I took this photo of Sally in front of what turned out to be 

NOT Haystack Rock!  ::laughing::

I stopped at the Column in Astoria and took this photo

from the parking lot. 

I didn't climb the tower,

but Sassy did and she got some incredible shots

of the surrounding countryside.

The Column - you can climb to the top on an inside staircase.

More beautiful seaside scenery

 We met up with Jerry and Nelda at the Quinault Casino, 

where I won a free room for the night when I spun the wheel

at the registration desk!

The room was nice, 

but I kept checking out the window

to be sure my van was ok!

This didn't give me comfort!  LOL!

Nice comfie king sized bed

A fireplace!

And Holy Moley, a BATHTUB!

Leaving Quinault,

we continued our drive up Hwy 101

though dozens of tiny towns 

and lots of beautiful green forest.

Just so you know,

even though the map appears to show you driving along the coast,

you only actually see the ocean a few times.

It's completely blocked by forest.

We took a detour at Lake Quinault,

where Nelda tried to murder me

by having me follow them on the EXTREMELY dusty road

around the lake.

I guess in the Spring and Autumn it is beautiful.

But the day we went, 

it was dry and dusty

and like a washboard.

I could have skipped that part!

To pay for the shock,

she cooked us a nice curry lunch

and we sat at the ranger station and ate.

The forest was beautiful there.

Several waterfalls and a few nice hikes.

But for me, this was an exploration trip 

so I'll know where to camp next season,

so I wanted to move on.

Jerry wanted to camp at Hoh Ox Bow campground,

so we headed there.

But they were FULL!

Then Sassy called and she had found 

the wonderful place where we are now,

right along the river.

A girl couldn't ask for more!

Sunrise this morning

There's space between us

Looking down river

This morning, I broke one of the connectors on my invertor

and Sassy came down to help me fix it.

While we were sitting talking,

a nice bald eagle flew over our heads,

and across the river.

He came to rest in a pine tree

and sat there a long time,

looking for fish.

It was an incredible sight.

I love this place.

I'll be back next season for sure,

and maybe even before.

Loving life!

Annie