DAY 44 - BROOKINGS, OREGON - CALIFORNIA BORDER

THE PORTSIDE RV PARK IN THE HARBOR AREA OF BROOKINGS, OREGON, IS A "GOOD SAM" PARK. HAVE COMMENTED PREVIOUSLY ABOUT GOOD SAM PARKS...THIS ONE IS TOP NOTCH. FELIX AND HIS WIFE ANGELA RUN A TIGHT SHIP. EVERYTHING IS SPOTLESS. FELIX PERSONALLY ATTENDS TO PARKING EACH GUEST...MAKING CERTAIN THE "RIG" IS LEVEL AND ALL TUCKED IN FOR THE NIGHT.

ACTUALLY, A LARGE NUMBER OF GUESTS APPEAR TO BE LONG-TIME RESIDENTS. FELIX ESTIMATES LONG TERM RESIDENCE RUNS ABOUT $10.00 A DAY. I PAY $22.22 A NIGHT, WHICH INCLUDES 100% OF EFFICIENCIES.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND "GOOD SAM" PARKS FOR ANYONE WHO INTENDS TO EMBARK ON EXTENDED MOTOR HOME TRAVELS.

AFTER LAST NIGHT'S MEAL, JUST HAD TO INCLUDE A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE # 1 CLAM CHOWDER IN WESTERN OREGON...THE "HUNGRY CLAM", LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF BROOKING'S HARBOR AREA...CROSS THE BRIDGE AND TAKE THE FIRST RIGHT.

VOO DOO RESTAURANT AND "NIGHT CLUB", ACROSS THE STREET FROM WHERE SPIA IS PARKED. WOULD LIKE TO GO PARTAKE, BUT $$ ALLOWANCES WILL NOT PERMIT SUCH EXTRAVAGANCES...PERHAPS ANOTHER DAY.

HARRIET OPSAHL, OWNER OF THE OCEANSIDE DINER IS QUITE THE LADY IN QUITE THE RESTAURANT.

ENTERING HARRIET'S OCEANSIDE DINER AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF FELIX, I DID NOT EXPECT WHAT HAPPENED. WITHIN 30 SECONDS, A MENU AND HOT COFFEE WAS SITTING IN FRONT OF ME. ANOTHER MINUTE, I ORDERED MY BREAKFAST.

HARRIET, A 70 + SOMETHING YOUNG LADY WAS ALONE...NO ONE TO HELP HER.

WITHIN 3 MINUTES, MY STEAMING BREAKFAST WAS IN FRONT OF ME.

THREE SETS OF CLIENTS CAME IN ALMOST TOGETHER. I SAT AMAZED AS HARRIET WELCOMED EACH OF THEM, TOOK THEIR ORDER, AND ALL WERE SERVED - I SWEAR - WITHIN 4 MINUTES.

THE FOOD WAS BETTER THAN EXCELLENT.

HARRIET'S OCEANSIDE DINER IS ON THE LEFT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL (RIGHT TURN AFTER THE BRIDGE) BEFORE ENTERING THE PORT AREA.

OCEANSIDE DINER, BROOKINGS, OREGON

VIEW OF THE RIVER AND MARINA FROM THE BRIDGE...LOOKING WEST TOWARDS THE PACIFIC OCEAN

HAVE BECOME AWARE THAT FOLKS IN POLAND AND AUSTRALIA ARE READING SAM & ME. ONLY SEEMED REASONABLE TO INCLUDE SOME HOME-GROWN FAMILIARITY

OF COURSE, ONE WILL FIND DQ IN POLAND AND AUSTRALIA AND MOST EVERYWHERE ELSE AROUND THE WORLD.

ALL OTHER STATIONS - INCLUDING FRED MEYER, WERE CHARGING $3.53 + PER GALLON OF REGULAR GAS...SEEMED ONLY FAIR TO GIVE CONOCO A PLUG.

THIS IS THE ONLY ART OBJECT OF MR. BAHR I FOUND IN ALL OF BROOKINGS, OREGON. I DID WALK END TO END TWO TIMES LOOKING FOR MORE.

STOPPED A CITY POLICE, ASKING WHERE THE BEST SPOT TO PHOTOGRAPH THE LIGHTHOUSE.

...THERE IS NO LIGHTHOUSE IN BROOKINGS...NEAREST LIGHTHOUSE IS IN CRESCENT CITY, CALIFORNIA.

SO ALL YOU CONFUSED FOLKS READING YESTERDAY'S BLOG...I GOOFED IN PUTTING MR. BAHR'S ART WORK LIGHTHOUSE IN BROOKINGS...IT IS IN CRESCENT CITY, CALIFORNIA.

SORRY ABOUT THAT.

DOWNTOWN BROOKINGS, OREGON

SOME FOLKS CALL BROOKINGS, OREGON THE "BANANA BELT"...NOT SURPRISED

MANY MID TROPICAL PLANTS SEEM TO THRIVE IN BROOKINGS.

DONT'CHA JUST LOVE THESE FALSE-FRONT BUILDINGS

LAMP POSTS, FIRE PLUGS (HYDRANTS), ELECTRICAL BOXES, AND MANY OTHER CITY INSTALLATIONS THAT ARE INSTALLED NEAR A HILLSIDE OR STEEP BANK, HAVE RETAINING WALLS SIMILAR TO THE ONE ABOVE...

HAVE NOT SEEN SUCH A FEATURE IN ANY OTHER TOWN OR CITY.

THIS IS A PURSE SEINER...IT DRAGS A LARGE BOWL SHAPED NET - SOMETIMES AS DEEP AS 400 FEET DEEP - TO CATCH ALL SWIMMING CRITTERS
.

THE NET IS RETRIEVED FROM THE SEA THROUGH THAT SLOPING SLOT IN THE STERN. THE "DESIRABLE" CRITTERS ARE SEPARATED AND DROPPED INTO LARGE UNDER-THE-DECK "HOLDS" (BIG BINS). "UNDESIRABLE" CRITTERS ARE PITCHED BACK INTO THE SEA.

THE MARINA, BROOKINGS, OREGON

THE PACIFIC OCEAN BEACH, BROOKINGS, OREGON...LOOKING NORTH WEST.

SAME BEACH...LOOKING SOUTH WEST...DISTANT HILLS ARE IN CALIFORNIA.

I WALKED TO THOSE HILLS THIS AFTERNOON...SEE PICS BELOW

HARBOR ENTRANCE, BROOKINGS, OREGON

NOTICE HOW CALM IT IS...NOT A SINGLE WAVE...NO WIND

ONLY THE 5TH DAY OF SUN SINCE BEGINNING OUR WALK.

HARBOR ENTRANCE LOOKING UP STREAM.

US COAST GUARD STATION, BROOKINGS, OREGON

SEA LIONS...THERE WERE SIX OF THESE GALS (ALL THE GUYS ARE AWAY IN THE BEARING SEA AT THE MOMENT) TAKING UP RESIDENCE ON A MARINA DOCK.

I WALKED TO WITHIN 15 FEET OF THE BIG BEASTS - EACH WEIGHS CLOSE TO 1,000 POUNDS AND ARE UP TO 10 FEET LONG

THIS LADY WAS CONSTANTLY SCRATCHING HER HEAD WITH HER FLIPPER.

STILL SCRATCHING HER HEAD.

THEY PAID ABSOLUTELY NO ATTENTION TO ME.

REMEMBER THE SEA LION CAVES...WOULD NOT ALLOW ANYONE NEAR THE SEA LIONS...BEING NO EXPERT ON THE SUBJECT, WILL OFFER NO COMMENT.

THEY LOOK VERY MUCH AT HOME.

IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, SEA LIONS ALSO VISIT TO CHOMP THE SALMON. A NUMBER OF SEA LIONS ARE CAPTURED, TAGGED AND RETURNED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA...

IN ONLY A FEW DAYS THE SAME SEA LIONS ARE BACK IN SEATTLE, READY FOR DIN DIN.

THIS FELLOW LIVES ON THAT SAIL BOAT. I HAD A 1-HOUR CHAT WITH HIM. HIS NAME IS JONATHAN MAYNARD...YES, SAME LAST NAME AS MINE.

JONATHAN AND I HAVE QUITE SIMILAR LIFE EXPERIENCES AND HERITAGES. HIS DAD IS FROM BRITTANY (FRENCH COAST NEXT TO ENGLAND). HE WAS RAISED IN THE NEW ENGLAND AREA. WE HAVE COMMON KNOWLEDGE OF MANY PEOPLE AND EVENTS.

AS I FINALLY EXCUSED MYSELF TO GO WALK TO CALIFORNIA...JOHATHAN WAS STILL TALKING LOUDER AND LOUDER AS I CLIMBED THE WALKWAY FROM THE MARINA DOCKS AND WALKED AWAY.

JONATHAN LOST IS WIFE IN 1989 AND HAS BEEN ALONE ON HIS LIVE-ABOARD SINCE THEN. I WOULD DEARLY LOVE TO SPEND A WEEK OR MORE WITH JONATHAN...HE AND I COULD VERY WELL BE RELATED.

A REPLICA IN THE FRONT YARD OF A PRIVATE HOME IN BROOKINGS, OREGON

OCEAN VIEW HOMES SOUTH OF BROOKINGS, OREGON, ALONG US 101 ON MY WALK THE 7 MILES TO THE CALIFORNIA BORDER THIS AFTERNOON.

OREGON POSTS THIS SIGN ALL THE WAY FROM ASTORIA, OREGON TO THE CALIFORNIA BORDER.

AND HERE WE ARE...AT THE CALIFORNIA BORDER.

PLACES WE WILL VISIT IN THE NEXT DAY OR TWO

"BUG CHECK", AS THE LOCALS IN OREGON CALL IT.

LOCATED A HALF MILE INSIDE THE CALIFORNIA BORDER, WALKED TO THE ACTUAL STATION AND CHATTED WITH THE TWO YOUNG LADIES MANNING THE FORT.

THEY GAVE ME A NEW CALIFORNIA ROAD MAP AND ASKED FOR A SAM & ME CARD WHEN WE DRIVE THRU IN THE MORNING.

I LEAVE OREGON IN THE MORNING WITH A HEAVY HEART AND SPIRIT FULL OF MEMORIES FROM THE MANY WONDERFUL FOLKS ...NEW FRIENDS...I HAVE MET.

FEEL I HAVE LEFT A BIT OF ME WITH EACH...AND HAVE WITH ME A BIT OF EACH GOING ON INTO THE FUTURE.

WISH ALL WELL

TODAY UPDATE: WALKED THIS MORNING THRU & 5 MILES NORTH OF BROOKINGS AND BACK...THIS AFTERNOON TO THE CALIFORNIA BORDER (RECEIVED A RIDE FROM PHILIP BACK TO SPIA - I MEAN WITHIN THREE FEET OF SPIA -)

17 MILES TOTAL; COUNT 12 MILES

SEE YOUR IMPACT.ORG: CREDIT 12 MILES @ $0.02 PER DAY = $0.24 FOR THE DAY.

TOMORROW WE START A NEW CHAPTER: C A L I F O R N I A