Boutons Go West 2020

Wednesday, July 8 We took off for breakfast at Bandon Coffee Café in Bandon, OR.  Had delicious sandwiches and coffee (mocha for Kacie  ) to go.  Had picnic tables outside with cool art made out of plastic washed up from the ocean (toilet seat, golf ball, rain boots, umbrella handle, shovels, etc.) decorating the green space.  One was made to resemble a whale’s tail, one a fish, one a turtle riding a wave and one a penguin. Had a beautiful, scenic drive on 101 to Crescent City, CA.  Tons of boulders sitting out in the ocean.  Stopped at Samuel Boardman State Park with a rock in the shape of an arch.  In Crescent City we drove out to Crescent Beach Outlook for an endless view of the ocean and the coastline of the city.  We were blessed with another beautiful day! Then hit Chart Room for some “snacks.”  Chart Room is a tiny restaurant on the marina with great food and drinks. ...

Monday, July 6, 2020 Slept in a bit and headed from Silverton to Eugene, OR to check out the University of Oregon.  Drove through some of campus, the amazing sports facilities and then checked out Autzen Stadium.  About one minute before pulling pulling into the Autzen Stadium parking lot (where we were going to have lunch), Kacie decided she REALLY needed a yogurt from the fridge.  So, while Owen was still driving, she opened the fridge and a dozen eggs fell out and onto the floor of the RV, most of them cracking and making a mess.  Owen, Merrie and Presley got out for some fresh air and a pic in front of the stadium, while Kacie sulked in the RV from the talking to she just received.   After the stadium, we had lunch on the RV.  HB made some homemade chicken salad that she made from the pulled chicken we got from Safeway that morning while Kacie made some Mac-n-cheese in the microwave, but proceeded to put way too muc...

Saturday, July 4 About mid-afternoon we got to Scandia RV Park just outside of Bend.  Nothing special, and our spot was a bit small, but we had full hookups.  We took an Uber into downtown Bend and tried to hit Deschutes Brewery, but there was an hour wait, and it didn’t look like they had any outdoor seating.  So, we wandered over to Bend Brewing Company .  They had a very pretty lawn overlooking the Deschutes River, and we were able to get a table in about 10 minutes.  Ordered some soft pretzels with beer cheese (SO good!) fries, and beer while HB and K had some free Sprites.  Weather was perfect – mid 70s and sunny.   We then wandered down the road along the river and looked for a spot for dinner.  Barrio was closed for the 4 th , but we found 5 Fusion , a good sushi and Fusion spot.  Ordered some edmame, several rolls and P ordered the Pork Yakitori appetizer for her entrée, and ...

Once we arrived in Tahoe, we wandered around and got a good view of the beautiful lake with the clear water and the mountains in the distance. We walked down to the marina to see if we could go kayaking for an hour or so before our boat tour. The kayak rentals were just closing right when we got there   . So, we walked over to the Safeway grocery store and got groceries for the next few days. After we dropped our food off at the RV, we decided to go swimming at the little beach across from our RV park ( Campground by the Lake ) on Lake Tahoe. Only Owen got in because everyone else thought it would be too cold, and the water looked a little muddy along the edge.  After swimming, we walked back to the RV and changed into our clothes and called an Uber to get to our boat tour with Rum Runner Cruises ! We got to the dock 30 minutes early and got drinks at the restaurant after discovering that we would be the only ones on our boat! We boarded our private boat tour and set...

Our 3 hour drive in Rhonda (our beloved RV) to Yosemite was a bit longer due to traffic (which is interesting since we haven’t seen traffic at home in a LONG time). Checked into our RV Park (Yosemite Lakes) and went over to Yosemite for a quick run through the park.  Got to see Bridalveil Falls, El Capitan and Half Dome from the valley floor.   Was getting late so we headed back to the park so we could hookup and have dinner (ravioli, turkey meatballs and salad) before it was completely dark!  Tuesday, June 30 th Had to wake up early (although it wasn’t hard for Merrie   ) so we could get into the park and get a good parking spot at the Porcupine Creek Trailhead off of Tioga Road.  Ended up pulling out of the RV park at 6:40 and made it to the trailhead by 7:40. Had breakfast in the RV at the trailhead and hit the trail about 8am.  We hiked all the way up to North Dome.  What an amazing hike!  Had pretty v...