I feel so special today.  My husband is awesome.  He started the day by sneaking off from the campsite to shop for my Valentine’s gift.  Sure it’s a bit early, but they don’t charge sales tax in Oregon.  I am now the proud owner of a Stihl 18” chainsaw…but this is a story for another day.  We continued heading up the coast.  I had been told by some of my quilting students that there is a great little quilt shop in Port Orford.  I went to Quilters Corner while Shawn went to take pictures by the ocean and park the RV.  As I wandered around the shop, I overheard a woman talking about how terrible California is and why she had to leave.  It is lovely and all in some places but she lived in Fresno and the politics were just too much.  I got a good laugh, especially when I went to the counter to pay and mentioned I was born and raised in Fresno and all of my family still lives there.  It was a very nice shop, but she is selling it for $189,000 due to health problems.  Shawn didn’t buy me a quilt shop by the ocean, but wait there is more…

Remember yesterday when I said you can’t make sudden decisions and u-turns when pulling a fifth wheel?  Shawn proved me wrong multiple times today.  First, as we were driving through Bandon, he noticed a shop selling large metal dinosaurs.  I’ve been looking for one of these for years.  We looked in Sacramento, but they were over $2,000.  Shawn whipped into a parking lot and we went dinosaur shopping.  A metal T-Rex in Oregon is a fifth the cost of one in California.  Tito the T-Rex was duly purchased and strapped into the RV.  Steve the Dinosaur was a bit intimidated by Tito’s size, but I’m sure they will be friends soon.

Next door to the dinosaur store (really it was the Baja Imports store with more than prehistoric creatures, but it will always be the dinosaur store to me), there was Forget Me Knots quilt shop.  A cute little shop with a nice selection of quilt panels.  I picked up a panel for a counting book of turtles for my granddaughter who is due any week now.

And next door to the quilt shop you ask?  A cheese factory and ice cream shop.  Bandon, Oregon may be the perfect town.  We sampled a few cheeses at Face Rock Creamery including one we purchased called The Slayer.  Garlic and cheese goodness rolled into a single tasty block.  We ordered panini sandwiches which were good, but the hands-down winner was the side of smoked cheddar mac & cheese.  They advertised it as the world’s best, and I must admit it is the best I have ever had…and I’ve tried my share of mac & cheeses.  Somehow we saved a bit of room for the cranberry walnut cheesecake ice cream.   It is days like this I am thankful not to be lactose intolerant.

While driving, we have been listening to the audiobook Sourdough by Robin Sloan.  It is a funny story that takes place in San Francisco and is about a girl and a sourdough starter.  Needless to say, we had sourdough on our mind when Shawn spotted a sign on the highway for Sourdough Bakery 1 mile ahead.  Once again, Shawn whipped the RV into the tiny town of Salmon Harbor and we bought a loaf of sourdough.  All is right in the world today.

After that, it was a long but beautiful drive to South Beach State Park.  The highway alternated between inland views of forest and lakes and coastal views on the edge of the continent.  We crossed a number of historic bridges that are architectural beauties.  We have been so fortunate to have great, sunny weather.  South Beach is a big campground, but the sites are large and clean.  We met our neighbors on each side of our site. Art and Pam are from Idaho and recently retired.  They invited us over to try elk roast and a glass of St. Michelle Cabernet.  Shawn and Art compared RVs, trucks and gas mileage.  Then we went over to sit by the fire and visit with Mike and his wife from Willamette Valley.  They are also recently retired.  Shawn and Mike compared firearms and pig raising techniques.  If this is what people do when they retire, then sign me up!

Daily Ratings & Stats
Quilters Corner quilt shop – 4 stars
Baja Imports – 5 stars
Forget Me Knots quilt shop – 3 stars
Face Rock Creamery – turn it up to 11 stars (out of 5)
Sourdough Bakery – 3 stars (not very sour)
South Beach State Park – 5 stars
Friendly neighbors – 5 stars

Miles driven – 175+
Steps taken – 6,626