Newport, OR

Drove Hwy. 101 South to Newport this morning; supposed to be a beautiful drive along the coast but fog prevented me seeing the ocean. Newport is linear town along Hwy. 101 popular with tourists. Rather than walk along the many shops, I toured the docks and the Marine Science Center.

Shrimp boat

Sea lions

Lincoln City - Coast

Few photos along the coast in Lincoln City, OR.

Fish sculpture

Path at the toe of slope next to the beach; great running trail

Lincoln City, OR

Back on the Oregon coast this week escaping the inland heat:) Temps in the 60s this week; fog typical in the mornings. Lincoln City is a coastal tourist town along Hwy. 101. I'm staying at the Premier RV Resort; same company that owns the Salem resort I stayed in last week; however, like a lot of things near the beach, real estate is expensive so the resort campsites are close together and the resort is smallish.

Yesterday, on my walk back from the grocery store, I stumbled across an Indian restaurant. It wasn't dinner time so I just had a Kingfisher and appetizers - mixed veggie pakora (fried in chickpea batter), and roti paratha - pretty good!

This morning I ran along the beach - wonderful feeling! Found a local baker so stopped to sample; the owner/baker said she bakes every day and it tasted like it - very fresh! Marionberry is a hybrid I wasn't familiar with so had to sample a marionberry turnover - delicious! Also had a peanut butter chocolate bar topped with almonds and pistachios - wow!

Site 41 at the Premier RV Resort in Lincoln City, OR

Wonder what value these signs have

Peanut butter/chocolate bar topped with sliced almonds and pistachios

Mixed Veggie Pakora

The beach!

The xeriscape landscaping in this front yard was a mixture of sand and beautiful plants.

Roti pariah

The fog prevented much of a view this morning.

Not sure what this plant is; along stairs to beach.

Local bakery

Baker said the locals love turnovers.

Marionberry turnover - delicious!

Local Indian restaurant - Flavor of India.

Not much of a beer drinker but I do like Kingfisher with Indian food.

Low tide

Beachcombers out for a morning stroll.

Taft is a local Historic District.

View during my morning run.

Salem and the Saturday Farmers Market

Salem's Saturday Farmers Market (FM) is much larger than Wednesdays's and includes live music. In addition to a jazz band on the main stage, a flutist and several musician duos played string instruments on each corner - nice touch!

As usual, I bought more than I need:) Had a cane/peach/mango smoothie and apple turnover while I browsed the market. For later... granola from the Bread Board (http://www.thebreadboard.net)  sugar-free Banana Nut Bread from Mrs. Clugston's Bakery; brief and raw milk cheddar cheese from Willamette Valley Cheese company (http://www.wvcheeseco.com) and three varieties of local apples.

After dropping off my goodies at the AS, I headed to my favorite fruit stand - Aspinwall's (http://aspinwallsproduce.com) more fresh fruit and another strawberry milkshake with whipped cream!

Walked around downtown Salem for awhile; nice town, bigger than I thought.

Great granola!

Several FMs have vendors selling mushrooms.

Oregon Tilth is a non-profit that certifies farms as organic.

Lots of flower vendors.

Musicians on every corner:)

One of two booths selling pies.

Local apples you can't buy in the grocery store.

Interesting mix of architecture in downtown Salem

Strawberry milkshake with home made whipped cream

Fresh, local berries

Blackberries

After purchasing blackberries (and other fruit) at a local fruit stand in Salem this week, I discovered wild plants growing round the RV Resort where I'm staying. The wild blackberries are smaller but sweeter than the larger, commercial variety. Yum!

I remember picking wild black and blue berries in the Missouri Ozarks while working for the Forest Service in the early 80s; we would pick after work in that intense southern Missouri heat and humidity. The price for these wonderful tasting berries was often getting covered with ticks and chiggers:) No such problems in Oregon:)

Wild blackberries picked near my campsite

Premier RV Resort - Resort Review and Reflection

My current campground - Premier RV Resort in Salem, OR, is the 50th campground (over almost 5 consecutive months) I've stayed in with the Airstream! There are 5 Premier RV Resorts in Oregon, Washington, and California. In general, the Premier RV Resorts are in a category of high-end resorts with pools, fitness rooms, laundry, paved roads and sites, professional landscaping, and clean bathhouses. The campsites are typically close together but the Salem resort planted a privacy hedge between sites; also, I have a double (called a Super) site which provides added privacy. These high-end resorts typically cost around $50/night with price breaks provided for weekly and monthly stays. Next week I've reserved a week at the Premier RV Resort in Lincoln City, OR.

Camping at 50 different campgrounds/parks/resorts over the past 5 months has helped clarify what is important to me. Initially, I enjoyed camping on federal lands (e.g., Forest Service, BLM, NPS, State Parks, etc.); however, camping at these sites with minimal (e.g., just electric) or without any utilities in dusty campsites gets old fast. Moreover, because these campsites are "cheaper", they are also crowded, especially on weekends and holidays. The high-end resorts are clearly my preference; primarily due to the quality and cleanliness of their bathhouses. These and other private RV resorts/parks typically belong to RV associations (e.g., Woodalls, GoodSams, etc.) which rate their facilities, restrooms, and amenities so there is incentive to work towards high ratings.

Ultimately, I hope to find location(s) without other RVers (non-campgrounds/parks/resorts) where I can park my AS; for example, like a farm or estate.

Bathhouse at Salem RV Resort

Laundry Room

Super Site 38

Wide, paved streets at Salem resort