Ok so, we went up to Oregon for my FIL's wife's family reunion (didja catch
that?). That lasts 5 nights, camping on the Rogue River about 30-40 miles
from Medford. Each night, one family does dinner. We weren't there for
Sunday or Monday, and arrived just in time for Tuesday dinner. Deep fried
turkey, dressing, chicken 'n dumplings, mixed veggies. Food was pretty much
like that each night...homey, comfort food. Last night was my daughter's
fave: sloppy joes and corn on the cob with a salad to go with. After a day
of riding the river in a raft, she was good and hungry too! lol

Anywho, rather than rush back to the grind after this, we decided to cut
over to the coast and work our way down slowly. In case anyone is wondering,
there is really no shortcut to the coast from Medford! We looked at the map
and there was a road that connected to the 199, but when we were on it I
think we missed a turn. Suddenly there were no lines on the road. Shortly
after that, there was nothing but dirt for a road. Towing a monster of a
jetski, we followed this road, figuring we were too far in to turn back (not
to mention it was a narrow, winding road that was climbing a mountain with
no guard rails, and no where to turn around!). I have never been so nervous
on a drive before! There were fallen boulders blocking 1/3 of the road in
some parts, and the road wasn't that big! Luckily, the forestry or park
rangers I suppose, had cut through the fallen trees so that the portion int
he road was moved off to the side.

After a long day of this we finally made it back to civilization. We spent
the night in Eureka, and went to a classic car show in Fortuna. Wow. It was
so much bigger than I expected! There was a parking lot with several food
booths and we enjoyed a polish dog with chili and my daughter had what must
have been an entire chicken breast on a stick, teriyaki style.

After our lovely afternoon with the cars, We headed for Avenue of the
Giants, which is a great way to see the Redwoods. Then we headed down the 1,
which winds it's way along the coast. Breathtaking. It's an amazing drive
for anyone who's never made it. We found a campground on the Lost Coast in a
little place called Shelter Cove. There isn't alot there... a marina, a
couple restaurants, a couple hotels and the campground. We dined at Mario's,
which was part of the marina. It was a bit pricey IMO, but the ling cod was
extremely tasty, as was the tuna, which was blackened and seared.
The atmosphere was slightly odd, had a bit of a Stepford feel to it...but
all in all, it was a pleasant night.

Onward...we stopped at a place called Tony's overlooking Tomalas (?) Bay. It
was getting late and we were hungry and it smelled wonderful. Turns out the
specialty is BBQ oysters. Why not? We tried an order (4). Amazingly enough,
I liked them! They were spicy and garlicky and not at all slimy. The salmon,
nicely grilled, and the linguini with prawns were also wonderful. But then,
oh! The apple pie. It was simple and rustic and so divine that I can
honestly say it was the best apple pie I have ever tasted, and my husband
thought the same. We drove through heavy fog and winding roads to San
Francisco, where we spent the night.

The next morning we drove down the 1 to Pismo beach where we found the
camping we had wanted the most, right on the beach. We set up the tent and
drove into SLO (San Luis Obispo) for some ribs at Mo's. Heavenly. Tender and
tasty, with lots of brewed iced tea. Driving back to the tent was a little
tricky with high tide, but fun. In the morning we thought cinnamon rolls
would be good and we had seen a place on the way to Mo's...unfortunately, it
was probably the worst food of the trip. They were dry and overly sweet and
there was no gooey, just crystalline. Oh well. Can't have it all right?

We got home late last night after 9 days on the road, exhausted. It was a
blast, and I hope to repeat the trip again some day!

Hope you all have been having a good time too!!

kimberly