Day 6: Coos Bay to Crescent City.

A rethink of the travel plans last night. We're changing to two-hour days. With generous stops for lunch. Long live the five-hour two-hour day! It's our plan to help H learn patience. And us all to learn patience. And how to travel with a four-year-old. And to face reality. And so on. So we adapt.

In an effort to burn off some of that kid energy, A & H began the day with a swim in the pool, while R and I got ready to  move on. I have developed an affinity for Coos Bay after pretty much whizzing through the last three or four trips, so this time we'd scheduled a two-or-three-day stopover here, and I was a bit disappointed to be moving on so soon. But adaptation is in the air and we did some neat things while we were hear and added a few things to the list for next time--the 1930s buildings in the downtown, a few parks, some geocaching, more time at the beaches in better weather, exploring the South Slough Estuary and an interesting-looking guitar store near the Arago Highway --  but no more buffets.

So off we went at the crack of 10:30, heading out into wicked rain with a forecast  of sunny skies this afternoon. Despite the rain, the scenery was the usual wonderful Oregon coast stuff--pounding surf, picturesque/menacing rocks and outcroppings, dunes, miles of sandy beaches, and so on. We stopped

Path through the dunes at Ophir Wayside SP.

Walk on the beach at Ophir Wayside SP.

View from Ophir Wayside SP.

at a nifty wayside near Ophir for a designated lunch break where we managed a quick walk on the beach during a break in the rain. And then back on the bus and more rain. And then more rain. And then some wind. And then more rain. No sun.

Hwy 101 near Humbug Mountain SP

Entered California (in the rain) where the agricultural inspectors confiscated two lemons and a lime, but complimented us on our fine-looking scab-free avacados. Despite losing the limes, we all cheered when we passed the "Welcome to California" sign. There were times in the not so distant past (like a week and a half ago) when it seemed this day would never come. Perseverance furthers.

Welcome to Crescent City in the rain, tsunami sign upper right.

We're all hooked up for the night at the Crescent City municipal RV park, right on the harbour, where the winds are blowing (up to 40kmph tonight, we hear), and we try to forget about the Tsunami of '62 or whenever that was. (See? I've forgotten already. Actually, it was 2011. But I had to look it up. And while I did that, of course, I read that Crescent City has been hit  by tsunamis 34 times since 1934. They call it a "tsunami magnet." Don't tell the others.)