Klamath Falls to the Oregon Coast

Even after paying for breakfast at the convenience restaurant, who were behind because of a fire in the kitchen, we were checked out & on the road from Klamath Falls just after 11am, finally able to see Klamath Lake, the largest lake in the Pacific Northwest, and some blue skies with clouds, so I took some photos quick! As I was out of the car, a swarm of mosquitos landed on the windshield and we shooed a couple out…we were glad to get out of this area! We made it to Medford in an hour, found the Costco on the main drag to fill up, hit one rest stop about 3pm, then on I-5 until 4pm when we turned off for Corvallis. We drove past an A&W so since Grandma was craving ice cream for her midafternoon snack, I had a root beer float & she had a milkshake…hit the spot!

The haze increased as the afternoon descended, so all white skies again, and after we turned west, it was coastal clouds turning the sky white instead of smoke. We were still making good time until we got stuck behind a trailer for awhile on the curvy part of OR-22, then he finally pulled out for our long line of cars to pass him, and on OR-130 we crossed 4 single-lane bridges until we finally came out onto Hwy 101 for a tiny bit, then found Pacific City. Of course as soon as we got to the coast at 6pm, the sky was spitting on our windshield, to be expected for summer in Oregon, even though I had been hopeful, especially with this heat spell in the rest of the state. We found the Inn at Cape Kiwanda at the end right by the beach access, and I barely got one phone photo of hazy Haystack Rock before parking the car properly, then when I got back to the room after filling ice for Grandma, the rock was nowhere to be seen, let alone water!

I was glad for my light raincoat since it was actually drizzling as we walked across the street for dinner at Pelican Brewery. It was an hour wait for dinner, and the bar was totally full, but lucky us 2 guys were leaving just as we were deciding what to do next! Our bartender was on the ball, overhearing our menu choices before we told him, and the food was great. Grandma has a seafood quesadilla starter that was just the right size for her to eat the whole thing, and I had delicious linguini with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes & local clams…not razor clams though, so I think I might have to hit Pig N Pan tomorrow in Astoria for my fix!

By the time we finished dinner, some haze was clearing to show Haystack Rock again, not clear enough to show a sunset, but I can hope for a morning view. We had another scotch when we got back to our room, so I took some pix while I had the view. Here you can compare the before-dinner vs. after-dinner views from our balcony:

Full photo gallery below…Hopefully we’ll get at least a little break in the weather on our drive up the coast to Astoria tomorrow, since I hate the rain, and even though it is cooler, it doesn’t feel like summer let alone vacation to me. Obviously I’m a California girl even though I wasn’t born there!

Travels august2012, travels