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GTW

The Great Trip West (2012)

GTW Hop 32: North Bend, OR, to Canyonville, OR

100 miles via US 101, OR 42, OR 99 and I-5. Cumulative distance: 5,613 miles. This was not the hop that I wanted to make. I really wanted to see the Oregon coast south of Coos Bay, which is reportedly very striking. But weather intervened. Yet another “Pineapple Express” weather system is going to dump … Continue reading »

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North Bend/Coos Bay, OR

These two towns are interconnected, sharing Coos Bay waterfront and US 101 as the main drag. There is some activity at the docks, mostly ships being loaded up with logs for shipment to some country that is devoid of trees (Japan?), but most of the docks are abandoned, suggesting that the area’s heyday is long … Continue reading »

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GTW Hop 31: Tillamook, OR, to North Bend, OR

169 miles via OR 6 and US 101. Cumulative distance: 5,513 miles. The OR 6 portion of this hop was the couple of miles from the Wilson River RV Park into downtown Tillamook; the rest was on US 101. It is a very scenic route, but with a lot of curves and turns. Jett did … Continue reading »

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Tillamook family

My mother and my sister live in Tillamook, which, of course, is why we were here for Thanksgiving. The dinner was hosted by my sister and was attended by Jett, me, my sister Lois, my brother-in-law Chris, my niece Kim, my nephews Michael and Scott, Michael’s wife Taylor, family friend Stephanie, Stephanie’s son David and … Continue reading »

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Tillamook crabs

I went crabbing yesterday on Netarts Bay with my brother-in-law Chris and my niece Kim. It was not my first time crabbing – Chris introduced me to the sport a few years back – but it was my most productive. We caught 9 good-sized Dungeness crabs. Chris cooked them and I now have two of … Continue reading »

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Tillamook cheese

I always marveled that my sister, who grew up in the heart of America’s Dairyland (Wisconsin, in case you didn’t know), managed to settle down in the one place in the United States that claims to produce better cheese: Tillamook, OR. There is no question that Tillamook cheese is good, but I will leave it … Continue reading »

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GTW Hop 30: Canyonville, OR, to Tillamook, OR

240 miles via I-5, OR 22 and US 101. Cumulative distance: 5,344 miles. The weather broke enough for us to make the long trek to the coast on Monday. It was a long trip – 5 hours total, with a lunch break – but with the exception of one brief downpour, was mostly done in … Continue reading »

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Canyonville, OR

Canyonville is a tiny town nestled in the rugged hills of southwest Oregon. But the city really doesn’t matter because we didn’t see it; we spent all three days resting in the embrace of the Seven Feathers RV Resort, arguably the best RV park we have visited on the GTW. As I mentioned, it all … Continue reading »

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Heavy weather

We are still hunkered down at the Seven Feathers casino and RV park in Canyonville, OR. The weather is awful here and worse along the coast. There were gusts of over 80mph all along the Oregon coast today, including one of 98mph at one location – that’s a category 2 hurricane. We felt gusts that … Continue reading »

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GTW Hop 29: Redding, CA, to Canyonville, OR

219 miles via I-5. Cumulative distance: 5,104 miles. Yes, folks, we have actually made it to Oregon, the last state that we will visit on the GTW. From here to the end it will be a trip down the coast to San Jose. I wish I could be confident that we will arrive safely, but … Continue reading »

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