Artesia, NM

We got back to Artesia on Sunday and sure were glad to see our kids and grandkids. Being away for three months was hard on Grandma and PaPa! Here are the boys cooking our dinner on their new fire pit. Parker is on the left, Rylee on the right. We just love these boys AND their Mom and Dad!

A Few Last Photos of our Travels

On the way back towards New Mexico, we spent four nights at Three Island Crossing State Park in Glenns Ferry, Idaho. Smoke from distant fires made for a nice sunset photo but we sure felt sorry for those who live around here. Hope they get some much needed rain soon.

Cranberry bogs near Bandon, Oregon. We didn't stay long enough to see the harvest which is later in the fall.

We drove 100 miles up the coast to Florence just to eat at Mo's Seafood Restaurant, and we weren't disappointed. Great grilled halibut, fried clams and all the fixings.

This photo was taken behind Mo's in Old Town Florence on the Suislaw riverfront. In the background you can see the Art Deco Suislaw River Bridge built in 1936. I look like the typical tourist wearing my cap which says "Don"t Bother Me...I'm Crabby"! Donnie probably thinks this is very appropriate, but he's too nice to actually say it. Ha!

A last photo of Port Orford near the docks. The sky was so blue it turned the water this lovely aqua color. Even though we had good weather during our stay, this is not something we saw every day.

We were very lucky to see this whale feeding near the docks. The second photo shows its fluke as it dives for krill. We watched for a half hour or so before it headed up the coast.

We found Mom's Kitchen in Coos Bay/North Bend on our 2010 trip to Oregon. This time we actually got to meet "Mom" who told us she has owned the diner for over 30 years. She and her granddaughter wait tables while her son does the cooking. They were all such nice friendly folks, making our breakfast even more enjoyable.

SHELBY

December 3, 1999 - September 10, 2012 Shelby was a great D-O-G who didn't realize she was a D-O-G! She was a good companion and traveler. We will always miss her. R.I.P. Shelby

More Oregon Coast Photos...

Here we are at our space at Beach Loop RV Park south of Bandon, OR. The second photo is a view of our "backyard". We are heading back to Humbug Mt State Park next week. We plan to camp there for two more weeks then we'll probably start working our way east.

The Umpqua River Lighthouse built 1891-1894. The light was originally powered by oil, replaced by electricity in 1934. The lens, hand cut in Paris in 1890, is ten feet high and weighs two tons. The light can be seen 19 miles out at sea.

Mussel and oyster beds near the lighthouse, are protected in a triangular area by rock jetties.

After visiting the Umpqua Lighthouse, we had a nice lunch of fish and chips and fried shrimp in Winchester Bay at Fishpatrick's Crabby Cafe.

The boat yard shares the parking area with the cafe. Looks like this ship needs a little TLC.

The Charleston Marina just up the coast from Bandon.

We watched a fisherman cleaning and filleting tuna at the marina. Every once in a while he could throw the discards into the water.

These harbor seals seemed to enjoy watching the fish cleaning process more than we did. Sushi, anyone?? Eeeuuu

We walked along the marina where these kids were catching dungeness crab. They were really friendly and explained the ins and outs of crabbing.