Tripometer – 8215
Gas Gauge – 625.372 gal
Location – South Beach State Park, Newport, OR
Lodging – $31
Cans of OFF – 4
We headed down the road considerably drier than we have been for a couple of weeks. While packing up the rig today, Paul still found more than a few wet spots under mattresses, in storage bins, and behind coolers. It’s going to take weather drier than Oregon’s to dry this rig.
On our way down the highway shortly after we broke camp, we passed a banner for a local museum that has the distinction of being the final resting place for the Spruce Goose! During World War II, the nation’s quantities of aluminum for aircraft was running low. The Hughes Corporation responded by building this plane with mostly Birch, hence the nickname, the Spruce Goose. The Hughes H-4 Hercules was intended to be a heavy airlift plane for transatlantic routes for use during World War II. With the war over by the time the plane was completed, it made it’s first and only flight, for about 1 mile in distance, in November 1947. The Spruce Goose still holds the record for being both the largest flying boat ever built and having the largest wingspan of any plane, ever (a little over the length of one football field – 321 feet). We had to visit!
The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, OR had more than a few historic and unique aircraft. They wanted almost $30 admission. Between that and the fact it was too hot to make Ranger wait in the car, we opted to duck in briefly to see the front of the museum and then we took Ranger for a stroll around the aircraft housed outside. The Spruce Goose was visible from the ticket booth at the front of the museum (how could it NOT be) so we were able to gawk at the size of this beast from up close. It’s most striking feature being the tremendously broad and high tail at over 5 stories high. The other plane we really got a kick out of was the Douglas C-47 parked at the front of the museum that saw action delivering paratroopers to Normandy Beach on D-Day.
Travelling down the coast on a grey day we continued enjoying the beautiful views of the rugged Oregon shoreline. We’re trying to make a habit of pulling over at as many overlooks as we can while we travel south. In the early evening we pulled over at Rodea Point and were spectacularly rewarded with a large pod of (we guess) humpback whales travelling by the point. We watched in awe for about a half hour as whales repeatedly surfaced, blew, and waved their tails at us, some as close as about 200’ away.
After dropping off the trailer in our campsite for the evening we went to a very highly rated sushi restaurant on the harbor in Newport so that Paul could finally put his sushi cravings to rest. The restaurant where we ate is located about 100 yards from the fish packing plant and Paul swears he could still feel the salmon wriggling as it slid down his throat. Delicious.
On the way home this evening we added coyotes to our list of wildlife seen on this trip. One crossed the street in front of us at a stop sign as we drove home. It may have been in the middle of town, but it counts!
As we fell asleep this evening, the sound of a distant beacon fog horn blew softly in the night – BEEP.
Technical Note: Propane Tank 3 was consumed tonight as the furnace failed to light when we were getting ready for bed.