Our outside adventures are on hold for now. Weather this past few days has gone from partly sunny and cool to cloudy, snow, and sleet and today we’re having steady rain and high winds along the entire coast. We spent some time a few days ago before this system moved in at the Barview Jetty just a few miles south of Rockaway watching the building surf pound the jetty over and over. After a while there we noticed a few seals dodging about in the waves just off the jetty near the rocks. At first we thought they were hunting for fish but it soon appeared they were just playing as we watched them catch the huge waves beyond the jetty and ride them in like they were contestants in a surfing competition. The wind grew cold and biting so we left them to their game and headed to the house. Time to hunker down, finish a book, and watch from the comfort of home by the crackling fire. Okay, so the fire is electric and the crackling comes courtesy of Alexa’s vast catalog of pretty realistic sound affects – just look out the window or close your eyes and there it is, a crackling fire without the cleanup. Nobody said retirement and adventure had to involve work. Should be rested and ready to head to the next trail or beach on our list once things calm down later this week.

30 days in Oregon already done. We arrived in Rockaway Beach a month ago yesterday and so far it’s been all we expected and then some. First, the trip from Texas to Oregon. Departure morning in Dallas had us re-evaluating everything we planned on bringing along when we still had a full cars’ worth of things sitting on the garage floor once the car was full but by that time I had already dropped the laptop and killed it so I figured things could only get better. So it was another hour unloading, re-prioritizing, and one last trip to the storage unit to whittle it down to what we could squeeze into every nook and cranny of the Xterra and still leave room for us. Two hours behind our planned departure but still upbeat and excited to be on our way we headed west at 11 that morning. Seven days later – after 2766 miles, wind, rain, snow, great scenery, closed highways, blizzards, more scenery, snow chains, white-outs, and more awesome scenery- we pulled into Rockaway Beach at noon on Monday, January 7th. I won’t say much about the few broken items that somehow flew out of the back of the car during the “de-chaining” and one of our fuel stops in northern California but just know I’ll likely not hear the end of it.

We were thrilled to get the car unloaded once we got to the house in Rockaway. It’s a great feeling to use the rearview mirror after being hind blind for a week. Since then we’ve been on the road every day travelling either north or south on highway 101, the two lane asphalt ribbon that hugs the Oregon coast between the dunes and the coastal range mountains that rise up from the surf. We’ve put another 2200 miles on the odometer, most of that on the 101 north or south from our home base exploring beaches, forest trails, and the many small towns every few miles along the coast, almost all having populations of fewer than a couple thousand and most having not one traffic light. We’ve logged over 60 miles hiking, most of that along the beaches or the trails that lead to those beaches from 101, and some of that on trails that climb along the cliffs jutting out above the Pacific with the full power of the sea crashing into the rocks below sending plumes of spray high into the air. It’s hard not to spend hours standing and staring at the incredible forces in play that have shaped this coastline for thousands of years. Seeing this non-stop onslaught of nature in pictures can’t come close to standing above the beach watching as these waves move methodically toward the shore and then crash against the rocks. The visual is mesmerizing, but to be close enough to hear and feel the solid “thud” and the change in the air pressure as the wave explodes on the rocks or sand is something that can’t be described.

We’ve spent at least some time on the beach every day depending on the weather. The first week was typical Oregon coastal weather – cloudy and rainy – but then we had two weeks of partly sunny to sunny skies and we were able to either walk or drive down to watch the sun set each day at the beach. Like they say, no two are the same. The past week has seen the first snow on the beach in four years and some fairly cold temperatures but that hasn’t kept us away from our daily walks on the sand even if we do keep it a bit shorter.

 

Well it was a gnarly trip from Dallas, Texas to Rockaway Beach, Oregon in January but we did it and it was really an adventure. More to come….

We are so stoked about this adventure! I know some people think we are probably crazy which isn’t too far off the mark but what is life without an adventure. Other than our children, we have never wanted anything so bad! We don’t have all the answers but I am positive it will all work out just fine.

We have worked & saved and we should be able to live quite comfortably and still be able to do a lot of exciting things. We are not the type of people to just sit around and not be able to explore, eat and drink a cold beverage or two.

So, let’s get this adventure started!!

First stop: Rockaway Beach, Oregon

I am a list maker. My husband makes fun but he always asks if I have my list.  This is the beginning of my ‘adventure’ list.

1. Scared??? Hell yeah. Excited??? Double hell yeah

2. Downsizing – 2400 square foot house with pool, hot tub and yard to a 2 bedroom apartment and soon to be to a 1 bedroom apartment. This is actually quite liberating!!

3. Cleaning out years of stuff. Wow, this really hurts sometimes but it can’t go with us and who wants a card I gave to my husband 30 years ago and a little handprint on a piece of paper (don’t know which kid it belongs to either).

4. Money, money, money. Save, save, save.

4. Big one!! Family!!! Can they all survive without me? Will they even know I am gone?? Will my grandkids remember me? Who will my brothers have to pick on?

5. Preparing for a totally different lifestyle. I am actually feeling a bit claustrophobic living inside 4 walls and I have been for some time. I feel I am meant to be doing something else. We talked about buying another house and I actually felt a little sick. I’m just not ready to settle down again.

6. Staying in touch. Will I miss out on events? Yes, I’m sure I will but life will go on and that’s what video cameras are for, right?????

7. Even though I make lists, I am the worst grocery shopper ever. We will most likely starve.

8. Being with my best friend and love of my life. Will we want to kill each other? Most likely, but that’s why I have watched Tom Hanks movie, Castaway, so many times. I will know what to do when he drops me on an island somewhere. Note to self, visit dentist before we leave.

We are so stoked about this adventure! I know some people think we are probably crazy which isn’t too far off the mark but what is life without an adventure. Other than our children, we have never wanted anything so bad! We don’t have all the answers but I am positive it will all work out just fine.

We have worked & saved and we should be able to live quite comfortably and still be able to do a lot of exciting things. We are not the type of people to just sit around and not be able to explore, eat and drink a cold beverage or two.

So, let’s get this adventure started!!

First stop: Rockaway Beach, Oregon