What a great day! Hung around downtown South Bend most of the morning.

Watched a few oyster boats coming in to unload at the seafood plant.


They have an on-board conveyor system that dumps the load off the front of the boat - into a connveyor leading into the plant.


Drank some coffee while watching a little colony of shore birds sleeping en-masse on the shore right in town. Took a few photos,

then headed south at a leisurely pace, soaking up all the scenery and wildlife along the way. Nice herd of elk were grazing not too far from the road.
We crossed the mighty Columbia river into Oregon, just as a freighter passed under the bridge.

The weather was on and off with sun and showers, which resulted in some great rainbow action around Nehalem Bay.


The warm, moist sea air is certainly a change from the cold dry at home. No more sparks from touching the cat!
We went by Tillamook, Or, home of some famous cheese, and also home to a huge blimp hangar and museum. I think these were the largest wooden structures in the world. The second one burned to the ground just a few years ago.


Saw a 'first' along the way. Some of the power poles here are wooden. I know that that is not unusual, but these are square or rectangular,
made with laminated wood.


Nice to see and hear some red-winged blackbirds.
Decided to stop for the night at Beverly Beach State Park - where I also stopped last year. For only $18, you get an electrical site, with water, sewer,
and cable TV. This compares to around $35 in Lake Louise - where you get ... ... ... ... electricity.
Not that I cared, but I got in in time to watch the last half of the Superbowl. I know I saw signs in McDonalds in Washington in Spanish, but I was surprised to be watching the Superbowl in Spanish in Oregon! Must have been an audio glitch, as it reverted to English before the end!
I wasn't sure it was legal; watching American football, in Spanish, while drinking Canadian beer.
But alas, no internet access in the park!
Small price to pay for no snow, no cold, no chipping ice and snow off the windshield in the morning.

I had the feeling I was being watched as I stopped at the campground kiosk. Sure enough, a racoon was staring at me from his hideout under the eaves!(Click on any photo for a larger version)

I also watched 'Corner Gas' on WGN TV last nite (cable tv in the campground). Good to see the Saskatchewan culture is spreading across the US. Brent Butt and I share the same home town, you see!