8/5/08 Today we are in Florence, OR and it has been overcast all day. At first we were staying at the Elks Club, but now we have moved to the free RV camping area at the Three Rivers Casino. They let rigs stay here 3 nights and the area is quiet and nice. They even have a big patch of grass for pets to use with a poop bag dispenser right in front of it, and a garbage can for the filled bags! Elaine is in the casino because she says we have to "pay our camping fees", but so far in 2 sessions she has only been winning. Sure hope it continues!
The last time we posted was from Newport where our last days there were enriched by a visit from Lou Stoetzer and Judy Farrow, friends from Park Sierra. They had dinner with us at the Eagles Club the night before we moved down to Waldport. Prior to their arrival, we did more exploring of the Newport area, visiting the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse and looking over the Yaquina Bay Bridge.

In Waldport we set up at the Moose Lodge where they even provided electricity for a donation of $5/night and once again we had a very friendly welcome. Our crab traps were collapsed under our rig, so we put together three of them and did some crabbing ASAP. I wish I could say that our time in Waldport was wildly successful in the crab-catching department, but it wasn't. We only put our traps in off the docks, because we didn't want to go through the hassle of setting up our inflatable boat until we get to Winchester Bay where we will stay a long while. Mostly we were catching a lot of seaweed, but we did manage to get 6 keepers in 2 days so we had a nice crab dinner one evening. Saturday we put our traps in and then went with Lou to Yachats to look around some art galleries and have a fish and chips lunch. The day was sunny but the wind came up and by the time we went to get our traps, the waves were crashing over the dock, soaking our shoes and pants, and we didn't get a single crab - not even any small ones were in our traps. It was too rough for even the crabs to be out!
Because we have been working hard to get in better shape, we did a nice hike at Cape Perpetua on our drive down here from Waldport, and another one yesterday at Sutton Campground in the nearby Suislaw National Forest. Here is the view from the top of the Cape Perpetua Hike:

The visitor's parking area at Cape Perpetua is located near a rocky area with a lot of tidepools and a big chasm in it called the Devil's Churn. Here it is:

On our drive here we stopped at a lookout to take this picture of the Heceta Head Lighthouse:

The day we drove down the coast was sunny and beautiful so we had great sea and coast views. Yesterday, on our hike, we stopped at an area where they are preserving habitat for an unusual plant called Darlingtonia. Here is a picture of lots of them in a bog - their favorite habitat.

These plants entice insects to enter their hoods and then they eventually end up falling into an acidic secretion at the bottom where they die and provide food for the plant.
In a few days we will settle in at the marina in Winchester Bay and then the serious crabbing will begin!