(+6 insets)

Our Next Stop: Beverly Beach!
Pulling up our stakes, we waved goodbye to wonderful Honeyman State Park and drove north on a short trip of just 1.5 hours, arriving at our campsite in the early afternoon (I've included the map image which shows our trip as the first inset). With such a short trip, we figured we have our carpets rolled out, so to speak, with plenty of time to acquaint ourselves. Little did we know, it would be dinner time before we could finally relax.

Parking an RV, Especially a Big One, Can Be a Nightmare!
With a couple of years' experience under our belts, Steve's learned to pick our sites very carefully, with attention to parking angles and obstacles which might be a problem. Before confirming a reservation, he studies overhead satellite images, park maps, and pictures by folks who dedicate themselves to sharing images of every site in Oregon parks. However, the site we thought looked easy to get into, turned out to be a nightmare. The spot was on a slight incline for one, which always made it very hard to level our trailer. Much worse were the tree roots which had pushed up the cement where we needed to back our trailer over. Four of the six leveling jacks under our trailer needed to clear those bumps and though I guided Steve safely over them, there was a unavoidable tiny bit of scraping on the ground. (Our leveling jacks are only about 18" off the ground when totally retracted and this presents problems if there are mounds or bumps on the path. To see what these look like, and to see them in action, check out this link by the company that made our pre-installed system.) Anytime there is a situation like this, we get extremely stressed out because we can't avoid imagining the "what ifs."

After we were in our final position, Steve began to set things up while I looked to see that there would be room to open our slides, turning the narrow trailer into a homey living space. Very narrow, I fretted at the trees that were awfully close. Then I looked at our sewer hookup. It was buried! WHAT?! Wait, we paid for a site that had full hookups! Before Steve did anything else I alerted him and together we wondered aloud why this wasn't mentioned and what we could do about it. Finally Steve went to the registration booth to ask about our situation.

Long story short, we ended up getting a different site a few spots away, which turned out to be a total dream! It was a bit of a challenge to get into but the space was large, flat and perfect! We learned that this was a special spot reserved for park staff relatives but because we were misled on our original spot, they let us have it. WHEW! Crisis averted, we were finally able to get set up by late afternoon, relieved and exhausted but very happy in the end.

Today's Picture
Located a mere minute's walk from our trailer was the entrance to a mind-bogglingly beautiful trail that led up one side of Spencer Creek and down the other side, popping out very close to the path to Beverly Beach. My first walk on this trail had me nearly tripping all over myself, exclaiming out loud because I couldn't believe the sight of this stunning creek and the glowing greenery everywhere. This view of the dappled shadows on the creek shows off the verdant forest and its lovely stream.

Today's Insets

Inset #1: I've included the map graphic of our trip and Beverly Beach is #4. :)

Inset #2: Dazzling ferns of many kinds in glowing perfection were everywhere to be seen. This emerald eyeful shows one of the treats I enjoyed standing and staring at in pure joy.

Inset #3: The deeply lined, heart-shaped leaves of a False Lily of the Valley lay over a thick layer of moss covering a log.

Inset #4: I was lucky enough to capture this hungry hoverfly on a delicate and extremely tiny Bristle Flower, so unusual in its brown color.

Inset #5: One of the most amazing sights on my daily walk was a true bog which literally took my breath away every time I stopped to gaze in wonder. The life there was very special to behold, with insects everywhere, birds, amphibians and even snakes enjoying the bounty that lived there above and below water. Steve and I adored this treasured spot and it looked very different as the light and weather changed its appearance throughout the day.

Inset #6: Magnificent Beverly Beach was just incredible to see, and this panorama gives a glimpse of what it was like. The extremely windy, frigid and stormy conditions kept us off the beach for all but a couple of days but I took advantage the instant the weather allowed for a visit!

Thank You For Your Visits!
As always, I very much appreciate all your visits, comments and stars and I hope you've had a nice weekend. Let us hope your new week is a happy and healthy one!

Explored on 1/31/22; highest placement #2.