Oregon 2026 - Thursday, June 25, 2026

Another cloudy day on the Oregon coast. The sun is trying to break through the clouds early as the morning rain stops. Ann & Deb step out for a walk of 3/4 mile to the shops for some bakery goods, while Mark works on his blog posting and Don enjoys his morning coffee. The ladies return laden with a fresh loaf of sourdough, some frosted cake donuts, a couple of marionberry jam-filled bear claw pastries. Marionberry fruit is a cultivar of blackberry released on 1956; it was bred in cooperation with Oregon State University and is named after Marion County, Oregon. Oregon accounts for 90% of the frozen blackberries grown in the U.S, most of which occurs in the Willamette Valley region.

After a leisurely late morning of coffee and pastries, we regroup and load into the RAV 4 for an afternoon outing. Our first stop is the Alder House Glass Blower, where we peruse all the hand blown glass objects. One of the artisans is explaining the process to  a tourist group watching him create, while we make decisions on purchases. Deb invests in a set of earrings in the shape of a martini glass with an olive in each glass. Don and Mark discuss buying a pair between them, but then they would have to get their ears pierced, and an argument would ensue as to who would get which ear punctured; as no consensus could be reached, the plan was abandoned for the time being.

Next on to the Mossy Creek ceramic gallery. There are 8-12 different ceramic artists represented in the gallery; although the types of pieces (glasses, cups, bowls) were similar, the coloring, styles and shapes were all different. After careful consideration, Deb again made a contribution to the economy.

We pressed onward to the Freed Art Gallery to view their fine art offerings. Nothing much was purchased, but Deb noted that the metal windmill art sculpture she had purchased 20 years ago in Santa Fe was still available and displayed in the front garden of the Gallery. Based upon the current prices, she seems to have made a worthwhile investment.  

Next on the agenda was lunch. We made our way to the nearby Squatchsami Restaurant/Diner. Coincidently, Darcy had texted Deb the day before that this establishment “had the best fish and clam chowder in the area.” The grilled cod was delicious, the chowder was very good, and the feta/spinach salad was tasty, but a bit overdressed (evidently the chef didn’t get the correct current dress code!)

After lunch, we drove back towards the home base with a stop at Salishan Lodge. We learned that the lodge, first opened in 1965, was where Don and Ann honeymooned all those many moons ago (1972.) Although the structure is now 61 years old, it, like the Hosfords, has aged well. The greenery and trees have grown tremendously, but the attached golf course is still well used and there were plenty of people around.

Back at our lodgings, we rested or napped as the case might be and then, as the evening rain began, we left for our 6:00 dinner reservation at The Side Door Restaurant.  Unpresupposing from the outside, it was a pleasant lodge-style look on the interior. Although the menu was fairly extensive, we were bent on seafood for the evening. Don chose the fried halibut dinner for the “hellavit”.  Deb chose the crab cakes and jumbo prawns over mashed potatoes, Mark chose the char-grilled wild salmon (no tame ones were available,) while Ann chose the seafood ragu. Mark & Deb enjoyed a glass of Willamette Valley wine. The real star here was the marionberry cobbler alla mode which was why Don chose the restaurant. Deb had the warmed bread pudding, and Ann the coconut gelato. Mark wielded the spare spoon.

We returned home in time to catch the last half of the WIFA World Cup match between Turkey and the U.S. It was tied up 2-2 going into the last 7:00 minute extra. With 30 seconds left Turkey scored to make it 3-2. Unfortunately for Turkey, given the unfathomable point scoring system of the tournament, Turkey was going home in any event and the U.S. were advancing into the next round. The match was played in Los Angeles, so the partisan crowd were not too happy with the last minute score, but Turkey was ecstatic with the win and U.S. was living with it in order to move on.  After the game, we learned that our eldest, Ed, was actually in the stadium!  Since we didn’t actually spot him in the crowd, we were glad he sent pictures as proof.

After the match concluded, Don, Mark & Deb viewed a portion of their PBS Newshour. Ann is working on a multi-million piece puzzle  and wished us each a good night as, one after the other, the rest of us straggled to bed.  Another great day of vacation in the Northwest.

Oregon 2026 - Wednesday, June 24, 2026

After a fairly restful night, given the two hour time differential, Mark was up at 5:30, and out to gaze upon the ever restless Pacific Ocean as it crashed into the sandy beach below. What a sight and sound. For flatlanders from the Midwest, this coast provides a never ending fascination! 

Today was a slow start, Ann preparing hot oatmeal for those who find that kind of gruel tasty, which is three of the four members of the party. We spent most of the morning chatting and staring out the windows at the sea. The weather today is surprisingly warm and sunny. We went for a short walk along the roads of the Salishan subdivision to find the new access path for the beach, although we did not take the time to walk the beach this day. 

Shortly after noon, we loaded into our white chariot to head for Depoe Bay, the name being both a bay and a town, some 10 miles south of our location. As it is summer and the weather is warm, and the town is full of tourists. The whale watching boats were streaming in and out of the bay, ferrying the tourists out to look for the elusive cetaceans as they are straying close to the shore in search of food. The whale watching center in Depoe Bay has a marvelous display to teach one all about whales. As an example; the large gray whale, about the size of a school bus, consumes over 2,000 pounds of krill shrimp a day. That is a lot of very small crustaceans to scoop up; no wonder the occasional Pinocchio gets caught in the mix!

We stopped in for a late lunch at The Horn Public House & Brewery, overlooking the harbor, next to the iron bridge that stretches across the mouth of the Depoe Bay harbor. We watched the small craft come and go, fantasizing about which of the craft we would most like to own. Lunch was seafood chowder, fried cod with fries, cole slaw and some cod tacos. Very tasty, and delivered by a spritely young server whom Deb & Ann speculated must spend at least an hour each morning applying her facial make-up - quite a work of art!

After lunch we walked alongside a wall topping the sea break for some distance as we returned to the car, then drove back towards home base, first with a diversionary stop at Boiler Bay turnout for another view of the seemingly boiling ocean below, followed by an additional stop at Chester’s Market for needed supplies. Upon return to Salishan, we unloaded the car and plunked down in front of the windows to watch the sea for a while, during which Mark & Deb enjoyed a glass of wine. By 6:00, it was time for the news, first a 25 minute lecture by a U.S. Senator speaking on the Senate floor about the vast corruption of the Trump Administration, with fact after fact about all the graft and grift that is occurring with the family and friends of our wanna-be king. Next it was time for our daily dose of the PBS Newshour. Since we were all well sated from our late lunch, our evening meal consisted of snacks of crackers, cream cheese spread, small plates of miniature shrimp ala’ the gray whale, with some cocktail sauce. 

Don wandered off to the lower level to read for the evening, while Ann, Deb & Mark watched some television until shortly after 9:00. Deb headed for the bedroom, while Mark, Ann & Don watched the tide roll in - admittedly not real eventful but, again as flatlanders, if not exciting, then at least exotic!?! A fitting end to a relaxing first day in Oregon. 

Oregon - 2026, Tuesday Traveling

We are on the road again, or rather headed into the air again. On Tuesday morning, June 23, 2026, we were up and awake by 5:30 (or 6:30 for some) to double check our luggage and await the arrival of Darcy to ferry us to Eppley Airfield for the beginning of another adventure. She arrived mostly on time by 9:15 and we were loaded and on our way. At Eppley, we met our traveling partners, Ann and Don Hosford for a Southwest flight to Denver. 

As the College World Series had ended on the day before, giving Oklahoma a well earned win over North Carolina in the third and final match, the airport was teeming with fans. We were hard pressed to find seats in the waiting area. After a very full flight left for Denver, the crowd thinned and our 11:00 AM flight departed about 30 minutes behind schedule. Smooth flying on a full flight and an almost clear day.

We arrived in Denver, and learned that our connecting flight to Portland was delayed for an hour. Just enough time to stop and grab a sandwich for lunch: a pair of ham and butter on baguettes, a BLT on whole wheat, and a berry and yogurt purée for the healthy amongst us. The Denver to Portland leg likewise was a totally full flight. We had forgotten what it is like to travel in the summer vacation time. Lots of children and then, upon landing in Portland, the line of wheelchairs waiting in the jetway was jarring. We counted seven waiting wheelchair.attendants and two more at the top of the jetway. Uneventful flights with some napping involved.

In Portland, we secured our rental chariot, a 2026 Toyota RAV 4, a three year earlier version of what Deb drives in Omaha. Don is the designated driver for the trip, so we plugged Deb’s iPhone into the dash and plotted directions to our first destination - Powell’s Books. For bibliophiles, this is a west coast Mecca, similar to Strand Bookstore in NYC. Three floors covering a half block stretch of downtown Portland. We spent nearly an hour here, wandering the aisles, refraining from impulse buying, mostly. Deb and Mark managed to walk out with only four or five tomes, Don refrained, as he still has a huge credit at The Bookworm in Omaha to clear, and Ann just didn’t find anything worth lugging home.

Following Powells, we plotted a course to McMinnville towards the Oregon Hotel, our dinner destination. We arrived around 7:30, found a nice table for four in this renovated and quirky hotel built in 1905. The pub food was basic and tasty, a pair of Wedge Salads topped with steak points, a well appointed cheeseburger with fries, and a house soup and side of Cole slaw. We departed McMinnville fully sated, and pointed our chariot toward Lincoln City, Oregon, along the coast.   We arrived in Lincoln City and then 5 miles along the highway to our final destination, an amazing home overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the Salashan subdivision. 

We disembarked from the vehicle in the dark; we were immediately immersed in the sound of the ocean, the odor of the sea and the saltwater air on our skin. We stumbled in, finding our assigned bedrooms, crawled into warm beds and were out like proverbial lights. 11:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time, or 1:30 AM body time. A long day but not arduous, although we did put in some walking miles at the airports. So starts our weeklong vacation (can you vacation when you are retired?)

Wednesday, April 14, 2026 Reeth and Hawes

Wednesday morning we arose with no specific plans in mind. We again had our bangers, bacon, egg, toast and coffee to begin our day. the weather was cool, breezy and rainy. As we ate breakfast rather late, we decided we could do without a lunch as we had dinner reservations at another local pub for 6:00. We showered, Deb in warm water, Mark starting in warm water, which turned to ice halfway through the process!

The facilities in Dinmore Cottage are very nice, but the hot water system is an Immersion system, similar to a coil you plug in to drop into a cup of tea. The heater takes time to heat the water up. It is on a timer and so, if your heater is scheduled for evening bath time and you want a morning shower, one needs to make some adjustments to the timer or flip switchs to turn the hot water on and wait for it to warm up again. Since the cottage is not in use everyday, all day, but a holiday rental, this plan makes sense. All power in the cottage is electric, from the space heaters to the kitchen appliances. 

For an American family used to continuously available hot water from a gas fired heater, this is a “novelty” to which we must learn to adapt. Such a hardship - but the price of learning how the rest of the world works. There is also a ceiling heater in the bathroom that ties into the light fixture. It is operated by a pull string switch. Great concept, until someone tugs too hard on the string to turn it back off and breaks the string! Again, we will learn.

After resting a bit after breakfast, reading the NYT and the Omaha World Herald for the meager obituary listings, we are ready to attack the day. Today we decide to do a walk-about of the village of Reeth. First stop is the Scenicview Gallery, to check on publication of the 2027 calendar. We have, each year since our first trip, had one of their gorgeous calendars on or kitchen wall. The photography is stunning; all scenes of the Yorkshire Dales area, mostly up and down the Swaledale area. For the 2026 calendar, which wasn’t available when we were last here, we had tried to order one on-line, which was entirely possible, except they were unable to mail to the USA due to the new tariff rules. Our solution was to order and pay on-line with the shop mailing to our friends in Ireland, who in turn mailed it to us at home. 

We walked into the shop, and there was the 2027 calendar, printed and ready for purchase. The owner remembered our troubles from last year’s purchase attempt! He happily sold us next year’s edition which we will tuck into our luggage and hope we don’t misplace at home before January 1, 2027!

Next stop was around the corner to visit some of the craft shops. We stopped at The Nutmeg embroidery shop and Deb procured a couple of very cute embroidery crafts that she thinks she can do at home while watching TV during her retirement. Next door was what we thought was an art gallery, but was actually an artist’s studio and she was sitting there with the door open. We stepped in and then had a wonderful 45 minute visit with Jane Ellis, local artist. We were very taken by some of her work; unfortunately, whatever she had available was framed and too large for our luggage. We were however able to secure a few of her line drawings for cards which we tucked away.  It was Jane who told us how much we had missed by not heading up the Northumberland coast from Seahouses to visit the small villages and castles.  Deb is still trying to figure out how to get one of her large drawings home!

Next a stroll along the green to another craft shop, the Fleece. Mark chose to spend this time sitting on a nearby bench on the green, admiring the beauty (not dozing as there was a rather stiff breeze, but happily ensconced in his Abigail knit hat and windbreaker). Deb spent some time in the shop visiting with the staff and made some small purchases. The shop was actually an artist’s co-op set-up and had some really interesting one-of-a-kind knickknacks, exactly what we don’t need!  Next we crossed the green to the Post Office/ Grocery Shop for some provisions, more eggs, a bottle of Moreland Gin (brewed here in the Swaledale) and a bottle of shampoo. Another lovely visit with the proprietress, and then back up the green to Dinmore Cottage. By then it was cocktail hour and time to sit with our glass of wine prior to ambling back across the village green to our 6:00 reservation at the King’s Arms Hotel.

Built in 1734 by a wealthy local lead mine owner as a private home, The King’s Arms Hotel is one of Reeth’s most iconic buildings. Affectionately known to locals as The Middle House due to its central position among the trio of historic Buiildings facing the village green, it has long been at the heart of village life. The King’s Arms is a warm and welcoming inn, retaining many of its original 18th century features. Exposed oak beams and a magnificent large open fire — the jewel in its crown. Period sash windows, stone fireplaces and historic staircase make this hotel a living piece of Swaldale heritage.

The current establishment is under new ownership and menu. At dinner Deb chose duck breast while Mark picked lamb loin. Both were accompanied by fresh vegetables, asparagus, roast carrots and ramps, A very enjoyable meal. Mark topped it off with a wee dram of Laphroig and an ice cube. We returned to our cozy cottage, lit the fireplace and enjoyed our quiet evening, retiring around 10:00.

Thursday Morning, we finished our breakfast and routed ourselves across the moor towards Askrigg, the village we had stayed in on our last visit. We then turned  west towards Hawes as we needed to gas up the vehicle. We parked up and walked the market street of Hawes. We window shopped, stopped in a small Jewelry stall where Deb picked up a pair of amethyst earrings. She had lost one of her current set some time ago, and this simple pair was a great and relatively inexpensive replacement.

We stopped at a small clothing shop where, two years ago, Mark had purchased his “cow suspenders,” known as braces to the locals. Deb spotted a really cool credit card case and after much weighing of color and texture, a sky blue version was calmly tucked away for her future use. We enjoy Hawes greatly as it is the setting for some of our favorite Yorkshire Dales mysteries by author David Gatward. The hero is a former big-city detective who finds himself as the chief of detectives for the Yorkshire Dales area, headquartered in Hawes; Harry Grimm by name.

The town businesses and the surrounding area are intergral to the novels and the places and shops are like characters in their world. A favorite eatery for the Detective Grimm: the Penny Garth Cafe. We passed by and could not resist the temptation to stop in. We sat to enjoy a mug of tea, a coffee, two bowls of absolutely scrumptious mushroom soup, and split an area specialty “Eccles cake,” a pastry with a fig raisin filling and perfectly beautiful crisp, flaky crust.

We walked back to the local Sparta grocery store and picked up a fresh supply of fireplace logs and returned to our vehicle in the parking lot.

Leaving Hawes we next motored towards another favorite stop, Aysgarth Falls and its National Park Center. The aforementioned “orange cone” season caused us a lengthy detour, following multiple “road diversion” signs, but we finally pulled in, parked, used the public facilities, and then stopped into the cafe for the real prize, a chocolate-vanilla swirl gelato cone, one of Deb’s favorite treats, and something we cannot travel to the Dales without obtaining at least once.

Returning to the Dinmore Cottage, we built a fire with our newly acquired firewood supply, broke out two of the airplane sized vodka “shooters” that Deb had brought along and constructed our first Dirty Martini in the Yorkshire Dales. Unable to locate vermouth at the liquor store we had settled for a very dry small bottle of white wine. We also lacked a standard shot glass, so the head bartender had to fall back on past skills of eyeballing the measurements. The results was acceptable. We broke out some cheese and crackers and dined in. TV was watched and we were under the duvet before 10:00.

Friday morning we cooked our last full breakfast, leaving enough sausage and eggs for the evening meal and then struck out towards the northern portion of the National Park for a bit more driving. We ran across an offshoot road towards the village of Crackpot and decided to explore. Some travelers strike out on an unfamiliar road and become lost but in the Dales you can experience an adventure and great beauty!  We were still sort of lost, however.  We wended along a hillside on a narrow one lane road that, thankfully, provided no oncoming traffic so reverse driving skills were not called into play. We drove up and over the fells, and back down towards Swaledale. 

Next we drove northward across some high and unbelievably beautiful open moors following the river and its falls as they run to the East. This is spring, the ewes were all out with their double sets of newborn lambs. As they ran across the fields, they were actually gambolling. what a sight. New lambs everywhere. We know that the price of wool is to the point of making it almost useless; we only have found lamb meat on one restaurant menu, so we are left wondering what happens with all the sheep. Something to investigate. The sky above these peaks is ever changing, from blue to cloud streaked, to totally cloudy. At one point our windshield wipers were beating double time, the next moment we were lowering the shades on the bright sun. Astonishing beauty was everywhere. 

Back at the cottage, we began our packing process and then had a last martini while Mark prepared a dinner from our remaining larder.  Sausages sliced into rounds and sautéed, then added into the scrambled eggs, accompanied by some red wine and double thick toast. It may not sound like much but it was delicious. We burned the last of our logs, tidied up the kitchen and tucked in for our last night in The Yorkshire Dales.