Gizmo was in doggie heaven. So may trees, so little pee! He didn’t know which tree to “mark” first. We then returned to Brookings, got a (small) Dairy Queen ice cream cone (dipped in chocolate at Claudia’s insistence) and drove to the harbor to see what was there. We were looking for one particular seafood store but overshot it. We’ll go back later and shoot it again. We then returned to the Elks for a nap to await the pig roast feeding frenzy tonight.
We went over about 6:30 or so and started to get our plates filled when Jim and Joanne Metcalf, friends from the CHP and fellow Elks, walked in and came over to see us. They had already eaten but sat with us and chatted while we ate. After dinner, they took off and we returned to the rig for some “work” and TV. It was a two-blanket night.
The next morning, I got up to romp Giz and there was fog everywhere. We had breakfast, did a few chores and headed north to Gold Beach. The first place we hit was the Honey Bear RV Park where we are staying on the caravan. We then retraced our tire tracks, crossed the Rogue River Bridge
and pulled into the harbor area and talked to the folks at Jerry’s Jet Boats, the company we are dealing with for the white-water boat trip. At their recommendation, we went next door for lunch. We split a tuna melt and a bowl of clam chowder. The tuna melt was a “10” (we had it with Swiss cheese, not cheddar) and the chowder was a strong “9.5”. The river was choked with skiffs, all fishing for salmon.
According to several locals, it has been the best salmon season in eight years.
We again headed south, back to Brookings and the harbor. We visited Dick & Casey’s Seafood Store at the harbor. They were really low on fish, especially salmon. The only salmon they could get at this time of the year comes from Alaska…at $35 a pound. We passed! We then re-returned to the Elks Lodge and settled in for the remainder of the day. I am thinking of putting on some long pants. I haven’t done it yet, but I’m strongly thinking about it. Tonight looks like it might be a two-blanket and a small dog night! Tomorrow is “visit the town and do laundry day”. Tuesday, we will travel to Bandon as soon as Gizmo finishes watching “Predator Quest” on the TV.
After Gizmo’s show, we leisurely packed up and headed north. The road was a little narrow and bendy in spots but absolutely beautiful. We drove the sixty-some-odd miles to Bandon and pulled into the Bandon RV Park. The folks next to us at the Brookings Elks Lodge gave it a glowing recommendation, so here we are.
Wow, are these folks super-nice! We got so much good info we almost couldn’t digest it all. We first went to Old Town Bandon for a look-see. We stopped at the fishing tackle store to check on crabbing. They get $9 for a three-day license, $7.95 a day to rent a crab ring, bucket and crab gauge and $1.50 for a chicken leg for bait. We then took off for the Mill Casino in Coos Bay to check out their RV park and the local sights and stopped at the fresh fish market in Charleston on the way. We need something to do for one evening on our caravan so we are going to have an oyster barbecue. I can get 120 large oysters for $49 which is a great price. I’ll give you the recipe and throw in a few pictures later when we actually do it, but they are yummy!
After finishing up north, we returned to the park in Bandon to romp Gizmo. The folks from the office were sitting outside waiting for one more reservation to arrive. I mentioned I wanted to try crabbing and they said they had four crab rings in the storage locker and would bring two over for me to use. The hospitality here is amazing! So, tomorrow, Claudia, Gizmo and I are going crabbing at the Bandon docks. Stand by for pictures of us crabbing, catching lots of crabs and dining on fresh, succulent Dungeness crab meat tomorrow evening. My job will be to oversee the operation and throw and pull the rings.
We again headed south, back to Brookings and the harbor. We visited Dick & Casey’s Seafood Store at the harbor. They were really low on fish, especially salmon. The only salmon they could get at this time of the year comes from Alaska…at $35 a pound. We passed! We then re-returned to the Elks Lodge and settled in for the remainder of the day. I am thinking of putting on some long pants. I haven’t done it yet, but I’m strongly thinking about it. Tonight looks like it might be a two-blanket and a small dog night! Tomorrow is “visit the town and do laundry day”. Tuesday, we will travel to Bandon as soon as Gizmo finishes watching “Predator Quest” on the TV.
After Gizmo’s show, we leisurely packed up and headed north. The road was a little narrow and bendy in spots but absolutely beautiful. We drove the sixty-some-odd miles to Bandon and pulled into the Bandon RV Park. The folks next to us at the Brookings Elks Lodge gave it a glowing recommendation, so here we are.
Wow, are these folks super-nice! We got so much good info we almost couldn’t digest it all. We first went to Old Town Bandon for a look-see. We stopped at the fishing tackle store to check on crabbing. They get $9 for a three-day license, $7.95 a day to rent a crab ring, bucket and crab gauge and $1.50 for a chicken leg for bait. We then took off for the Mill Casino in Coos Bay to check out their RV park and the local sights and stopped at the fresh fish market in Charleston on the way. We need something to do for one evening on our caravan so we are going to have an oyster barbecue. I can get 120 large oysters for $49 which is a great price. I’ll give you the recipe and throw in a few pictures later when we actually do it, but they are yummy!
After finishing up north, we returned to the park in Bandon to romp Gizmo. The folks from the office were sitting outside waiting for one more reservation to arrive. I mentioned I wanted to try crabbing and they said they had four crab rings in the storage locker and would bring two over for me to use. The hospitality here is amazing! So, tomorrow, Claudia, Gizmo and I are going crabbing at the Bandon docks. Stand by for pictures of us crabbing, catching lots of crabs and dining on fresh, succulent Dungeness crab meat tomorrow evening. My job will be to oversee the operation and throw and pull the rings.
Claudia will be in charge of determining the sex of the crab (only males are legal) and sizing them. Gizmo will be in charge of herding the crabs on the dock to keep them from jumping back into the water and chasing away any seagulls that dare come close. OK, OK…how do you sex a crab? Simple…kiss them. If they giggle, they are girls! OK, OK…the girls have wider hips. No kidding! Here is a girl…
and here is a boy.
We had to leave Gizmo home. There was just too much dangerous stuff down on the docks for him to be there. Today was just an outstanding day…sunny, warm and no wind. We went to the local grocery store for turkey legs (bait) and got to the dock about 10:00 or so. Within one hour, we had two keepers, one “almost” and a bunch of females and juveniles. After the first hour, it went dead. We left for home at 2:30 after getting our dinner cooked and cleaned for a buck each. We still have two turkey legs in the refer and the next low tide is at 5:30 so we just might go out again and see if we can add to our dinner supply.
I got a little twitchy sitting at home with two turkey legs in the fridge, two hoops in the car and only two crabs in the refer, so we took off again and headed for the dock.
I got a little twitchy sitting at home with two turkey legs in the fridge, two hoops in the car and only two crabs in the refer, so we took off again and headed for the dock.
We tried the end of the dock this time and, on the second pull, hauled in a VERY legal crab. After that, we got lots of small and female crabs, so the big boy in the bucket stayed lonely. After a while, we moved back to where we were this morning but it didn’t change our luck. About 6:30, we decided to leave and pulled in the pots. On the last pull, another huge male. YES! Now we have four for dinner.
The cooking shack was closed so I had to break out my “blaster” and pot and proceeded to cook
The cooking shack was closed so I had to break out my “blaster” and pot and proceeded to cook
and clean
the latest members of tonight’s dinner
We gorged ourselves with the freshest, sweetest crab this side of the International Date Line. It was decadent!
After “The Feast”, we cleaned up the kitchen. I took a full bag of crab shells to the dumpster. Both of us then took some very needed showers and kicked back. I will sleep very well tonight! Tomorrow, (Thursday), we head for the Mill Casino in North Bend (Coos Bay). I’ll have to pay more attention to the weather reports. I believe I heard that we are going to get some rain by the weekend. That’s good…something new! Later!
After “The Feast”, we cleaned up the kitchen. I took a full bag of crab shells to the dumpster. Both of us then took some very needed showers and kicked back. I will sleep very well tonight! Tomorrow, (Thursday), we head for the Mill Casino in North Bend (Coos Bay). I’ll have to pay more attention to the weather reports. I believe I heard that we are going to get some rain by the weekend. That’s good…something new! Later!
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