Humbug MountainJun 28, 2012
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Sometimes in Rains in the Northwest
What Did You Say about Coolant?
Headed for the Beach
We have arrived at Humbug Mountain State Park about six miles south of Port Orford, OR.
The trip north on 101 was damp. It was scenic and mostly uneventful. About 25 miles from our destination as we were climbing yet another hill, the See Ya information system popped up, "LOW COOLANT LEVEL!". That was followed by, "CHECK ENGINE!"
We had this issue one other time several years ago. Nevertheless, I went into semi panic mode. I pulled off at the first available, and less than desirable, spot. I headed to the rear of the See Ya to exercise my less than optimal mechanical skills. The radiator cap is smashed up against the ceiling of the rear compartment and is extremely difficult to remove - when cold. It took about a half hour and a couple of choice vocabulary words, but I eventually succeeded in adding a small amount of coolant and that was enough to satisfy the See Ya.
With the exception of no sewer hookup and no wifi our site at Humbug Mountain State Park is excellent. The park is located at the foot of the mountain with a pathway under 101 to the beach. There are several hiking options here. We settled in and headed into town for dinner at the Port and Starboard. (better than it looks!)
Tuesday’s weather was overcast but not rainy. I followed a trail up a hill to old highway 101 (now defunct) where I was able to get in a good jog. Sue got her walk/jog workout in on the campground roads in the valley. In the afternoon Arnie and I walked up the first mile of the Humbug Mountain Trail while Sue went out to the beach. We had a good walk and she was entertained by the wildlife on the ocean front.
Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, so we decided to take a significant hike up Humbug Mountain. The six mile round trip hike included an elevation gain of over 1700 feet. The three of us set a casual pace and enjoyed some nice views along the way. We reached the summit in just under two hours and had a picnic lunch at the top. When we arrived back at the campground we jumped in the Escape and drove south to Gold Beach for a DQ and a visit to the Gold Beach Bookstore. The weather made the drive as good as it gets!
Today the weather returned to cloudy and drizzly, so we took a break. I did another old highway 101 run and Sue did some inside weight training. We are now having dinner at the Crazy Norwegian in Port Orford where they have wifi.
We hope to get in one more hike tomorrow morning before we head a bit north on 101 to Bullard's Beach.
