Day 2 - Oregon Caves to Newport, OR - June 24

We woke up early, but not early enough to catch the first tour of the caves! Some crazy people get in line before the booth opens. Anyway, after a very nice tour of the caves, we drove to the Oregon Dunes near Reedsport, OR. It's like a small part of the Sahara right on the Oregon Coast. After a long drive up the coast, we decided to camp 2 miles south of Newport.


The group at the entrance to the caves.


Some pretty cave.


Ummm...stalagmite + stalactite = ? You do the math.


We called this the "jellyfish" room - creepy!


The beach beyond the dunes...covered with a thick layer of fog.




"...Need...Water..!"


Sand Angel!


Driving up the coast we saw a glimpse of the Heceta Head Lighthouse.

Day 1 - Monterey, CA to the Oregon Caves National Monument - June 23

We're lucky enough to have Pete's two best buddies from Monterey join us for the first part of the trip - Eric and Russell. We only made it to Medford, OR before the radiator broke down though. So much for my Chevy Blazer making it without problems! It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though, because we chose a new itinerary to see the Oregon Caves. Although it should have been a 1.5 hour drive from Medford, our brand spanking new GPS took us through some pretty logging roads that took 3x longer but with 3x more beauty.
-Elena


Day 0 - Pete getting the car ready (notice the amazing shelving job done by yours truly!)


Monterey, CA - The whole crew ready to take off on Day 1! From Left: Eric, Russell, Pete, and Elena


Medford, OR - Elena reaching into her purse to pay for the broken radiator! Yay! $320 of the emergency budget blown...


Mama and baby deer in the woods between Medford and the Oregon Caves.


View from the top of the mountains near Oregon Caves.


Happy ending to the first day!