HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VIRGINIA/MOM! WE HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY DINNER! SEE YOU IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS.
Day 54 – It rained all day today and it was 35 degrees this morning when we got up. It had rained a lot during the night & the ground was already soaked this morning. We’re right by the Klamath River which floods often. Initially it had looked like it was going to rain for six days straight, but now the weather forecast has it stopped tonight thru Saturday and not starting up again until Sunday morning. This campground is on acres of grass, very park-like, but we don’t want to get stuck in mud and puddles if it rains too much. The owner said if the River rises too much, he will ask us to move to higher ground.
The high today was only 45 degrees. We stayed inside except for doing a couple of loads of laundry when the rain was lighter in the afternoon. We’d been on the go so much at the Smith River, it was nice to spend some time with the girls in the RV. They like it here; it’s quiet & there’s not lots of activity; plus when it is sunny, it comes into the front of the RV and they can bask in the sun.
This afternoon, we took a brief trip in the rain to the only grocery store in town. It was a convenience store at a gas station on tribal land near the casino. We only needed a loaf of decent bread & some almond milk. They had no cow’s milk substitutes, but we did find a loaf of bread that’ll do in a pinch. We’ll have to get the milk when we go to a bigger town. I wonder what it was like here before the floods wiped out the city, twice.
They have the tsunami warning signs here, also, like the Crescent City area north of us, and most of southern coastal Oregon. We’d been seeing the Tsunami Area Warning Signs for over a month, beginning below Coos Bay, OR. As you enter an area which could be susceptible to a tsunami, there’s a sign warning you that you’ve entered, followed soon by another sign which points to the evacuation route. When you’re leaving the threatened area, another sign tells you that you are now safe. There are also signs & plenty of literature that tell you procedures: (1) if you feel an earthquake go immediately to higher ground; (2) if you see the tide go out at an abnormal rate, or the ocean becomes incredibly loud, or hear the tsunami warning signal, go immediately to higher ground; (3) remain at higher ground until all threats have passed – it can take hours because there are often more waves following the initial wave. In 1964 after the large 8.8 earthquake in Alaska, tsunamis hit the coasts of Washington south thru California, destroying boats & harbors & a good portion of Crescent City, CA and killing 15 people. After the more recent tsunami in Japan, tsunami waves severely damaged the Crescent City harbor again & caused damage all along the west coast. And I was only worried about earthquakes out here…..
When we got back, we saw the campground owner & he told us that the campgrounds on the other side of the River are losing ground at a fast rate due to erosion from the River flow. There are lots of campgrounds here; it’s a popular fishing area & in the summer, they are full. About half of the campgrounds stay open all year; the other are open seasonally. Drugs & poverty are a problem here, contributing to the homeless situation. We noticed that also in Crescent City. We have an internet connection again. There was an article about how the homeless problem has increased in the west lately. Lack of jobs, rising housing prices, etc.
Captain Bringdown struck again – must be all the rain & darkness – anyway….tomorrow when it isn’t raining, we’ll take some drives around here to take in the gorgeous coastal & redwood scenery. Also, the area below Crescent City has many scenic vista turnouts, but it’s been completely fogged-in every time we’ve driven by. Hopefully we can see those views, too.