At four in the morning the ocean waves make a steady background drone in the darkness. Occasionally a car passing on the bridge adds an alto hum. By lantern I read quietly while Lyd and Annie sleep. It was a rough night for Lydia again, so after she drank a cup of cocoa I made for her, she lay back down and is finally sleeping again. The curtain is up but in the darkness, I can only see the reflection of the lantern.

It was a five-hour drive down from Albany yesterday. Annie slept beside my chair but stirred when I even dared to slow. We took a left at Florence and rode the 101 down the Oregon Coast to Gold Beach. I had envisioned the 101 as having a continual view of the Pacific, but not so. We only had occasional glimpses of it headed south until we reached Port Orford, where the highway hugged the green hills paralleling the rugged coast line. The day was mild, though we encountered sporadic patches of fog.

Five hours of steady driving is about my limit these days and I was tired and grumpy by the time I checked in. Annie and I had made on stop on the way down, her to relieve herself, me to grab some food to eat after we parked. My blood sugar was low; my attention not at its peak. My focus returned when I backed into a tree while parking. It became even sharper when, keeping an eye on the tree I then backed over the water bib. In my mirror I could see a toppled water nozzle and a stream of water arching over two camp sites. I called the manager’s office and waited.

When Lydia arrived two hours later the water was finally off (new owners who had no idea where a shut off was) and I was moved to a new site. The driveway was much wider and I suspect it was selected as a spot that I could do less damage to.

The sun is nearly up as I finish this. My coffee is down to the dregs and my plate is just a scattering of bread crumbs and huckleberry jam. The tide should turn around noon and we plan on going for a walk after. It should be a nice day.

The Road