WIND AND WAVES AND BOARDS OH MY!

We headed out of Klamath and drove 75 miles, in the rain, north to Gold Beach, Oregon. (Big surprise. Duh. Rain in the Pacific Northwest and still heading north. ) The sun decided to show upon our arrival at Ireland’s RV Resort, which is part of the famous Ireland’s Rustic Lodges.  This park is in the middle of town and smack dab right on the beach behind a small sand dune. We even had a peek at the ocean from inside Dimples.  It’s a small, well-maintained park with decent facilities.  The big plus is that they have really good free Wi-Fi (which makes us very happy.)

The first thing on our agenda was foraging for this week’s food supply.  A quick check on-line (thanks to the really fast Wi-Fi) pointed us to Fishermen Direct at the harbor where we picked up a really fresh Dungeness crab and a few staples including jars of spicy pickles and habanero jelly.  We really didn’t need the pickles, but they looked intriguing and well, it’s hard for us to pass up anything habanero. (Once we finish the old jar of pickles in the fridge, we’ll open these baby’s up and let you know how they are.) Heading back into town we spotted a sign for fresh bread at the Rogue River Apple Works (right next to the Rogue River Myrtlewood Shop.) There we met owner, Mary Bronstein who was putting labels and cute little calico caps on her latest batch of jellies.  Unfortunately for us she had sold out of that day’s bread.  But since we were there, and not wanting to waste a good stop, we decided to taste her jellies.  She pointed us to her limited edition Tayberry jam.  (Tayberry is a hybrid of raspberry, blackberry and olallieberry.) All we can say is YUM YUM!  For Mary this shop is her dream and her products are proof of her love of the magic of fruit chemistry.   To support her business, she works nights as a full time caregiver.  Mary admits that she was probably born a hundred years too late, she may be right, but without the benefit of a Rocky and Bullwinkle way back machine, we wouldn’t be able to taste her jellies, so we’re glad she is in the present. Last stop was McKay’s Market where we finished up on the staples.

Saturday, we visited The Brookings Harbor Farmer’s market.  There we saw all three farmers. Now you might think that this might have been a waste of time, but let us assure you, those three farmers had it all covered: fresh stone fruits and figs, all general seasonal veggies and some of the best ripe-right-at-this-moment strawberries we’ve ever tasted. There were also two bakeries and a vendor selling homemade tortillas and tamales. So with all of our foraging complete, we stopped in at Sportsman Marina for some award winning clam chowder.

In Gold Beach it’s all about the beaches.  During our stay we hiked and photographed, Gold Beach, Nesika Beach, and Meyers Beach.  Click for photos.

Aside from the spectacular scenery, two highlights of our visit were the Rogue River Paddle Board Race and 2012 Gold Beach Stand-up Surf Competition. Both events were sponsored by The Inn of the Beachcomber as part of the run-up to the 2012 American Windsurfing Pistol River Wave Bash. Sunday morning, we caught the Paddleboard race in the harbor and the Surf Completion on Tuesday was a mere 100 yards from our front door.  What a treat to watch these world-class athletes compete. Click for photos. More Photos.

On Sunday, while we were waiting for the athletes to return from their 7+ mile (professional) and 4 mile (amateur) races, we grabbed a bite at the Woggy’s food truck. The husband and wife/Owners/Executive Chefs, Kim and Philip cook up a mighty mean special of salmon fish and chips as well as fish tacos, burgers and chicken dishes.  From the seasonal specialties, home made tartar sauces, dried fruit laced slaws and hand cut fries; all of their food is fresh-fresh-fresh and yum-yum-yummy.  Kim is a born and bred Gold Beach native and the business is named after her dad; A commercial fisherman who provides most of the seafood.  So if you find yourself in Gold Beach, stop by the harbor and fill your belly with some great fresh mo-fo food! 

So after a wonderful week of tasty food, beautiful beaches and world-class athletes, we’re heading farther north.  Next stop, South Beach (Just south of Newport) still in Oregon.