Rogue and Brambles Excellent Adventure

Off we went, off on an adventure to the unknown, my friend and I, in her car, better hers than mine,  now that mine includes, with driving, a strong smell of gas.  We went with two boys.

Road trips with cats are nothing new to me.  I remember taking a carload of feral kittens with me south and staying the night with them in a sleazy coastal motel, that reeked of all bad habits and then some.  I laid out in a sleeping bag rather than touch those stained bedsheets.  The kittens played the night away in the bathroom and discovered how fun it is to unroll toilet paper.

So the thought of taking Rogue and Brambles on the road to a vet clinic on Oregon's north coast caused me no anxiety.  Rogue badly needed all his teeth pulled.  I could not afford vets around here.  The clinic where both boys would get teeth pulled was affordable.  Do you know how hard it is to find an affordable vet now?

I was going to drive them up the morning of, drive back that night, like I used to do with cats going to be fixed at S/nipped, down in Coos Bay.   No big deal.  But I mentioned about going to my friend and she wanted to go.  She can't stand my driving.  I have a spastic right leg nerve problem, that wobbles my foot slightly on the gas, producing variations in speed.  Sure, they're slight, but for anyone that is prone to car sickness at all, that can become an issue.  She would drive us in her car and pay for the motel if she went.  I went for it.

She doesn't get to go many places.  Her husband is an alcoholic.  So it was a nice outing for her, too.

I booked a room online.  Click pay and the price jumped over $20.  Expedia.  Expedite your poverty I call it now.  There was no warning about their fees, no inclusion of those fees in the prices listed on rooms.   At least I wasn't paying.  Next time, if I ever book a motel room again (this was my first time), I will call the motels directly.  Save a lot of money.

The motel was really nice I thought.  It allowed the cats, no problem.  Nice courteous staff.  Nice room.  Comfy beds.  BUT.  It was hot at the coast.  Yeah, I know, Oregon coast, hot?  Try 88 degrees.  That never happens.  There was no air conditioning in the room, no way to open a window, only a fan.  Scorching!  Air was so dry in there, felt like there was no air in the room.  Uncomfortable night, but I slept anyway.  My friend, not so much.

Cat out back of the motel.

I got up early, got the boys ready.  They'd stayed in a nice cage in the room, and been very good, even used the litter box.   I wonder what they thought.

"We're in Seaside, Rogue!  What the hell." Brambles complains.  "Yesterday we were in Albany, now the air smells like salt and what the hell is she doing, dragging us over here."    Rogue, ever the human apologist, pipes up, "She wants us educated and well traveled cats, Brambie, just shut up. Quit complaining.  It will be OK."

I transferred the boys into live traps I'd brought along and drove them up to the clinic in Astoria, from Seaside, which takes less than half hour.  We would pick them up just before the clinic closed that night.  I said my goodbyes to them, and off I went.  We were going to play the day away on the coast.  Born and raised in Oregon and I'd never before been to Seaside or Astoria.

The boys set up in the cage in the motel room.

Beach at Seaside

Old pipe out in the beach at Seaside

Draw bridge right before entering Astoria

Approaching Astoria

Bridge across the Columbia River from Astoria into Washington state

People rented multi person bikes, fat tire bikes and ATV bikes for the beach there in Seaside which is quite a tourist town.

Multi person bikes for rent.

Breakfast, from the motel lobby, in the room.

Kite captain

Our kite in the air.  Becky bought the kite and will later fly it with grand kids.  We were shocked we got it up so easily!

Seaside beach resort hotels, the turn around at the end of Broadway and promenade, which runs a mile along the beach.

My big splurge of the day--chocolate dipped twinkie!  Besides this twinkie, I was very frugal on the trip.

Off to see the wreck of the Peter Iredale

And there it is, all that's left of this English sailing ship that ran aground in 1906 after attempting the Port of Portland.

Whale back, about a quarter down from top and a quarter of the way in.

Thar she blows.

 We had to check out of the motel by 11:00 a.m..   That was after I'd already been up to Astoria to deliver the cats to the clinic.  My friend is not an early riser and was asleep when I returned.   The motel was in Seaside.  After that we walked on the beach in Seaside, flew a kite, ate lunch, drove north to see the wreck of the Peter Iredale, in the sands, beyond Warrenton, then over to Astoria, to pick up the cats, then back to Albany. 

Cargo ship on the Columbia River

We were sitting along the Columbia by the Maritime Museum in Astoria killing time when I took this, looking back at the bridge across the Columbia into Washington state.

There were several cargo ships in the river, making their way upriver towards the Port of Portland.

Old Pilot tug at the Maritime museum.

There were flowers and a note on one bench along the Astoria river walk.

When we looked down, we could see why.  The bench was dedicated to Daphne, the same person the note and flowers were for.

Mt. Hood was visible on the drive home as we neared Portland.  When I got home, I saw on the news another climber, a priest from New Jersey, died on the mountain.

Also seen from the drive home, many fields of red.  I don't know what they're growing, but I'll look it up and will guess they're probably growing it for the seed.

Quick trip but it was fun and the boys got their teeth fixed.  Rogue now has none and Brambles had five pulled.  The rest of his were cleaned.  They won't be feeling 100% for awhile, but they are on the road to recovery!

I am happy Rogue finally got those teeth out.  He's such a sweet little boy and deserves a pain free life at last.  Thank you so much to all those who contributed to help with the boys vet visits.

This was Rogue, in the car, on the way home.

Brambles, last night, groggy but glad to be home.

Rogue last night, looking rough around the edges.