50 States in 50 Weeks, Day 361

Bandon to Newport, 135 Miles "You don't get harmony when everyone sings the same note." ~Doug Floyd It's difficult to make good progress with the ocean on one side and forest on the other. Add clear skies and Mr. Sun, and walking on the beach with waves crashing to shore becomes quite a temptation. One description of the Northwest is the aroma of sawdust. Sawmills pile mountains of sawdust around them, making me think I need to find a use for sawdust. Maybe as a filler for cookies, making them less expensive. Logging trucks haul logs North and South on 101. Shouldn't they figure out which sawmill is closer? Probably oversimplifying. Contrarily, we rode through a forest fire. The smoke built until Mr. Sun's light on the highway became a pleasant amber color. However, the sky turned smoky blue, enough that staying in place would be an eye and nose watering endeavor. Fortunately we rode out in a few miles. We stopped a bit early in Newport to shop and eat lunner. QG got herself a new purse, which seems odd, as our clothes continues to deteriorate and we don't care, so our look is homeless. The purse just doesn't fit. We endured a frightening event, as QG spotted a quilt shop so we stopped- only to find a 'For Sale' sign in front. The building was for sale, not the shop, but she started dreaming about it while I thought about alcoholics owning and operating bars. And now, with thoughts of quilt shops dancing in her head, Quilter Girl! We rode through Bandon and Florence, enjoying the quaint shops from the streets which is much easier on our wallets. I love poking around in small shops, but it isn't Kevin's favorite thing to do. I feel privileged when we can shop. I badly needed a bathroom stop as we neared Newport so we stopped at a park where there were guys kite skateboarding. I guess it is a first step in learning windsurfing. We watched for a bit, fascinated by their "flying" on the ground. We got to watch the teacher, who was markedly better than the others. It was fun to be able to watch something new. We wandered around in Old Town Newport, a town that we have visited before and loved. I got my salt water taffy that I crave at the ocean and we had a seafood dinner. We are on to Salem to see the capitol where my parents will meet us. QG Sorry for the missing photos. Demons have invaded the iPad. Actually, they are in it all the time. They're just getting busy! We continue to work on it.