Waking to seaside noises of gulls, traffic going over a nearby drawbridge and windy rain pattering TCB's roof were all new sounds, as we had rarely encountered rain since we left RI. It was a leisurely morning, as we desperately needed to do laundry. We had little cash and all the quarters Van brought from his coin stash were depleted at our last State Park stop, where $1.25 in quarters bought five minutes of "almost" hot water.
We set off to find an ATM, with Quinnbo in tow. The town was 0.3 miles away, but most of the seasonal businesses were closed. The streets were lined with businesses related to tourism, but more interesting and prevalent were all those related to the fishing economy. I loved seeing the gargantuan piles of oyster shells and round crab pots stacked in towers requiring forklifts for loading and unloading.
We found a country market with an ATM and used the cash for quarters at the marina office. Eureka! Clean laundry. Van also got the scoop on the best place to have dungies, only a short walk across the street.
The laundry room was adjacent to the crab room so if we did have some crabs to clean, we could multi-task.
Van was excited to learn the Thursday Night Football game was the Patriots v. Falcons. Even a sports bar in western Oregon would surely show the Patriots if it was TNF.
After drizzle subsided, Van took his Ebike for a jaunt to the nearest beachside state park. He returned a bit winded, as we were experiencing gale force winds.
He encountered a man on the dock in a Catalina 22 sailboat, which is the first boat we sailed with the kids. Van spoke, "I like your boat." The man replied, "I just got it." "Did it come with a mast?" Van asked.
"No," The man replied. "I like to go crabbing so all I need is a little outboard and I am good to go." I wish I could have seen his demasted Catalina.
The number of sailboats we'd seen along these coasts was small. The docks were filled with fishing boats numbering in the hundreds.
The bays are tidal, protected from the sever ocean surf by man made jetties stretching for what seemed miles. They make the Cape Cod Canal jetties seem like puny rock piles.
With the interest accommodations along with the boating and fisherman "vibe," Van proposed that we stay here another night in lieu of driving four hours up the coast in such windy conditions. We were very familiar sleeping at a marina on a boat; it would be fun comparing this night's stay in TCB. With the predicted high winds, TCB will do some swaying similar to a sailboat in a windy harbor. It was decided. Van planned to revisit the marina office tomorrow to extend our stay.
Making an fast and amenable decision for upcoming stays had become cause for celebration. After so many days on the road, we were getting good at it. So we headed to the seafood restaurant suggested by the marina manager, only was a short walk across the street, to celebrate. Their scrumptious dungeness crab cake appetizer was unlike any crabcakes I had tasted in Rhode Island or on the Cape. SO YUMMY!
With our next two days planned and bellies full from another amazing seafood meal and Oregon craft brews, we settled in, thankful for the Truma propane heater which would keep us snug and cozy in the predicted gale force winds. Thank you TCB.
