Hello Everyone,

Here I am at Camp 20, the Alsea Resort, Waldport, Oregon. I trekked 23.09 miles today and it was a bit of a challenge.

I went to sleep last night with an overcast sky and woke up in the middle of the night with rain pouring so loud it woke me up. My new tent held up well and I figure it might be a day that I would just hunker down in the tent and read all day.

The rain stopped about seven in the morning and I decided to head out. I covered the Wheelie and decided to leave my rain gear off as it was already sixty degrees and didn’t want to get hot.

My foot had bothered me yesterday so I left the heavier mole skin on. I started off with a limp and barely trekked about two miles the first hour. I felt the mole skin move around and decided to replace it with the lighter type. Of course, as soon as I started, it started to rain. I threw everything on, including my rain gear. After that, it never stopped raining.

I was still walking slow and knew that I had over twenty miles to go to Waldport. I am in no rush but felt I needed to get a motel to rest my foot and get out of the rain. As a last resort, I finally broke down and took some ibuprofen, which I do not like to take as I feel it masks the pain of an injury and could make it worse. I figured in this case it was necessary.

The scenery along the road is very beautiful as it follows the Elsea River. Because it follows the river to the ocean, you would think it’s all downhill. It’s not! The road is a roller coaster and travels away from the river in many spots. In the short 15.13 miles I trekked yesterday, I had a total elevation gain of about 3,500 feet. Today I had a total elevation gain of about 4,956 feet. That’s like climbing a small mountain.

The shoulder is very narrow and in many places nonexistent. Thankfully there was very little traffic and found myself walking on both sides of the road throughout the day.

The rain never really let up until I got to Waldport, and then it was a light mist. My new shoes stayed dry this time even though it poured at times. If I had them originally I would never have gotten the blisters.

I didn’t get to Waldport until around seven, one of my latest days. I wanted to get something to eat and of course get a motel. Unfortunately there was only one motel going north, the Elsea Resort. There are two others, one was full and the other was a bed and breakfast, both were south. At this point I had already gone over twenty-one miles and did not want to walk further to check the other out, so I decided on the Alsea Resort.

The Elsea Resort was about one mile off of the main road and actually in a residential neighborhood. Nothing else is around. It is funny, or actually kind of weird, that it has seventy rooms, yet only four or five were booked. It is a nice looking motel and right on the water. It looks more like a hotel in Vegas.

I had called when I had dinner in Waldport and could see it across the bay. I was done for the day and didn’t want to go the extra two miles as by then it was after 7:30. With no choice I headed over there. When I got there the clerk stepped out to greet me. I guess he had nothing else to do. The place actually looks nice inside and outside, but weird as it is so empty. The Bates Motel? Maybe I’ll sleep with my weapon under my pillow?

Apparently the motel was built to attract large groups of organizations and it never happened, as per the clerk. It does tend to get more people in the summer.

He asked what kind of room I wanted, king, queen, pool or water view. Take my pick! I told him any would be fine. He gave me one of the better rooms with a great view at the discounted rate of $69. Not bad! Weird though, as it was upstairs and at the far opposite end of the building from the check in. Again, it felt weird and lonely walking down the hall past all those empty rooms.

There is a restaurant and bar here, but if course it’s only open Thursday through Saturday, and today is Monday. It’s definitely off the beaten path, because it’s over two miles to the nearest place to eat! And, it is a very steep one mile out to the main road. What am I going to do for my dream of eating real food? Darn, eat my own food!

I looked longingly at the closed sign on restaurant bar door, and told the clerk that I wasn’t a drinker, but I could use a beer now. And just before I got to my room, after trekking two miles down the lonely hallway, the clerk ran after me and handed me a cold bottle of water and a beer. Nice guy, but I still think I will double latched my door.

After settling in and taking my shoes off I realized that my foot has gotten much worse today. It is painful to walk around the room and can’t really put my Crocs on. I have decided I had better go to the urgent care in town tomorrow. It’s two miles and I’ll have to decide how to get there? I’ll figure it out in the morning.

My plans are up in the air right now. I had planned on staying here for at least two days to give myself and my feet a rest, and because the forecast is for two more days of rain. If I stay here, I won’t be able to easily walk to get food, if I want to rest my foot. I will have to play it by ear, but I will definitely go to the urgent care and that may help in my decision.

As always, please send your positive thoughts and prayers my way. Please excuse the typos, spelling, grammar, etc.

Best wishes,
Ted