A DAY IN GOLD BEACH

"Out and about." That's exactly what we were. We had no real purpose to be out. We had no idea what we wanted to do or see. No plans. Just out and about.

Today started with a workout. Yes, I even workout when I travel! My brother does too. He always brings his gym bag (even when we travel by plane) filled with bands, gym clothes, dumbbells, and more. Sometimes we go on jogs, but today we just stayed inside and we took turns with his dumbells. So here I am, 25 pound weights in each hand, droppin' some squats while everyone else is taking their showers and making breakfast or some other random thing. It's a lifestyle for us. Gotta stay fit!

So after my little workout session, I had my own shower, ate breakfast, just the typical morning routine, and we were all ready to head out the door and drive around the town. It was actually quite a short trip. We drove not very far and found a place called Jerry Rogue Jets, where you ride a jet boat along the Rogue River. We stopped there to get more information and it seemed like a fun thing to do. We called everyone up back at the rental property and many people from my step-mother's family wanted to tag along too! So we made reservations for 30+ people and added that for our lists to do tomorrow. Beside Jerry Rogue Jets was the Mary D. Hume, a steam boat built in the late 1800's that is now sinking in the Rogue River - collecting moss and falling apart. All the while, I still think it's is a very intriguing thing.

To the right of the Mary D. Hume is the Patterson Bridge. We drove on the bridge to get to the other side of town and came across a Stray Cat Sanctuary. Now, I think this is adorable. The citizens of Gold Beach came together and built homes for the stray cats in the city. The cats even have toys and blankets and people come by each day to make sure they have food and water. We actually saw only one cat, but I'm sure on other days there are more. I love the idea of this outdoor sanctuary.

After leaving the sanctuary, we drove a little bit more and found that there was nothing else to see, so we came back to our rental home and relaxed by the beach again. Tonight, we're going to have a camp fire, which is always fun. We eat and sing songs while someone plays the guitar and just kind of have a bonding session.

TOUR OF OUR TURTLE ROCK VACATION HOME

So far I am in love with Oregon. It is my first time being in this state and I already know it's going to be hard to leave. Gold Beach is a small town with nothing really much to do, which is no different from where I live, but I think it's so cute. There's something about small towns that I really like. There's one place we visited called Rogue River Apple Works, a country-style jam shop where they make and sell homemade jams and jellies, all made with fresh ingredients. The owner and manager who makes the food herself gave us samples of jam with crackers. My favorite was the specialty Tayberry, which is a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry. We ended up purchasing three different jams for everyone to share: the apple butter, tayberry, and apricot.

As for our place, we're staying at the Turtle Rock Resorts by the Oregon coast. It's very homey and convenient. It was so much better than getting a hotel because we had every thing we needed and wanted: kitchen utensils, legit bedrooms and bathrooms, oven, every room fully furnished, and more. It was a home away from home, which I guess is the whole point. Since being here, what I like to do in the mornings and nights is go to Nesika Beach to watch the sun rise and set. Most of our day today was actually spent at the beach. It's only a 5 minute walk from the resort. Behind our rental home is a creek, called Hunter's Creek, and I like to walk in the water with the dogs (yes, we even brought our dogs on the trip with us). If you follow the creek, it later merges in with the water from the beach. The rental property also has a jacuzzi, which feels nice at night when it's about 80 degrees in the water and the wind outside is blowing a 40°F breeze.