I don't have any vacation pics for this post because it's a road day. We'd had b'fast and were out of Silver Falls State Park by 7 a.m. From there to Salem, specifically to 1968 Commercial Street S.E., the location of IdeaBox Homes. Alas, as we later learned they are located at 1968 Commercial Street NE. So there was no tour of their version of a Tiny House.
Because we needed to be in Florence around noon we headed south down I-5 and then over to the coast. We got into town about 12:30, found two parking spots along a curb just perfect for a Kia pulling a teardrop, and started out for a place we've eaten on previous trips. But along that 4-block walk we passed a place that looked too good to resist. Maybe a dozen tables, a menu that made mouths water, and a decor right out of a place from the English countryside. The food was OUTSTANDING! Pam had their homemade clam chowder. I had a small cup of that chowder and a sandwich with avocado, lettuce, ham, and BACON. She had English tea and I had coffee. "How do you like your coffee - strong, medium, or mild?" I said medium and it came in a French press.
The husband/wife team that run the place are just the right amount of chatty, and she's from Kent, England - which explains the decor and menu, which includes bangers for breakfast.
We'll be back, even if it does mean a 90 minute drive back up from our next spot at Sunset Bay State Park.
We're lingering here in Florence because Pam has a 3:00 phone interview for an interesting position in the administration department of the hospital. More if/when there are developments to report.
But the fun part from the last 24 hours.....
We had three different people stop by our campsite to ask about the teardrop and want "tours." The third was one of the park rangers, a guy in his late 20's who is recently married. He likes its minimalist size and the woodie style, and took down the name of the website where I got the plans.
After that part of the conversation and more discussion of keeping life scaled back I asked him if he was familiar with the tiny house movement.
Familiar??? He's building one! Not actually building it right now; he and his wife are spending this weekend hunting for the property. He's drawn his own plans and has clearly done lots of research. He just transferred to Silver Falls St. Pk. from Bandon because they chose that immediate area as the place they wanted to live.
I picked his brain and learned a TON, including the advantages of a composting toilet. Yep, this looks like the way to go (pun intended). He's going to install solar panels and only draw from the grid at night, selling his daytime excess back to the utility. He'll collect rainwater for most of his H20, heat with firewood.... So not completely off the grid, but nearly so.
After hearing me describe our topography and climate preferences he suggested Sublimity and Stayton, so on our way to Salem we drove through those two burgs. Interesting!
It's at least likely, if not probable, that nothing will come of all this. But the conversations we've had and the knowledge we've gained has added another layer of fun to this trip.
OK, Pam's phone call is about due. Then we'll pick up some groceries and head down the coast to our next camping spot. Tomorrow's post will have pics of that setting. From the forests of the Willamette Valley to the tidal pools of the southern coast. Amen and amen!
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