In December we took our annual "Beach Trip" to Florence. Going to Florence is not unusual for us, but this annual outing usually involves "camping" (motorhomes) and another couple from the Valley. For this outing we form our caravan of 2 RV's with tow vehicles and head to the coast for "pioneering exploration" (that means good eats, shopping, sight-seeing, games and conversation). This year we wanted our good friends to stay at our River Vista condo and we were going to stay at another vacation rental we were purchasing in Old Town. Our plans changed a bit when our deal for the next condo fell through, and we "camped" instead at the Casino. The Casino welcomed us by making us winners, and serving us a nice meal at the buffet. Florence was as charming as ever, but decked out in red and green for the holidays. Shopping in Old Town was peaceful, no crowds. While weather in the valley was frightfully cold, Florence was pleasant. At 37 degrees and no wind, we were comfortable without hats, scarfs and mittens. While back in the Valley the wind was blowing and high temperatures were not over 30 degrees. The coast range had seen temperatures also below freezing for the past week or so and was evident by frozen water sculptures along the road way.
In Mapleton the Suislaw River had froze over and the high tide lines were marked by frozen water left at the rivers edge. We don't often get temperatures cold enough and long enough to have moving bodies of water freeze like this.
After a nice cozy stay in Florence, our challenge was to get home before the predicted freezing rain was to fall. Rain was starting to fall in Florence as we left at noon, luckily we stayed just ahead of the rain as it moved inland. By 6pm roads in south Benton County were slick with ice and multiple accidents were spread throughout the Valley. Most notably, at least 30 motorists spent the night in the their cars near Alsea, as both HWYs 34 and 20 were closed between the Valley and coast. We made it home safe and sound.
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