13 - Dodging Game - On the Way to Pacific City

Game crossing.

        Bruce and I didn’t have many set destinations in 1978. Other than eventually getting to Hollywood to sell his screenplay, I was occasionally guided by a paperback I'd found, describing offbeat destinations in the USA. One of those was a restaurant in Pacific City, Oregon, called the “Hungry Harbor.” The author raved about this oceanfront restaurant, and I was determined to eat there. We made it for dinner after visiting Becky and Travis, and our meal did not disappoint. I wrote:

         Ate at zany eccentric Hungry Harbor overlooking ocean sunset. Incredible cream of potato soup, amazing bleu cheese salad, great grilled salmon, huge baked potato with gobs of butter and sour cream, cool muffin, jive vegetables, apricot cobbler dessert, all for $4.95. 

That price is insane - even by 1978 standards!

In 2018, after fruitlessly searching for Becky and Travis’ former home, I didn’t have much hope of finding the Hungry Harbor again. So I settled in to enjoy my winding drive through the Oregon forests. I saw an airplane museum:

Visited a sculpture garden:

And found a bridge slyly decorated for Hallowe’en.

I arrived in Pacific City by sunset, and drove straight to the beach. Climbing a dune, I saw their iconic landmark, an impressive Rock of Gibraltar lookalike just off the shore. Here's a 1978 photo:

       Bruce and I goofed around a bit. I was rocking the Jet hat and that classic 70's fashion look:

       This year, I kept my shirt on – it’s been chilly in the northwest!

I then set out for dinner. No one I asked had heard of the Hungry Harbor, and I finally found an old news article that said it was replaced by a hotel in the 90s after the owner died. I had to content myself with a perfectly good smoked salmon with sautéed oyster and cremini mushrooms, potato gnocchi, and a horseradish cream. But compared to what I had in 1978, it was disappointing. Though the deer across the street from the restaurant were a nice surprise:

Before retiring, over an evening-ending IPA at Marci's Bar in Lincoln City,  I sketched the cartoon seen at the top of this blog - inspired by the many “game crossing” signs I encountered on my drive. Just a little further south was the Devil’s Lake campground, the same place Bruce and I stayed in 1978. I’m getting a lot better at setting up the tent - even in the dark, with a flashlight in my teeth. Note to self, for my next forty-year redux: bring a lantern (or someone to hold the flashlight). 

Next: Hitchhikers, redwoods, and artichokes.