January 19, 2007

The yurt cabins in South Beach State Park on Oregon's famed coast were advertised as being heated. They were anything but.

We hunkered down in one the second night of our trip, somehow managing to survive the sub-zero temperatures.

It soon became apparent, however, that we were not the only objects that had froze over night.

Just after we pulled out the state park, a few kilometres south of Newport, the van’s stick shift froze. It was only the third day of the road trip and were off to an inauspicious start.

The first two garages we had the van towed to didn’t have a clue about working on a VW van.

The mechanic at the third garage winced as he gave us the diagnosis: we needed a new transmission and clutch, it would take five days for the parts to be shipped and installed, and none of it would come cheap.

Newport is not the jewel of the Oregon coast. Busy Highway 101 - lined with big box stores, fast food restaurants and car dealerships - is its main street. To make matters worse, the Pacific Northwest was being ravaged by a record cold spell.

The only saving grace was that it is still possible to find "motor inn" motels next to the highway for $30 per night.

The decently appointed and conveniently located Newport Motor Inn motel came with a TV and a microwave, allowing us to dull the pain by drinking Widmer hefeweizen and watching 10 hours back-to-back-to-back of "Top Chef" episodes (we are devasted that Sam didn't make it to the final two);

The fact that Adrienne called 911 the second night to report a domestic dispute in the room above us should be overlooked. Days were spent at McDonalds, Fred Meyer and Wal-Mart. I liked McDonalds the best as they offer free small coffees between 6 and 8 am.

Before leaving home, we had managed to put $25,000 in our war chest to fund the trip.

But by the time we pulled out of Newport five days later, our wallets were $3,000 lighter and I was worried that our year-long adventure would in fact turn out be three months heading down the Baja and back up again.

At least we had declined the offer of having a big good-bye party.

Key Facts & Figures:

-Yurts, South Beach State Park (without heat): $29/night
-Newport Motor Inn (with heat): $30/night
-Transmission & clutch, Joanne & Fred's Foreign Car Repair: $2,060