Hilltop House Rental - Southern Oregon Coastal Vacation

Original Blues Brothers Rocker Curtis Salgado Plays Smith River

Legendary blues performer Curtis Salgado (one of the original Blues Brothers and former lead singer for Santana) was in concert at 7 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Lucky 7 Casino’s new Tolowa Events Center. Tickets for concerts are typically $25 each and are available at the Lucky 7 Casino’s Players Club, or by phone at 707- 487-7777. For more information visit www.lucky7casino.com.

Salgado is a legend in blues circles as much for his unique blend of blues, soul, and R&B, as for being the man responsible for inspiring a bit of pop culture and music history. In October 1977, Salgado was a 25-year old singer and harmonica player performing at the Eugene Hotel lounge when John Belushi stopped by. In town filming the movie “Animal House,” the actor was looking for a laugh and found something else entirely – the inspiration for the now-iconic “Blues Brothers” characters.

“Sometimes when I think of the Belushi thing, and The Blues Brothers, I don’t know what to think,” says Curtis Salgado. “I get totally blown away.”

The Blues Brothers reintroduced blues to a whole new generation.

Gold Beach Rocks With Wapala Windsurf Event!

Even though it is narrated in French you won't miss a bit of the excitement watching this action-packed video of the Wapala Windsurf Competition 2011 in Gold Beach.

Happy New Year From Bandon

It's been a while since I posted mainly because of the holidays and family activities, but I wanted to post about a day trip I took with friends to Bandon. We took a ride up the coast from Hilltop House, the trip took less than an hour along the scenic hwy 101.

We arrived at Old Town Bandon and headed straight to the shops.    We visited the Second Street Gallery on of the 79 unique shops. I bought 3 Sergio Lub bracelets for myself, one for my mom and one my husband John. The bracelets are handmade and mde from solid silver, brass and copper. They have magnets in them that are supposed to help balance the energy forces in your body. The copper is said to help relieve swelling and pain caused by arthritis. In additon to that they are beautiful and can be worn all the time.

We also visited the Cranberry Sweets and More an amazing confection store with lots of free samples - yum! Then we headed to Lotus Grotto Gifts and I found a beautiful scarf that was hand-dyed silk in two shades of green for $15.00! The last stop was at  Tony's Crab shack where we warmed ourselves on with clam chowder and a glass of wine.

It was a great trip and we all really enjoyed ourselves and came back with lots of goodies to share with John, who was waiting at Hilltop House with a fantastic dinner on the stove. We ate pasta with wild catch Salmon (John went fishing at Thanksgiving) marinara sauce, John's famous Salmon cakes, a great big salad with all kinds of vegetables and for a little unreality check we watched the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on the tube. For dessert we ate Marionberry Pie and vanilla ice cream. Nice way to start the year!

101 Things to Be Thankful for in Gold Beach # 6

# 6 Elk Valley Casino in Crescent City - Roll the Dice!

Southrn Oregon and Northern California have some of the best gaming establishments in the area. ELk Valley Casino in Crescent City has tons of slots and Vegas-style games. For those who don't want to gamble or have had their fill -- check out the live entertainment.

Antlers Event Center, an intimate 250 seat entertainment venue is your home for great entertainment. Their 2010 Tribute Series has been a great success with these talented acts:

Tickets are on sale now at the Points Club and by phone (707-465-2666) with credit card or at the Casino Cage (cash purchases). For more infor visit Elk Valey Casino website

My First Podcast - Southern Oregon Travel Blog

Hello all,

I am really excited to post my first podcast from the Hilltop House Travel blog. Just click on the button right below to listen.

 

Listen to Lindsey

 

Thanks for stopping by - take care!

 

 

The Legend of the Mary D. Hume

I haven't posted anything about the shipwrecked Mary D.Hume in quite a while and I recently came across this video that I really liked. It tells the story of the steamboat's history and her legend - some may think the song is corny but I like it. It has an 19th century feel to it - I think its charming.

 

If you  click here you'll find another story that I wrote last year about it and the legend that it is haunted.

Big Waves Rule on the Coast - Sandboarding the Dunes

This is one board sort that I actually tried and was pretty good at. Not as scary for me as snowboarding or skateboarding - I'm talking about sandboarding the dunes on the Oregon coast.

Watch as they sandboard the dunes in Florence and careen on dune buggies through natural's playground made of sand. But one precaution - PLEASE RESPECT THE WILDLIFE - act responsively and be polite guests to those who live here - Peace :)

Watch this video by John Waller From Travel Oregon

Riding the Dunes

Oregon's Scenic Hwy 38 along the Umpqua River

Just had to re-post this video - great sentiment and lovely scenery - very well done. This is another great day-trip from Gold Beach. The ride one way is about 2.5 hours of shear pleasure - have a bite and head back or spend the night in a B&B. The scenic highway 38 from Elkton Oregon to Reedsport, the home to Dunes National Recreation Area. The highway follows the scenic Umpqua River and goes through small towns with historic designated buildings. There are wineries and a butterfly pavillion and plenty of boat launching sites.

Prehistoric Gardens - great video for the kids and grownup too!

I have a link at the Hilltop House website that points to the Prehistoric Gardens.  The Prehistoric Gardens in Oregon's Rain Forest is located on then Southern Oregon Coast Hwy 101, halfway between Port Orford and Gold Beach. Interesting tourist attractions displays life-size replicas of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. Enjoy this Prehistoric Gardens created by Oregon sculptor, Ernest V. Nelson. Here is a darling video that you should enjoy.

More Oregon Lifestyles

Here a snapshot view (except it is a video) of what's doin' in Gold Beach.