Left the campground around 8h30, 13.8, cloudy .. and the fridge is on DC (driving current)!!
We are back driving with redwoods lining the road. Smith River - The rhododendron bushes surrounding homes are just so beautiful in many colours and then you see the odd wild one leaning through the trees.
We had to wait until the Liquor Store opened at 9h so we could pick up some beer we rather liked and wanted to bring home, just in case we can't buy it in Oregon...
9h19 - Welcome to Oregon - Visitor Center - Crissey Field State Park, under gray gray skies.
Walked the beach. The ocean, the beach, the sky, all are gray .. Picked up some literature and we're off.
Drove through Brookings, tried to find a harbour road but no good.
A little further on, Lone Ranch Beach, Scenic Corridor. It was perfect for a muffin break. Sprinkling rain. Whalehead Island. We can see sea birds nesting on the top. Ross took a photo so we could blow it up tonight and identify them. They are common murres. In the description, in my book, they say that on land it stands upright, penguin-fashion. That's why I thought they might be puffins...
Arch Rock (photo) - walked up to viewpoint. And again, there were birds nesting on top, seagulls this time and would you believe, one Canada goose among them!
Lots of creeks and lots of points around here but the scenery is ever changing and just beautiful.
Purple lupines abound everywhere.
Cape Sebastian Viewpoint - a great lunch spot! We could scan the sea and skies as we lunched.
The sun is getting stronger. Gold Beach - Rogue River - lots of bushes with yellow flowers.
Humbug Mountains. Stop for look out. This is approx. where, in 1993, in September, we had spotted a whale but not today...
Port Orford. Cape Blanco State Park - Lighthouse (photo). Visitor Center where we are greeted and given the history of this lighthouse. Oldest standing lighthouse on Oregon Coast, commissioned in 1870 to aid shipping generated by gold mining and lumber industry. Its first keeper was a Mr. Langlois (pronounced Langless) .. can you believe it! I wonder how he happened to be in Oregon at that time? We were able to go up in the tower and were explained the duties of the keeper and his assistants as well as how it was lit with liquid refined lard in the first years of operation.
Back on the road, we drive by the town of Langlois further on. Coos County. We take Beach Loop Rd. Face Rock Wayside. The wind is wicked. Coquille River South Jetty. A very developed area with lots of cottages, hotels, motels, etc.
Back on 101, Coquille River (Coquille is the name of an Indian tribe). We arrive in Coos Bay and drive along sand dunes and finally arrive at our campground at North Bend after crossing quite an impressive bridge, the McCullough Bridge.
Our campground is very popular with ATV people who like to drive into the sand dunes. Certainly a busy place when we arrived. It is now dark and all is quiet.
This was a great first day in Oregon. The skies are clear tonight. Looking forward to a sunny day tomorrow and maybe it will warm up a little now that we are heading north!!
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