I spent several days in Harbor waiting for my forwarded mail to catch up to me. It was supposed to arrive in Crescent city during my stay in the area but for some reason the package was delayed and didn't show up until after I had headed north. I called the Crescent City post office and they said that they could forward the package up to Brookings and it'd be there the next day. Great, I thought.... saves me driving all the way back down there! Well, when I visited the post office in Brookings the next day, there was no package to be found! This was on a Friday and the post office is nominally closed on Saturday, but the postmaster assured me that they would find the package and that I could come by the 'back door' on Saturday morning and pick it up. Thankfully, they were able to find it and I was very relieved to take possession of my wandering mail Saturday morning and head north on Highway 101.
The next stop was at Humbug Mountain state park, on the coast a ways north. When I pulled in I was delighted to learn that it was a free day for Oregon state parks. No charge for camping! The place was almost empty, in spite of the free day and you can just see my rig off in the trees in the first shot. It's a beautiful park, with a small stream flowing through it and meeting up with the ocean. A short walk from the park and you are on a beautiful beach.... The sand was almost black and there were lots of shells and driftwood to be picked up, as well as a plethora of starfish scattered around.
I took some time one afternoon and hiked part way up Humbug Mountain. It was a beautiful hike, with lots of flowers of all kinds blooming all around. The constant moisture of the coastal environment makes everything green and lush. I snapped a few pix along the trail, including some of the wildflowers. The last shot of of the sun setting on the beach was taken from a vantage point on the cliffs above the beach. What a pretty area! It was great having the beach so close and I spent a fair amount of time just walking along the shore....
The next stop on my coastal tour was Bullards Beach state park just outside of Bandon. Oregon state parks are unique in that many offer full hookups, including sewer. That's a real treat for the RVer and Bullards was no exception. Plus, the park was very secluded with huge campsites. The beach was a couple of miles away though.... but there were a lot of excellent trails to explore through the dunes. Here are a few shots from one of my hikes...
About the time that I was leaving Humbug Mountain, the weather (which had been pretty cooperative so far..) turned to rain. Lots of it. In fact, it rained pretty much all the time for the next 4 days and nights. It didn't keep me from getting around and seeing things in the area but it definitely dampened my spirits. Out at the coast, where the Coquille river meets the ocean stands the old Coquille river lighthouse. I drove out and took a neat little walk through tour including a trip up into the light tower. Man, those stairs are steep and narrow! Quite a view out to sea past the river mouth though.... too bad it's so dreary a day! Lighthouses are fun and Oregon has quite a few... what I especially like is that many of them are open to the public and can be walked through.
Bandon is a delightful little town and has some of the prettiest beaches.... Bandon is supposed to be one of the most photographed places in Oregon. Man, I sure wish I could see a sunset on this beach! No such luck, though.... just a lot of clouds and drizzle. I think the rain is beginning to get to me! To take my mind off the weather, I visited the Bandon Creamery. They hand make cheeses there and you can see the process through viewing windows when they are working or can watch the whole process on video. The store boasts piles of excellent cheeses and everything has samples available for you to taste. Man, you can eat lunch here! Their many kinds of cheddar cheese are all excellent and don't miss out on the cheese curds!!
The morning I rolled out of Bandon was sunny! Man, that feels great! Whistled all the while I was tearing down to roll... it's amazing what a little sun will do! I made a short hop up to a little park up past Coos Bay a ways located on the shores of Ten Mile Lake. When I was checking in, the owner told me that this weekend was 'free fishing weekend' in Oregon... no license needed! What a neat coincidence: here I am camped on the shore of a big lake and they're gonna let me fish for free! Cool! It was such a nice sunny day that I hopped on the bike and took a ride into the small town to get some groceries and then rode out just to sight see a bit. It's a good thing I did, because it clouded up that night and commenced to rain and I didn't see the sun again for the next four days. Aaauuuggghhh! I tried to get out and do a little fishing between the showers but didn't catch squat. Can't say I was really all that dedicated about it either... mostly I stayed inside and cursed the weather. I took a drive out to the coast and took a walk on the beach, but it wasn't all that pleasant.... just gray and wet. Bet I wouldn't do too well up here in the winter when it really rains a lot!
I hitched up in the (you guessed it!) rain and headed inland. Maybe
I can find some sun and warm there..... I rolled into Springfield hoping
to go look up the Simpsons, but I guess they must live in some other Springfield.
Oh, well... it was a good opportunity to take care of some business in
the big city before continuing east to see my friends Jim and Sue Clarke
who live on the east side of the Cascades in LaPine. Best of all, the rain
finally gave up and it got sunny and downright warm! I feel like I'm in
heaven! I did some shopping and even managed a short walk in the evening,
an activity that I'd been missing lately! Soon, I was ready to continue
east and tackle the Cascades!
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