Umpqua River Scenic Byway

We had breakfast outside at the picnic table overlooking the harbor this morning. It was sunny and we haven't been able to have breakfast outside for a long time. Leaving camp we drove up Salmon Harbor Rd and took a left up a hill to Umpqua Light. The light, on the south side of the bay, has a 65 foot tower that overlooks the sand dunes from 165 feet. There was a great viewing platform and we looked over the dunes to the ocean. We looked for gray whales - none -. Leaving the Umpqua Point we passed Lake Marie and its 1 mile walking trail, we decided to keep going.

Taking 101N to Rte 38 E in Reedsport we followed the Umpqua River Scenic Byway past Dean Elk Creek Viewing Area. A three mile section of Rte 38 has two specific viewing areas with several observation pull offs. This is the year round residence for a herd of about 100 Roosevelt elk. In the spring the females and young are easily seen. The males stay separate until the fall rut. We were able to see some of the herd in a meadow just off the road.

The scenic byway is a gorgeous ride with the river on our left and fern covered rock walls to our right. Water from melting snow and all this rain cascade down the rock walls making natural waterfalls. There are farmhouses along the road on the hillsides with pastures that roll up to them. We arrived in Elkton which is a surprisingly cosmopolitan village. This historic community is where the Hudson's Bay Company founded Fort Umpqua in 1832. We had lunch in town and then continued through small vineyards and through the beautiful Umpqua Valley. Elkton is a town of about 200 people with 4 wineries (my kind of place...).

Driving through small towns like Sutherlin, Kellogg, and Remote which have great character and have kept the simple country ambience. Soon we connected to Interstate 5S and followed it to Roseburg and then turned onto Rte 42W which would take us back to Coos Bay. Rte 42 is the Winery Tour route but we didn't see many wineries along the way. Driving through the Coquille River Valley we experienced more hale showers. The pastures and low lands were flooded and cattle were standing on small patches of high ground near the barns.

We got back to camp and watched TV for a while. The drive today was really beautiful and reminds us what this trip is all about... experiencing the byways of the U.S.

Pictures: Elk in meadow at Dean Elk Creek Viewing Area, Umpqua Light, View from Umpqua Light Platform (2)

Salmon Harbor

Driving up the Pacific Coast Highway (101 N) through huge puddles and pea size hale. We cross over the Conde McCullough Memorial Bridge which is frozen and covered with hale - argh - Once across the bridge we come into Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The dunes start right after we cross the bridge and is mixed with forests and beautiful views. We pass Clear Lake and roads such as Foggy Height (very appropriate) on our way to Winchester Bay.

Our drive was short this morning and we pulled into Winchester Bay RV in early afternoon. We picked a nice site on the Salmon Harbor side of the park. We can see the boats and lights from Winchester Bay across the harbor. The ocean is on the back side of the park and we can hear the waves crashing against the sea wall (best of both worlds!). It all began in Winchester Bay, long before Europeans came to the Oregon coast, the mouth of the Umpqua River was home to ancestors of the Siuslaw, Lower Umpqua, and Coos Indians. First interaction with the Indians came in the 16th century and by the end of the 18th century trading had been established. Winchester Bay was initially a trading post known as West Umpqua. Later in the 1950's Salmon Harbor was developed to protect Winchester Bay from the Pacific Ocean. Winchester Bay is popular due to it's outdoor activities, great seafood restaurants, and access to the tallest coastal dunes in North America.

Once we were settled in we drove up Rte 101 to Florence. It's raining but we decided to go to Old Town located on the Siuslaw River. Parking on the gravel main street we found Mo's. This is a well known seafood restaurant in the area and came highly recommended by someone we met in Coos Bay. They are well known for their "New England Clam Chowder". We are going to hunt for the best Northwest Clam Chowder...Ken had Slumgullion (chowder with shrimp) and I had oyster stew. The stew was good the chowder...well lots of potatoes. We walked Old Town which is full of canneries, fish processing plants, shops and lots of restaurants. Before leaving we stopped in a candy store and spent some time talking with the owner. All of these little towns are much busier in the summer but we get to meet the real locals this time of year and they are terrific folks.

Leaving Old Town Florence we drove back to camp. Before turning into the RV park we decided to explore Salmon Harbor Rd. It runs along the ocean and ends in the beginning of the sand dunes. Many of the low areas are filled with water but there are still folks on ATV's running the trails along the dunes.

To cold and raw to be outside so we enjoyed our pate, crackers, cheese and fruit for dinner while we watched TV.

Pictures: Along Salmon Harbor Rd (2), Rainy dunes

Cape Arago Light

Coos Bay, is the largest city on the Oregon coast. We decided to take a drive out to Cape Arago Lighhouse. Newmark St takes you out of Coos Bay and through the fishing community of Charleston. The main catch here is Crab and Oysters. From Charleston, we followed signs for Cape Arago lighthouse and Sunset Bay State Park. The Simpson Reef overlook came up on our right and we pulled in.

The reef provides a small barrier to the open sea. The habitat here is one of the most important marine mammal and seabird colonies on the northwest coast. Normally the overlook provides a viewing opportunity for seals, sea lions, and many seabirds. Today there were no seals in view and the birds were all huddled amongs the crevasses in the rocks.

It's really raw and the wind will knock you over! We watched amazing waves pound against the rocky point of land across the reef. We passed the state park which was closed due to flooding from all this rain. Further down the road we found the Arago Point view. The sea is so angry. This is one Oregon lighthouse that you can't get up close to. It is protected by a locked gate maintained by the Coast Guard. The light tower is 44 ft hight and was illuminated in 1934. In terms of service this is the newest lighthouse, earlier structures were built on this site in 1866 and 1908. Both were lost due to erosion and weather.

We left the point and drove to Bastendorf Beach. The miles of uninterrupted beach and ocean views were fantastic. We followed the beach road to the end where it turned to dirt. We saw a number of cars parked next to the jetty so we decided to go see what was going on. As we pulled up a huge spray of water leaped over the jetty wall followed by a bigger spray. Getting out of the car we could see 8 ft waves roll into the jetty where it meets the bay. Soon another exploded against the wall. As the waves rolled and broke the wind, still about 35 mph, blew the water from the crest of the wave into the air.

Back in the car we headed back to camp. We had dinner at the casino tonight, played blackjack and was home by 10pm. The wind has picked up again and is really shaking us and rippling the slider awnings. We decided to bring the sliders in... we'll be glad when the wind calms down.

Pictures: Simpson Reef, Arago Point View & lighthouse in distance, Arago Point View, Bastendorf Beach Waves (2)

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A Wild Night

Cloudy, windy, raw and rainy...seems like that's Oregon spring weather... It was a good day to just do stuff, laundry, blogging, etc. and Ken spent the day researching what we might need if we decide to buy a Jeep.

The rain is getting harder now. We took the shuttle bus to the casino (picked us up right at our door). We played for a while and did pretty well. Back at home about 10pm the wind is really howling and shaking the coach. It must be atleast 40 mph. About midnight we got up and pulled the slides in the wind was so bad and it was raining sideways. It was a wild night!

Coos Bay

Finally sunny and cool (45) but clear. Continuing north on the Pacific Coast Highway (Rte 101) we mosey up to Coos Bay. We are just inching our way up the Oregon coast. We passed over bridges above deep gorges with creeks running through them into the ocean.

We crossed over the Rogue River Bridge with it's picturesque concrete arches and turrets on all four corners. This bridge carries Rte 101 across the river near where it meets the Pacific. We passed pastures full of baby lambs grazing in the sun. The road moved inland for a while through farm towns like Denmark, lots of cranberry bogs, and Christmas Tree farms. The road is lined with Douglas Fir and Spruce. Arriving in Coos Bay we parked the coach near the boardwalk. Coos Bay-North Bend is the largest coastal city in Oregon. The port transport many various items but the main tonnage is made up of wood products. We sauntered along the bay and then roamed around town. Shark Bites caught our attention so we had a quick lunch.

Back in the coach we headed up the road to the Mill Casino and RV Park, which will be home for the next 3 nights. The park is right on the bay. Once we got settled in we went to check out the area and ended up looking at Jeeps, just for kicks.

Later we had dinner and watched TV. There's a very serious storm coming in with heavy rain and winds. They are saying rain for the next week! That will really hamper a lot of the things we wanted to do here.

Thanks to everyone for my birthday wishes... it was a good day.

Pictures: Rogue River Bridge, Coos Bay View from our site

Population - Small.....

Our excursion today takes us through the Siskiyou National Forest. We drove up Rte 101 N to Gold Beach which looks like a little beach town in Cape Cod. Gold was found here in the mid-1800's thus giving Gold Beach it's name. The town is located where the Rogue River meets the sea. We had hoped to take a Hydro-Jet Boat tour up the Rogue River, but they don't open until May 1.

At the north end of town we turned onto National Forest Road 33 that rolls along the Rogue River and through several wilderness areas. About 30 miles up the narrow forest road we crossed a stone bridge and continued up the side of a mountain with fantastic river valley views. We came around a bend and there was the sign we'd been looking for - "This is it! Agness. Population - Small!" This was our destination. A little further up the road we came to an intersection with the general store on one corner and post office on the other. We were here! This was a town. As we got out of the car one of the local guys sitting on the porch noticed our NH license plate. "Hey" he says "we've been waiting for you - what took you so long!" We all laughed and talked for a while. We bought a cornbeef sandwich from Annie, the storekeeper, and enjoyed the peacefulness of Agness. Later we walked over to the post office to mail postcards and talked with Sandy the Postmaster. We tried to explore the roads leading out of town, but both were dead ends.

Back down NF33 to our next destination Port Orford on Rte 101. Port Orford is a jewel-like coastal village perched on scenic bluffs. Its the oldest established town site on the Oregon coast. The port of Port Orford is one of only six "dolly docks" in the world. Boats berth on the dock instead of in the water. They use giant cranes to take the boats in and out of the water every day. We tried to get there late afternoon but missed the dockings.

Now it's time for dinner and we planned to eat at the Black Forest Sausage Kitchen at the Honey Bear Campground back in Gold Beach. Driving down Rte 101 S to the campground there was a large turkey vulture in our lane. He decided he wasn't moving and Ken decided to play "chicken?"...at the last minute he took off heading right for the car. We got a good close look at him as he just missed our side mirror! Dinner started at 6pm and was served by Mr. Saks who has been running this family business for 30 years. All of this German fare is homemade and delicious. Tonight they served stuffed cabbage (no rice here!), red cabbage, potato pancakes, and brats. Naturally there was German beir and dessert all for $8.95. Normally there is a German band but this was their first weekend open. We talked with Mr Saks and before leaving we bought red cabbage, pancakes, and pate to take home. As we went out the door Mr Saks says to Ken, "Tomorrow we serve Sauerbraten". If we had been within 50 miles we would have gone back. If you're in the Gold Beach area don't miss this wonderful place!

Now stuffed and happy we drove along the rugged coast back to Brookings. It was a fun day and we visited a really unique place.

Pictures: Agness General Store, Rogue River from National Forest Road 33, Rogue River Valley, Port Orford Dolly Dock

Rained Out

Today was pretty much spent indoors. We had heavy rain all morning. I read all the oregon material and Ken spent the day doing maintenance and bills. We had planned to take a horseback ride on the beach tonight, but I think we are washed out....

We hope the heavy rain stops soon - we don't mind the showers.

Home of the Easter Lilly

Fairly nice day today but it's cold. Brookings is considered the gateway to the Oregon Coast. It is also the center for commercial flower growing. Lily bulb farms, in a twelve mile area between Brookings and the town of Smith River California, produce 100% of the lily bulbs grown in North America. Unfortunately they aren't blooming this time of year.

We ran a few errands and stopped at a "Dutch Bros" Coffee stand. These are little drive up coffee shops. "Dutch Bros" is like the Starbucks of Oregon (only much better, my opinion). We had a coffee drink called the "Annihilator". It was coffee with macadamia nut flavor - yum!

First stop is the new Oregon Visitor Center. we picked up a lot of good brochures that will help us plan our activities along the coast. We found a clock shop and I was able to replace the battery in my watch for $5!

Heading up Rte 101 N we turned onto Carpenterville Rd which wound it's way through the lush coastal forest to our destination, Brandy Peak Distillery. This family-owned "micro-distillery" is one of but a handful of such distilleries in the U.S.. We were greeted at the door by Max a friendly blonde lab who escorted us to the front door. The Nowlin family uses only the best pears, blackberries, and grapes available. The fruits are carefully fermented and slowly distilled in wood fired pot stills to capture all the natural flavors and aromas. No colorings or flavorings are added. This produces 100% pure spirits that are smooth and aromatic. It was an interesting tour. After a tour of the distilling area we were ready to try the product. We tried several and learned you really need to develop a taste for pure brandy... very harsh. We did like the Blackberry Liquor.

With a bottle of Blackberry Liquor in our back pocket, we drove to Harris Beach State Park. This park has everything that makes a great Pacific Northwestern beach. The phenominal rocky coastline is dotted by monolithic sea stacks and framed by gorgeous fir, pine, and spruce trees. The view are dramatic and we looked for whales with our new binnoclars (can't find the ones we packed away last winter....). Didn't see any. Off shore is Bird Island. This is the largest island off the Oregon coast and is a National Wildlife Sanctuary providing a breeding site for rare birds including the tufted puffin. After walking the path along the cliff above the beach we decided to head out.

It's getting cloudy, windy, and raw. We can see the rain heading our way. Later we went to the Smugglers Italian Bistro. Eggplant Parmesean was our choice and it was really good - we brought half of it home.

Even though the weather wasn't the best today we enjoyed seeing the sights.

Pictures: Harris Beach State Park (2), Bird Island at Harris Beach State Park

Battery Point Light

Everything is covered with dew and the sun makes everything look silvery as we meander up Rte 101 to Oregon listening to the music of Yanni. As we roll down a steep grade we see the Siskiyou and Klamath Mountains to our right. The stands of Aspen trees are budding now and give a reddish hue amongst the green forest. We crossed the Klamath River on the Gold Bear Bridge with it's gold bear statues glimmering in the sunlight. Coming outof Klamath we came around a turn to see a fantastic ocean view with huge sea stacks in the mist along the coastline. We arrived in Crescent City and stopped for breakfast at Fishermans Cafe. This is definitely a fishing town... omelets filled with crab or shrimp..not sure this is a breakfast thing...

Next to the cafe we found a car wash so we gave the vehicles a bath. They've needed it since the Salton Sea! The place also did oil changes so we left the vehicles and went for a walk around the harbor. We watched a crew unload a giant refridgerator unit that would go onto a ship. Looking over the wharf rail we saw our first harbor seals swimming and sunning themselves. We stopped for lunch on the wharf at the Chart Room and had "ok" NE Clam Chowder and crab sandwiches (good).

Crescent City has a great little lighthouse called Battery Point which has an intersting history. San Francisco was rapidly growing in the 1850's and lumber was being harvested in Northern California to supply the construction. Many ships were being loaded with precious lumber in Crescent City and the dangerous rocky coast was a great concern. Theophilus Magruder, first official keeper, arrived at Battery Point on December 25, 1856. Today the lighthouse's local name is "the Christmas light".

In 1874 Captain John Jeffrey and his wife Nellie movedinto the station. They stayed for 39 years. This was a trial for the Jeffreys family. Sometimes Captain John had to take the boat and row the children to shore so they could go to school. You can only walk to the light during low tide. However, the family's difficulties didn't end there. In 1879, a hug wave knocked downt he kitchen wall, knocked over a lighted stove and the house would have burned down if a second wave hadn't put the fire out.

More troubles in 1964 when the Alaskan earthquake sent a tidal wave toward the Battery Point Light and threatend to destroy it, but the light and its keepers were spared when the wave struck at such an extreme angle that protected the structure. Unfortunately all 29 city blocks of Crescent City was destroyed.
The locals tell us there is a resident ghost, seen by at least six different people, who have heard its sea-booted feet slowly climbing the tower steps during storms.

Leaving the ghost behind (I hope) we got the car back and continued up Rte 101 into Oregon. The coast drive is beautiful and we're told by everyone that it gets better as you go north. Portside RV in Brookings-Harbor was our stop for the next 4 nights. We have a fair view of the ocean from our site. Tonight we'll plan the activities for the next few days.

We enjoyed California but we're excited about seeing Oregon! Hope the weather holds - today was beautiful.

Pictures: Rte 101 coastline to Oregon (2), Battery Point Light across the harbor, Battery Point Light

A Day at Patricks Point

Yea, the sun is here again! There were two herds of elk along the side of the road as we left camp this morning. We had breakfast at the Palm Cafe in Orick, a place with a poplulation of 650. Before leaving town we stopped at the hardware store - more like a combination of everything. They didn't have what we wanted but we talked with the store owner a while. He was a really nice guy and told us a lot about the town. Seems there is quite a bit of marijuana grown here. When I asked if it was for medical purposes... he just laughed.

Leaving Orick we went south on Rte 101 to the tiny, picture-perfect town of Trinidad. What a cute little place. We drove through town and past storybook beach cottages with fantastic gardens. The Azaleas and Rhoddys were starting to bloom. Following the road down to the harbor we got out of the car and checked out the fishing boats. The wind was whipping across the beach and it was really cold so we hopped back in the car. Trinidad sits up on a bluff so we left the beach and drove up to the overlook to see the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse. This is a replica of the original lighthouse and is still in use today. Unfortunately we missed the tolling of the fog bell at noon in memory of lost sailors. Next to the lighthouse is a little park which had benches so we sat and enjoyed the view and the sun.

Back in the car we drove up Rte 101 N to Patricks Point State Park. We went to the Visitor Center and got the layout of the park and then we headed down a forest path to the Sumeg Village. In the 1800's, the Yurok people had permanent village sites north and south of Patricks Point. They used the current park area as a seasonal encampment. The Yurok were a "water " people whose lives and villages were centerd around rivers and the sea. In the fall of 1990 an all-Yurok group constructed the Yurok Village of Sumeg. By building this village they wanted to preserve and carry on the traditions of their lifestyle. The Sumeg Village consists of family houses, dance pit, changing house, a redwood canoe and a sweat house. The family houses were built of redwood planks taken from fallen logs. Curved planks were placed on the roof to allow rain to drain off. The entire plank structure was lashed together using hazel saplings which they made pliable by heating them in a fire. The intense heat burst the saplings into fibers which they soaked and twisted into rope. The houses had two levels. The lower level had a fire burning pit which burned continuously for heat and the women and children slept here. The upper level had a broad ledge for storing food and the family's wealth.The houses were used for protection. The small round door kept out intruders and bears. The sizes and shape of the doors allowed women to easily defend the houses with burning sticks from the fire. Today the Yurok people and neighboring tribes use the village to teach their youth and share their history and traditions with the public.

We'll spend most of the day in the park today. We left the village and our next stop was Agate Beach. We parked and walked the short, steep trail with switchbacks that dropped us 100 feet down to the beach below. We climbed over rocks that slid off the cliff at the bottom of the trail and walked the black sand beach with cliffs at our back and pounding surf in front. We found a stream that ran down from the cliffs above, through rocks, and across the sand. This was a perfect spot to find agates. The beach is known to be a good place to hunt for the wave-polished semi-precious stones. We hunted for a while and found some nice rocks. We're not sure they are agates though.

After climbing back up the trail we drove to Wedding Rock. The trail from the parking lot led out to a bluff which flattend out looking out over the rocks and the ocean below. There were steps that led up to the huge rock which stood in front of us. Ken climbed the stairs to the top where there was a stone landing. Apparently they do wedding ceremonies on this landing with the waves crashing around them.

Next we drove through a different part of the park that wound through a beautiful forest road lined with Douglas Fir. We came out of the forest and the road followed the ridge of the cliff to Palmers Point. Parking in the overlook we had 180 degree views of the beach and coastline hundreds of feet below. This was the perfect spot for lunch sitting in the sun with a soft breeze blowing. We spent the afternoon reading and planning the Oregon and Washington leg of our trip. Later the wind got stronger and about 4:30pm we headed back to camp.

At home we relaxed with cheese, crackers and wine at camp. It's not crowded tonight. We learned today this is spring break so that's why all the college kids are around. After dinner we had a campfire. Eventually we came in, watched TV and called it a night. We are on the road again tomorrow!

Pictures: Trinidad Lighthouse, Sumeg Village Family House, Trail to Agate Beach, Agate Beach, Wedding Rock Overlook, Wedding Rock Top, Wedding Rock View, Palmer Point View

Redwood Creek Trail

Well we had showers last night and it's foggy this morning. We headed out to hike Fern Canyon. We turned west onto Davidson Road and passed the Elk Meadow (nope no Elk...) and the road soon turned to dirt with ferns growing everywhere. We stopped at the Day Use fee gate and paid our fee. There was a note that the seasonal bridges in Fern Canyon were not available until summer. The sign said the road was open. That's ok we'll check it out so we continued. The pot holes were the size of craters and trying to go around them on this narrow road was a real test. Passing Gold Beach we made a note to come back for lunch. Up the road about 2 miles appears a sign "stream crossing ahead"... well sure enough the stream crossed the road but no bridge. Yep - Ken was sure we could make it through so after some discussion - we went (eh). A little way further down the road we came to another stream..Nope! Not going!. So we turned around. We were disappointed but we didn't want to take any changes - guess we need a 4 wheel drive vehicle.... Fern Canyon was used by Steven Spielberg for Jurassic II. It's a narrow canyon, whose 50 foot walls are carpeted with ferns and mosses.

Back at Gold Beach we took our picnic bag and found a table right on the edge of the beach. The fog was still hanging along the cliffs, waves crashing against the black sand and breaks of sun and blue sky. We walked the beach and then sat at our table loving the sound of the pounding surf. There's no one here but us and it's great. After about an hour we left the beach.

We wound our way back to Rte 101. We drove through the hamlet of Orick and then drove down Bald Hills Road to the Redwood Creek Trail. We passed a stand of Alder trees and could see a herd of elk grazing in the trees. Redwood Creek is a beautiful flat trail with maples, redwoods, meadow, ferns and cascading creek. This is an 8 mile trail so we walked about a mile over little wooden bridges and past natural rock waterfalls. Many of the trees are covered with moss and this gives the forest an other worldly feeling. Along the trail we found this cute yellow Banana Slug. These are decomposers and turn dead plant materials into soil humus. As we got back to the car the clouds were getting darker and heavier.

By the time we got back to camp it was raining. Ken worked on some maintenance items and I got a new recipie ready for dinner. The campground is full again tonight. We talked with the camp hosts for a while. They are a young couple (30's), which is unusual. They are here for 6 months. I couldn't do 6 months with no services, phone, etc. It's pretty remote! We watched TV and went to bed.

Pictures: Gold Beach (2), Redwood Creek Trail (4), Banana Slug

Redwood Prairie Creek State Park

Out of the dark and into the light as we head up Rte 101N this morning to Eureka. We'll stop and get supplies for the next three days as we will be in the woods again. People in these little towns like Weott have to drive 20 miles for the nearest gas and 42 miles to Eureka to shop. They shop once a month!

Getting closer to Eureka the landscape changes with some hills but more pastures and ocean inlets on our left. There's fog hanging over the ocean this morning as the road turns coastal. (Yipes regular gas is $3.25/gal here...). Further up the coast we get our first real view of the ocean with huge rock formations and the Coastal Mountain range in front of us in a light fog. We stopped at the pull off to admire the beach. We noticed signs along the beach warning about "sneaker waves". These are large waves that form very quickly and we were warned never to turn our back on the water! The other signs we see all along the coast warn us that we are in a Tsunami Hazard Zone. Some of the waves here come all the way from Japan.

Now we have evergreen forests on both sides and it's windier here. We pass through the hamlet of Arcata and are treated to georgeous ocean views. There are numerous state parks along the way for both day use and camping. To our right is the sign Welcome to Redwood State Park and sure enough the meadow was full of Roosevelt Elk. We will see more of these animals later so we kept going. We turned onto the Newton B Drury Parkway which is a 10 mile scenic alternative to Hwy 101. Th parkway has huge meadows on each side and warnings saying "Caution Elk Feeding Area". (No Elk...). We found Elk Prairie Campground on our left and turned in. We are really out in the woods and no communication services for the next 3 days. Our site is opposite the meadow (still no Elk...).

After getting set up we decided to go to the Big Tree Wayside. Along this nature path is a 300 plus ft. redwood which is 21 ft in diameter and it's massive. Lavender Trillium were sprinkled all along the path and we enjoyed the quiet. Leaving Big Tree we drove down the parkway to the end. This is a much more open road than Avenue of the Giants, but it still has beautiful trees. Here the forest is a mix of Sequoia, Redwoods, and Douglas Fir. Towards the end of the Parkway we saw a side road marked Coastal Rd. Of course we had to go explore! Sure enough another one of our twisty roads which soon turned to gravel with pot holes the size of New York City! The road ran along the top of the cliff above the ocean. Both sides of the road are lush with fern and evergreen trees. We stopped at several turnouts to look over the edge and enjoy the views from high up in the tree tops! One of the turnouts was at a World War II radar station. It looks like a farmhouse and barn - that was its disguise in the 1940's. The operations building housed an oscilloscope and radar technicians and the smaller barn held a power supply. The road rounded a corner and we were at the mouth of the Klamath River where it meets the ocean. We could see a line where the emerald green water of the river mixed with the blue Pacific. The road continued beside the river and through the Klamath River Valley. We passed clumps of what looked like large yellow pulpit type flowers. Eventually the road led us back to Rte 101 about 17 miles north of camp. It was a nice ride.

Back at our site we sat outside and had wine and cheese while watching the carloads of tenters arrive for their weekend in the woods. It was a great day with new discoveries (no Elk yet..,).

Pictures: 1st Ocean View on Rte 101, Sneaker Wave Warning, Big Tree Wayside, Purple Trillium, Coast Road (2), Coast Road View (2), End of Coast Road, Yellow Pulpit Flower