OOOOOOOH!!

This morning we decided to head back to the Dean Creek Elk Viewing area to see if we could get a closer picture of the elk. We stopped at a pull off where we found 2 herds grazing close to the road. While we were watching the elk another couple joined us. They were local people and we talked with them for a while.

Next we drove up 101 back to Florence to visit the famous Oregon Dunes. The coastal range has been rising for millions of years. The dunes have been pushed upward by the incredible force of colliding tectonic plates. Wind and rain grind river rocks into sand which is deposited on ocean shores. Strong tides and winds from the pacific blow the sand into undulating ridges along the 50 miles of beach from Florence to Coos Bay. The dunes bring to mind images of Lawrence of Arabia.

Today we'll do something we've never done.. we're going Sand Railing on the dunes! Sand Dunes Frontier was our destination. The Sand Rail soon pulled up with our driver Darren, who has been driving the dunes for 19 years. We suited up in our rain jackest with hoods up, goggles, and Darren belted us into our buggy. He asked if we wanted the "fun" ride - we said "of course!" Off we went and for the next half hour we went up and over 100-200 ft dunes, down sheer drop offs like a roller coaster, back up and then along the edge until we swooped down again. We stopped at the top of a 300 ft plus dune, the tallest dune in the recreation area to take pictures. Sprinkled among the dunes are tree islands. These are remnants of larger forests that were covered by sand. These isolated stands look like they're floating in a sea of sand. It was spectacular looking over the crests to the ocean. Then we were off again curling up dunes at a 45 degree angle and then back down again. We plunged down another dune nose first causing us both to go "oooooh"! What a blast - one of the best things we've done so far on the trip.

Back at the car - a little sandy - we drove north of Florence to Hecta Light. The road passed through a tunnel that took us through a granite rock outcropping before arriving at the turnoff for Hecta Head. The light sits on the 1,000 foot high Hecta Head, 205 feet above the ocean. This light is rated the strongest on the Oregon coast and can be seen from 21 miles off shore. We walked the path from the parking lot to the lighthouse high on a cliff and watched the waves break against the rocks and headlands below. They were phenominal spraying everywhere. This lighthouse is famous and you've probably seen it on calendars.

We headed back to camp. It was a beautiful day and we had lots of fun!

Pictures: Elk, View of Oregon Dunes Recreation Area, Our Sand Rail, Sitting on Top of Dune, Sand Railing, Trail to Hecta Light, Lighthouse from Keepers home, Hecta Light, Us on the Hecta Headlands, Evening Light on Hecta Head