borders and byways: June 29, Coos Bay to Brookings, OR

June 29, Thursday Day 25 Coos Bay to Brookings

Best breakfast of the trip so far. Tasty quiche and an apple (grown on the grounds) tarte. Of course, a good breakfast is to be expected at a Bed and Breakfast. Plus, since it was not the usual buffet that we experienced at hotels, I did not eat too much.

Ate breakfast with two Indian-American women. One is a fifth-year eye, nose and throat surgical resident in Philadelphia and the other a third-year medical student in Chicago. Not clear what their relationship is. The former was very poised and confident. She disputed the idea that it is good to restrict residents to an 80-hour workweek and felt that extended hours are needed on occasion to connect with their and be present for patients. She dismissed arguments of exhaustion and less concerned with work life balance. The latter was very uncertain, but she was concerned about work life balance. She seemed very unsure of her medical career, but she does not want to be a surgeon.

The owner was very chatty. After living in and leaving San Diego, “too crowded and too many taxes”, she has lived in Coos Bay for 16 years while owning the B&B. Now she is ready to sell it. She said it was a lot of work and the 100+ year old building required constant repairs. During her time in Coos Bay she has served on the City Council. The local politics are complicated. She said North Bend has adamantly refused to join Coos Bay and remains a separate town, as opposed to Charleston, where her lodging is located, joined Coos Bay. She also spoke very disparagingly about the owner of the restaurant we ate at the prior evening, Blue Heron, essentially labeling him as a government gadfly and an extremist.

The husband previously owned a Hinda Civic Plug-in and he purchased a home super charger which he claimed charged up his Honda in minutes. However, he was dissatisfied with the car and sold it. No need for his home charger so I bought it, for cash, at a substantial discount. It helped charge the car up to a full charge.

We traveled a few miles back north through North Bend and back across the McCullough Bridge to the Horsfall Beach entrance to the southern end of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. On the way in we saw a small army of people digging for oysters on the mudflats at low tide. Another observer told us that was a regular occurrence and that they sold their catch to local restaurants. Unfortunately, beach access was closed due to “high water”. We parked and began a walk on the dunes. Sand as far as the eye could see. Mountains of sand that were periodically interrupted by large and small ATVs wildly driving up and down the dunes. One rider was concerned that we were stranded and offered to pick us up. After I explained our walk he seemed dumbfounded that anyone would do that. He gave Karen a ride around the dunes and then after I had climbed on the front, he drove us back to the parking lot. Enough sand for me.

We exited the dune area and drove south, for the third time crossing the McCullough Bridge, but this time we drove down Empire Boulevard along the coast through Charleston. We encountered another road closure that cost us a 20-minute delay.

The Oregon coast is very green with lots of cliffs and offers spectacular ocean views. I think it rivals the best of the California coast. We first stopped at Shore Acres State Park. This was the former estate of the lumber baron Louis Simpson, who also developed North Bend. He took his father’s company and grew it into a large lumber, milling and shipbuilding empire. He built the estate in the early 1920s for his first wife, who died shortly thereafter. He remarried and winterized the property. Eventually his financial fortunes cratered and the property was given to the state.

The mansion no longer exists (bulldozed by the state as too expensive to maintain), but the private garden remains. It is beautifully landscaped and maintained and with a pond seems to incorporate both English and Japanese designs. For me the highlight was a tour around the grounds by a Park Ranger. We walked along rugged, wave-smashed cliffs that seemed to be eroding as we watched. And that was in the summer. This is said to be a great site to view spectacular winter storms. At several sites along the cliffs, we saw and heard barking sea lions. The trail has been moved inland several times to accommodate erosion and the tennis courts can no longer accommodate a doubles game. We ate lunch at a picnic table on the grounds.

Cape Arago State Park was our next stop. This is the site of an island lighthouse and has had several iterations, the first one going back to 1866. The current one was built in 1934. We could see the lighthouse, but it is no longer active. Good spot to view the seals and the coastline.

We drove further south along 101 and stopped in Bandon. This is a harbor town, but it is now most famous for the adjoining cranberry bogs and products filled with cranberry products. We parked adjacent to the harbor and walked along the boardwalk with views of the Coquille River. Lots of tourist shops. The area advertises championship golf courses on the dunes.

Continuing south we drove through the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Just off the coast there were numerous large and even gigantic rocks that comprise the refuge. We saw lots of birds and harbor seals.

We passed Port Orford, the westernmost incorporated city in the continental US and Cape Blanco State Park, the westernmost point in Oregon. We took a short detour and drove down to the lighthouse. It has been in continuous use since 1870, but the point of land on which it is situated was incredibly windy.

At Gold Beach, we crossed the mouth of the Rogue River. This is the longest wild, undammed river remaining in the US. There was a handsome bridge spanning the river. Lots of signs for Jerry’s Rogue Jets that offer white water trips on the river. No time. South of the river the weather became warmer and the vegetation was marked by many more flowers. Further south we crossed the Thomas Creek Bridge, the highest bridge in Oregon. On its south side were trails leading down to the coast that were lined with Sitka spruce trees. We then drove through the Boardman State Scenic Corridor. 300 ft. Sitka spruce trees lined the road and there were lots of trailheads beckoning us down to the beach and spectacular coastline. Alas, no time to stop as darkness was approaching.

We pulled into the Brookings Inn Resort about 8:30. Not much resort there, although it did have an indoor pool. Not open late or early. After several false starts we got a first-floor room from which we could charge up the car. We walked a short distance and picked up dinner at a Subway that we ate in the room.