Coos Bay - Part 2

After our waterfall hike, we decided to take it pretty easy the next day.  We really didn't do anything but watch like 3 movies.  It was awesome! But by the time that the afternoon rolled around, the puppies started getting a little bit restless, and quite frankly I did too.  It was beautiful outside and we needed to get out.  So just for the sake of time, we went back out to Horsfall beach.  It was like a totally different beach today.  The sun shining on the sand made a huge difference, and it didn't even look the same as it did the other day.  It was really nice to actually be in the sunshine on the beach. We had a relatively quite visit on the beach because there were really very few other people out, which is my favorite time to be out.  There were a few more ATVers out today than there were the other day.  One group had dogs with them in their Razors, so I knew that I would have to use some caution on our way out to avoid any kind of incident with the pups.  As we approached the family with the two dogs, I put the pups back on leash to pass them.   I noticed that a lady was taking her Boston Terrier back to the Razor as we passed.  Something that I was very grateful for.  Clearly this woman recognized that her dog doesn't mix well with other dogs, and took it away from causing trouble.  I was very grateful, especially because my dogs can be turds too.  Their bigger dog was playing in the surf with the family and seemed unphased by us. Well, it almost worked to take the Boston to the Razor.  She had waited until we were a good distance down the beach before she let her Rogue Boston out of the Razor, but apparently he was not content with letting us pass.  All of the sudden I hear yelling, and I turn around to see this dog, with teeth bared, making a beeline straight at us.  This little bastard ran right into the middle of my three dogs and started attacking Frank..  Huge mistake!! All three of my dogs went nuts going after this little bolt of lightening that just disrupted their beach time.  Mind you that all three dogs are attached to me, at my waist.  So its not like I can just let go of the leashes, and move out of the way. Instead I am left with no choice but to try to intervene before my 85 pound dogs decide to have Boston Terrier as an appetizer.  I was able to get Trigger out of the mix quite easily, she's little.  Then there came the boys.  Somehow I managed to free the Boston from their grasps when I picked up Frank, but then Frank, not realizing who had him, decided to just start biting in the air, and almost connect with Buddy which in turn makes them start to scuffle.  It was a shit show!!  When it was all said and done, I was literally tied up by the three leashes, Buddy was basically tied between my legs, and couldn't move.  Trigger was tied to the back of my legs, and Frank was upside down on the ground wondering what in the world just happened.  It was really a very comical 35 seconds. All I see after the noise settles is that dang Boston prancing back to his family. Like his work here was done.  Then his owner came running over to make sure we were all ok, which we were.  My honest concern was for her dog, to which she replied "If he's not ok its his OWN damn fault!"  I couldn't help but laugh. 

 One of the great things about Oregon, is that they have Scenic Tour routes posted everywhere.  Then they also have a lot of information on their website about what to do one these scenic routes.  My next adventure consisted of taking the Charleston to Bandon scenic route.  The first stop on this route is at Cape Argo State Park.  I did not get out and wander here, because Kyle and I had done that before he left.  When we did go over there, we had walked down a short trail with the pups to an overlook. This overlook allowed you to sit and admire a ton of sea lions that like to hang out on the rocks here.  It reminded me a lot of the elephant seal rookery that we saw in California.  There were so many sea lions. It was crazy, you could hear them barking from the parking lot.  As we were walking down to the overlook, Mr Frank was very uncertain of what was barking at him and did not know if he wanted to see what it was either.  It was hilarious.  For such a big, strong, hunting dog, he can be such a little chicken about things.  Its pretty funny. 

My next stop after Cape Argo, was to go to the South Slough National Estuary just outside of Charleston.  It was beautiful here.. The parking lot did not look promising when I arrived at the trail head, but I figured that a hike would be good for all of us regardless. The trail was very narrow, and at points looked like we were walking through at tunnel. This is one of the few places that I have taken the pups that they had to be on leash the entire time.  Which when you are by yourself, can be a very interesting endeavor. The narrow trail let to a narrow elevated, plank style path that meandered through the estuary.  It was just barely wide enough for the three dogs to walk on side by side. The foliage here was unlike any that I have seen in Oregon yet.  All along the boardwalk paths were what looked like giant spinach leaves everywhere. All of the trees were covered in moss, and the whole area is just so green.  We wandered around the estuary for about an hour admiring the beautiful scenery from the different look out points that the paths led you to.  

The beginning of the trail at the parking lot

There were several of these bridges we had to cross

The elevated boardwalk through the estuary

Giant Spinach Leaves ;)

Tunnel Trail

Next on our agenda for the day was as stop at 7 Devils Beach.  Kyle and I found this beach before he left for NoDak, so I knew that it would be a great way to pass our afternoon.  We arrived on the beach and decided to head south toward Bandon along the beach.  It is always so fun to be the only ones on the beach.  The dogs have the freedom to just run and play, as long as I don't start freaking out about how many sea creatures the black devils decide to eat while running amuck.  Buddy has always been really great about staying close and not getting into things while we are on the beach.  It is so nice to have one good one out of three, but today he apparently found himself a naughty streak.  He decided that he wanted nothing more than to chase seagulls, no matter how far away they might be.  Even if that includes trying to swim 40 yards into the ocean to a giant rock that all the seagulls are sitting on, in rough tide.  I tell you, watching these three is exhausting at times, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.   We have fun, even when they are naughty.  I enjoy exploring around and finding treasures.  

Buddy is staring at the rock with all the birds on it 

Check out the size of this barnacle that I found

Next stop was Face Rock in Bandon.  I pulled into the parking lot for the Face Rock Overlook and took a stroll by myself, I figured that the pups were tired enough, and I could use a moment to myself.  I found a lovely bench overlooking Face Rock and the water below, and it was calling my name.  So I sat down and just stared at the ocean, in complete and total silence, and it was AMAZING! Not to say that I would trade my pups for anything, they are my world, but sometimes it is nice to just be still.  This spot was perfect for that.  There were people bustling around everywhere on the beach, but up here on the bluff was complete and total peace. Nothing but the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below, and a seagull squaking in the distance.  It was so relaxing. I have found that I am most at peace when I just sit and stare at the water, its mesmerizing. 

Face Rock, legends say that an Indian Princess of one tribe was turned to stone by the spiritual man of a rival tribe when she entered the ocean with her basket of puppies and kittens that she was trying to offer to them.  The rocks to the right of her face are said to be the kittens. 

These rocks are said to be the puppies.

My view while I sat quietly on a bench

As all of you have probably noticed, I spend a LOT of time driving.  It seems like everything that I have found interesting to see is at least an hour away from Coos Bay, its even that way in all the Oregon Adventure guides that I have.  Beyond the Estuary and Cape Argo and surrounding state parks that I've already been to, everything else is either north, south or east of here.  Luckily I don't mind driving.  



My next adventure was no different.  I drove up to Newport, which is about 99 miles north.  I had read about the bay front area and a lighthouse there, plus there were a couple of areas along the way that I wanted to check out.  After arriving into Newport, I drove down by the bay front and found a very busy, narrow street, with people bustling about everywhere.   Due to the lack of parking, I decided that it might be best to wait to explore this area on a Wednesday maybe, when the crowds are smaller.  So I headed over to the Yaquina Head lighthouse.  This is the tallest lighthouse on the Oregon, and is still in operation.   There was a trail that lead up a hill overlooking the lighthouse that the pups and I ventured on before I headed over to the lighthouse.  From the top of the hill it felt like you could see forever, which is a feeling I always have when I look at the ocean. But, from this vantage point you could see more than just water, and it was beautiful.  After a quick tour or the lighthouse grounds, and a looking at an eagle in binoculars, (mainly because the volunteer working there would not let it go), I made myself a sandwich and started toward my next point of interest.  As I was driving away from the lighthouse, I couldn't help but giggle at the fact that I drove 2.5 hours up to Newport to honestly spend about 30 minutes checking out a lighthouse, I'm ridiculous.  

The eagle I "had" to look at was sitting on top of this rock, there was also a Bald Eagle hanging on a different rock in this area.  I was pretty neat

The next stop was Thor's Well in Cape Perpetua. I had every intention of hiking around in Cape Perpetua, but discovered that it wasn't very easy to navigate where to access the trails in that state park, nor did I have any cash to pay the day fee to park, so I just moved on after a quick stop at the visitors center.   I had done a little bit of research about Thor's Well and wasn't sure exactly how to get there, but found at the visitors center that you could stop at Cooks Chasm and walk down to the tide pools where it was.  Thor's Well looks like a giant sink hole in the ocean when the tide is right. When I googled it I was fascinated. (I recommend googling it, the pictures are much better than the ones I got) Although, everything that I read about it said that it was so dangerous, hard to get to, and if the tide was high it would be life threatening to try to photograph.  Sounds like a great idea to do when you are out adventuring by yourself, and your dogs are in the truck on the side of busy 101, right. What could go wrong.  Well, quite frankly nothing.  "Just don't be dumb" is what I kept saying to myself.  The pullout to Cooks Chasm was just past Cape Perpetua, on the ocean side of the road.  From the overlook you could see the tide pools below, and there was a path that led from the highway down to them.  It was not that hard to get to.  I saw a bunch of people gathered around what could only be Thor's Well, I also saw a guy with a dog down there, really not that dangerous at the moment.  Don't get me wrong, I totally see why this would be a dangerous place to visit when the tide is high, because the ocean is unpredictable and unforgiving, but if you pay attention, go when the tide is low, its really not that dangerous, just don't try to play in the well.  The well is about 20 ft wide and it really does look like an unforgiving hole in the ocean that will suck you into an abyss.  The water level in the well changes with each incoming and outgoing wave. The big waves provide the best photographic opportunities, so I found myself standing there for about 30 minutes, trying to get the best pictures possible until I had taken so many pictures that I ran out of room on my phone. It was a really cool experience and I highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area.  

Thor's Well 

View of the tide pools to the North of the well

My third and final adventure this day was to go find a covered bridge that I had read about in the area.  I wasn't sure if I was going to really go find this or not, especially considering that it would be another 30 some miles in a different direction from Florence. But, after a stop for ice cream in Florence, I figured why not.  What else am I going to do? I love covered bridges, lets do this.  The only information that I had about the whereabouts of this bridge was a road name. Luckily there is only one Deadwood Loop Rd in google maps, so I went with it, hoping that it was really the right road to be on.  Once again, I found myself driving down some strange narrow back road in Oregon, wondering what in the world am I doing, but luckily it has been totally worth it every time.  Turns out this was the correct Deadwood Loop Rd, and after about 35 minutes of driving I found myself standing at the first covered bridge that I've ever seen in person, although I feel like I have been obsessed with them for most of my life. No idea where the obsession came from. I just find them very nostalgic, and it makes me wonder if I was born about 60 years too late at times.  This bridge was very simple, but it was it's simplicity that I found so beautiful.  I took a few minutes to let the pups run around before making them pose for the picture that Im sure you've all already seen.  I didn't stay here long either, it is definitely a residential area, and I didn't want to feel like I was intruding.  So we loaded up and meandered the 1.5 hours back to Coos Bay.