We
spent the night in a sand camp in the dunes north of Coos
Bay. When we were done with the dunes, we headed back into
Coos Bay to get prescriptions filled and do laundry.
The photos below are what we saw.
Right
next to our sand camp were vernal pools.
In the
distance we could hear sand quads on the higher dunes.
Just then, they came over the crest and I could see them.
Our sand
camp was hidden in the trees.
A Frankencamper
based on a Ford van and a toy-hauler trailer.
On our
return back into Coos Bay we could see that the railroad bridge
was turned to allow boat traffic to pass.
We
decided to head to the Oregon State Park at Sunset Bay. We
got the last site available and once we got settled we hiked to
the cove at the beach. In the distance past the waves
breaking on the shore rocks, we could see a freighter headed
south along the coast.
While
watching the surf we noticed this slug speeding toward an early
grave -- he was slithering on a collision path with my heel.
We
walked around the camp site and noticed plenty of bicycles.
The
bicycles, it seems, were used by a group of teenagers on some
kind of bike safari. It was amusing to watch them attempt
to set up their tents.
The
following morning's clear weather allowed a reasonable view of
the lighthouse.
To the
south the low tide exposed plenty of rocks near the shore.
We spent one more night in the area at the county park.
From there, we headed south along US-101.
We
traveled south to Port Orford and were presented with a nice
view of their little harbor.
To the
south, large number of "sea stacks" were visible in the shallow
waters.
Further
south along the cliffs I spotted this dead whale on the
beach. It is best to be upwind of such things.
We got a
nice view of the Rogue River Bride at Gold Beach, OR.
In the
Rogue River we spotted this wreck.
The day
was coming to a close so we found a place at the harbor in
Brookings, OR. Above, Thor tries his best to blend into
the local scenery.
The fog
had not yet started to arrive so we were rewarded with clear
views of the coast.
The
following morning we continued south along US-101. We
spent several nights in Petaluma with our friends Kevin and
Kirsten, and then headed inland toward Vallejo to get some Thor
parts (fuel and oil filters). Along the way, we passed
refineries near the freeway. Once we were done in Vallejo,
we did a speed run to Fresno on SR-99 to meet with Mike and
Carrie, more truck friends.
After a
pleasant night in Fresno we continued south along SR-99.
Along the way we spotted this helicopter doing aerial spraying.
We
arrived in the northern L.A. basin around 1700; way too late to
consider a transit of the basin. We decided to spend the
night at Lake Castaic at the southern base of the Grapevine
grade.
The lake
that serves as the cornerstone for this park is actually a
reservoir on the California Aqueduct. Part of the delivery
infrastructure is visible in the photo above.
The
earth-fill dam is another part of the project. We left
Castaic and did an uneventful transit of the L.A. basin and were
back at our place in SD by 1500 hrs.
While
filling Thor's tanks at a station near our home I spotted this
interesting roadster.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2019, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.