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I have been here for a few days now and I think I better spend sometime on this. So I came into North Bend to Sozo a coffee house with free WI-FI to do this, yesterday at the library in Coos Bay the connection was slow it was so slow it made dial up seem fast.
My trip down from Portland was not what I planed, my plan was to go I-5, but as all good plans they are meant to be changed. And so they were. When I got to Salem I decided to head over to the coast. My head and body were craving tree and ocean therapy. Got the tree therapy on my way to Lincoln City I know I miss trees but until I got here I never knew how much. No wonder I take pictures of trees and water. The way down the coast was great the sun was shinning the fog bank was waiting to come in.

Got to North Bend and thought I would surprise Rose and of course she was not home. So off to Charleston and home I went. Some thing’s have changed and others not. Mom and Dad’s front yard really does look nice sense they had it landscaped a few years ago. And the patio dad did really is nice.

Friday Mom and I went down and picked up Kathy and drove down to Bandon. Drove over to Coquille and followed the Coquille River to Bandon. Mom said that she could remember when this was the only way to go from Coos Bay to Bandon, and in the winter the river would flood and then you were out of luck. Highway 101 was really a god sent for the Oregon Coast. Ok maybe it wasn’t as it brought more people in. Tourist are now the main industry as fishing and logging have seen better days. But that doesn’t mean they are liked.

Back to our trip to Bandon, we ate lunch in this little bakery in Old Town. Wish I would have written the name down. I had this sandwich that was so big I couldn’t eat it all. Half would have had more then enough, and what they had looked really good. Mom and Kathy had left their jackets in the car and they were cold as the wind was blowing right out of the north. I told them that my Mom taught me to be prepared; I wasn’t feeling sorry for them. After lunch across the street there was a store going out of business and that was were I wanted to go. Mom seemed somewhat shocked that I did not want to go into the bookstore. Sometimes a sale is more important then a bookstore. Did I just say that?

This is the first ocean picture that I took. This is at Bullards Beach State Park Don’t really know why I didn’t take any on my way down. I guess I didn’t think of it. Bullards is were the Coquille River Lighthouse is.

When I was a kid this lighthouse was in sad shape. The little light that was forgotten about. But in 1976 US Army Corps and the Oregon State Parks renovated the lighthouse. It has been recently been painted and people complained that the colors were wrong and they didn’t like it. It is not white. Frankly I think it looks great and it is a big improvement from when I was a kid. No more graffiti.

We took the Seven Devils Road back to Charleston. The new not the old. Fun thing is the new has been around for ever. The old has some of the greatest curves fun to drive but Mom says it is not in great shape they are logging. We ran into fog on the way back to Charleston. Went out to the beach and I took some pictures of course I took a picture of the Cape Arago Lighthouse.

I know it is not the greatest picture it is one of many to come. A little history this is the third light here. The first was built in 1866 the second in 1909 this one in 1934. When I was a little kid you could go out to the light. But for years now you have not been able to. The light was deactivated a few years ago. It is sad not to see the light.



The lone tree. Hard to believe a little tree can grow on the top of rock. It is hard to see but the roots are hanging down. The trees on Squaw Island (ok that is not its name anymore but oh well) have died and for once not from man but because of a bird and its poop. You can see the dead trees on the above pictures of the lighthouse it is to the left of the lighthouse.



Simpson's Reef You can't see but on the beach it is covered with sea lions.Talk about noisy I think I'd rather be in a room full of three years ok it is not that bad.

Up next I didn't go where I said I was, somethings never change.