Coos Bay & Eureka - Two beautiful locales

First and foremost, let me extend my deepest apologies for leaving my followers without a blog for nearly a week, but let me assure you, the next couple are full of great information, and beautiful pictures! Its been a great few days, with events running the gamut from an ocean dip to baseball in the bay, so hold on for the blog onslaught!

The last time you heard from me, I was taking in the natural splendor and tasty food of Portland -- Some of the best in the country! I departed Portland and drove down the coast of Oregon on Hwy 101, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The 101 is only matched in beauty and sheer driving excitement by Hwy 1 in California (which I intend to drive at some point on this journey) and is truly a spectacular expedition. The roads winds up and down the coast, zig-zagging between quaint little towns, and dense forestation. If there were no speed limits, and limited traffic, this would be the road you would want to test your new Porsche on. Period.

After arriving in Coos Bay, I explored the town a little, and then headed for my selected campground for the night. The reason I had selected this particular area was for its proximity to the beach and coastline, and I was surely not disappointed. Within two blocks of my site, I had vast sandy beaches surrounded by dense forests. I took a quick run on the beach, and then retreated back to the campsite to get my camera for an excellent photo op. I snagged some pictures, and decided it would be best to get the full effect and jump in, if only for a moment.  Although it surely wasn't the warmest beach I have ever been to, it was still worth jumping in quickly to get the full effect. Chilly, but refreshing!

After a restful night of camping with the ocean as my soundscape, I jetted down the West coast to Eureka. The drive took a bit longer than I had anticipated with the windy 101 often having a maximum speed limit of 35, but I still arrived in time to set up camp and cook up some dinner.... Or at least I thought.... After driving all around town trying to find a campground for almost 3 hours, I finally found one that wasn't at its maximum occupancy. Bear in mind that this was a KOA, which in my opinion is not technically camping, but by that time I arrived, I was exhausted and resigned to stay there, even though it was located in what appeared to be an abandoned lumber yard. An interesting night to say the least.

Although I spent most of my afternoon driving around in vain, I was able to grab a couple good pics from one of the areas that I visited to obtain a campground. The Samoa Dunes Recreation Area, just outside of Eureka was stunning, and reminded me a bit of the dunes in Colorado. Sand as far as the eye could see, but with beautiful rolling hills interspersed throughout. This area used to be used as an ammunition bunker during WWII, and these bunkers are still there in area (although I was not able to capture them on camera) on the outskirts of the dunes. It was gorgeous and scenic, especially on a day when I was a bit stressed!

Alright blogosphere, 1 of 3 posts for tonight finished! I'll be uploading 2 more posts in the near future after I finish uploading and editing the subsequent pictures -- More Cali to come!

A.S. Bloom

Follow Me On Flickr for All My Photos:
www.flickr.com/48states80days/