OR -– Umpqua Lighthouse State Park, 7-14 Nov

 

We spent a week at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park near Winchester Bay and Reedsport, Oregon.  We were tucked in the woods and had all amenities except TV.  There was a steep, but pleasant trail down to Lake Marie where we walked our friend and fished a couple of times a day.  The Umpqua Lighthouse and the Dunes were just a short one mile walk.  The weather stayed dry most of the week…excellent this time of year on the coast!

The first day we hiked out on the dunes.  Some of the highest dunes are just south of the state park.  We had a great view of the ocean and our dog loved it.  We briefly followed a fresh set of bear tracks.  Towards the end of the hike we looped directly toward the lighthouse.  Near the lighthouse, the only other tracks in the sand belonged to critters like raccoons and deer.

   

   

All summer long we have been traveling through prime elk locations and had not seen the mythical creatures.  I even put elk and unicorn in the same fairytale category at one point!  Finally, in the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area, we saw 50 or 60.  Elk do exist!!  We even watched a couple of bull elk assert their dominance.  After a few minutes of clashing, the loser slowly walked away and the winner went about his business like nothing happened.  There were many geese and a few pretty ducks rooting around in the meadow and floating the small creek.  One of the signs in the very informative overlook said to cup your hands behind your ears to hear better like a deer…see Arleen below doing her deer impression.

   

Elk sparing at Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area

The Umpqua Discovery Center has made many of the Oregon Coast’s “must see” lists.  It features two exhibits.  One is about the history of the area and the other is about the flora and fauna.  As you walk through, you trigger nature sounds and stories.  The large murals are vibrant and detailed.  You either hear a story or read about a story that coincides with the mural and it encourages you to carefully look at every part of the amazing picture.  There are replicas of an old, one room school house and a barber shop.  In one area, you can sit and listen to stories of eight old timers.  They relayed their stories of their parent’s arrival in the area in the early 1900s and how it was for them growing up in the 20s and 30s.  Nothing beats hearing about history from people who lived it.  We even slid down into a bear den.  The final exhibit was about weather.  Most of it was hands on and included trivia.  There was even an old National Weather Service radar!  The Umpqua Discovery Center was one of the most fun “museums'” we’ve experienced.  Make sure it’s on your “must see” list if you’re near Reedsport, Oregon!

   

The Umpqua Lighthouse was just a mile from our campsite.  There was also an overlook on highway 101 just 2 or 3 miles away.  We often walked to the lighthouse and went to the overlook to admire the lighthouse at different times of the day.  One night, there were just a few clouds and a bright full moon so we drove up around 9:30pm.  The visibility was good and we could clearly see the lighthouse, the unique Umpqua jetty, and the buoy.  The first picture below was taken using a tripod and setting the shutter to stay open for 5 seconds.  The second picture was taken right after a pretty sunset.  The last picture is really cool.  We took it at night in fog and drizzle.  The beams were eerie as they slowly spun around and reflected off the trees.  We also toured the lighthouse and museum.  The lower part of the museum was dedicated to the history of the lighthouse.  The upper part featured the Coast Guard.  The displays were well done and very informative.  Our tour guide actually maintains the lighthouse.  She taught us a lot.

   

Our mushroom supply was low so we went “shrooming”.  We hiked just over 5 miles between Elbow and Threemile Lakes north of Reedsport.  On the way out we found many small chanterelle mushrooms along the trail and managed to fill a basket.  We took a good long break on a dune overlooking the ocean and scoped the water for whales but didn’t see any.  We saw at least 10 small salamanders slowly crossing the trail.  We paid close attention so we wouldn’t accidently step on them…they were hard to see.  On the way back we “shroomed” in a very “shroomy” area…jackpot!  We found a bunch of nice ones and had no trouble filling the other basket.  We ended up with 5 pounds of chanterelle mushrooms!  Arleen made a large batch of cheese and wine mushroom sauce that goes great on most meat and veggies.

   

Lake Marie is part of the state park.  The small lake has a one mile trail circling it.  Motor boats are not allowed, but kayaks and canoes are…perfect!  The week we were there, we only saw a few fisherman.  Most of the time the lake was only occupied by a few ducks.  Other than occasional distant noise from ATVs on the dunes and trucks on highway 101, it was very peaceful.  The lake is stocked with trout.  I caught one that was about 8 inches and one that was about 13 inches.  I had quite a few other opportunities but couldn’t quite connect.  Arleen got the monster of the trip…a fat 16 inch rainbow trout!  Fighting a good sized fish while sitting in a kayak is tough, but Arleen won the battle…that’s my girl!  Initially it was hazy.  The sun’s rays were filtered through the trees and to the water.  It was serene.

We headed south to Cape Arago and Shore Acres for a day trip.  At Cape Arago we watched sea lions play in the waves.  There are miles of hiking trails, but we didn’t go to hike.  The two main things to see at Shore Acres are the crashing waves and the botanical garden.  The swells were 8-12 feet high while we were there and they put on a good show.  Some of the most dramatic pictures of crashing waves are taken at Shore Acres.  Look closely at the two pictures in the middle below.  You can stand out on the point to the right.  See the wooden fence in the upper right?  Imagine a wave crashing in front of you that is twice the height of that point!  Pictures, post cards, place mats, and all kinds of other things in the gift shop had amazing pictures of waves exploding 70 or 80 feet in the air.  Thought the waves were pretty dramatic while we there, I can’t imagine it being two or three times higher!  Oh by the way, the garden was nice too.  Arleen likes rose gardens and can’t resist smelling each one.  The huge rhubarb leaves were a freak of nature!  Shore Acres is known for its holiday light display.  Many volunteers were stringing lights and decorating trees throughout the garden.  It would be cool to see, but we’ll miss it…shucks.

   

   

   

A new segment on the blog: “Where We Get Our Mail”.  Each of these itty bitty post offices in small towns has a unique “personality”.  However, due to the postal service’s financial problems, many of them may close.  So whether the post office is in a cute little log cabin (like Lake Quinault, WA) or a featureless strip mall (like South Beach, OR) or in a small corner of a mom and pop grocery store (like Winchester Bay, OR), we will put a picture on our travel log.  Here’s the first installment of “Where We Get Our Mail”…

Post office in Winchester Bay, Oregon

We are in Oregon Ducks country.  We even drove through the University of Oregon campus in Eugene recently.  It’s official…we’re Ducks fans.  We had no TV in the campground so we went to Bedrock’s in Winchester Bay to watch the big game:  Stanford (ranked 4th in the country) against Oregon (ranked 7th).  There were about 20 other dedicated fans cheering on their Ducks.  Many of the locals knew each other.  At half time, a lady even came in with two fresh pumpkin pies and offered slices to everyone.  We love the small town atmosphere.  Oregon 53 Stanford 30!!  GO DUCKS!!

Next we go to Cape Blanco.  It’s the western most point along the Oregon Coast.  There are seven miles of hiking trails, another cool lighthouse, and a river filling up with king salmon. 

 

Another great sunset at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park, Oregon

Shrek?