Even though an entire month may have been a little long for what this area offers, we've really enjoyed having a long sandy beach with a reef and the ocean a short walk from our doorstep. I've spent many hours in peaceful solitude communing with the ocean environment.
One bonus to spending a month in Charleston was proximity to Roseburg. During a recent heat wave Chantal and James drove out one Saturday to escape the 100 degree heat in Roseburg and enjoy lunch with us in Bandon and a comfortable 65 degrees on the coast...and we got a huge pile of veggies from Chantal's garden!
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| Hans feeds our leftover pizza lunch to a giant fish created from trash found on the OR coast. |
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| Washed Ashore gallery in Bandon, OR creates whimsical sculptures from trash found on Oregon beaches in turn educating the public about the importance of recycling and our impact on the environment. |
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| Part of the delicious bounty from Chantal's veggie garden...the farmers market came to me! |
When our friends John and Pam diverted to the OR coast for a couple of weeks we were excited to meet halfway between our respective camp sites. Tugman State Park has a nice three mile trail along Eel Lake...a great spot to reconnect with friends over our favorite activity!
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| We saw several rough skinned newts along Eel Lake trail. |
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| Bright orange mushroom. |
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| More colorful fungus. |
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| Love the colors on these wood snails. |
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| Happy hikers! |
The long stay gave us an opportunity to hike all the trails at Cape Arago multiple times in different conditions. Though not on any park maps, we discovered a "secret" trail that runs from Cape Arago highway near the service entrance at Shore Acres State Park to the Cape Arago Pack Trail. One person has written about this trail calling it the Perimeter Trail. Here's a few more photos from this lovely trail.
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| There are some really impressive old pine trees. |
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| Most of the trail runs through lush rain forest. |
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| Hey look, it's another rough skinned newt! |
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| Damp days bring out new shrooms. |
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| I love to catch the slugs eating the mushrooms! |
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| Our lunch view...let's take a closer look at those cool concretions... |
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| Fascinating! |
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| We watched a few seals try and try and try to get up this steep shelf. |
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| They were determined, and one did finally get up there! |
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| What a cutie! |
Today we begin a series of short hops up the Oregon coast. Even though we made our reservations in January, we could only get week days at the state parks...weekends will be spent at private parks for the next few weeks. With temps in the mid 60's and the beach nearby, it's all good!
The Perimeter Trail looks like a fun hike, with the privacy, rocks and critters ... and of course the views! Where will you be for the eclipse?
ReplyDeleteWe will be in Lincoln City, a few miles inland, hoping for clear skies!
DeleteThat fish in your first photo looks mighty familiar! :) Glad you enjoyed your stay around Bandon - I really like that area a lot. Look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, Bandon is a wonderful little town and the scenery cannot be beat!
DeleteLooking forward to meeting up soon!
Don't you hate when the weekend locals grab all the ocean camps? :).
ReplyDeleteThe OR coast is so darn popular! But worth it...
DeleteLooks like a very neat place to spend a month. Especially near Chantal and her garden. That girl has a seriously green thumb. Yummy looking veggies. Very nice hike with John and Pam. Love that rainforest look and the cool things you found including those interesting slugs. What fun watching the seals. Think I'd better put this spot on my list too.
ReplyDeleteYes you should!
DeleteLooks like Chantal is an excellent gardener! Nice place to spend a month. The longer we do this the more we enjoy spending more time in one place, repeating familiar trails, and not having to feel like we need to cram so much into a short visit.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of your time along that beautiful coast!
Yes, slow travel is not a bad thing.
DeleteThat's a great photo of you guys with Pam and John. So much fun to meet up with good friends! We really love settling into a place for a month or two, as well. And the Oregon Coast is a lovely place to be, fog and all. Those wood snails are beautiful -- and your photos of the seals are so cute. Washed Ashore is such a cool place! It's fun to see the new sculptures they're created since we were last there.
ReplyDeleteI think it is impossible to go wrong on the OR coast! Someday I'd like to see a winter storm in action.
DeleteHiking in the damp rain forest is such fun. We did have a jackpot day with the slugs and snails hiking with you and Hans. It was such fun getting together for a hike after so long. We look forward to more get togethers soon. Love the photo of the four of us.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we get to see you again later this year...more hiking with good friends!
DeleteWe haven't spent much summer time at the coast, for the reasons you mentioned, always a bit crowded, and we live close enough that we can be choosy, going in the fall and winter and early spring. Still, during the triple digit days inland, I was wishing we could escape to the coast. Love that Perimeter trail, discovered it on one of our forays to that part of the coast last year. Also love your photos of the Washed Ashore exhibit. So amazing, and definitely worth seeking it out, along with the chocolate shop in Bandon. Hope you found that one. They have sipping chocolate to die for.
ReplyDeleteYou are so fortunate to live in OR, with all its variety of landscapes! The Perimeter Trail is amazing!
DeleteWonderful old pines in the foggy damp. Love the colorful fungi and snails, they're so much prettier than the slugs :-)))
ReplyDeleteYeah, the snails are prettier...but I am still fascinated with the slugs!
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