Tuesday, June 23
There were no call outs, no checking the CB for late breaking information and no one telling us when we had to leave on the bus. We had to make all our own decisions today. So strange after 35 days on a caravan!!!
But we managed and had a terrific time on yet another gorgeous day here in Oregon. It was in the low 60s by mid day with lots of warm sunshine. But we started out our day bundled up for our hour ride in a dune vehicle that took us many miles through the beautiful Oregon Dunes that stretch about 40 miles along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The winds coming off the ocean were chilly (the water is around 50 degrees) and of course lots of cold wind was generated as we sped up and down hills and along the shoreline. We figure with wind chill it was probably no warmer than the high 40s. The driver had on a knit cap and goggles, a heavy jacket and gloves!!
(The rest of the buggy was filled for the trip)
The dunes have a lot of vegetation including many tall pines, lots of bushes and grasses
but there are also areas that are mostly sand as far as the eye can see.
It seems like it would be easy to get lost but our guide did point out various land marks that help him follow a set trail for the ride. For instance there is an area with "islands" of trees like this.
The wet sand in the foreground happens because of the vegetation that holds any water that comes down. In fact there are areas where there are fairly large "puddles". I always thought of sand as very porous but apparently the vegetation changes that.
This picture tends to feel like I was holding the camera tipped but there really was no place where things were flat. In fact, it was quite a bumpy ride due to all the holes, ruts, ridges, etc caused by constantly blowing and swirling sand. (you have to look closely at this picture but you will see how uneven the surface is)
It is hard to take pictures when the vehicle is constantly moving so I can't really show how steep some of the hills were that we climbed and went down but it did have a roller coaster feel at times.
The drive along the Pacific Ocean was beautiful and probably the smoothest part of the ride
(you might notice bare legs on the person next to the driver - she apparently didn't believe them when they said to dress warmly)
We returned thoroughly windblown, removed several layers of clothing and set off to see more of the area starting with the historical area of Florence where we enjoyed lunch out on a patio overlooking a small river that runs out to the ocean.
There were a variety of boats out in the harbor including this old ship
There were a variety of shops including a kite shop with lots of colorful fun kites.
And this unique building with several shops in it
Then we decided to go back to Hwy 101 and drive the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway taking advantage of the many overlooks to soak up the beauty
We stopped to visit Seal Cave
There is one sea lion sleeping on the rock in the center...
and one was playing in the water nearby
But outside there were over 150 sea lions on the rocks below us jockeying for space
On the cliff beside them were hundreds of cormorants
And out in the bay were several grey whales. I only succeeded in catching a "blow" when one of them began to surface and it was far enough away it is even hard to see that. The eye does much better than the camera. (it is the tiny speck to the left of the picture)
On our way back to Florence we stopped at this overlook where the Oregon Dunes begin
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