Cool Coos Bay

Cool Coos Bay

We have come to the cool, clear air coast of Oregon for the 2014 Monaco International Rally.  An RV rally is where motor home owners gather to socialize, attend seminars, eat, drink, go to meetings, and did I say socialize.  This is our first Monaco International but we have friends from caravans that we have joined and we look forward to reuniting with them.

But first, we drove a few miles north to Winchester Bay for one of the most beautiful volksmarches we have taken.  This is an old fishing village, as are all the towns along the coast.  Today tourism is probably a better industry.

Our 10k walk took us along the Umpqua River.

 The sandy beaches and hills of the coast are a mecca for ATVs.  They roared past us as a few boats drifted silently in the bay. 

We had perfect timing for joining a tour of the Umpqua River Lighthouse.  The original lighthouse was built in 1857 on the beach where it sunk.  The new one, built in 1887 on higher and firmer ground, stands on a six-foot foundation and has nary a crack in it.

The French-built lens is 6' x 10' and composed of 616 pieces of glass. 

Our guide explained how the signals for the lighthouses vary in color and in the number and length of time for each repetition enabling the sailors to know where they were.  This lens consists of both clear and red glass.  We were able to climb partway into it.  It was warm and the glowing red tones were beautiful.  The red color is actually made from gold which turns red under the right conditions.

The lighthouse area is also a small Coast Guard base.  This retired Coast Guard rescue boat can right itself in 8 seconds.  They are waiting to raise funds to restore it.

This sign stands about six hundred feet above the shore line, an area deemed secure from a tsunami as you descend toward the ocean.

From the lighthouse we went on a loop walk around Lake Marie.  Lining the shore of the lake are the tall alder, pine, ash and other trees of the Oregon forest.

We hadn’t been to this area since Jeff and Cheryl were small but we look forward to returning to stay in one of the many campgrounds along this coast.