Today was wonderful. Fairly warm and sunny. We went to Heceta Lighthouse but, it's undergoing repairs so Josh was unable to see it. They have this huge tarp type thing covering it....pretty disappointing as it's the most photographed lighthouse in the world. I've included a photograph from last year's trip anyway....on the way back to the coach we stopped at a place called, Sand Master Park. Here, they rent, sell and trade sand boards. What is a sand board? It's like a snowboard only made for use on sand dunes. We decided to try our hand at sand boarding since we were in the middle of Oregon Dune Country. With board in hand, Josh and I braved the dunes in Florence. What a blast!...unfortunately the biggest drawback to sand boarding is there is no rope tow to get you back on top the sand dune. To get there you must WALK! Since many of you know I have an injured wing, this was no easy task. That said, I figured there is a jacuzzi back at the campground, so I'd give it a go.....
As promised yesterday, here are a couple pictures of our campsite. As we usually try to do, we found an end spot which has tons of room. It was a bit of a shoehorn effect to get the coach in here. I hope it's easier to get out when it's time to leave....Loads of privacy, 50amp service and Satellite TV ! Bring on the Olympics!! Go USA!
The bridge on Hwy 101 approaching the Heceta Lighthouse turnoff. The access road comes off the right of US 101 then winds around and under this bridge to a parking lot adjacent to a great beach. From there it's about a 1/2 mile trail to the lighthouse and caretakers' home.
The lower picture, taken last year, shows the caretakers' residence on the right and the lighthouse on the left. The bridge and beach are around the rock outcropping in the lower right hand corner.
The lighthouse is undergoing major renovation this year. They've covered it with a tarp and it was closed to the public. The Caretaker's residence has been converted into a Bed and Breakfast and was open although not for tours.
Originally there were two identical caretakers' residences. However, one was deemed unnecessary in 1940 and was sold for $10. The owner disassembled the house for the lumber. It is now a restaurant called "The Alpha Bit" in nearby Mapleton, Oregon.
Enough of the lighthouse tour and history....let's go sand boarding. This sand looks easy enough to climb. I've got my board...how hard can it be???
It's just like snow boarding only on sand instead of snow. Of course, it's a lot slower too. Compare my form to that of my grandson below... I think mine is more of a snow plow....:)
Josh really had fun once he mastered the technique. The trick is to put all your weight on your rear leg allowing the front of the board to skim over the sand. In doing so you develop much more speed and have better control. Unfortunately for me, that leg is my bad leg and it doesn't like all the weight there. After three trips, I was done. When Debi wasn't laughing, she was videotaping. However, don't expect to see any of this on YouTube...
Once he mastered the technique, Josh became more aggressive and wanted to tackle more challenging terrain. Here he came off the cliff and hit all the way to the bottom. Since we rented the board for 24 hrs, we will be back tomorrow to "shred" some more dunes.
Once back at our campsite, Josh went swimming and I went to the jacuzzi. On our way back to the coach we spotted this little guy in one of the trees next to our site. It turned out there were two of them and we watched them for quite awhile. This is a Northern Spotted Owl. They are on the endangered species list and these two appeared to be young ones. We were losing our daylight and this was the best picture I could get with my little Canon camera. I may have to invest in some new equipment.....All in all, today was a great day...as I write this, my whole body aches in places I'd forgotten about. Tomorrow may be worse....but, Josh, Debi and I had fun and that's what camping is all about...
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