Sunset State Beach, Charleston 7/10

Okay – before I begin writing about our trip today, I just gotta comment on the State Parks in Oregon. OH MY GOD! Complete nirvana. They have it all over California State Parks. For $17 you get a great campsite, flush toilets and get this – unlimited hot showers!!! Ned and I have a small fortune in quarters that we carry in a little box. We are so used to California State Parks that basically give you 2, or maybe if you are lucky, 3 minutes for .50. Here – unlimited hot water. The showers are also pristine clean, nicely tiled and completely private. Did I mention that Ca. State Parks cost about $25 to $30 dollars a night?! Also, we noticed that the Oregon Coast campsites have been raked, some have hand built rock retaining walls and ours has a beautifully, rather large azalea bush among lots of other vegetation. I rest my case…(Note to self: begin a new list of rating State Parks, particularly bathrooms and showers. Should be interesting when we get to Louisiana). We spent a leisurely morning at the campsite before heading up the coast. As we began our drive it was a bit foggy and a little chilly (62°) so we decided to pull into Gold Coast Bean and Bookstore. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m addicted to bookstores! We had a cuppa and browsed thru the local Oregon books. We then continued up the coast, stopping at some State Parks along the way. (I was determined to keep checking out the conditions of the showers – my new obsession). We went by Humbug Mountain, the Oregon Coast’s highest peak, really lush and green right up against the highway. Our next stop was the historic Hughes House. The info we had said it was closed on Tuesdays, but we decided it would be fun to check it out anyone. Much to our surprise, it was opened! It was built in 1898 by an Irish family that eventually had 100 acres of dairy farm. Spectacular home especially when you consider how bleak and remote this place is. Down the road was the Cape Blanco Light House (Oregon’s oldest and highest) so we decided to check it out too. WOW! I had never been inside a lighthouse and this was a pretty interesting one to check out. Cape Blanco point (where the lighthouse is located) is the westernmost point in the contiguous U.S. (or so they claim). We were able to venture inside the lighthouse and go clear to the top – right next to the fresnel lens. I am terrified of heights so it was a bit scary to climb, round and round and round to the top and then take a steep ladder to the lens. (Check out photo above). The view was spectacular and it was equally interesting to hear about the history of this lighthouse from the local docent. Only 5 people at a time are allowed on the tour and as luck would have it – there was an older gentleman who was on our tour, who happened to have the “honor” of cleaning the lens decades ago. The docent said that a Coast Guard “specialist” arrives every 90 days for the cleaning. The older gentlemen kinda chuckled, and then said that “back then if you were in the doghouse while serving in the Coast Guard your punishment was cleaning the lens. I had that distinguished honor.” Cute. By this time it was late afternoon and we were getting hungry. We thought it would be fun to explore the fishing village of Bandon (or as Ned called it, A-Bandon). Quaint little village. We finally decided on some fish and chips at Bandon’s Fish Market. Afterwards, we thought we should start scouting out a State Park to stay in for the night. We settled on Sunset Beach State Park in Charleston. What an incredible find! Turns out we got the last camping spot of the night. Once again, it’s pretty sweet. We are up against a mountain and completely surrounded by ferns. We parked the Eurovan and within 5 minutes jumped on our bikes and headed to the beach. Really, really beautiful little cove. We found out that we were a couple of miles away from Shore Acres State Park botanical gardens. It was one of the places we were interested in seeing, but had no idea we were so close. We decided to bike on over (actually up!) and check it out. Fortunately for us, the Gardens are open until 9 pm. Again, another big “wow” of the day. I don’t know what was more fun, the path through the woods to get there or the actual gardens. We stopped along the way and took tons of photos from the cliffs looking down on another lighthouse, the wild coast and evening light thru the trees. I’ve decided this is the trip of a lifetime. Just when I think things can’t possibly get any better – they do. Lucky me.