FLORENCE DURING THE DAY…LIGHTHOUSE AT NIGHT

Sunday, June 3 – We finally took time to visit Florence. It is just a small town, but a nice, clean one.

We started our walk by visiting the Sweet Magnolia Bakery. Yummy! We had coffee and a couple of delicious pastries. We try to do our part in contributing to the local economy.

It was (as Marsha puts it) a cute little place.

They have a really nice gazebo and an area where visitors can sit and enjoy the water.

Art Deco 1936 Siuslaw River Bridge

A walk around Florence and talking with the locals confirms our thoughts that the residents are very proud of their town.

We returned to the Umpqua Lighthouse this evening to see it at night. A suited night for it to be shining its guiding light to sea.....cold, rainy, and the waves wiping against the Umpqua River jetty. We arrived before dark and enjoyed watching the beacon's transformation from day to night.

During daylight, the beacon appears as a reflector at the top of the lighthouse, but as darkness approaches it comes to life. First you see the light inside the glass dome, then the beams of light, shining laser-like out to sea, become visible as it becomes darker. Eventually, you can see the beams shining in all directions, bouncing off the near-by trees and shining their guiding lights out to sea. I bet it's something amazing to be out on the ocean and see the lighthouse welcoming you home.

Look at the trees with the reflection of the Lighthouse lights. Like being on a carousel.

This is the first time we've ever seen a lighthouse at night and is was a pretty neat experience. We could have used some of that “guiding-light” on our drive home up the twisting rain-soaked coastal highway. It took us a little longer, but we arrived home safe and sound!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

REEDSPORT AND WINCHESTER BAY

Sunday, June 3 – This is a flashback to the day we visited the Umpqua Lighthouse.

After our lighthouse tour, we drove about a mile down the coast to the Oregon Sand Dunes National Recreation Area. This area runs from the shores of North Bend, OR, through Winchester Bay and ends in Florence, OR. We visited the Dunes in Winchester Bay.

It consists of over 40 miles of undisturbed beaches and the tallest dunes in the nation. These piles of sand towering to 500 feet above sea level provide numerous recreational opportunities including off-road vehicles, hiking, sand sledding, horseback riding and camping.

Formed by the natural forces of wind, water and time, these dunes are like no other in the world. The desert-like landscape blends with lakes, rivers, ocean and forest, creating a diverse ecosystem filled with plants and animals.

Thousands of off-road vehicle riders come to enjoy the thrill of riding across these tracks of sand. Whether by sand rail, motorcycle, 4X4 , quad, or guided trip, riders are in for a treat. Being a weekday, there were only a few off-road vehicles out today and we did not see any in the dunes.

Many areas are designated for quiet activity. You can walk over 40 miles of undisturbed beach. Many trails wind through Douglas Fir and Sitka Spruce. Some go up and over through sand dunes. We hiked a short way up a couple of the dunes, and we'll tell you, hiking in these dunes would be a heck of a workout.

We then ventured to the Umpqua Aquaculture Oyster farm.

These oysters are raised in nets suspended above the ocean floor in a triangular area formed by the two southern jetties at Winchester Bay, Oregon .

Those black barrels have the nets attached to them.

The nets are above the sand, resulting in no gritty taste. We found them sweeter than the oysters we've tasted in the past.

You can see the workers shucking the oysters from a viewing area off the sales floor. There were only 3 workers removing the oysters from the netting, forcing open the shells, sorting and bagging them for sale or shipping.

Using an air hammer to break the oysters free from the net.

We purchased a cup of about a dozen oysters in cocktail sauce for tasting ($5).

They were huge.

Paul is not into eating raw seafood, so after tasting about three oysters, he allowed Marsha to enjoy the remaining oyster cocktail.  All in fun…they really aren't that bad – but they don't taste like chicken!  It's just the "raw thing" he doesn't like.

We stopped at Reedsport, at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area, and were delighted to see a herd of Roosevelt Elk grazing in the lush green grass. It appears they were all male elk, if having horns is any indication. What a neat experience to see these creatures in the wild.

On our way back to the campground, we stopped at the famous Mo's Restaurant, in downtown Florence, to compare the Clam Chowder to our previous tastes at Brookings Harris Beach, and at ICM (International C-Food Market) here in Florence. There is not a clear winner in the Weaver Taste Contest after three tasting experiences. More to come in the future!

Mo's

ICM

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

SHOPPING, DUCKS, FRIENDS

Saturday, June 2 – Today is Marsha's birthday. She began the day's celebration with a coffee from Starbucks. The older she gets, the easier it is to satisfy her….hehe.

We drove over to Eugene, OR, this morning for the famous Farmer's Market. Man-O-Man...this is the biggest farmer's market we've ever seen. Over 200 booths according to Eugene Farmer's Market literature.

The fresh fruits and vegetables looked amazing. Carrots, strawberries, lettuce, radishes, etc... Just about any vegetable or fruit you can imagine. They had goat milk cheese and other products, fresh eggs, meats, and of course, all types of organic grown items.

Then there were the fresh baked pastries....yummmmm! We just had to make a few purchases here.

Yes, that is Paul approaching one of his weaknesses…pastries.

This Market has a huge diverse food area. We have never been to a Farmer's Market where they offer Indian, American, Chinese, Twain, Afghani Cuisine, Mexican and many other foods. The smells were delightful.

Making wood-fire pizza.

There were all types of hand craft items with a significant edge toward alternative culture items like tie-died clothing, pipes, kaleidoscopes, leather goods, and numerous people selling jewelry of all types.

A Oregon Farmer's Market wouldn't be complete without the opportunity to purchase a duck hat.

There were several street entertainers for the crowd to enjoy, Occupy Eugene was there, and numerous people asking you to sign petitions covering all aspects of the political spectrum. And don't forget the panhandlers asking for money....at least they had signs and weren't bugging us by asking for money.

Latest rage in Eugene…coming soon to a town near you!

It was a great time and we made a few contributions to the Eugene economy before leaving. Our next stop was the University of Oregon, third-oldest public university in Oregon.

The Oregon Ducks are a local favorite to many Oregon fans. The exciting football team has sparked a national interest in the University of Oregon. The school is located in the heart of Eugene. It has a mixture of architectural themes. The student body is just wild about the school. It is growing dramatically with numerous construction projects evident throughout campus and enrollment growing each year.

Gerlinger is home to the Asian Studies Program, Alumni Lounge, an indoor gymnasium, pool, and the Department of Dance.
 

The John E. Jaqua Center for Student Athletes. It gives the student-athletes a place to gather as a community focused on study and learning.

Our visit wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Duck's softball field. The softball team was a final eight team in the tournament, but lost on Saturday.

The center of the student enthusiasm is the Oregon Duck's Football Stadium. It is located several miles off campus, and it is HUGE, and getting bigger, with construction gear all around the facility.

We then met fellow bloggers and Eugene residents, Donna and Russ Krecklow at Roaring Rapids Pizza. We follow each others' blog and frequently leave comments for each other. Meeting this couple was like meeting old friends.

Always smiling.

We shared stories on the rear deck of the restaurant, laughed, and enjoyed our pizza. Russ brought along a bag of tourist brochures for us to enjoy and take home with us. What a wonderful thought!

We ate outside with the sound of rapids coming from the Willamette River.

It was an enjoyable lunch with our “new” friends. Wish we could stay and spend some time with this fun couple. If we visit all the sights in the brochures Russ brought for us, we might be getting voting rights here in Eugene....ha ha! Thanks guys for a wonder visit to Eugene. You can get to know them through their blog, Travels with Therapy. They write with a wonderful sense of humor.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!