Florence, Oregon

Our next stop was at the Elks Lodge in Eugene, Oregon. There was only one other motorhome there so Al backed up the RV to the back of the building and plugged us in.   

Since Oregon has no sales tax, we got four new tires for our truck installed at Discount Tire.   

We weren't getting a good vibe in this area.  There was a homeless guy that slept behind our RV both nights on the concrete.  He was gone early every morning.  He didn't bother us and I think he was using an electrical outlet to charge his phone. 

Before leaving town, we went back to Discount Tire to have the tires rotated on the trailer.  Then we had an hour drive to South Jetty Thousand Trails park in Florence, OR which is on the coast. 

 

 

The next day we walked about 1.5 miles from the campground, along Highway 101, and over the Siuslaw River bridge to historic Bay Street in the historic area of Florence.

Siuslaw River Bridge is a historic drawbridge with ornate architecture, built in 1936 as part of the Work Projects Administration (WPA) project.

Siuslaw River Bridge

Temporary wooden framing surrounding the construction of the Siuslaw River Bridge.  The wooden beams were tossed into the river as the falsework was deconstructed. 7/6/1935

Looking up river

View underneath the bridge

Twenty whimsical sea lion sculptures were painted by many different artists and auctioned off in 2016 to celebrate 20 years of the Florence Events Center giving back to the arts community. Twelve sculptures in Florence still remain within public view.

"Dancing with Sea Lions" Sculpture
Uni No Nami

There were some nice shops and restaurants on the historic downtown Bay Street.   

We ate clam chowder and shrimp at Mo’s suggested to us by our friend, Wes. There are nine Mo's locations along the Oregon coast.

Photo courtesy of I Love Mo's Chowder

Cup of Famous Mo's Clam Chowder and Mo's Original Cabbage Salad
Shredded cabbage topped with our homemade creamy garlic dressing and Oregon bay shrimp.

Shrimp Skewer Entree

After lunch we walked more along Bay Street where we came across a woman cleaning crabs that she just pulled from the river.   Crab season had just begun and my mouth was watering!  I love eating crabs!

We walked more and then had ice cream.  

Sunny the Sea Lion

The next day we drove north on Highway 101 for about 20 miles to Heceta Head Lighthouse.  

 

 

The Lighthouse is on the point and the house is to the right in this photo.

 

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Perched atop 1,000-foot-high Heceta Head, the lighthouse is one of the most photographed on the coast. The light atop the 56-foot tower was first illuminated in 1894. Its automated beacon, seen 21 miles from land, is rated as the strongest light on the Oregon coast.

 

 

 

 

We got the truck parked and went walking around. 

Beach at the Heceta Head Lighthouse Parking Area

There was a half mile walk from the parking lot up to a house and the lighthouse.

Heceta Lighthouse B&B

Built in 1893, the assistant lightkeeper's house is one of the last remaining on the Pacific Coast. Visitors can book a room with ocean views and imagine the life of a lightkeeper.

 

Nice view!

Looking up the spiral staircase inside the lighthouse

Sometimes, old-fashioned methods are the best solutions.

Without help, Heceta Head Lighthouse would crumble and rust away like so many forgotten historic buildings.  But in 2001, Oregon State Parks began a multi-year push to restore and preserve this beloved landmark.

Restoration experts agreed that to give this building a future, they had to take it back to the past.  They had to restore the 19th century materials that were part of its earliest days.  This includes stripping off the cement stucco and installing new stucco so the building can "breathe" again, and restoring the historic cast iron metalwork.  

But more importantly, restoration includes a prescription for regular maintenance - cleaning, painting the cast iron, and painting the woodwork - much as the lighthouse keepers of old used to do.

We found a trail that went up and behind the lighthouse and so we started to hike to get a different perspective of the lighthouse.

and then a trail went further up and over and down to Hobbit beach.  We walked on the beach a little and saw some tide pools before hiking back up and over to the lighthouse and back to the truck. 

View through the trees at the coast looking north

Each entry to the beach along the coast has a number so it's easier to find a way back.  It's easy to forget where you entered the beach when you get walking and some of the points are hidden by brush or trees.

 We looked at the tide pools for critters.

We walked back to entry point #93 to hike back up and over to the lighthouse.

Loved this view of the coast!

It was a lovely unplanned hike through the woods.

Lightkeeper's House visible from the beach

Another Highway 101 Bridge

Another day we drove north to Yachats and walked around the shops a little then on to the beach/volcanic rock. 

One lazy sea lion

Another sea lion sculpture

Where the Yachats River runs in to the Pacific Ocean

Looking up the Yachats River

A lot of driftwood

and a lot of birds

Cormorants and Sea Gulls

 

We had fun walking on the rocks looking at the tide pools and trying to avoid getting wet by the waves.

We walked over to Devil's Churn and watched the waves come in and out causing big splashes on the rocks.

Al spotted some gray whales off the coast so we tried to get some photos when they came up for air.  Mostly what we saw was spray from their blow holes.

Spray from a blow hole way off in the distance in the center

Gray whales are 45-50 feet long and weigh up to 80,000 pounds!

Then we went to Cape Perpatua where we visited Thor’s Well, the nice Visitor’s Center, and then walked a mile to a 500+ year old Sitka Spruce tree.

Spouting Horn with not much spouting going on due to the tide

Another bridge on Highway 101

 

Also known as the drainpipe of the Pacific, the well is actually a hole in the rock that only appears to drain water from the ocean. According to some researchers, the well probably started out as a sea cave dug out by the waves, before the roof eventually collapsed and created openings at the bottom and top through which the ocean sprays. The huge hole is likely only around 20 feet (six meters) deep, but it still manages to produce amazing sights. (Not for the faint of heart, however!)

500+ year old Sitka Spruce tree

Giant Spruce of Cape Perpetua
Before Columbus sailed to the Americas, this Sitka spruce began its life nourished by a nurse log.  As it grew, it shared Cape Creek with the Indians who lived just one-half mile west at their large seasonal campsite by the ocean.  When the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established camp at Cape Perpetua in the early 1930's, they built the first trail to the Giant Spruce, likely reopening the path of the ancient Indian trail.

 

 

One day we turned left out of the campground and drove the short distance to the coast and came upon these giant sand dunes.  Some people were having fun riding 4x4’s on the dunes.  

We couldn't even see the beach due to the dunes. 

Then we drove south on 101 to Umqua Lighthouse.  

Umpqua River Lighthouse

Originally the first lighthouse in the Oregon territory was built in 1857 near the mouth of the river.  It was undermined and destroyed by the flood in February 1864.  It was rebuilt here in 1891 and completed in 1894.

It shines a guiding light to all mariners.  The illumination was changed from oil to electricity in 1934.

View out to the ocean from the area of the lighthouse.

We drove back to Florence to hopefully get in to the Waterfront Depot restaurant at 3PM.  It was highly rated and there were no reservation spots open but there was a tip to arrive before they open and try to get a seat.  We lucked out and ate a yummy meal.  

Waterfront Depot Restaurant in an old train depot along the Siuslaw River

After dinner we were walking off some food when we spotted our friends, Joie & Mike, driving around in their van looking for a parking spot.  We stopped to talk with them a bit.  Turns out they are camping in the same campground, South Jetty, as us.  After they ate at Mo’s they came over to our place to chat a while.

It was a little windy! 

Al and Joie have been picking blackberries from the bushes in the campground.  Al made scones the next morning and Joie and Mike came over.

Florence, Oregon

That was our visit to the Florence, Oregon area.  We're headed north along the coast for the summer.  

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