Oregon Dunes, Umpqua Light

Day 44: July 6, 2021

We visit the Oregon Dunes, Umpqua Light, and Coos Bay

The Oregon Dunes

 

The forest in the fog in the top half of the photo is grounded in the sand dune.
I don’t know how the trees remain standing!

These dunes went all the way from Reedsport south to at least Coos Bay—28 miles!

THIS is what people do on the dunes. We were impressed with the “toy haulers” and RVs with trailers hauling dune buggies and/or ATVs. There are OHV (“off highway vehicle”) staging areas all along the dunes area. Who knew?! (Nephews Derek and Joey, THEY knew!)

I count five OHVs in this photo

Surfers head out to join others

Oyster “Farm”

Nature patterns

I see a whale

Umpqua River Light

Located at the mouth of Winchester Bay, this lighthouse was first lit in 1894.

My favorite photo from today: still life in lighthouse—very Andrew Wyeth-ish.

A Fresnel lens-design lighthouse lens

This unusual red and clear first-order Fresnel lens is, by FAR, the largest I’ve ever seen.
Red glass is from the gold salts added to the molten glass.

Coos Bay 

Not uncommon to see logging trucks on the highway, both full and empty.
For as many as we’ve seen, it’s impressive that there are any standing trees anywhere out here!

Piles and piles of wood chips. Small mountains of wood chips! I wonder if this is used for particle board. 

Drive by shot of the mountains of logs.

Logs being delivered

Driving over the McCullough Memorial Bridge over Coos Bay, North Bend, OR

This shot just begged me for BW.

Tomorrow, we complete our drive along Hwy 101 in Oregon and head to California. Stay tuned!