I Lost my Train of Thought

We were back in warmer weather again.  Much, much warmer than the cool days we spent in Oregon.  People told us that it is hotter this week than usual here in Sacramento.  All of us were mumbling about it, but there sure isn't much we can do.

Off we trekked to old town Sacramento to go through the California State Railroad Museum.  Even if you don't like trains, I think you'd enjoy going through this museum.  It would be a good history lesson for everyone.

 The train we sat in front of was named after Leland Stanford, governor of the state of California in 1861.  He was also a tycoon, successful business man and president of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  Gov. Stanford was one of the movers and shakers during that era, and his power and influence brought the transcontinental railroad to fruition.

Sandy and I both like the description for this display named "Women's Work.  In the late 1800's, women were relegated to cleaning and care giving jobs.  Those were considered women's work.  It was Andrew Carnegie who discovered that women were much better telegraphers than men because their hands and ears were more sensitive than men's.  Imagine that!

 The huge engine below was the last steam engine bought by the Southern Pacific RR in 1944.  It is so long, that it was built with the ability to bend in the middle when going around curved tracks.  The engineer's box was located in the front, rather than the back, so the men wouldn't have smoke and cinders in their faces as they looked out the windows.

I gave it a try.  Not too bad from my perspective, but then again, I didn't have to keep my face outside when it was over a 100 degrees out or in the teens going through Donner's Pass during the winter.

 Don pointed to something, and it looked like Jerry cocked his head and asked him if that was really true.  You never know with those 2 guys.

The coach below was built in 1881 in Battle Mountain, Nevada. The ornate car had plush covered seats, a marble wash basin and silver plated hardware.  It would have been a real treat to ride it back in those days.

 Another fully restored steam locomotive was sitting in front of the coach.

Sandy found the perfect spot for when she has her "personal summers".....the refrigerated car!

 In 1937 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe announced the arrival of the "Super Chief", a first class passenger train.  It traveled between Chicago and San Francisco in less than 40 hours, whizzing by the countryside in record times for that day and age.  I love the Indian theme way that it was painted, making it stand out from all other diesel engines.

To top off our day, we supported the local businesses, one of them being the donut place! Okay, maybe they weren't the healthiest choice around, but they sure were yummy!

Change in Scenery

Our journey for this summer is almost over, and it was time for us to head towards home.  There were plenty of scenery changes the past two days.

We went from the drive along the beautiful Oregon coast, resplendent with the huge rocks jutting out from the ocean floor..

 to lower grasslands with fog nestled in the trees behind them.

Then on to the foggy coast, with the narrow, winding roads with the ocean lurking nearby, even though you couldn't see it.

 Along the way, we were behind someone else from Arizona!  The back of the trailer looked vaguely familiar.  Yep, that is Jerry and Sandy, heading into another bank of fog!

We followed them all day, as they weaved their way around the twisting, hilly roads and through parts of the Redwood Forest.  No bike lanes here.  There is just enough room for the truck and trailer, unless you want to be part of the tree beside the road!

The road flattened out (finally) and we found ourselves driving on large berms across northern California.  At least the road was newly paved and flat.  Other roads during our day's journey were so bad that our heavy couch moved out from the wall at least 2 inches!

We made it to the Cal Expo RV Park, which is akin to a large parking lot with hookups.  Boy, that is sure different from the state campgrounds where the trees are so thick we could hardly see the sky.  No biggie for us.  We're here only for 4 days so we can do sightseeing in Sacramento.  Location, location, location! 

B & B

B & B?  What kind of a title is that?  Well, it is the best one that I could come up with for our stay at Bullard's Beach  State Campground in Bandon.  

It was Saturday, and the warm, sunny weather brought out all sorts of tourists.  There were also plenty of people who were in the area to catch crab or salmon.  When we checked into the state campground on Friday, almost all 182 campsites were full.  We were surprised because we thought October was off season.  Nope!  The camp host told us this was prime season for Dungeness Crabs and salmon. 

I took a minute to get a picture of the marina in Brandon.  If I can't own a boat, at least I can take pictures of them.

We strolled through the older section of town.  Thank goodness there was no tsunami warning that day because Sandy, Jerry and Don were all headed the wrong way.

Near the docks and various seafood restaurants was this gorgeous octopus carving.  It must have taken a huge piece of wood, because the carving was enormous.  Makes me wonder where you would even start when contemplating this.  His head? Or would you start at the bottom and work up?

Across the river from where we were standing was the Coquille River Lighthouse.  Time to turn around and go back to the other side of the jetty to see if it is open for tours.  Yes it was!  Jerry, Don and Sandy took a tour and I had to stay behind.  I had worn sandals and no open toed shoes are allowed when climbing the stairs here.  Oh well, I plopped myself down on a rock nearby and started taking pictures of the resident seal who kept popping up everywhere.  Stay tuned: there is more about him in the blog below this one.

"Seal" of Approval

Below is where the Coquille River flows into the Pacific Ocean, right in front of the Coquille Lighthouse.  This is the busy season for both fishermen and crabbers.  There were lots of Dungeness Crabs waiting to be caught, so the boats were busy scampering from one trap to another.

It is also the territory claimed by this seal.  He patrols the area better than the Coast Guard!

As the crabbers and fishermen are trying to haul in their catch, he is right there to try and snatch it away from them!  The tour guide at the lighthouse told us that he patiently watches the boat for signs of someone reeling in a nice salmon or pulling up a crab trap.  You can also here the people in the boat say, "He's swimming close by!" or "There he is, right in front of the boat again.!"

One thing for sure, if I had been out fishing all day and finally caught a nice salmon, I'd be mighty angry at that seal for stealing it.  Maybe he knows his species is protected by the law, so nothing can be done about it.  He approves the catch, and gives it his "seal" of approval before claiming it for his own.  It's a done deal.

Light Headed

Another perfect day awaited us on Wednesday.  Just right for taking a tour of the Heceta Head Lighthouse.  We were unable to tour this one three years ago when we were in the area since it was being refurbished.

As you can see from the sign, the walk to the lighthouse is all uphill.

 This is a view of the beach from about a third of the way up the trail.  Local high school kids were out in the surf, even though the water was cold.

Heceta Head Lighthouse is still working today.   When it opened in 1894, it took a lighthouse keeper, two assistants and their 3 families to keep it running. Inspectors could drop in at any time (even at 2 or 3 AM) to see if everything was up to snuff.  There were two large houses, a garden, a place for the horses, storage buildings and even a chicken coop.  They had to be self sufficient, which meant they had to hunt elk and catch salmon to meet their protein needs.

 This was taken at the bottom, looking up.  I'm not afraid of climbing the stairs, but I sure don't like heights or looking down.  I wasn't the only one holding on tight to the railing!

 The one thing interesting about this lighthouse is that the Fresnel lens was made in England, not France.  It is still in use today, although it is now completely automated.  The guide told us that if the electricity goes off, an alarm sounds.  Then, if it is daylight, someone must go up and close the curtains around the lens.  Otherwise, it acts like a magnifying glass and could start a fire in the trees behind it!

Sandy and Jerry stopped to let me take their picture as they made their descent.

 It was a glorious view from here!  On the right hand corner, you can see the sand, and our truck is parked in the lot behind the beach.

 The main lighthouse keeper's house was torn down and sold for $10 years ago, but they managed to save the assistants' house, which is a shared residence.  It is now a B & B, with prices ranging from $130 during the winter for a night's stay to $315 during the summer.

This is a view from the yard by the house.  There used to be a railing all along the trail between the houses and the lighthouse so they could find their way when it was foggy.   I don't think I would have liked trying to go to work when the storms rolled in, bringing fog, rain and wind.  Ugh!  Might be worse than a Phoenix commute during rush hour.  Or maybe not..

 You can also hear Sandy say, "It's COLD!"

Not too bad after the second wave rolled over our toes.  We've dipped our tootsies into all different waters.

A look back at the lighthouse from another viewpoint along Highway 101.  Great memories!

On the Move Again

After spending 4 days in the Waldport area, it was time for us to head south once again.  No need to get up early and be on the road that day since it was only about 40 miles to our new abode.

We took our time, even stopping at one of the awesome viewpoints to have a picnic lunch. We couldn't have done this one day earlier.  On Monday it rained or drizzled all day long.

 Just wish we could have a spot like this to sit down and enjoy when we are back in Phoenix!

We got all nested into our woodsy spots at Jesse M. Honeyman State Park.  Lots and lots of trees here, and at night, it is DARK!

Okay, that took about an hour to get set up.  Now it's time to explore again!  Off we go to Florence, Oregon!  The sign there shows it is 1256 miles to Florence, Arizona.

I love the harbor here, especially with the large sailing ship, Cape Foulweather, at the dock.

 We walked around the Old Town section of Florence, getting a good view of the Suislaw Bridge.

By then it was 3 PM, coffee time for some of us.  Luckily, we were right next to a great coffee place.

I chose the Snickers specialty which was like dessert in a cup.  Jerry tried the Shot in the Dark, which was a shot of espresso in a cup of coffee.  For some reason, he had trouble getting to sleep that night!

Finding the Bridge

On Sunday, the weather was still beautiful.  No rain, but lots of sun and warm temps (that would change for the worse the next day).

Time to drive over the Alsea Bay Bridge once more and head south again to Yachats.

 All four of us like to wander around and explore.  Sandy, who is the designated trip planner this time around, wanted to locate a covered bridge in Yachats.

The bridge is inland about 7 miles from the center of town, and the last few miles are very, very narrow.  If we had met a car or truck along the way, it would not have been good.  We got there and it looked like they were putting in another, sturdier bridge right next to the old one.  It didn't make much sense to us since the road ends up at private property just on the other side of the bridge.  Maybe the land owner has a lot of clout with the county.  Who knows?

 This old bridge was built in 1938 for a cost of $1500.00.  I wonder how much they are spending on the new one next to it.  I just hope they don't tear down this rustic piece of history.