South Coast Special

After Christmas, Larry and I drove south along the Oregon coast, starting out in a hideous rain.



The rain stopped by the time we reached Winchester Bay.



We had sun in Bandon and a great view from the window of our otherwise dumpy hotel.



Larry gathered a bit of gorse, a plant introduced by Scottish settlers in the 1800s to make the Oregon coast feel more like home.



Today gorse is an invasive species known for its thorns and hunted down by environmental enforcers like Larry.



The next day, we visited Cape Blanco reputed to be the westernmost point in the 48 states.



We were there at sunset, after everyone had gone home. With no witnesses, Larry busted through the "No Entry Beyond This Point" signs to stand on the edge of the world.



Not being so brave, I stayed safely away from the edge of the world.



Upon leaving the lighthouse, we found one dead porqupine on the road and this little fellow who hid from us in the grass.



Ken liked Cape Blanco, too.



The next day we continued south.





The New River was formed about 100 years ago when floods remodeled the beach, dumping sand over the mouth of a river. Invasive grass species grew on the dunes, anchoring them in place. These dunes cause the river to flow north for about 12 miles before it finds its way to the ocean and are nesting grounds for the endangered Snowy Plover. In this picture, the dunes are on the left and the ocean just on the other side of the dunes.



These wild turkeys got lucky--Larry left all his guns at home.



We spend a day hiking in Redwood National Park in northern California.





Larry thinks this burl makes a good snack.



The tiny forest plants were amazing, too.





Larry finally got sick of Ken tagging along everywhere we went, so he dropped him off Oregon's highest bridge (about 345 feet). I can't quit seeing poor Ken falling all that way in his little elf suit.