Wednesday, September 16th - - Can you believe it – we have been on the road for one whole week and we’ve finally reached the Pacific Ocean! We are officially west!!
This morning we left Roseburg behind us and picked up Rt 42, then Rt 42S a narrow, winding, un-touristy road (SO glad we were NOT pulling the trailer!) that was a “shortcut” to Bandon where my Aunt Dorie and Uncle Paul reside in an assisted living complex. Our GPS, Lola had guided us around all the curves in the dizzying back road and had gotten us to within a ½ mile of the large beautiful building but then deserted us when we needed her guidance the most! Our directions were for a 6th Ave West and there is NO such street in Bandon. The kind ladies at the school where we stopped to ask directions realized we were looking for Heritage Place and gave us the correct information and we quickly drove right to the front door - past all the neat stores and shops right on the edge of the harbor, up around the curve again! This time, instead of going back up the hill, we turned right - - right on to Jetty Rd - the right road! We had a lovely time visiting with my 90-year-old Uncle, my father’s younger brother and my sweet 86-year-old Aunt. She didn’t remember who I was but kept saying how happy she was that we came to visit them!! And she meant it! She is still a cutie!! H was extremely patient and even hooked up their TV and VCR and then arranged to get them a light bulb for a lamp that has not worked since they moved there for lack of a silly little bulb. Uncle Paul is very frail and short of breath so at lunch time H made sure Dorie made it down to her table in the dining hall and then he and I chatted with several of the office staff and caretakers, thanking them for taking such good care of my Aunt and Uncle.
Before heading north we stopped at a neat rock formation just south of town called Face Rock. There is an Indian story connected to the huge rock out in the surf that looks as if it is a large head reclining and looking up to the northern sky. Can you see it? Our route for the next day or so is now 101 and today’s portion took us thru the Oregon Dunes National Seashore. H was wishing he had the Jeep with its ORV sticker and big orange sand dunes flag! We stopped at several (not ‘nuff for me tho!) scenic turnouts to watch the huge waves crashing to the shore and I did get to go get my feet wet at one of those surf stops. One turnout was at the top of a high cliff above a cluster of large rocks where several seals were resting and several more were bobbing in and out of the rolling waves. It had drizzled on an off during the day and the fog had rolled in, giving the coastline a sometimes spooky, mysterious appearance. Tonight’s resting place for us is in Newport, just one of the MANY touristy towns along the coast complete with “historic” areas and artsy shops.
