A trip to Gold Beach
                                                      for some much needed R & R

The 2009 Glide First Citizen Celebration is over and we're in need of a little down time.  Guess it is time for another trip to the beach.  Funny,
but in Oregon, winter is often a better time to play at the coast than summer. 

We planned and cooked all our meals ahead of time.  We washed the car, so we wouldn't look like Okies coming to town. We picked out the right
collection of clothes for either sunshine or a cool, windy, rainy time at the coast.  We packed the car.  Poor Thibodeaux was frantic for the entire day
before as we scurried about hauling things into the car.  He was determined that we weren't going somewhere without him.

The weather was glorious the day we left - mid-70s and blue skies!    We even began our trip with a brief stop at a local hiking
area and got in a mile walk before the long drive.  Thibodeaux was thrilled, and more important, didn't ask for a stop every 10 minutes. 

We took our time, stopping to picnic along the Coquille River and to take photos along the way.  Springtime was showing everywhere we looked.

We arrived, unpacked, and hit the beach.  A LONG hike in shirt sleeves.  Sunshine, slightly breezy -- probably the most pleasant
weather we have ever experienced on the Oregon coast.  The day ended beautifully!

                                                                  
                                                         The view from our balcony, across grasses and dunes to the breakers. 

 Day two we headed to Cape San Sebastian.  A wonderful trail winds through dense evergreen forest to a cliff 100 feet above the ocean. 
Spectacular, rugged, powerful.  The weather was not as beautiful: overcast skies and a bit of a breeze.  But it made for very pleasant walking.

The view from the parking lot at the trailhead, through the telephoto lens.

                                                                                                     You will see this location again at lunch time, up close.

      The trees and brush are very dense, creating a tunnel effect over portions of the trail.

We can't hike a trail and not pay attention to the wildflowers.  We saw lots of indications spring has already arrived at the coast.

          The relentlessness of the ocean wears away some rocks in a very interesting way.

 Nancy watches birds while Thibodeaux watches Dianne.  No, Nancy does not have a Mohawk hair style!  It was a little breezy.

Thibodeaux charges up the trail then waits for us to catch up.   The wind was rearranging his hair too!

                                                                                                         After-hike lunch: Tailgating Oregon style. 

                                       Recognize this beach?   That is the view from our tailgate. 

                                                                                                               Looking back at Cape San Sebastian. 
                                                                           We hiked from the far right edge of the picture to the point.   

By the next day, the weather had turned less hospitable.  Sprinkles and drizzles followed us all day as we headed up the Rogue River to visit an old
growth myrtlewood forest.   The myrtlewood tree is also known as California-laurel.  Unique to this area, it's what people carve bowls, tables
and all sorts of lovely wooden art objects that polish up to a gorgeous shine.  The trees themselves are very strange looking.  Lots of burls. 
Sorry, no pictures!  It was too drizzly for the camera.

As we followed the Rogue River we spotted an osprey nest with an occupant.  Don't see many of these guys in Louisiana. 
Later we saw another nest, along with a pair of ospreys engaged in trying to start a family for the nest!

An osprey nest can weigh up to 200 pounds.       

                                                                                             The lady is a little camera shy! 

Another tailgate lunch.  It's raining, but who cares when the view is so great? 

      The rain doesn't seem to bother these Oregonians.  The wind, however, is doing a number on one of them. 

We drove out on the Rogue River jetties to see what birds we could see.  And what a show we saw.  An osprey hunting! 

         The dive begins

                                                                                                                        The take-off from the water 

                                            Empty talons

This osprey was not a great hunter.  We watched him (or her) dive about 5 times and always come up empty-clawed.   We also saw a red-throated
loon -- our first ever, so pretty exciting!

We spent the last evening inside reading, drinking a little hot coffee laced with Bailey's Irish Cream, then testing the ocean-front spa.
The dog slept, and slept, and slept. 

That night it started raining in earnest.  Time to go home!  What a wonderful get-away.