Exploring Coos County and Camping by the Coquille River

The distance between Brookings and Bandon is less than 100 miles, so we planned an easy day.  The short distance allowed us to stop at Cape Blanco and tour the historic Hughes House, a restored Victorian home belonging to some of the first settlers along the coast.  After the tour, we lunched by the Lighthouse, where a hang glider was floating just off the cliffs, occasionally drifting back to touch down briefly on the cliff edge, then float away again.  Once, he touched down about ten feet from where the Apex was parked, almost coming in our door

We planned to use the Bullards Beach State Park as our base for exploring the area around Coos Bay and  Cape Arago.  The campsite we selected was fairly private, and because we backed up to a timbered hill, it was very lovely (see below).  We were going to barbecue chicken, but the regulator for attaching the small propane tank to Liz' camp stove did not fit the connection on the BBQ, so we opted instead to make Coq au Vin in the Dutch oven.  Delicious.   The list of things we want to add to the trailer supplies is growing.

The next morning we struck out for Cape Arago, stopping at an overlook where hundreds of sea lions basked on all of the low rocks near the cape (see below). 

Their barking was loud and continuous (can be heard in the video below(, and could easily be heard from the Shore Acres Botanical Gardens about a mile away.

The gardens had blooms of dahlias and roses (Strawberry Parfait, shown above), as well as many other plants.  While not in full color in October as it is in spring and summer, the gardens were lovely to stroll through and enjoy. The gift shop at the gardens is one of the best for locally made products like delectable jellies, jewelry, etc., where the sales support the non-profit Friends of the Garden.

We explored a few other campgrounds on the way out, and found one with lots of children's activities which would be good for Liz' three grandsons if they ever camped there.  Its lovely beach and shallow creek estuary allowed for warm basking and playing in the water even in the Fall.

We lunched in Coos Bay at a German Restaurant (titled, interestingly enough: The Blue Heron) where we both had weiner schnitzel. Food was good and the decor was a combination of western outback-meets-Germany.  More antlers hung on the wall than I see in my wildlife cameras...

After a rather hectic arrival at a Myrtlewood factory, we traipsed back to our campsite to relax.