November 13-14 2013 Umpqua Lighthouse State Park, Oregon

The bus was still in the shop on Wednesday. John, Scott and I went to Dorris Ranch County park, which has been a hazelnut orchard since the 1800’s. Now the county still tends and harvest the orchard. We gathered nuts that fell off after the harvest. Foggy and damp day.

Rhody, Scott and John in the hazelnut orchard. Hazelnuts. We got 6 or 7 lbs of nuts.

Of course again right at sunset the clouds cleared and we saw sunset and the moon rising.  Wednesday evening the bus was done!! It even cost  much less than we expected. I We can highly recommend Oregon Motorcoach. This other bus is identical to ours. It came off the assembly line 3 buses after ours. It had some leakage around the slides and they had to remove them and repair the side of the bus. In these motorhomes the large slide is part of the living room and kitchen. It extends out 18 inches when we are camped. The smaller slide is the bedroom, it extends out 2 feet when we are camped. The owners of this one live in it and have no land house.  John met them. They are well into their 70’s. She drives the bus, he drives the car they tow.

I am not sure what they are saying with the billboard for the Oregon State University basketball team the Ducks. We left this morning for the coast again. The maples on the drive back have lost their leaves and are covered with bright green moss.

The Siuslaw River bridge south of Florence was built in 1936. It replaced ferry service across the river.  It is a 140 foot, double-leaf bascule drawspan and is noted for its decorative touches. We are now in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation area. Between Florence and Coos Bay is a huge dune field. You can ride OHV’s on parts of it and the rest you can hike. It goes all the way to the ocean.  This view is from the Oregon Dunes overlook.

Another view from the Oregon Dunes overlook out to the ocean. The bus at Umpqua Lighthouse  state park, in the heart of the dunes recreation area.

John cleaning the hazel nuts.  Rain on Lake Maria which directly behind our campsite.

The light keepers house and the light house on the far left. John running above the tsunami hazard zone. The coast of Washington and Oregon are tsunami hazard zones. There is the San Juan de Fuco fault line is right off the coast, if it moves, causing an earthquake a tsunami will hit the coastline.  It has happened a couple times in the past.

Umpqua light house. The Umpqua’s were an Indian tribe that lived in this area. Veiled mushrooms in the campground and a rough skinned  newt. It’s skin secretions are toxic to predators. 

John cracking hazelnuts after he dries them in the oven.