Walk around Bandon and another hike at the Slough

Several people told me to be sure to get an ice cream cone at the Face Rock Creamery in Bandon.

Wednesday we parked at the other end of the Old Town area and walked 3/4 mile for a treat. It was indeed wonderful ice cream, and the double cone was a very generous size.

 

Old Town Bandon isn't much to get excited about. Lots of small restaurants that were either closed or serving outdoors, and the usual selection of craft, gift, candy and fudge shops.

Just about everyone we passed on the streets was wearing a mask, and all stores had signs requiring masks for entry. Nobody was making a big deal about it. Perhaps this is why this county has zero COVID deaths even with the tourists that pass through.

This large fish was one of several sculptures on display. It was made of trash from the ocean.

On Thursday we went back up to the Estuary and hiked another 2.5 mile section of the trails (marked in red below).

This place is a showcase of nature.

Most of the trees were second growth, but this giant cedar may have been one of the few that survived the original logging of this area.

I wish I could share the sounds with you. The wind was whispering in the trees, a few birds were singing, and the gentle babbling of the Hidden Creek were soothing to the soul.

The trail took us down along the slough, where the water was at low tide.

When you first look at the image below, what do you see?

I saw Bigfoot with a peg leg. 

Towards the end of a hike, I find myself looking down as much as up or ahead. As I tire, I try to be more careful of where I step so I don't stumble. I also try to "see" the small and beautiful things along the way.

There were a few other hikers on the trails today, but I may have been the only person in the world to have noticed these treasures.

I am one lucky lady!

Thoughts about kitchen size, and A Good Hike!

Not all of the time, in the life of a full time RVer, is full of fun and adventure.  Some is taken up with the mundane tasks like doing the wash, cooking, and washing the dishes. 

But for some reason it is so much easier on the road. 

When I started my married life I cooked in a tiny apartment kitchen. Over the years the houses got bigger and so did my work space. Now I'm back to tiny again, and I love it!






Thursday was our last day in the Florence, Oregon area. I did a little research on the web and decided the China Creek Trail Loop  and Hobbit Trail, which included forest, beach and dunes, looked good.

We parked at the trailhead pull off on highway 101 and immediately set off into a beautiful forest on a nice smooth path. 

Walking through a Northwest rain forest makes me think of dinosaurs, even though I know there were no trees or grasses quite like these at the time.  But it does feel like a different world. So lush.

Wherever there was sunshine, there were flowers.

 Most of the flowers were quite tiny. 

These little pink bell-like blooms were everywhere.

After a couple of miles of forest, the path went through the Washburne State Park campground and then went under highway 101. As we approached the beach area the trees became so dense that a tunnel had been cut through them!   

After walking a little over two miles, we came to the Washburne Beach.

The day was cloudy, and the water looked cold and rough.

But the damp sand made for a great hiking surface. Dry sand is hard to walk on. I didn't like the beaches in Florida very much because they were slanty, and after a short distance my back hurt from walking.  After walking on this one, I am looking forward to more wide, flat Oregon beaches. 

As we walked, we noticed the high, rough sand cliffs. We knew we would be going up that way, and had heard that our exit route from the beach was "a bit of a climb."  I didn't say anything, but was a bit worried.

Finally, about two miles down the beach we saw what we were looking for. The yellow "93" that marked the entrance to the Hobbit Trail that would take us back to where we had parked. I was getting a bit tired.

The beach end of the Hobbit Trail seemed to be carved through and up the sand cliff. People had left numerous shells along the edge. The crab above was not alive, but was fresh. (He still had eyes)

The half mile trail meandered through some pretty interesting trees. These curvy trunks were the subject of an information sign telling us they where shaped by the winds and weather. They felt like they belonged on something called the Hobbit Trail!
 

Not everything about this place felt friendly. The many roots in the path were a hazard to avoid. That one across the path at the top of this picture looked like it was waiting to trip anyone not paying attention.

Then, once again, we saw the best sight of the day: our faithful little Jeep waiting in the parking lot, ready to take us home. 

4.6 miles is a good walk for us old people! But if we can keep doing this, we may be able to go farther and onto harder terrain.

We have entered in a lottery for a hiking permit for "The Wave". 
If we get it, we will really need to work on our conditioning over summer.  I will know after June 1, if we get one, and will write about it then.

Check back to find out.