August 22, 2022
My last full day in Oregon, we enjoyed kayaking around Willow Lake.
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| Jada's inflatable kayak can be configured for one or two paddlers and fits into that carrying case. |
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| We think these were hawks or ospreys. |
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| Mt. McLoughlin east of the lake. |
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| On the return to Shady Cove, we stopped to hike around Butte Falls on Big Butte Creek. |
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| The ruins of ancient homes and mills are barely visible in the thick brush. |
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| Big Butte Creek and Falls |
Today was mostly errands and laundry, but we fit in some fun with a terrific lunch at the Rogue Creamery, followed by a fun cinematic adventure featuring the 60th anniversary of the first James Bond flick, Dr. No.
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| As the Rogue Creamery is known for its delicious cheese, we sprung for the special grilled cheese including some of the best bleu cheese I've ever tasted. |
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| The creamery provided tasty beverages from a local brewery. Jada picked the Honey Kolsch, as she loves anything "Bees!" |
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| My beer choice. |
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| These deer were grazing near Belly. |
August 19-20, 2022
We struck camp after kayaking and headed to Reedsport, OR where we enjoyed lunch at the Schooner Inn on the Umpqua River. We were taking the scenic route back to Shady Cove, following the Umpqua River eastward, then then to the south until we arrived at Melrose Vineyards west of Roseburg, OR. The vineyards are on the banks of the Umpqua and are also a beautiful events destination for weddings, etc.
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| at the Schooner Inn |
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| The property at Melrose Vineyards. That's Belly and Nellie in the distant center. FYI, Belly is the trailer, Nellie is the truck. |
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| The store and wine tasting overlook the property. |
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| Weddings are held here. |
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| This pavilion would serve many events well. |
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| Belly found a flat spot to spend the night. Just beyond Belly & Nellie is a bridge crossing a small creek. |
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| From the bridge, you can just see Belly through the leaves. |
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| Jada likes Melrose Vineyards! |
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| We took a walk through the vineyards. |
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| Jada knew, but I was surprised how small the wine grapes are. This photo is almost actual size! |
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| Our view of the Umpqua during our walk. |
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| The next day, after returning Belly to her place in Shady Cove, we ventured to Bayer Family Estate, another winery south of Shady Cove. They featured live music which we enjoyed along with wine produced on the estate. |
Friends of Jada invited us to join them in Coos Bay for a free, public Jazz Concert at a beautiful venue in Mingus Park. To see a bit more of Coos Bay, we had a great dinner and beer in town before the concert.
The beer name was taken from the local indigenous tribes who were describing the wind as it screeched through the seven river channels and mountain ridges in the area.
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| Next morning we were paddling in Jada's inflatable kayak up and down the Siltcoos River. |
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| Beauty abounded along the waterway, including this spider web catching the morning dew. |
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| After a short trip upstream, we turned to begin our trek to the Pacific Ocean. The sign on the bridge alerts kayakers to the protected wildlife area. |
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| See the great blue heron on the distant tree stump? |
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| The shallows near the ocean were only ankle deep. |
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| Jada is a great photographer, caught this guy at the moment of take-off while we were kayaking this morning. |
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| Per the map, our kayaking took us well away from the river, but we were always in the main stream of the Siltcoos River. |
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| The map shows this path for the river . . . |
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| . . . while the satellite presents this view. In fact, our trek shows the current river route is quite different from both! |
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| "Belly" and "Nellie" in our Siltcoos River campsite in the Waxmyrtle Campground. |
The drive from Gold Beach to our campsite on the Siltcoos River wound in and out of view of the Pacific Ocean. We found a good parking spot for "Belly" and "Nellie," Jada's rig, in Bandon so enjoyed our lunch in a local eatery.
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| The campsite included a private little area surrounded by tall brush and trees. |
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| With camp pitched, we ambled along the Lagoon Trail that surrounded the campground, including these boardwalks along and over the lagoons. |
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| Along the Lagoon Trail |
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| The Lagoon Trail |
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| We camped in the Waxmyrtle Campground, took the Lagoon Trail for our initial hike. |
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| The next day we followed the Waxmyrtle Trail to the beach and back. |
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| A fellow camper took our pic as we set off on the Waxmyrtle Trail. |
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| These are the tracks left in the sand after the seals scoot across the beach. |
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| The Siltcoos River as it approaches the beach. |
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| Our return hike took us to this viewpoint looking over the Siltcoos River toward the Ocean. |
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| Steep path to the viewpoint. |
