Three More Nights

It was another beautiful day and so we headed to Gold Beach to roam around the sand dunes.  First we roamed the dock where they do the river boats.  I found some more gifts for grandkids and then we ate some fish and chips from a food cart on the docks.  After that we headed up the coast and stopped at a beautiful sand dune beach close to town.  The beach there was so sandy and it was hard to walk without sinking in the sand.  The dogs love the beaches that we have found, but they did have a lot of trouble walking today.  I loved all the rocks on the beach and when you allow the water to wash up over your feet, your legs are hit with rocks that wash in and out with the tide.  The sea grasses were so amazing next to the rock formations.  The wind causes ripples in the sand and creates a wonderful landscape next to the water.  We loved the beauty of this beach and hope to return once more before leaving.  There is a beach farther south near Brookings and I think we will return there tomorrow.  We have so many mixed emotions about leaving because the weather has been spectacular compared to our home in Iowa.  We love the fact that there are few bugs, low humidity and the daytime temperature is so great.  At home this week it has been in the 100 degree range with exhausting humidity and here it have been in the 70's and we love it!  If it weren't for family and friend, we would be here full time!

Dreamy Day on The Beach-August 26, 2013

Today started out sunny, so we decided to return to "The Arch" in Samual Boardman State Park.  It was so overwhelming the first time we went to see it and the day was cloudy.  With the sun out, the view changed dramatically and we were able to spend more time roaming around the cliffs and viewing all the scenery.  We met a nice couple that lives near Eugene, Oregon.  They were in their seventies, but were celebrating their twentieth wedding anniversary.  Both met while working in Seattle and are now retired from real estate and enjoying travel time.  It sounded like they had cruised all around the world and gave us so much information about the most important places to visit.  It was fun hearing their stories and just enjoying the outdoor weather which was perfect.  After walking the trail and taking more pictures, we returned to our duplex.

While we have been here, we had driven over a bridge many times and could see this beautiful beach down below.  Several people in town said that if you use the pull out you can follow a trail down to the water.  So, we decided to go on an adventure and check out another beach we hadn't seen before.
If we had been told how steep the trail was, we may have turned around, but we decided to be adventurous.  It was not a well traveled trail and steps were dried mud that had been formed by years of footsteps.  Some of the trail dropped dramatically and we had to help each other balance while we dropped to the next level.  By the time we were nearly to the bottom, we thought we had climbed Mt. Everest!  And then we looked down and it was almost a four foot drop to the ground followed by a maze of driftwood and rocks.  Well, we made it and the beach was completely deserted, imagine that!  We spent an hour walking the beach and taking pictures of the rocks, water and homes on the cliffs.  It was a great experience for us, at least right up until the time we had to climb back up to our car.  We were in full sweat before we reached the top, but I only fell once.  Looking back, it would have been so easy to turn an ankle by slipping just a bit.  We were meant to see this place, but not sure that we would recommend it or go down again.  It was a great experience, though.

Back to the duplex and done for the day!