9 November ‘08 Sunday
After yesterday it would seem to be almost impossible to expect a second day of as much entertainment but I was wrong. One of our neighbors here at “Camp Monaco” had mentioned one of their favorite locations to visit around here… Winchester Bay. Winchester Bay is located about 4 miles south of Reedsport and is home to the Umpqua Coast Guard Station and Lighthouse. The drive took us from Harrisburg (were the service / campground is located) to Florence, then down the coast to Reedsport and Winchester. We arrived in Florence just before noon and with Louise and me leaving the coach without having breakfast, we stopped at Starbucks for a snack. The morning drive took us on “one twisting and winding” road…oh yes, also very narrow and with not a chance of a shoulder to fall off on if need be. With this being late Fall and raining off and on, we were pleased to see such a beautiful area that was preparing for Winter. The falling leaves of golden colors, the deep green grasses, and the clear and flowing rivers heading out to the ocean really made this drive enjoyable. Once at Winchester Bay we found a couple of great looking campgrounds that sat right out on the peninsula. One in particular was very nice, and for $24 you could find yourself camping on a concrete pad that is surrounded by beautifully cut grass and sitting about 20 feet higher than the passing surf from the Pacific Ocean. Just around the corner and up a hill, we found the Umpqua Lighthouse and viewpoint.
After yesterday it would seem to be almost impossible to expect a second day of as much entertainment but I was wrong. One of our neighbors here at “Camp Monaco” had mentioned one of their favorite locations to visit around here… Winchester Bay. Winchester Bay is located about 4 miles south of Reedsport and is home to the Umpqua Coast Guard Station and Lighthouse. The drive took us from Harrisburg (were the service / campground is located) to Florence, then down the coast to Reedsport and Winchester. We arrived in Florence just before noon and with Louise and me leaving the coach without having breakfast, we stopped at Starbucks for a snack. The morning drive took us on “one twisting and winding” road…oh yes, also very narrow and with not a chance of a shoulder to fall off on if need be. With this being late Fall and raining off and on, we were pleased to see such a beautiful area that was preparing for Winter. The falling leaves of golden colors, the deep green grasses, and the clear and flowing rivers heading out to the ocean really made this drive enjoyable. Once at Winchester Bay we found a couple of great looking campgrounds that sat right out on the peninsula. One in particular was very nice, and for $24 you could find yourself camping on a concrete pad that is surrounded by beautifully cut grass and sitting about 20 feet higher than the passing surf from the Pacific Ocean. Just around the corner and up a hill, we found the Umpqua Lighthouse and viewpoint.
While we were sitting in the car, binoculars in hand, we heard a voice telling of life around this lighthouse in the late 1800’s. Curious, we stuck our heads out the door and were asked if we wanted to join them for a tour of the lighthouse and grounds. Heck yes…this is just what we were looking for. In 1881, the lighthouse was constructed with over 340,000 bricks that were made in the San Francisco area. The glass of the reflector was not only highly polished but it was also very fragile.
You could chip it so easily that the caretaker had to wear special clothing, something like a large “night-shirt”. The possibility of a belt buckle could chip a chunk of glass very easily. Back then, the keeper of the lighthouse had to sit in an area just below the beacon, looking out over the ocean with his spotting glass. As each ship would pass he would read the flags that were flying from the masts. The flags would tell him the name of the ship, cargo, and the destination of the shipment. He had to immediately post this information in a journal. At the time when he and his family were appointed to this job, it was a not one that offered a full social life…unfortunately it was just the opposite. After leaving the lighthouse we drove by a little “floating” seafood restaurant that looked too good to pass.
Not only was it too good to pass, it was “totally good” food as well…we highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area. Our first plan was to get back to the coach before dark but that didn’t work. Now we had to drive back on that narrow, winding and twisting road in the dark while it is still raining hard and unfortunately just as hard to see.