Port Orford, Bandon & Heceta Head, OR (4/20 thru 5/1/2020)

My plan was to spend three or four days at each stop along the Oregon coast , visiting places I had missed on previous trips or doing a better job of taking photos.  However, the government, the coronavirus and the weather had other ideas.  To reduce the spread of the virus, Oregon shut down everything but essential activities.  RV parks were only allowed to take new customers for one month or more.  Consequently, I stayed in Port Orford for 35 days.  We had rain for about twenty of those days, which actually made it easier to accept staying inside, and I quickly ran out of places to go even when the weather was good.  On the other hand, I could not have found a nicer park or more accommodating management than Camp Blanco RV Park.

Driving around town, I found a few things of interest to share with you.  Numerous deer wander through town, which has large wooded areas within town limits.  I found this one too cute to resist.

 I never learned whether the old City Jail is still active.

 

Beautiful blooming plants and trees were found all over town.

On top of China Mountain, I found many acres of clear cut forest with a view all the way to the ocean. Along with the utter destruction, pretty wildflowers have emerged, such as these wild irises.

 

When the weather permitted, I went out to watch the sunset, hoping to get something spectacular to photograph.  These are from Port Orford on different days.

On my last night, I drove to Bandon to get a different set of foreground rocks.

Under ideal circumstances, I would have spent more time along the coast.  In fact, I had a reservation to stay in Waldport, but the 30 day minimum rule was extended and my reservation was cancelled.  Since I found a park in Portland apparently not subject to the rule (or not following it), I drove to Portland all in one day.  With the hills, curves and towns along the route, It was a grueling drive, so I only stopped twice, once for fuel and again for Heceta Head Lighthouse.  It was extremely frustrating to drive past so many places I had planned to visit, so many sights I wanted to photograph.

Heceta Head is an iconic lighthouse and the most photographed spot in Oregon.  I stopped here several times in the past, but for various reasons never actually toured the facility.  That was definitely my plan this time, foiled again by coronavirus closures.  Once again, I settled for photos across the bay.

Looking down to the rocks below where I've seen sea lions in the past, I finally found a lot of sea lions basking on the rocks several hundred yards down the coast.

 This shows you the steep, colorful cliffs that line the highway along the Oregon coast.

I am in Portland so my grand-daughter Ashley can visit me during a school break.  Her trip has been planned for some time and I hope virus restrictions don't interfere with it.  Hopefully, we can find things to enjoy despite all the closures.