Travels with Debbie and Vince: The Oregon Coast

We are now in Florence, Oregon, we set up camp at Harbor Vista Campground, part of Lane County Parks. We sit on a bluff above the dunes and the Pacific Ocean. We went for lunch at one of the 50 original A & W's and went to a local attraction, Sea Lion Caves.

Our Campsite

The inlet below our campsite

A view of the ocean, not far from our campground

Stellar Sea Lions at Sea Lion Caves

Debbie at Sea Lions cav

Our next trip was south to Winchester Bay to the Umpqua River Lighthouse, which is located at the mouth of the Umpqua River and the Pacific ocean. It is on of 9 lighthouses along the 270 mile Oregon Coast, that are 30 miles apart from each other. This lighthouse is unique, as some of the lighthouse's light panels are red. Each rotation shows 3 white lights followed by 1 red light. It's the only one like this outside of France. On the way we stopped in Florence for coffee at the Siuslaw Coffee Roasters and sat on their patio and got a great view of their drawbridge.

Looking up at the red and white glass prism


Umpqua River Lighthouse

Bliss Diner-unique with all the old chevys

The Reedsport Carving Festival is hold the Oregon Divisional Carving Championships this week and we attended two days. We went Thursday to see the beginning and we go back on Sunday to see the finished products and the awards ceremony. There are contestants from all over the northwest, including Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, and Montana and even an entry from the middle eastern country of Macedonia. The winner goes to the national finals in Las Vegas. They all use a giant log of Sitka Spruce and have seven hours each day, for the 4 days to complete their masterpiece. They also have a "Quick Carve" every day. They all stop their main project and have just 90 minutes to finish a piece to go to the nightly auction. The pieces are sold to the highest bidder and the money goes into the prize money fund. Below are some of the finished works from the Quick Cut that we witnessed on Thursday afternoon.

Below are thee of the Quick Carves that went up for auction

On our last day in Florence, we went back to Reedsport to see the final carvings at the Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Competition. The works of art are gorgeous, I wish we could post them all, but here are a few of our favorites. Remember, all of these sculptures are made from just one piece of wood. Once finished, most sculptures are left plain, but you can stain them with colored stain.