MOVING CAR PICTURES

I am going to take you on a trip back from Coos Bay to Brookings by way of the moving car. The highway is filled with pot holes and grooves, filled with tar patches in so many areas, yet some of the 101 highway has brand new coverings that make for a very smooth drive. It is an on going project that will take several more years before it becomes the 'new' scenic highway along the Oregon coast. Daughter Patricia and I have made the trip many times over the years. We love to take our escape trips to either Coos Bay to the north of us, or to Eureka to the south of us. Once in a blue moon we head inland through the mountain curvy roads that lead to Grants Pass and Medford, but it is not one of our favorites due to the continuous slides . . . with mountains on one side and a river on the other, there really is little choice of where to go if the mountain decides to let go. Once on the highway we are anxious to get back home so we do not take time out to stop and take pictures, so today, I decided we should have Moving Pictures From A Car.

We left the hotel around seven a.m. and decided to have breakfast in Bandon which was at least thirty miles from Coos Bay. The weathermen had predicted horrible storms with hail, fifty mile an hour winds and lots and lots of rain, even snow in the lower elevations, so much to our surprise we had overcast and sunshine, fleeting gray clouds and a few puffy white ones but sunshine most of the way. We didn't count on the little drizzle here and there as it amounted to a lot of nothing. This is going into Bandon, an artist colony, a seaport town, an old town to visit with a large gallery where the local artists show their work and believe me it is quality. Our favorite breakfast stop is here. The "Minute Cafe" where they have a 'granny special', two biscuits with gravy, a link sausage and and egg, along with coffee for five dollars. The warm greeting and the service is always appreciated.

Along the highway there is an estate all fenced and 'rich' looking. I have no idea who owns the property but it is well kept and has to have many acres of land surround a building, which could be a house, or a special estate . . . imagination says that a very successful person lives here.

I thought it would be fun to show you the road behind us, so took a chance and aimed at the mirror. It came out pretty good if you are looking for me.

A gray day . . . only as you drive through the curvy roads and reach the Humbug mountain area. This area gives me an eerie feeling. Maybe it was that scary movie that was on HBO last night . . . wolves with cloven hoofs, talons for fingernails, and a face to scare the begeebers out of anyone crazy enough to watch such a movie before going to bed . . . come to think of it I had a pretty good nights sleep for a change...(smile.)

A curve of the road leads to breathtaking views. There are so many, if one were to stop it would take all day to get anywhere.

Here is Port Orford. This little coastal town is very quiet. Several of the buildings are empty now, probably a sign of the times.

One of the invasive plants called gorse that is taking over the highway from just after Port Orford where you see new plants starting, but as you move along the highway towards Bandon you see fields and meadows covered. We noticed this time that someone is trying to uproot some of the older growth but it sure looked like a losing battle. Pampas grass is another invasive plant that is taking over areas as well. The sad thing is that both have a beauty all their own, but, they do take over and crowd everything else out.

You can see that the gorse is spreading all along the highway and this is heading south so maybe it will not be many years before we start seeing this in Brookings.

So, I missed blogging yesterday even though I had access to the hotel computer. It was fun to read my e-mails and catch up but there was no using it as I do my computer at home. I get a bit timid using any other computer, as if it was in a foreign language . . . nah . . . it is just that I am a coward and enjoy the familiar . . . must have to do with becoming an octogenarian. I hope you all had a great two days without me. I hope you went about your business of living and making every second count. I hope you are back looking for me today and I do hope that you enjoy the pictures from the moving car. Hugs. to all.