Dec. 1, 2013 - West Coast Trip-Part 4

This is a typical scene along the rugged Oregon coastline. Steep cliffs like this one are very common and you often see large rock formations out in the water. This photo was taken at Simpson’s Reef near Charleston, Oregon.

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One day while we were in Bandon, Oregon, I took a drive up into the mountains to look for birds. I found this display of fall colors along Bear Camp Road in Curry County.

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This lighthouse is located on the North Jetty of the Coquille River in Bandon, Oregon. It was put into service in 1896. In 1939, the Coast Guard installed an automated light on the South Jetty and the lighthouse was abandoned. After being neglected for many years, a restoration of the lighthouse was begun in 1976 by the Oregon State Parks and the Army Corps of Engineers. It is now open to the public and even gets decorated with festive lights in December.

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Here’s a sunset as seen from the deck of the house we rented in Bandon.

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A full moon occurred during the time we stayed in Bandon. The house in this photo is next door to the one we rented.

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Lots of trash is washed up on the shore along the Oregon coast. In Bandon, an arts group called the Washed Ashore Project, collects this trash, processes it into art materials, and makes giant sea sculptures out of it. That’s their creative way to raise awareness of the problem of discarded trash in the ocean. I’m standing next to a sculpture that is displayed in Bandon. Here’s a link to their web site if you are interested in learning more about the project. http://www.washedashore.org/

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