Another Great Adventure: On to Gold Beach...

After watching the dock proceedings in Port Orford, I headed south....

Got a shower at a campground for $2, and was so excited to have lunch at this German restaurant that was advertised in the travel booklet! Well, it was disappointing because they don't serve lunch, only dinners on Fridays and Saturdays, and it was only Wednesday! So I purchased some German treats which reminded me of good times when I lived in Wiesbaden for two years, stopped at the Geisel family cemetery and proceeded on to the Gold Beach Visitor's Center.

The beach here looks a lot different from Bandon...

I guess I didn't take a lot of pictures while I was in Gold Beach, but I found some geocaches, saw a sunset, hung out at the library, ate at Port Hole and the Barnacle Bistro, and over-nighted at Ray's Food Place which I realized was right next door to the City Police. BTW - Ray's had a bit of trouble while I was there when some old lady hit the gas instead of the brake... No, it wasn't me, honest!

The story I heard about the Mary D. was that there was a dispute about ownership and finally someone won and they were going to hoist her up a bit and get her all refurbished. Well, the forklift guy kinda got her in the side instead of underneath and she kinda crumbled. Such a sad state of affairs for this once proud and capable lady of the sea.

This is the bridge over the Rogue River north of the town. The arches are lit up at night with blue lights, but the night I went to see, they were not. I asked the Visitor's Center about it on the way out of town and they didn't know but said they would ask.

Parked at the far end of Ray's...

Are you wondering about my new friend, M.? I thought about it for a couple days, then went to the drug store to find some cheap dark-colored votive candles and some crayons. I found her place and knocked at her door. When she came to the door I said, "Hey! I got some stuff that might work better for those etchings!" She had been taking a bath and came to the door in a towel. She said, "I'm naked. Let me get dressed." Then she said, "Where did I meet you?"

Oh brother.

So we grabbed her paper and my waxy items and we walked to the Pioneer Cemetery right in the middle of town. We checked out all the stones, and then picked a couple to give it a try. Then we walked back to her street and I got my kite and we went to the beach to fly it but we decided the wind was way too strong. As before, she talked almost non-stop.

Then she wanted to show me the cliffs where there was volcanic ash, so we took a drive to Otter Point and hiked part of the Oregon Coast Trail. It was almost time for dinner, and I had made a reservation for the German place and she had never been there, so I called and added her to the list. After dinner she drove the back way to town, and stopped to show me the "cat houses". We talked in her apartment for a couple hours more and then I took my leave.

I can honestly say I totally enjoyed her company. She had a lot of things to say, and made some valid points, but she would eventually return to certain political topics. At times she was quite funny, as she meant to be, and I think she could even be a stand up comic. She shared new things, but she also repeated things she had told me before. It was interesting experience to make her acquaintance. I am glad I experienced this encounter.