Honeymoon Day Seven - Pacific Ocean Bound

We started off Monday morning in Eugene, walking downtown to the Zenon Cafe for lunch. Next we walked over to the courthouse which was designed by Morphosis. We walked around the building a took lots of photos and videos. Watch them to see a great contemporary building that shows what can happen when money is dedicated to design. The city of Eugene (and Oregon in general) seems to have a certain respect for modern and contemporary design.

After leaving Eugene, we headed south on I-5 before exiting onto Highway 38. The drive was very nice and just before jumping onto Hwy 101, we stopped at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area to see lots of elk on the horizon as well as several bird species. At the intersection of Hwy 38 and 101 (in Winchester Bay) we stopped at the Oregon Dunes Information Center to find out more about the coastal drive, the state parks and the dunes. We grabbed a handful or booklets and brochures and headed south towards Bandon, where we had reserved a room for the evening.

On our drive down, Stacy raised the idea of not going to San Francisco and heading north up the Pacific Coast Highway towards Washington - arriving back in Portland sooner than originally planned. We decided we would weigh the pros and cons of these two options over dinner and make a decision then.

Our first stop on our drive south was the Umpqua State Park Lighthouse. This would be the first time that the two of us had seen the Pacific Ocean together. It was a nice view, but not nearly as good as many to come. Next up was a stop to play in the dunes in Lakeside where we signed up for a guided tour on Tuesday afternoon. We jumped back in the car and got our gambling fix with a visit to the Mills Casino in North Bend (and didn't waste time loosing a few bucks at a Texas Hold 'Em table and a couple of Blackjack slot machines.)

The final scenic stop on our southern route was Capa Arago and we checked out many viewpoints along the winding road that headed up to the tip of the peninsula. One of the highlights along the way was an overlook that allowed us to see hundreds of sea lions on various rocks about a half mile out into the ocean. They were quite noisy as the video should reveal. A very cool, unexpected experience.

After Arago, we headed to Bandon. It is touted as an artist community with a cute downtown. We had a room reserved at the Sea Star Guest House, which looked out on the harbor (and ocean beyond). We checked into our room and headed to dinner at The Wheelhouse which was only a block away. We went to the upstairs lounge and had two different fresh snapper dishes along with some good local brews. It was a delicious meal.

During dinner we discussed the pros and cons of heading south vs. north for the next couple of (San Fran vs. Portland.) It was a great discussion, with each option having a long list of pros and cons. But....in the end, Oregon won. We decided to drive north up 101 towards the Washington border and head back into Portland for the last few days of our trip.

Morphosis Courthouse Walk



Petting the Elk



Running Down the Dunes



Casino Dollar



Spotting a Sea Lion