2014 AIRSTREAM JOURNEYS
We have always just passed through Florence and decided to spend two weeks here this time. We stayed at the Port of Siuslaw (pronounced Sigh-oos-law) RV Campground and Marina. It was a short walk to the marina and Old Town. Lots of people spend their time here crabbing. A man walking by with a bucket of crabs said he had caught 50 of them and he gave us one. Our RV neighbor said people often get 50 crabs a day here!
The high sand dunes are the big draw in Florence. We had so much fun on our half hour sand rail tour that a few days later we went on the hour long tour. The sand rails go up to 60 miles per hour and the sand does fly!! It was a blast!! We also went on the more sedate sand buggy ride so that we could get some pictures of the area. It was definitely the highlight of our stay in Florence.
We enjoyed walking around Old Town, going to the Wednesday market, picking blackberries and having some good views of the bridge. There are a lot of cute signs on the shops in Old Town.
Heceta Head Lighthouse is a short drive north of Florence. The last time we were visiting this area the lighthouse was not open because the hiking trail and parking lot were being rennovated. We hiked the one mile trail to the lighthouse and later took a tour. There is also a nice trail above the lighthouse and it provides a different view.
It had been years since we had been to the Sea Lion Caves. The sea lions spend the winter in the caves. We saw them lying on the rocks outside of the caves. There is a set of stairs in the cave that leads you to a great view of Heceta Head. We enjoyed watching the many birds flying in and out on the rocks.
Our niece's husband, Rich, suggested we eat at the Little Brown Hen in Florence. We had a delicious Greek omelet for lunch. The hash browns were yummy too.
We had a lot of fun watching guys sand board down the dunes at South Jetty. This is the place where anyone with a vehicle capable of driving on the sand dunes comes to play. We saw several ATV's practicing their technique on the dunes. We also drove along the South Jetty road and took one of the trails up onto the top of the dunes.
Reedsport is a short drive from Florence. We drove just east of Reedsport to see the Roosevelt Elk. They were enjoying the warmth of the sun in the grassy meadow. On our way back to Florence we stopped for a peek at Siltcoos Lake.
Another day we went kayaking on Whoahink Lake. We stopped to see an Osprey feeding its baby on a nest above the lake. There were at least a dozen Osprey around the lake. It was a fun and relaxing morning until the wind came up and then it was a struggle getting back to shore.
We ended our stay in Florence at the Three Rivers Casino. We had dinner at the buffet and then enjoyed the music of Neal McCoy in the casino theater.
Florence, Oregon August 1 - 10