Blue Goose ~ Day 36

July 6, 2014 ~ Florence, OR to Gold Beach, OR

Leaving Florence and family about noon, I drove south but took a route that I thought would be one of the scenic loops which rejoin 101. It was a scenic byway but not a loop, and it dead-ended in a state park, which was totally fine, as very near the park, I just happened on Simpson Reef and Shell Island Overlook which are part of the Oregon Islands NWR.

Simpson Reef and Shell Island - Oregon Islands NWR - OR

It was luck and involved no planning on my part. I had not expected to include the Oregon Islands as there are over 1800 of them up and down the Oregon coast, all offshore and protected by refuge status, and not open to visitors. Several species of birds nest on them, and the beaches and rocks are used by sea lions and seals.

Seals and Sea Lions on Simpson Reef - Oregon Islands NWR - OR

A couple from the Friends of the Southern Oregon Coastal National Wildlife Refuges were in the little parking lot with two spotting scopes set up, answering questions, urging anyone to look through the scopes, and generally giving their time for the sake of raising awareness and enhancing the viewing opportunities.

I then went on to Bandon Marsh NWR which is a tidal salt marsh in the Coquille River estuary used by migrating birds, of which there were none at this time of year, and the tide was out, so what I saw was a vast expanse of mud and grasses. But that's OK....it's a refuge, a place that excludes damaging interventions such as resorts. Most of the refuges are always in the process of acquiring more land. If the government doesn't, then often private developers do.

After briefly looking over the marshy mud flats, I drove through Bandon and continued south to Gold Beach, OR. I had made a Priceline motel reservation there but ate first and had a truly delicious meal: mashed potatoes, Dungeness crab done as a "Maryland crab cake" and placed over wilted spinach and buerre blanc, warm chewy bread and a glass of wine. I sat on an indoor porch with ocean views. I have passed through Gold Beach several times in my life, and it has always been wildly bright and sunny as it was tonight.

The motel was modest to the extreme, but updated and clean, and I worked a few hours by an open window with the ocean in the distance. A large, dusky-violet longitudinal cloud was moving fast just above the horizon from north to south, and when the sun went through and behind it, there was glorious light and color.