9-7-2014 Winchester Bay to Coos Bay

The whole area from Florence down to Coos Bay is Duney.  People can ride atv's and explore the dunes and the coast.  The weather was gloomy and we had a lot to see.  We seriously thought about renting atv's, but in the end didn't.

This is a great place to ride the dunes

this is typical of duney area where people were riding

The lighthouse also had a sea rescue unit.  They used these motorized self righting boats for many years.

They figured out how to use prisms to direct the light much further and each lighthouse had it's own signature beacon.  This one had some red in the light and that is not always the case.

We paid for the tour and it was very interesting

The stairs are made out of cast iron they are not tied into the brick

This is looking up the stairs at the foundation of the actual light

These represent history of the way that they produced the light

this is looking from the inside of the lense

I am up in the lens

It is wild to think that this lens was constructed in the 1800's in France then sailed all the way around South America and back up the coast and was assembled here!

This is a wide angle shot taken from the bottom of the lens

This is a recreation of the living quarters of the lighthouse keeper assistance

The meeting room

this is a model of the rescue ships that were stationed here

then we started driving towards Coos Bay

 When we got to Coos Bay we parked at a casino in town and got the bikes off and biked around.

We stayed in the Casino Parking Lot all night.

I love the casual atmosphere of the shops...what a great little window display

this sign was at a park

We went to the Liberty Pub, it was really good.  This is a hamburger that is baked into a pizza crust

the sinfully creamy mac and cheese