No brass band, no press. Fini!

I'm at Crissey Field, a very nice state welcome center on the border.  Diane will soon arrive to pick me up.  A long drive for her. The Welcome Center lady said the actual CA border was about a mile down the beach  "where the houses start" so I did the walk down there and took a picture to mark the occasion although there is no sign or marker of any sort.  The sand was hard all the way but on the way back I took a trail that started well but soon turned squishy.  I can't catch a break!  Like I said there was no cake or ceremony but the welcome lady did rustle around in her supplies and found a limited edition hat pin which has a sneaker on it.  That was the closest she could get to anything having to do with a trail.  I wasn't expecting anything so was honored, honored I tell you, to receive it.  As W used to say, I misunderestimated on miles to go and did 23 today instead of the 15 or so I was thinking.  It's because I didn't have internet access when figuring and had to use an inaccurate paper map. At least that's my story.  Wasn't too bad though, except getting through Brookings-Harbor, which is strung out on the highway for miles and miles.  I started out this morning in woods then after a couple of Miles moved to the highway and stayed on it for a good long while before finishing on a bike path and then the beach again.  Like yesterday I actually chose to walk 101 in places for fear of hitting soft sand on the beaches.  Soft sand was NOT in the brochure!  Best part of the trip was the people in the hiker/biker camps and the deserted beaches. . Worst was- wait for it- loose sand.  It didn't start until Bandon but each day after that I had some or a lot.  As for equipment, Anita's Go Lite Pinnacle pack was great, as was my REI quarter Dome Tent.  I didn't even use the thin upper and lower base layers I brought, and only had to zip up my Down bag one breezy night on a beach.  The most important piece of equipment was my sun hat, followed closely by sunglasses.  I don't see how the old timers did it without shades.  Having no stove worked well too but this post is getting too long to go into that.  If you've read this far or if you've read any of my other posts thanks!

 Not a problem any more but I did have to delay because of it.

I'll bet there's an interesting story to this one.



A fitting end to a non-wilderness trip.  The end is "down the beach where the houses start."

The Unofficial end.

No fire in sight but lots of signs around town thanking the firefighters.

Out front of the Wild Rivers motel in Brookings.  I think the middle one was a Grumman.

Oh ho-hum another spectacular Vista.

Last night!

Had to climb a hill to get 4G tonight.  You're welcome.  I am in a stealth site just south of the Pistol River North of Brookings.  It's right by 101 and only a little screened but I'm so tired I don't care.  The traffic ebbs a lot at night and I have ear plugs.  I started this morning with three miles on decent sand to the Rogue River North Jetty at Gold Beach.  Then it was walk up the jetty and a road to the highway bridge -not bad- and over, then through town with a stop for a Supermarket deli sandwich and  to fill my water bottles before returning to the beach.  I did four long miles in the dread
ed loose sand before finding, with difficulty, the trail up Cape Sebastian.  It was steep and four and a half miles long but the last part was really very pretty.  It put me out on a beach that was hard sand almost to the Pistol River. The literature said it was sometimes really challenging to cross but today the river ended before even crossing the beach sand.  I guess it went underground.  A couple miles of road walking after that and I took the first site I found.  This must be what it's like to be homeless. Searching for a site hidden off the road.  All and all I must have done 17 miles.  The hard sand beach was spectacularly beautiful and deserted as always but there was a very stiff tail wind blowing, the kind that blows up the sand low to the beach and sends it skittering. It was so hard I had to work to keep my balance and it took a bit out of me.  Diane is picking me up tomorrow at Crissey Field, the southern trail terminus at the CA border.  I'll do one more post after that and then it's over!

 The view at lunch today below Cape Sebastian.

A little glass work will fix that right up.

Crossing the Rogue at Gold Beach.  A pedestrian-friendly bridge.

Near Gold Beach

No internet last night so no post.  This will cover yesterday and today.  Yesterday I did close to 20 miles from Floras Lake to Humbug Mountain S. P. south of Port Orford.  Again there was lots of loose sand and some road walking.  All was pretty though.  I was happy to get a .75 mile ride up from the beach at Port Orford what's the local retired logger who brought me to the town's one grocery store.  I also enjoyed a strawberry shake at the coffee shop there in town. I had to double back a mile when the beach ran out because of a too-high tide just south of there putting me back on my nemesis, Highway 101. It really wasn't that bad though. Traffic was light and the scenery was good. nonetheless I stuck my thumb out and was lucky to get a ride to take me to last three miles to Humbug Mountain State Park.  The Hiker Biker Camp there was full of cyclists who all knew each other because they've been meeting up at camps like this each night from their points of origin far to the north. They were all going way South into California and even Mexico.  First thing this morning had me back on the highway for five miles to Arizona Beach State Wayside.  There was surprisingly little traffic though and the scenery was fantastic with a clear flowing stream on one side and forested slopes on both.  Several of my cycling friends from the night before called out hello since they passed.  When I got to the first beach access I gave it a good look and actually chose to walk the highway instead. By now I have a pretty good idea for what sand looks like and I can tell whether it's loose or hard. This was definitely loose and I didn't want anything to do with that anymore. The highway again was still sparsely traveled and the scenery was still great so it wasn't bad at all. At one point I had miles of wide shoulder and was above the beautiful beach the guide said to walk on so had the best of both worlds- t

Sixes River.  Doesn't look like much but was flowing out fast and was almost up to my waist. I put everything in a trash compactor bags inside my pack, which I brought for this purpose or heavy rain.  I also  unfastened my hip belt and got a stout walking stick from a nearby pile of driftwood. Trekking poles would have been handy today but I chose to go without them.  Shortly after this I have to cross the Elk River, which was only knee-deep.  Still had a strong current though.

Leaving Port Orford at Battle rock with Humbug Mountain, my destination, in the background.

Prehistoric Gardens.  A well-done old-fashioned tourist attraction on the highway.

he beach and firm footing!  About 19 miles of Road, Beach, and Forest Trail put me just north of Gold Beach here this afternoon for a stealth camp in the woods off some County Road near the beach.  From Gold Beach to the border is only 34 miles so I plan to be finished on Tuesday.  Apologies for the spacing on the pictures here. It's hard to manipulate this tiny phone screen.

67 miles to go

I'm basking in the afternoon sun on a wild beach just north of Floras Lake, which is near Langlois, down around Cape Blanco and Port Orford.  I dragged into here after 23 miles, lots of it on loose sand.  It might have even been more loose stuff than yesterday but at least I didn't have a headwind.  If you looked at the track of my  footsteps it would show a snaky line all over the beach as I looked for the elusive hard sand. The day started in drizzling rain and continued that way until about 12:30. The rain on the tent last night was no problem and my shower at Bullard's Beach this morning was great. It was not great going over the bridge across the Coquille River.  There is no shoulder, the  guardrail is low and not built where it's easy to hold and the traffic was very fast.  I pushed the button to activate the lights indicating a person or bike was on the roadway but I couldn't tell it made any difference in the speed of the traffic.  I had to awkwardly grab the rail several times to avoid being blown off balance by passing cars and at least one log truck. Was really glad when I got to the other side!  So far that's winning the most unpleasant experience prize for this trip.  I hope I have no other nominees for that category.  It looks like I have only around 67 miles to go before my goal of reaching the California border. Piece of cake!

It must have been a great honor to ride on the Cranberry Court float in the Bandon parade!  Now the float sits forlorn in a nondescript parking lot outside of town.  Below shows me on the rainy beach starting out from Bandon's south jetty.  The sand was nice and hard there for several miles so I'm naively smiling.  Other pics show the prime real estate of this evening's camp.  

24 miler

Today I did 16 miles down yet another deserted beach to Horsfall Beach, where I took a taxi to save 25 miles of road walking through North Bend and coos Bay.  It dropped me at seven devil's recreation area, way out in the middle of nothing, where I rejoined the beach for an 8 mile walk to Bullard's Beach SP.  I had to hustle to get around some rocks before  they were inundated by the tide but hardly got my feet wet.  There was alsoo a one mile walk from the beach to the campground.  I'm in the hiker/biker camp with a couple from Chicago who are biking from Portland to somewhere in California
And a dreadlocked guy from Olympia who's cycling south, maybe Mexico.  Rain is coming tonight or tomorrow so I've set up my tent carefully.  I'll save taking a shower for morning.  If it's dreary I won't want to be leaving soon anyway.  I had lots of soft sand today, and a headwind.  Had some soft footing yesterday too but nothing like today's. Man, it really slows you down.  I distracted myself by trying to compose a Limerick about it but the muse wasn't there so I have nothing to inflict on you.
Feeling good, blisters no problem.

Today's taxi driver.  You talkin' to me??

bridge over Coos Bay

Food lockers with solar powered charging stations.  Only in the hiker biker camp and only a $5 fee to stay.

It is so nice to have a table.

Know when to walk away, know when to run.

Today I gambled and lost. The guidebook talked about a choice between catching a ride across the Umpqua River with a sport fisherman or taking an extended road walk. The road part would have been three point three miles on dirt followed by eight and a half miles on Highway 101. I was having a good time walking along the beach in good weather and decided to go for the jetty. When I reached the Sandy Beach mentioned in the book there wasn't a boat in sight. I decided it wasn't worth waiting around and didnt see any other way so turned back, resulting in a total lost bet of 12 miles, 6 each way. The good news is I only had to walk about a mile up the road until I got cell service and called the taxi who came all the way out there in the woods to pick me up. Actually it wasn't a taxi it was the taxi drivers husband and his beat up old pick up. His wife didn't want to drive her nice taxi out the rough road. He took me all the way to a store on the waterfront in Winchester Bay and it was the best $25 I've ever spent.  And, while I was waiting on him I was able to take a dip and clothes rinse in what I think was tachenitch Creek. It felt so good to get rid of all the sweat and beach salt on this 80 degree day. The water was clear, flowing, and tannin colored with a nice Sandy Bottom.  I had been running low on water before I got the pickup and when he let me off at that store I had two chocolate milks in a row. And I'm still sucking down the water here late this afternoon.  Total days mileage was about 19 not including the car ride. Tonight I'm stealth camping at a Douglas County Park just south of Winchester Bay. There has been Super Beach Dew the past two mornings and I've had to dry my tent fly off each afternoon, as I'm doing now. I found a site this afternoon under tree branches which I hope will shield me from all that wet.  The weather is to turn tomorrow and I'm not sure I'll have sun for any drying time.  I used to say I never get blisters but I've never walked in wet shoes for so long either.  I'm nursing ones on my right foot now. One is

My taxi driver, a former local tow truck guy.

Where I am tonight.

on the big toe and one's on a little toe.  No pain and I haven't even tried to Lance them yet.

Can't remember if I posted this or not.  Approaching bridge in Newport.

I just liked this detail at the alsea bridge in waldport.

Last night's camp on tahkenitch (corrected spelling) Creek.  Below is the Amanda statue on the namesake trail out of yachats the other day. I'll have to look up her significane when I get time.