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☞ Parking to access the wildlife refuge was parallel to the road. There was room to park about half a dozen cars. ☞ A sign on the fence next to the parallel parking read, "No Overnight Parking." ☞ At the end of the level entrance path was a deck. Beyond the deck was water and marshland. ☞ The entrance to Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge was level, allowing access to the disabled and elderly. Trash and Recycle bins were in a corner of the entrance. ☞ A sign screwed to the fence of the deck described, "Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge Waterfowl Hunting Regulations." View all

Related stories: The Garage • The Lighthouse • The Museum

☞ Pay-to-use binoculars were on a stand at the Umpqua River Whale Watching Station. Notice a compass ring around the stand so that one could record one's direction of view after spotting a whale. ☞ The Pacific Ocean lay just beyond the sand dunes. From this high whale watching station, one could spot whales well off shore. ☞ A small pet grave lay on the dirt directly under the whale watching station. A cross made of wood had a jar of water strapped to it. ☞ A sign in a wooden frame indicated, "Welcome to Umpqua River whale watching station." ☞ Sand Dunes owned by the Coast Guard lay just below the whale watching station. View all

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☞ An overall shot of the exterior of the lighthouse. The walkway at the top was used by a lighthouse keeper and family to wash the windows daily back when kerosene was the fuel. Signs at the base regulated entry. ☞ The electric lamp inside the lens. It was so bright, that to photograph it, the inside of the lens turned dim. ☞ Steel Steps led up into the lens. On the tour, every person was given a chance to poke a head up inside the lens and to photograph its interior. View all

Related stories: The Lighthouse • The Museum • Umpqua River Whale Watching Station

☞ The garage lay between the museum (former residence) and the lighthouse. The garage was large with lots of windows. Five garage doors faced the Pacific Ocean. A single human sized door faced the museum. ☞ Inside the garage, an engine hoist still hung from the ceiling. Along the back, green shutters appeared to be repainted to ready them for winter. ☞ An old rescue boat was on display between the museum and the garage. ☞ Highway cones on white posts prevented cars from being driven to the garage. ☞ The inside of the garage was filled with garden equipment. A lone broom leaned against one garage door. View all

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☞ A bronze plaque was attached to stones on the side of the Museum. It read, in part, "Coastal Visitor Center." ☞ The building was two story with gables. It was the former residence for the lighthouse workers that had been converted into a museum and gift shop. ☞ A display in the museum showed the original fort, a Fort Umpqua, occupying what is today the town of Winchester Bay. ☞ The sign was posted on the side of the former Umpqua River Lighthouse residence. It read, "Umpqua River Lighthouse Tours Museum Gift Shop." View all

Related stories: Shore • Signs

☞ Although small, the lake looked dramatic with its surrounding forest reflected on its surface. ☞ A modest sized lake, only 1 mile around, lay placid in the early morning sunlight. Forest surrounded the lake and grew tightly against the shore. ☞ Dead or disease weakenen trees fell into the lake. Such fallen trees create habitat for young fish and other creatures. Although unsightly, they should not be removed. ☞ Water striders created tiny ripples near the shore of Lake Marie. The lake was very shallow at this place and protected from wind. ☞ A view across the lake at dense forest. A path, just inside the forest, paralleled the lake. That path was invisible. View all

Related stories: Signs • The Lake

☞ A concrete and wood picnic table was set up in a cutout just in-shore from the lake. The table was covered in a few fallen leaves, but otherwise appeared ready for a family to enjoy a meal together. ☞ Just a few paces in from the entrance was a modest beach facing shallow water. The air was warm that morning, but the water was cool, almost too cool to be desirable for immersion. ☞ Lichen and plants grew around the base of a tree on shore. ☞ The still water of Lake Marie help create a dramatic reflection of the opposite shore. View all

Related stories: Shore • The Lake

☞ A sign identified a "Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum)." That sign also warned that, "Bees are immune to its poison but the honey can make you sick." ☞ A sign at the entrance to the lake notified the visitor that the lake's name was, "Lake Marie." The sign also indicated that a, "Lake Marie Trail, 1 Mile Loop" surrounded the lake. ☞ Another sliced off log had writing on it too. This writing was newer and thus more legible. It read: "JMA + ALF + Baby Kash 7-22-15." ☞ Years ago someone had written on the sliced off part of a tree that bordered the trail around Lake Marie. Whatever the writing said, it may have begun with, "Ja." View all

Related stories: Some Art

☞ A closer view of the horse heads on either side of the woman. ☞ A chair upon which tourists could sit with horses on either side and a woman behind. This sculpture was carved from a single piece of wood using a chainsaw. ☞ A view of the carving face on with Salmon Harbor behind. This sculpture sat alone on a sidewalk with just a few spits of land behind and then nothing but the vast Pacific Ocean. ☞ A closer view of the detail on the side of the sculpture, swirls caved with a chainsaw. A vertical crack was the result of standing near the sea for too long. View all

Related stories: Art • Homes • Keel Park • Lake Marie • Marina • Shops • Signs • Winchester Bay Litter

☞ A rope, used to separate the parking lot from the sidewalk, was covered in a thick layer of moss. The moss was so thick that was almost impossible to determine the knot used to tie the rope to the wooden post. View all

Related stories: Art • Homes • Keel Park • Lake Marie • Marina • Rope • Shops • Signs

☞ Two liners from jars or from pharmaceuticals lay on the scenic path which surrounded Lake Marie. Part of one liner read, "Not for human or pet consumption." Could it be that someone was poisoned nearby? ☞ A 5 gallon pail lay upside down on the ground near the wharf. That pail was surround by cigarette butts. Near the pail was a beer can and a blue plastic bag. The pail might have served as a chair sat upon by someone while fishing. View all

Related stories: Art • Homes • Lake Marie • Marina • Rope • Shops • Signs • Winchester Bay Litter

☞ A house with blue flowers out front faced the park. Beyond that house a forest rose over nearby hills. ☞ The lawn was surrounded by green bollards arranged to prevent cars and truck from driving over the grass. ☞ The sign was made of copper and was heavily stained with corrosion. It specified the name as,"Keel Park." ☞ A path ran through the park, past the sign for "Salmon Harbor" and past a rose bush filled with pink roses. ☞ Two picnic tables sat on the lawn and provided a comfortable place to sit on sunny days. The bollard at the corner leaned at an angle. View all

Related stories: Art • Homes • Keel Park • Lake Marie • Marina • Rope • Shops • Winchester Bay Litter

☞ A "Dead End" sign faced the neighborhood and was a warning to cars going up the hill. The back of a Stop sign was behind the dead end. That stop sign faced the cars coming down the hill. ☞ A sign on the front of a plastic trash can read, "Dog Waste Only." ☞ A sign, between the harbor and a road next to the harbor, was labeled, "Boat Wash." ☞ A "Tsunami Evacuation Map" was posted at the "East Launch Pay Station" and showed with arrows the quickest routes to safety. ☞ A man dressed in a yellow rain slicker was chained to the asphalt in front of a store that advertised, "Grand Opening." View all

Related stories: Art • Homes • Keel Park • Lake Marie • Rope • Shops • Signs • Winchester Bay Litter

☞ A busy floating dock with lots of boats moored to it on a crisp morning. ☞ A sign was posted across the street from the public boat launch. It specified who and how much must be paid for launching boats and mooring them. ☞ A single boat was moored to a floating dock. This dock was was old and in the process of being decommissioned. ☞ Two boat ramps were parallel to each other and each had its own floating dock to prepare a just-launched boat. ☞ The Public Dock was without boats on a calm summer morning. The water in the marina was glass smooth. ☞ Dozens of vultures flew next to the boat launch ramps. They darted in and out of trees lining the shore. View all