June 1-6 ~ Hike on the Heads 2, Family-A-Faire

Wednesday, 06-06-2001 ~ Light cloud cover with an afternoon burn-off looking likely. Last Sunday I took a late afternoon walk at the Port Orford Heads State Park (also known as Coast Guard Hill). The views were clear so I figured it would be a good time to take some headland pics with the new Mavica CD1000. Our first set of images were shot at the Barracks (see overhead pic and map on the right). The old Coast Guard Barracks (first pic below) is now home to the Port Orford Lifeboat Station Museum. Tours are held Saturday and Sunday from 1:00-4:00 PM. You can find more information about the museum by clicking this link > www.PortOrfordLifeboatStation.org. The middle photo below shows one of the lifesaving boats that was used at the station. The last image shows the home now used by the local state parks superintendent. 

Next we head-off on the Nellies Cove Trail with a stop at the first viewpoint (location 1 on the overhead trail map). There is a bench here for relaxing and enjoying the views of Nellies Cove, location for the old Coast Guard boat docks, and Orford Cove (first two pics below). The last pic is a zoomed view of House Rock (on left) with Hubbards Creek Beach in the background. 

Our next stop is at a clearing just south of the Nellies Cove viewpoint (location 2 on the overhead trail map above). From here you see views of Battle Rock Beach, Port Jetty, and Humbug Mountain. The photo on the left is a portrait view of the Port Jetty with Battle Rock Beach and Sea Crest Hotel in the background. The first picture below is a view of the south end of Battle Rock Beach and start of Hubbards Creek Beach. Next is a zoomed view of the Hubbards Creek outlet. The last picture on the first row has Battle Rock Beach and Sea Crest Hotel in landscape view. The next row starts with wide angle view across Orford Cove to Humbug Mountain and Red Fish Rocks. Next is a partially zoomed view of Humbug Mountain. Last is a zoomed view of some of the Red Fish Rocks with the tip of Humbug Mountain and Lookout Rock in the background.

On our way to the next stop we pause for a quick look at a north to south view of Hell's Gate and Tichenor Rock (location 9 on the overhead trail map). A short walk later we're at our next stop, the old Coast Guard Lookout Station (location 3 on the overhead trail map above). The station is dismantled but the foundation supports still remain (first pic below). From here you can see Humbug Mountain (second pic), Red Fish Rocks (third pic), Sisters Rocks, Nesika Beach, and Knoxville (located on the north end of the Rogue River outlet). The second row

We travel up the Lookout Tower Trail and turn north on the path that leads to the Point Trail. The first pic below is a shot looking west across salal, huckleberry, shore pine, and more with the Pacific Ocean flowing to the horizon (location 4 on the overhead trail map). The next image is a view looking back and east from the Point Trail (location 5 on the overhead trail map). The trails are all well maintained and covered with chipped wood. The last image is a view looking looking north at 5 miles of coastline with Cape Blanco in the distance (location 6).

We walk out to the point for some views of Agate Beach and the south leg of Garrison Lake (location 7 from the overhead trail map).

One last image from the point looking east at some homes at Little America. Little America used to be the housing area for Coast Guardsmen and their families. I worked my way north along the shale cliffs and took the next two images of the northwest headland coves.

Our last stop is at location 8 from the overhead trail map (just south and west of the point and 50 feet north of the picture spot above). The first image is a view looking down on the cove closest to the point (the headland tip on the upper left is the same one seen in the previous two photos above). I sat here for several minutes enjoying the sunshine and views. Sometimes you can see Grey Whales migrating from this vantage point. I zoomed in on the rocks seen in the first image and saw several groups of seals socializing and taking in some sun (pics above right and set below).

This concludes our Hike on the Heads with the new Mavica. You can view a previous Hike on the Heads with our old Kodak DC210 Zoom by clicking here.

I'm planning to post the pics from my trip to Bandon and Coos Bay in our next update (unless something new comes up like the feature today). I still have a large set of images from a recent morning walk on Battle Rock Beach too!

Friday, 06-01-2001 ~ Overcast with a light mist this morning. Today's update consist of a big thank you for helping to bump our site hit total to 131,342 for the month of May! This is up from 105,305 for April. Thank you again for visiting and telling your friends! High hit counts help to inspire me in my effort to make our sites the most popular web on the Southern Oregon Coast.

Click here to send your friends an email about our site!

Special note for our music lover friends ~ In two weeks Arizona Beach (located about 10 minutes south of town and adjacent to Prehistoric Gardens) will hold a 3 day music festival (click on the pic on the left for a full-sized version of this neat poster). The festival will be held at the Arizona Beach RV campground on June 15, 16, and 17. The musical lineup for the three days is as follows:

Friday, June 15: Cozmo Blues Band, Susannah Weaver and Lynn Conover, the David Nelson Band, the David Grisman Quartet, and late night music by Garaj Mahal.

Saturday, June 16: Jupiter Hollow, Ashbury Park, Robert Walters 20th Congress, Fact or Fiction, Garaj Mahal, Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, and late night music by Sound Tribe Sector 9.

Sunday, June 17: Fontanelle, David Gans, Tubesteak Jones, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Jemimah Puddleduck, Spearhead, and late night music by Zoopy Funk Theatre and the Yarddawgs.

Tickets are $90 for three days of music and camping or $40 for a one day pass. Tickets are available through Fastixx, 503-224-TIXX. The hotline for more information is 541-924-8300 or visit at www.resonantwaveproductions.com. The vendor slots for the event are full but volunteers are still needed. You can volunteer by calling 541-687-6471.

Be sure to stop in and say hi when traveling thru Port Orford on your way to the festival!

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