Like Bullards Beach, we’ve passed Humbug Mountain State Park
numerous times over the years. It’s tucked into a little glen in a pass through
the steep terrain along the coast, right on US-101.
We also had another easy drive. We left Bandon at a
leisurely time just after Noon, stopped in Port Orford for fuel, and were
parked before 1:30. This time, I had done a better job of using Google Earth to
select a site where we could get TV reception, but, horror of horrors, we had
no cell service (therefore no Internet access). We have definitely proven that
Internet access is more important than TV as we travel.
We did another major deployment, enjoying the outside while
we could. This park had a lot of gnats flying around in the evenings, so we had
to improvise protection for the wine glasses!
One of the interesting features of Humbug Mountain State
Park is its namesake. While we were parked at sea level, just a few hundred
yards from the beach, Humbug Mountain rises 1,756 feet above sea level right
next door. Since there was information about the hiking trail available when we
checked in, I decided to do the hike.
I learned a few things. First, a 3-mile hike isn’t 3 miles
if you forget that you have to get back, and if you don’t account for the
half-mile walk to get to the trailhead. Second, 1,756 feet of elevation change
in 3 miles is an 11% grade. That’s 7 miles of hiking with 3,512 feet of
elevation change. Third, while I may be proud of my ability to do sub-17-minute
walks on the flat, I’m not really in good shape for hills.
But, I’m not a quitter. I started, so I made sure I
finished. It took me 3½ hours, I thought my pulse was out of control on the way
up, and I thought my knees were ruined on the way down, but I made it. The
trail wasn’t very scenic, just a narrow path of switchbacks through the woods.
I stopped to rest at the one place that offered a glimpse of a view. My reward
for reaching the top: a nice picture of the 1937 Survey Marker. I’m glad I did
it, even if it reminded me to increase my exercise regimen.
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| 3 miles of 11% grade with no let up makes for a challenging hike. |
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| Halfway up Humbug Mountain, looking north toward Port Orford on US-101. |
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| The reward at the top... |
We also spent an afternoon in Port Orford, a nice little
seaside town. Our Friends Wayne & Eva were on a drive along the coast from
where they were staying in Gold Beach (more on that in a future post), and we
met up with them for a pretty good lunch at a place called “Redfish”,
overlooking the natural harbor.
After lunch, we headed down hill to the municipal marina and
were treated to an hour watching a rather large whale play (well, probably
feed) right in the lagoon. Whale pictures are best made by shooting video and
then capturing stills, but we managed to get a few shots with phones and
cameras. There were some locals fishing off the rocks, so they got the best
show even though they didn’t seem to care.
No trip along the Pacific Coast would be complete without
some sunset pictures, so we drove back out toward town in the evening. The
added bonus was that we quickly picked up a 4G Verizon signal! So, while we
were waiting for the sun to set, we had a chance to hack away at our iPads
catching up on Facebook and email. Geeks!
We did get a few nice shots of the sunset, although there
wasn’t enough cloud action to make things dramatic. We moved around a bit to
get some rock formations in the foreground, and were able to get pictures with
both iPhones and my Nikon gear. I’m still not sure I need both…
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