Heceta Head Lighthouse is probably the most photographed light on the coast. It has the most powerful lens on the coast and sends a beam 22-miles out to sea.

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While standing admiring the lighthouse, the bark of seals was coming from below. Looking down I saw these guys sunning themselves.

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Driving the Beach Loop we found Elephant Rock. One has to stare at it for some time before actually seeing the pachyderm. We were lucky to have a local resident point it out to us.

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Legends have always been a part of Native American culture and so Face Rock is woven into their story. It is said to be the daughter of Chief Siskiyou who wandered off to view the ocean she had never before seen. It is said she is now frozen in time looking northward to the sky.

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We were rewarded with an incredible sunset tonight.

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Cranberries first came to the Oregon coast in 1885 when Charles McFarlin ventured west from Cape Cod bringing with him cranberry vines. The Ocean Spray Co-operative here in Bandon receives, cleans and ships from 300,000 - 400,000 pounds a day during the peak of the harvest season. Most of these are processed into juice products due to its bright red color.

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Continuing on we found ourselves on Seven Devils Road, a gravel road that took us to Charleston on the Coos River.

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Along the Cape Arago Spur we first came to Sunset Beach, a great place to watch the waves come crashing into shore.

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At first the rock formations in the water here at Shore Acres State Park looked like mud with lava in it. Upon closer inspection, we realized that it was lava rock imbedded in sandstone that really is nothing more then petrified dunes. It's interesting because this is the only place we saw this.

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Perched on a scenic bluff high above the Pacific Ocean, Shore Acres began as a private estate with luxurious gardens built by Louis Simpson. All that is left today are the formal gardens that are maintained by the State Park. Here you can see a profusion of color year round like this dahlia this bee is working...

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...this beautiful Princess Flower...

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...and these bronze heron enjoying the 100-foot lily pond.

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Here at Simpson Reef on can view sea lions, whales and other wildlife.

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Cape Arago Lighthouse stands 100-feet above the ocean. The light atop the 44-foot high tower was illuminated in 1934. It replaced earlier structures (1886 and 1908) which both succumbed to weather and erosion. Area tribes own the lighthouse.

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This 47-foot lighthouse was commissioned in 1896. It had a fixed fourth-order lens that guided boats safely across the shallow water at the mouth of the Coquille River until 1939 when it was replaced by an automatic light on the south jetty. It has a very simple exterior and resembles characteristics of the High Victorian Italianate style. Coquille River Lighthouse was the last of the Oregon lighthouses to be constructed.

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We enjoyed our last Oregon sunset of the year at Face Rock.

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