July 8, 2013

Humbug Mountain State Park

Day trip to Gold Beach & Brookings

It was our day off and we slept in until almost 9:30.  After a very leisurely morning we decided to take a car ride.  We have gone north a few times so today we headed south.

We stopped at a scenic viewpoint to take pictures. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No matter how many times I see the ocean its beauty never fails to amaze me.

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was just before the bridge at the entrance to Gold Beach. 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove along the water and came across these sea gulls.  I thought they would fly away when we got close but they didn’t budge. 

 

 

 

There was this really weird little village. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not sure why it was built—but it sure looks like it was built by someone with a sense of humor.

 

 

 

 

Monte spotted a sign for Radio Shack. 

There was no parking in the front so we had to drive around to the rear of the building.  It turned out to be a small mall.  The entrance takes one through a museum. 

 

 

 

Inside there was a fitness center, the Chamber of Commerce and a restaurant.  Radio Shack is closed on Monday.

After looking at the map we saw that the town of Brookings was only 20 miles further down the road so we decided to move on.  

We stopped at a couple more scenic viewpoints along the way. 

 At the first one we stayed a while to watch a windsurfer

 

 

 

 

   and the second one was Arch Rock. 

 

 

 

 

 

We followed the trail that led to views of the Arch.  We didn’t stay too long because it was chilly and we were wearing shorts.  BRRRR

Brookings is a cute town.  It is a lot larger than Gold Beach but is still a small town. 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped in Bi-Mart.  We had never been in one before and didn’t realize it was a membership store.  But the cashier at the entrance invited us in anyway.  I saw a lot of things I might have purchased when I was still living in a large house.  BUT, we live in a small space so almost everything we buy has to be something we need or really, really want. 

I had a taste for pizza.  There were three listed in the GPS so I randomly chose one.  On the way there we stopped at the Escape Hatch, a sporting goods store.  I sat in the car reading while Monte went inside.  I told him to take his time-and he did.  But I was glad when he finally came out because I was starving.

Luckily Wild River Pizza was only a mile away.  

As soon as we walked in and were greeted with the fragrant aroma of fresh baked pizza we knew we made the right decision.  After placing our order we sat and waited for our number to be called.

When I first saw how the pizza was cut in these weird little triangles I thought it was strange.  But when we started eating them it made sense.  The pieces were easy to pick up and manage and almost every piece had that little tip that, in my opinion, is one of the best parts of the pizza.

           

 After a quick stop in the Dollar Tree, where I bought a pirate coloring book that will aid us in one of our JR. Ranger programs, we stopped in Fred Meyers.  I was very impressed with the display and quantity of their fruits and vegetables.  We were able to pick up a few things because I had brought along a small cooler and freezer packs.

            We gassed up before we began the hour long drive home.