Kim and I continued with our quest to seek out and find all eleven lighthouses in Oregon with a day trip out to Bandon, between Gold Beach and Coos Bay on the Oregon coast. This time we set out to find the Coquille River Lighthouse.

We found Bandon to be delightfully charming with plenty of cool cafes, galleries and mom and pop gift shops. It is perhaps most famous for its Circles in the Sand annual event, now in its tenth year, where groups of artists create mesmerizing labyrinths and other elaborate designs in the sand on a mission to spread love, joy and kindness.  Unfortunately our visit didn't coincide with the event but we saw the lovely wet, sandy beaches, perfect for this style of artwork.

We stopped in the old town for an early lunch in a beautiful old building that housed a co-op of local artists. We sipped our specialty coffees and we each had a lovely bagel with cream cheese, lox, capers, dill and lotsa freshly squeezed lemon on top. Delish! We then mooched around the artists stalls, enjoying the diverse artistic styles and media. I enjoyed the sculptures made out of reclaimed plastic and other debris found in the ocean. I especially loved the crested puffin that reminded me of the macaroni penguin. I have a bit of a thing for penguins and puffins as they are loyal, eccentric and comical, a bit like me.

After lunch we walked around the old town marina where we saw an array of colorful boats bobbing on the river, saw the skeletal wooden legs of bygone docks, listened to the barking seals and screaming gulls, did a bit of window shopping, and generally mooched around town.

We then returned to the truck to get the most advantageous view of the Coquille River Lighthouse. Built in 1896, the purpose of the lighthouse was to light the entry way into the Coquille River and to provide safe passage for local fishing vessels through the perilous sandbars. As well as the lighthouse, a fog horn was also built at the site to help guide boats through to safety when it became too foggy even to see the light. It was first lit on February 29, 1896 and it was the last official lighthouse to be constructed on the Oregon Coast. The lighthouse was fully functioning until 1939 when it was decommissioned and an automated beacon was installed on the south jetty to take its place. 

From our viewpoint across the Coquille River, we found it to be a quaint little lighthouse with a bright red base, whitewashed walls and dark top, only 47 feet tall, built adjacent to a squat octagonal keeper's house and boathouse. Through the rising mists it looked beautiful.

After taking numerous shots of the lighthouse we explored the southern end of town through Kronenberg County Park and onto Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint. By the time we got there, the mist had descended and was swirling around the rocks making a spooky scene worthy of the witches of Macbeth. The words "something wicked this way comes" turned over in my mind. The black rocks below resembled witches hats and the churning ocean became some kind of  powerful potion. Once again we had stumbled upon nature's magic. I was mesmerized and let the mist swallow me as the wind whipped my hair and took my breath. Fabulous!

The Prehistoric Gardens on the US101 between Gold Beach and Port Orford was first established as a tourist attraction in 1955 when 23 life size dinosaurs were sculpted and then homed in the most beautiful ancient woodland. 

It was a misty morning when we arrived and there was not another soul in sight as we were greeted by a huge T-Rex in the car park. Nestled in a valley pocket and protected from the elements, the vast ecosystem of temperate rainforest appears to flourish in a tropical, prehistoric fashion.

The garden itself was made up of huge ancient trees, many over 300 years old, with an undergrowth of lush ferns, moss covered rocks, common skunk cabbage with the most enormous leaves, and prehistoric algae clinging on for dear life wherever it could find purchase. The early morning light lazily blinked its way through the mist and the trees.

A gentle walk around the hushed garden was magical. It cast its morning spell over us as we wandered through the garden to find one colorful dinosaur after another. It was glorious. I can't quite express how lovely and perfect this mystical morning stroll around the Prehistoric Garden was for us all. 

We had passed by The Trees Of Mystery, just outside Klamath in the far north of California, on our way up Highway 101 to get to Crescent City. You could not miss the giant fibreglass statues of Paul Bunyan and his beloved pet, Babe the Blue Ox standing in the well manicured gardens of the car park to this roadside attraction.
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We were excited to visit. When we arrived, we took our time walking around the huge statues and acquainting ourselves with the story of Paul Bunyan, the famed giant, plaid-jacketed, big booted, lumbering lumberjack of North American folklore, and his pet Blue Ox, Babe.

It was fitting that Paul Bunyan and Babe stood there welcoming us to the Trees of Mystery as the history and traditions of logging and particularly the carving of large hunks of wood into works of art was told as we walked along the interpretative trails.

I was actually familiar with Paul Bunyan. In the movie Fargo, a carved, rugged statue of him is glimpsed covered in snow as the murderers pass through the North Dakota town in the dead of winter. In fact I can't think of Paul Bunyan without also thinking of one of my absolute favorite actresses, Frances McDormand, in her Oscar winning role as Marge Gunderson in the movie.

You betcha!

I am also familiar with the iconic "Muffler Men" molded out of fiberglass, inspired by Paul Bunyan, that stand in gas station forecourts along my beloved Route 66 and other slightly decrepit byways in North America. Originally, the first 'Muffler Man" was created to carry an axe, appropriate for Paul Bunyan, but later the axe was replaced with the giant fiberglass man holding a muffler, tire, huge wrench or some other car related object as an advertisement to draw customers off the road to take a break from their journey, stop for some food and for some car maintenance. You can read more about the "Muffler Men" in my Route 66 photographic journey through Arizona.  You may need to scroll down until you arrive at the Flagstaff photos and the pics of the giant men. Check it out here.

Once upon a time the original folk tales Of Paul Bunyan began with American loggers sharing exaggerated stories around cosy campfires of a giant axman who could fell tall trees with a single chop. Their tales became embedded in to local lore, bringing awe and appreciation to the hard logging work they did across America, with their own sweat, spit and bare hands.

The loggers' stories of Paul Bunyan, strong and handsome with a chiseled jawline, over seven feet tall, with a stride of seven feet in length, striding across the plains, through the forests, doing the work of many were passed down, mouth to mouth, in the honored tradition of folk tales. According to their stories Paul Bunyan carved the Grand Canyon with his axe, created the Great Lakes as a personal drinking bowl for Babe, and if you keep a careful watch, you might be lucky enough to see Paul Bunyan riding Babe like a cowboy. Oh yeah!

At 49 feet high, the statue of Paul Bunyan at the Trees of Mystery is the tallest statue of the folklore hero in America. The stuff of legends! 

We made our way to the trails and spent a happy day meandering through the wide variety of trees, almost like a tree exhibition, crowded together for our enjoyment. One of my favorites was the ancient giant Redwood named the Brotherhood Tree.  It is one of the largest and oldest living things on the planet. It was named in hope for the brotherhood of man. It is over 2000 years old, 19 feet in diameter, 60 feet in circumference and 297 feet tall. Wow! We were awestruck standing next to a living entity that had been growing for much of recorded human history. We also enjoyed the Candelabra Tree, Elephant Tree and Cathedral Tree. 

Henry spotted Bigfoot, banana slugs and a giant mosquito.

I loved the "I love you" sign.

We had enormous fun bouncing our way along the 100 feet high aerial netted suspension bridges and platforms in the canopy of the Redwoods.  Of course Henry and Kim jumped as high and hard as they could (as if they were in a lift!) on the ropey bridges to make us all jiggle and giggle. Even the kids were laughing at us! Fun!

Henry grabbed my phone and took these lovely, flattering shots. Anyone else have a family member who takes daft pics?

Next we headed for the Skytrail where we took a gondola up the forested hillside, about 1/3 of a mile and 1,570 feet up, through the tallest of trees with a spectacular view at the top where you could see the Pacific Ocean glinting in the distance and incredible views of the Klamath River and back country. At the summit there was an observation deck called Ted's Ridge, where we took in the panoramic vistas.

We finished the day touring the most amazing Native North American Museum. After the Heard Museum in Phoenix, this has to be my favorite museum of tribal artifacts. It was truly incredible. More about the museum in my next blog post.

​This was a memorable day and once again, the trees were the stars.

106 meters (350 feet) in length and 4.5 meters (15 feet) tall, the gorgeous fiery sea serpent lazily stretches across the desert road, snaking out of the ground with the illusion there is a whole other world beneath the desert sands. I was awestruck, stunned by its magnificent, forked tongue, ferocity. You can walk in and around the beautiful beast, all the way to its rattle shaped tail.

You may think it is a bit of a stretch to call this sculpture a secret, but it is relatively unknown and unvisited because it is so far off the beaten track. It is a couple of hours drive from Palm Springs from the North and about the same from San Diego in the South, it appears it cannot compete with the beaches and the big cities of California. In the scorching heat of the summer sun, we apparently had the entire place to ourselves.

The sculptures are located on the Galleta Meadows Estate, on the outskirts of the Anza Borrego State Park. Dennis Avery, the owner of the estate, called upon renowned metal sculptor Ricardo Breceda to create something extraordinary to adorn his land. Breceda did exactly that by creating more than 100 sculptures that seem to pop up from nowhere,  surreal creatures rising from the earth and defiantly withstanding the extreme desert heat.

We loved the the stand off between the scorpion and the grasshopper, staring each other down like MMA fighters before a big fight, intimidating, hinting at the whipping action of a tail sting or the nippy spring of an aerial attack, the desert floor their octagon stage.

Wherever we go, we have to check out the local art scene. Downtown Palm Springs did not disappoint.

We started at the Palm Springs Art Museum and lazily wandered around, thankful for the air conditioning as it was still beating hot outside. It did not take me long to find some Wayne Thiebaud delicious goodies and it was all I could do to stop myself licking the canvases. So yummy! There was British representation with some Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth sculptures, lotsa poppy and dotty Roy Liechtenstein's, a lovely Andy Warhol pink cow and I even found an Edward E. Curtis print in the Southwest Art Collection, all laid out beautifully. I adore museum shops and spent some time mooching about but as we are now living in the trailer with very limited space, I have promised myself not to buy any small souvenirs. Nowhere to put them! 

Outside the museum we headed towards the downtown area.

We immediately fell in love with the towering "Forever Marilyn" sculpture by Seward Johnson. All 26 feet of her unabashedly looms up in the pose made famous in the movie "The Seven Year Itch" where she stands over a subway grate in New York City while her halter neck white dress billows up as she tries to push it down. Apparently Joe DiMaggio was fuming with Billy Wilder over the number of takes it took, the fun Marilyn was having with the film crew and the eager crowd that amassed to watch the spectacle. Though the sculpture is somewhat controversial, as it shows her knickers at the back as her dress flies up so that it almost looks as if she is mooning the art museum to her rear, it is such an iconic movie moment that you can't help smiling. One of my all time favorite movies is "Some Like It Hot," another Billy Wilder movie. I am a huge Marilyn fan so this sculpture made me happy.

After some tasty light bites at the Tommy Bahama Bar we found a few other cool urban art pieces.