The Days of Summer.

In summer, when the sky is clear and breezes cool the air,  tourists gawk around our town and ride horses everywhere, especially on the beaches.I have not seen tourists or anybody ride horses on the beach at any other time.

My grandchild and friends who visit  in the summer enjoy riding miles and miles on the shore.  It feels as though they are in a movie, John Wayne at the head of the posse, as they make their ways through canyons and caves and river beds looking for outlaws, the Billy-the-Kid types who'd surely are waiting behind those outcrops. 

Yes, temperatures in the low 70's; sun  shining; sand  warming our toes; horses and riders enjoying the outdoors.

If you only visit in summer, you have just missed the most important lesson in life: things are never just what they appear!

These shores take a beating in the winter months. Hurricane-force winds beat the shore with such violence and force that nobody, not a single animal will survive out there. Pelicans and sea-gulls and other shore bird are scattered in town, finding themselves in somebody's wood pile.  Winter is bitter cold and violent. Many roofs are destroyed by flying debris.

It rains over 80 inches a year.
It rains for seven months.
Most people must take vitamin D supplements.
When we dream, we dream of sunshine and bare legs.

Very few people live here.

Flag Season

Summer is Oregon's Flag Season.

After eight months of rainy weather, roads are pounded day and night by water, wind, debris, hail and snow.  By summer, these roads need help.

Hence, delays and detours on  major highways and on country roads.

Here we are on Hwy 101, going south from Port Orford, to Gold Beach, 24 miles away, and we met three interruptions, each time with a waiting of fifteen minutes or more.

This trip was recreational, and didn't have any time constraints. These views kept us entertained and relaxed while waiting to resume our driving.  Some people pulled off the road and parked to enjoy these vistas.

This is the view of Port Orford from the highway. Most days, it is this clear over Coast Guard Hill. The marine layer that gathers on the horizon is blown away by constant winds,from the south in  winter, and from the north in  summer. 

People always wear windbreakers in this town.

Tomorrow, when we drive to Eugene for our medical procedure, we need to allot more than three hours to make the 150 miles trip. Country roads are usually two lanes, one in each direction. Even a small repair can take time.  This year and last Federal recovery funds are financing bridge repairs as well. We will have to budget many delays.