Only sun bathers were pinnipeds

Made it to the Pacific!

Not too many sunbathers on this beach

misty morning in Charleston

Well, parts of last weekend were clear.... We escaped the wildfires by driving up to the coast after work Friday.  There was the "we need gas but have no cash" issue that led us 3 miles out of our way into a hole in the wall where gas was $3.50/gallon.  We got $3.00 worth. We arrived later at our destination than expected in Coos Bay but had great seafood and sushi at a tiny place called Momiji (because it looked like the last place to eat food at 8pm before crossing the Coos Bay bridge.)  It was good and fresh and, just FYI, if there's only one wine glass chilled, the waiter gives it to the lady and apologizes profusely! The hotel was a steal on Booking.Com  (i.e. with about 25 hours notice) although the "view of the bridge" was out the bathroom window--we got there at 9pm and left at 7am: it accommodated us well.

Saturday morning we had a larger than life  breakfast at the Pancake Mill Restaurant (about the only place open before 8am.)  We  had plenty of leftover fruit salad for Elevensies and lots of advice about the best places to see the ocean.  We continued on to all the State Parks we could find on the coast within our 30 mile drive to Bandon. We late-lunched at Tony's Crab Shack where you wait 30 min on the dock for your order because it is so worth it. Fresh oysters, crab cakes and fish taco sampler while watching a worker-dude tear up stacks of crabs the size of your head. The ride back to the Rogue Valley got progressively less clear and by bedtime we were back in the thick smoke of Jacksonville again. I think there will be more coastal trips in our future.

Charleston  -- am dock    11am museum    
7 Devils State Recreation Park
Shady Cove --Simpson Reef-where all the loud mammals were--
         CHeck out my video on the YouTube I made:
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnIV3sWCD4c&feature=youtu.be
Cape Arago Lighthouse
Shores Acres State Park

Shore Acres State Park

the red ones are Stellar sea lions; big one is Northern elephant seal and all the rest are California sea lions

Volunteer Harold had 3 siting scopes set up and was loaning out his binoculars