Bicyclists take in the inspiring view at Coquille Point in Bandon. This was one of the stops on a proposed bicycle tour for South Coast towns. The route wasn’t selected, but bicyclists can still enjoy it and the other rides.
As part of a project by Oregon’s travel and tourism agency, South Coast communities from Bandon to Brookings were invited to submit proposed routes as designated scenic bicycle tours. I’ll discuss the winner in a moment, but elements of the other proposals are worth a mention.
Among the criteria was to minimize riding on already-overtaxed US 101, but since it’s “main street” for most coastal towns, it’s hard to avoid.
Bandon’s tour takes in Beach Loop Drive with its awe-inspiring ocean vistas. Then at the southern end of Beach Loop bicyclists can ride south along US 101 to Rosa Rd., and then back to town.
Other Bandon-area tours involved crossing Bullards Bridge -- probably the least fun part of any tour. Once on the north side, ride up and back on peaceful North Bank Ln. Bicyclists can also ride into Bullards Beach State Park, where the paved access road goes all the way to the lighthouse.
An unexpected place to enjoy mellow rides is the excellent paved access road system into and around Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. They’re all open for free day use. Entering from the south end takes you through beautiful settings amidst grassy dunes, weathered “ghost trees,” moss-bearded shorepines, redbark-peeling madrones and equally-impressive manzanita. Pass lodges and other golfer accommodations en route to soaring ocean vistas at the Sheep Ranch course.
Gold Beach’s proposal involved back roads and Old US 101 to Nesika Beach, while the Brookings route went up Chetco River Rd.
With a ride on back streets, and a short stint up US 101 to the Elk River and then out to Cape Blanco, the community of Port Orford won the bike route designation. But the real winners are the bicyclists who enjoy all or part of these scenic tours. (The routes can also be driven in a vehicle.)
Getting There
From Battle Rock Park at the south end of Port Orford, go north on US 101 one block and turn right on Jackson St. Follow it just under 1 mile to where it ends at 25th St., and turn left. In a few feet, turn right (N) on Port Orford Loop and follow it to US 101. Turn right (N) on US 101. It climbs gradually.
In a bit over 1 mile, turn right (E) on Elk River Rd. The river isn’t visible until you near the state fish hatchery at 7.5 miles. Stop for a look at the holding pens. There’s a restroom and picnic table.
The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest boundary is just beyond, with the road threading through the narrowing river canyon. The magnificent Elk River is a treat in every season.
Pavement ends 19 miles up at USFS Butler Bar campground, with restrooms, picnic tables and campsites. When you’re ready to head back, retrace your route down Elk River Rd. to US 101. Turn right (N) and in 1.1 miles turn left (W) to Cape Blanco State Park. The road drops down to the coastal plain, enters the state park, passes historic Hughes House and arrives at road’s end near Cape Blanco Lighthouse.
To return, retrace your way back to US 101 and turn right (S) to go back to Port Orford, and enjoy the award-winning scenery one more time!
(Tom Baake is author of “Oregon South Coast Bicycle Ride Guide,” for sale at the Coos Bay Visitor Center.)
Just a few of the handy map/brochures that invite walking and driving tours.
How about a bit of exercise between all the holiday celebrations? Have friends or relations in town looking for something fun to do?
Consider one of the self-guided walking and driving tours in the Bay Area and other South Coast communities. Most have brochures available at visitor centers and on line. I prefer the good old kind you can unfold for better perspective.
Over the years, the most popular brochure was ‘A Walk Through the Past, Turn of the Century Houses of Historical Distinction.’ Among them is the 1911-12 Nerdrum House at 955 South Fifth, about which the brochure states “Mr. Nerdrum emigrated from Finland and was employed by the C.A. Smith Lumber Co. He pioneered a new technique for making pulp by using salt water from the bay. Due to extenuating circumstances of the era, the process proved to be unprofitable.”
Or consider the tantalizingly brief write-up about Henry Sengstacken, whose house at 682 N. Third was built in 1902. Born in Germany, he came to Coos Bay in 1874. The brochure says: “Sengstacken was not merely the name of an individual, it was an institution, a large-scale merchant. For many years he was an agent for a number of steamship lines plying in and out of Marshfield. He conducted a real estate office, established and ran a title company, and operated a salmon cannery and a match factory.”
Most of the elegant mansions were built of redwood, and so escaped rot and insect damage. As for color, it’s not known how and why so many on Coos Bay’s Nob Hill came to be painted in pastels or white – hence the nickname “The Painted Ladies.” Perhaps they looked cleaner in the era of muddy streets.
These days, a couple of the historic homes are B&Bs o Air B&Bs, if you want a really close perspective. Other than the B&Bs, none are open to the public.
In some instances, big two-story houses doubled as offices for the residences, from lawyers to merchants to doctors. Many belonged to ship captains and higher-ups in marine industries.
Currently unavailable in print form is a map and details of the IOFF Pioneer Cemetery in front of Marshfield High School. Get a downloadable map and details from the group’s website: In your search engine, enter Marshfield Pioneer Cemetery.
“Coos Bay, A Walk through Old Marshfield” from the folks at Oregon’s Adventure Coast has expanded information on the old homes and businesses They also developed a big, colorful foldout of walking tours of homes, businesses and points of interest of Coos Bay, North Bend, Empire and Charleston. A smaller walking tour brochure created for Coos Bay’s recent 150th anniversary includes a listing and location map of 9 ship captains’ houses in the Empire District. (All visible from the streets.)
Another brochure available at visitor centers in North Bend and Coos Bay is for the Tribal and Sawmill trail from North Bend to Empire used by Indians and settlers.
Elsewhere in the region, Bandon has excellent self-guided walking tour brochures and maps, while Myrtle Point has a “Tree Tour.” I’ll discuss them in upcoming columns. For now, though, enjoy a little time travel, South Coast-style.
(Shopper columnist Tom Baake is author of guidebooks available at the Coos Bay Visitor Center.)
A visitor enjoys the setting along the Lost Lake trail in the New River area south of Bandon.
In a recent column I mentioned the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New River area south of Bandon. There’s a lot more see, especially since it’s composed of several units, some not even an acre and others more sizeable.
The main parcel is called Storm Ranch, named not for the weather but for a pioneer family, while the northernmost preserve is called Lost Lake, which is tucked into a setting of impressive woodlands and brushy dunes, and bordered on the west side by the intriguing New River. Among other notable features, New River runs north, and was created when a particularly wet winter in 1890 forced Floras Creek to overtop its banks and find a new outlet to the sea.
Recognizing its special nature, the BLM began acquiring parcels to protect, and later added the recreational element in the form of easy hiking trails. There’s been some much-needed maintenance at the Lost Lake site, so I thought it would be a good time to visit.
Getting There
From mid-town Bandon, go south on US 101. Just over 6 miles, turn right (W)) on McTimmons Ln. The road passes residences and in about a half mile comes to Woods Way Ln. Bear right (W) on gravel Woods Way Ln., following a sign to Lost Lake trail. The trailhead is at road’s end, about a tenth of a mile. A sign explains the Lost Lake trail is part of what the BLM calls the New River Area of Critical Environmental Concern, to protect native plants, birds, animals and fish, and to protect cultural sites and provide educational interpretation and recreation.
According to the sign, it’s 1.5 miles one-way to New River. A map indicates this trail will traverse BLM and State Parks lands.
The trail crosses an open area and enters the wonderful woods, with glimpses of marshy Lost Lake off to the right. Tall spruce, fir, cedar and madrone preside over an understory of huckleberry, swordfern, thick salal and towering wild rhododendrons. There are several lake overlooks.
Next, cross a footbridge over the lake’s outlet. Once across, head up the now-sandy trail before going into the woods again as it loops around Lost Lake. Then it’s down again, and more loose sand to slog through.
A signpost marks the transition from BLM property to State Parks land. The most telling indicator of the change in ownership used to be the appearance of thorny gorse on the State Parks side, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it nearly eradicated.
Next was a sign – covered for the time being – indicating March 15 to Sept. 15 closures of the beach to protect nesting shorebirds. The trail comes to a wide area, then encounters a north-south running sand road. Cross the sand road and keep following the trail a few hundred feet west, to the edge of New River.
The river here is too deep to cross on foot, although there are other places in the New River preserve where you can launch non-motorized boats and paddle craft. For this tour, though, I was content to hang out by the riverside and enjoy the setting, embellished often by a lengthy inventory of birds and waterfowl.
It may not always be a new experience when you visit New River, but it’s always different, and definitely rewarding. Plus, when you take this hike, you get to experience it all twice, as you retrace your route back to the parking area.
(Shopper columnist Tom Baake is author of local guidebooks.)
It’s a family project for participants at a previous bat box workshop at the Coos Bay Public Library. Next sessions are Dec. 14.
Building hand-made roosting boxes specifically designed to house insect-devouring bats is among the more creative offerings of the Coos Bay Public Library, which continues its campaign of unique community outreach. They offer everything from free produce give-aways to the helpful Library of Things, but the bat box programs are so popular that two sessions are scheduled in December, one for 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, and the other at 2 p.m. the same day. I’m mentioning this well in advance because space is limited and pre-registration is required by calling the library at (541) 269-1101. Young people under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
All supplies are provided. Leading the programs again will be Eric Dean, specialist at the South Slough National Research Reserve near Charleston. According to Youth Services Librarian Jennifer Knight, “Eric does a lot of the labor beforehand,” including cutting the wood and painting it “so it’s set for putting together the remaining pieces.” Attendees will also hear about box placement.
According to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODF&W), 15 species of bats live in Oregon. In addition to being pollinators, bats help keep insect populations at bay. Increasingly across the US bats are a “species of concern” as populations dwindle due in part to habitat loss.
In recent years bats have been afflicted by what’s called White-Nose Syndrome, named for the white fungus on the muzzles, ears, and wings of infected cave-hibernating bats. The fungus invades the skin of bats even while they hibernate, producing ulcers and often making bats leave their hibernation before they’re ready, causing starvation. These days, humans entering most caves are required to decontaminate clothing, shoes and gear before and after entering.
A few fun bat-facts courtesy ODF&W:
-A single little brown bat can catch 600 mosquitoes in just one hour!
-The Western Pipistrelle bat weighs little more than a penny!
-Some records indicate bats can live as long as 20 to 30 years.
-In Bracken Cave, Texas, 20 million Mexican free tail bats eat 250 tons of insects nightly.
-Bats do not contract rabies any more frequently than other wild animals, such as foxes, skunks or raccoons.
-North America’s common little brown bat is the world’s longest-lived mammal for its size.
-Bats are excellent pollinators, moving pollen grains from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female part (the pistil) as they feast on sweet nectar inside flowers.
-Tropical bats are essential to rainforests, where they pollinate flowers and disperse seeds for countless trees and shrubs.
-Because bats eat so many insects, they lessen the need for chemical pesticides. Many insects can hear bats up to 100 feet away and will avoid those areas occupied by bats.
-Bats produce nitrogen-rich manure (guano) for fertilizer.
-Bat saliva contains an anticoagulant (prevents blood clots from forming), which may some day be used to treat human heart patients.
-Although some bats go for sedentary insects, most catch their food on the wing every night.
-Most can raise or lower body temperature to match the environment. This is important if the bats are going to successfully hibernate. The energy a mother bat expends can affect pup development and influences both the mom and pup’s survival over the winter.
Research continues on all these fronts, although when it comes to boxes built by human hands, experts say there's no one-size-fits-all. The proof is in the amount of use (or lack of it). According to University of Illinois researcher Reed Crawford, “There's also no one location that fits all.” There are deficiencies and advantages to each site, says Crawford, “so there’s still a lot of work to do.”
One thing that’s certain, however, is there will be soon be some new roosts for South Coast bats, courtesy of some dedicated library “bat-patrons.”
(Shopper columnist Tom Baake is author of guidebooks available at the Coos Bay Visitor Center.)
