The Boardwalks along the waterfronts in Coos Bay and North Bend offer some interesting sights and perspectives, not to mention being nice places to get a bit of fresh air and exercise. Adding to the scene is a new, ½-mile walkway outside the Coos History Museum and the recently-developed Coos Bay Village.
Let’s have a look, beginning at the Coos Bay Boardwalk, smack dab in the middle of the downtown district and offering views, benches, picnic tables, interpretive displays and informative signs, as well as a floating fish market and restaurant. Here too, protected by canopy shelters and glassed-in pavilions, are vintage tugboats on display.
Moored at the docks are a handful of commercial fishing boats, cabin cruisers and sailboats. It’s okay to walk around on the docks if you want a closer look. You might even strike up a conversation with a boat owner relaxing or doing minor maintenance.
Immediately south of the heavily-planked Boardwalk is a mile-long paved walking trail at the edge of the bay. You can watch wind and water conditions change, ranging from mirror-like calm to vast glittering sheets to little whitecaps.
Reaching the northern end of the Boardwalk, you can keep wandering north on Front Street on the sidewalk or cautiously on the street, and get a peek at everything from ocean-going tugboats to a modern fire boat to a multi-masted sailing ship under restoration. The Coos Bay Rail Line goes down the middle of the street, with regular service, mostly lumber. Also interesting to watch are arrivals or departures of ocean-going tugs and ships.
Improvements continue. A couple of vintage buildings have been restored, with more renovations planned, while new developments include an established area for food trucks. A few of the hopelessly dilapidated buildings were razed, in one case for more parking.
The new parking lot has built-in concrete planters and what could be described as a small presentation stage, perhaps handy during special activities
A few blocks farther north is the Coos History Museum, with new displays, the new walkway, and interpretive signs.
Next is the Coos Bay Village, already mostly occupied, with a few more to come. The walkway ends here.
A few miles north is North Bend. At the foot of California Street, the North Bend Boardwalk is a sturdy structure of concrete, steel and timber built in a style that pays homage to the Art Deco design of McCullough Bridge. It’s not nearly as long as Coos Bay’s, but provides a glimpse at a part of the waterfront that’s mostly occupied by industry and generally off-limits to the public.
For instance, you might spot the comings and goings of workers at an oyster farm out in the bay.
In the other direction, you might see the “industrial ballet” of loading a log ship, with bundles of logs craned up, around, over and into the ship with the deft assistance of skilled longshoreman.
And speaking of ballet, it’s always intriguing to see birds coping with the wind. How do they manage to fly against it?
On these and other things you may ponder if perhaps inspired by a walk along the colorful waterfronts of two towns.
(Shopper columnist Tom Baake is author of regional guidebooks).
