Donuts
We started our day with donuts in the campground meeting area and then finished packing up for our move to Coos Bay. Donuts are always a good way to start the day. We used to start all our trips with donuts on the first day, but that tradition ended 11 years ago.
Sunset Bay State Park
It was a bright, sunny day, so it was a pleasant drive south to Sunset Bay State Park. It was slow going until we reached Florence, and we got into flatter terrain with far fewer curves. It seemed like we were driving 3 miles for every mile we actually moved south toward our destination. We reached camp about 1:30 and found our new home. Getting into our campsite was another matter. The road was extremely narrow and our campsite was at a 90 degree angle to the road, which made it even more difficult to back in. After a few adjustments and adding "Legos" under one wheel, we were all set up. And it was still sunny!
We walked around the campground and discovered I had chosen the only loop that was so difficult to get into the campsites. Our campsite is spacious with huge trees behind us and large bushes on either side of us, so it feels like we have our own space, and we're not packed into a parking lot. Next time, I'm going to try to reserve D-33, D-32, or D-6. They are longer and have full hookups. They're also on a much wider road and at a normal angle to the road.
Cape Arago
In the early evening, we drove to Cape Arago for golden light. Our first stop was the viewpoint across the bay to the Cape Arago Lighthouse. And then the sun disappeared behind a bank of clouds that always seems to be looming just offshore. We hiked a short section of the Oregon Coast Trail before driving down to Simpson Reef. This is one of my favorite views in the park, but today not even the sea lions lounging on the island beach could save it.
Our last stop was the viewpoint at the southern end of Cape Arago. The sun was still hiding, but there was a band of blue just above the horizon that held some promise for a good sunset. A family with a drone and another family from New Jersey kept us entertained until the sun briefly found a hole in the clouds, and lit up the area. It didn't last long, but it was worth the wait.
There was still a band of blue at the horizon, so we decided to wait another hour and see if we would get a sunset over Middle Cove. The sunset never came, but it was interesting watching the sun peek through any opening in the clouds.
The good news was that the viewpoint was only 5 minutes from camp. The bad news was that dinner was at 10:00 again.
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