Drive to Brookings
We had another short drive to reach Brookings, so we relaxed in the morning and got everything ready to go. We couldn't check in at Harris Beach Campground in Brookings until after 1:00, so we were in no hurry. Highway 101 goes inland from Bandon to Port Orford, so the first half of the drive was less scenic, but relatively fast. From Port Orford, the highway hugged the cliffs more, and the road was much more uneven as it climbed over hills and ridges. In a car, it's no big deal. In our motorhome, the uneven road can really get us rockin'.
When we checked in to Harris Beach Campground, the ranger psyched us out by saying we had the most difficult site to get into in the campground and that we should be very careful. Others had hit signs and driven in a ditch. We had no such challenges. We were short enough to make the tight turn on the narrow road in one try, and it's a great campsite.
Sunset at Harris
We set up the motorhome, had a late lunch, and relaxed through the afternoon. We drove down to the beach in the late afternoon, but the sky was hazy and didn't look very promising for sunset.
At 8:00, we returned to the beach for an evening walk. The skies to the west were mostly overcast, but we took our cameras anyway. We photographed the reflections in the sand and were enjoying our leisurely walk. Then, the sun broke through an open band in the clouds for about 15 minutes, and we had some warm light on the sea stacks. But just as quickly, the light was gone. Carol was still hopeful for a good sunset, but I thought our shooting was done.
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As we continued walking down the beach, we noticed a lady shooting a small cove that looked interesting. She saw us watching her, and she asked if we wanted to shoot there. She said she had lots of images of that area, and she was busy chasing down her toddler who kept darting off toward the water. It turned out that she made our day. Twenty minutes after sunset, the sky lit up with amazing colors. And the colors kept changing as they got brighter and more saturated. The sunset colors in the sky coupled with the "blue hour" colors in the water made for a fabulous scene. The colors were unreal. It may have been the best sunset of the trip.
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