Flying the US Flag

 We have been coming to Cape Blanco for many years.  We have volunteered here 4 times and just camped many more.  During that time one thing that has always bothered me is how the flag has been displayed.   There is a certain etiquette in the flying of the United States flag.  It is either flown from sunrise to sunset or flown 24 hrs a day which requires a light to shown on it during the night.  Here the flag was up there at the top of the pole, day and night.

  Finally it bugged me enough to mention it to a ranger about three weeks ago.  I suggested that she bring it up at the next ranger meeting .  Nothing happened right away.  I was tempted to bring it up to the superintendent but I just waited.  Last week on my evening walk around the campground loop with the boys, I noticed a change.  A light !!  Shining up !  The flag is now lit at night.  It made me smile when I saw it that night. Overdue but not in the dark any longer.

 

The New Light at Cape Blanco

 There is a new light source at the Cape Blanco Lighthouse.  From 1936 until March of 2022 there has been a series on incandescent light bulbs sending out warnings to mariners passing by.  "STAY AWAY"  The last were a pair of 1000 watt bulbs that were on a frame that offered an instant replacement when the first bulb failed.  

   All that changed in March of 2022 when the Coast Guard ANT (Aid to Navigation Team) replaced the unit with a LED light source.  There are many advantages to the switch.  Much longer life,  Cheaper to operate (250 W vs 1000 W ) .  Much , much brighter light.  Looks like something from the future.

But it's not the same.  The light (as a LED is much more directional so much of the Fresnel lens is not utilized so the light beam is not as tall.  The beam used to be visible from the visitor canter.  Now the beam is over our heads and only visible from afar. 

Take a look

Cape Blanco Fresnel Lens Compared to Cape Arrago Lens

The Blanco Lens is a Second Order  - 7 ft tall   

The Cape Arrago Lens a Fourth Order _  3.5 ft

We feel privileged to be able to be inches away from each one.

(be sure to tap on each to enlarge them)

 

Coos History Museum

 Downtown Coos Bay is a treasure we discovered on our day off week.  The building is brand new in among retail stores that are built on an area that once was an enormous pile of wood chips.  Chip trucks would back up to the pile and the trailer would be lifted and tilted to pour out the ground-up wood waste of lumber mills.  A huge bulldozer would move the pile further up the pile to give room for the next rig.  Enormous ships would moor in the adjacent Coos River for the transfer and out to sea they would go heading west.   It is odd to see retail there now.  Time moves on.

   Back to the museum.  Nicely done.  Emphasis on the bay area history divided into sections like lumber, commerce, Native Americans, early white settlers, environment.   The highlight for us was the Fresnel Lens that once protected the Cape Arrago area of the coast.  About 35 years ago we rented a beach house on the road to Sunset Bay.  From the kitchen window the Arrago light was visible.  At dark the light would wash the house at a prescribed interval/  The memory makes me smile.  

   I have downloaded a photo of the view we had from the house.  The walkway had been dismantled. The light decommissioned and the lens removed.  Usually that means it gets lost in some warehouse somewhere.   Not this time!  It is proudly displayed in the Coos History Museum. 

This is a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens.  It's about 40 inches tall. 

 It is truly a piece of art

 

Mushrooms in the woods

                 A morning walk in the woods around here gives you plenty to enjoy.  

Trees

 The Woods here is awesome.  The state park has a variety of areas, some grass, lots of brush, Salal, Huckleberry, and others. Then there are lots of trees.  Not many, if any, hardwoods.  

 Happily I haven't seen any Gorse in my walks.  It is an invasive weed that is quite a problem in the Bandon area because was brought to the US by Lord Bennett in 1873s from his native Ireland.  He planted what he called Furze to remind him of home and it has spread like a weed choking out native plants and trees and is an extreme fire hazard when it dries out in the summer.  The town of Bandon burned twice because of it's flammability.  

   Anyway, back to the trees.  I'm not sure what they are but they are magnificent.

Don't you think they would be fun to climb?

Bandon Beach views

My favorite beach is in Bandon.