Our first stop was Coquille. My parents lived there briefly when I was a baby. Neither mom nor I have been back, so we stopped to take photos to share with her. She has wonderful memories of her time there. But, Coquille, like so many other small towns that we have traveled through, has seen its better days. Some places seem to be able to re-invent themselves and attract new residents and tourists. Coquille is not one of them. Nevertheless, we walked up and down the two streets that now make up the downtown and took photos. Here are some of them.

There are several large murals painted on the walls of very old buildings, some almost deteriorated. At some point, people were committed to preserving their story and fixing things up.

We see this often . . . a town has very elaborate buildings built long ago when the town was full of mining or lumber industries and their money barons. The industries change, people move away leaving small populations, a small tax base and it is then hard to imagine why such elaborate buildings were built.

This building may have been abandoned. On a Monday there was no sign of activity.

Tom went off the main downtown area and found this lovely old home. Still inhabited. I think the upper right windowed tower looks like a lighthouse. Coquille is close enough to Coos Bay or Bandon to offer a bedroom alternative! Strategically something for them to consider!

Then off to Bandon, which has a lighthouse and a big tourist trade. The Bandon lighthouse is smaller than the others and was the last one built along Oregon's coast. It was also the first to be de-commissioned. It was replaced by a small box on a stand out at the end of the jetty that is at the mouth of the bay. You can tour the lighthouse and it has a gift shop.

Usually lighthouses are built where they can be protected from severe storms. Not this one! It is built right at the beginning of a low jetty that was built to protect the harbor. We were there an hour before high tide and already the waves are crashing up on the rock just below the lighthouse. The volunteer said that just last week when a storm came through the water was splashing right up to the windows of the house and sometimes even the windows in the tower. Yikes!!!

Tom is shooting from higher ground these days.

Looking north along a beach in Bandon. Sun behind me.

Looking south into the sun from the same location. I give Tom the tough assignments!

The lighthouse actually looks more impressive from across the river! Taken as we headed back into town for ice cream.

We ate our ice cream as we sat on the boardwalk overlooking the marina. There were very nice myrtle wood benches and we easily watched sea gulls and fishermen. I love marinas, always imagining where the boats have been and who owns them. I really like the colorful boats!