Labor Day in Port Orford, Oregon – a Gem of a Place

Cape Blanco Light

We moved down the coast from Florence, Oregon to Port Orford…a big 100 or so miles.  We had reservations in a KOA. KOA’s are never my first choice of campgrounds to stay in, usually they are more expensive because you are paying for things like train rides or hayrides that we don’t use. They used to give you 10% off if you were a member, then they started charging to be a member and giving you “points” that accumulated toward discounts…too complicated. However, they had a pool, internet, cable and full hook ups so it seemed a good place to spend labor day.  Once again, we were disappointed. We are not having a good run. The internet did not really work, it was very slow and kept dropping us. The campground was very pretty and wooded and well kept. The trees prevented us from getting our satellite service and the cable was only 12 channels, not even CNN for national news.

Port Orford coast

Battle Rock

Fortunately, Port Orford had planned a jam packed weekend for us, so we weren’t in camp much.  It was a weekend of art, wine and and music. They had a small,  saturday market  where we met a few local artists who told us not to miss the art walk. Who would have believed this small town would have so many galleries, and the art was all top quality. We spent a fine afternoon enjoying the art, the galleries and the wine and food they served. Perched on a high bluff, overlooking the Pacific, the town has no natural harbor. The wind and the waves can wreak havoc on their fishing industry. Their solution? Hoist all the boats out of the water and keep them in dolly’s safe and sound on dry land. It was quite a sight to see. We had some chowder at Griff’s on the dock and enjoyed watching the fish being unloaded and sorted for market.

Fishing Boats on their dolly’s

We took a ride down the coast to Gold Beach, where the Rogue River meets the Pacific.  All through our travels on the Oregon coast we have been going over these beautiful cement bridges, with art deco-type  finishing work on their columns and arches. The one in Gold Beach was particularly nice and it was explained that the bridge was the first built in the early 1930’s using a new french technique for the cement work. When we arrived back in Port Orford the labor day celebration continued with an antique car show, live music and a wine tasting.  A perfect end to the day. Our final day, Labor day, was spent in the canoe on the local lake, not catching anything. It was still fun. Tomorrow, sadly, we leave Oregon and enter California. It seems this trip is moving faster and faster as we near our destination in San Diego, who would believe it has been four months on the road already.

An Art Deco Bridge in Gold Beach

Hubby’s favorite thing…old cars