October 6, 2009--Florence to Gold Beach, Oregon

Happy Birthday to Dave!

This morning we headed south again, and entered the stretch of Oregon coast known for its dunes. We found a great area after stopping at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area visitors center in Reedsport. The ranger directed us to the John Dellenback Trail near the Eel Creek Campground, where we found the huge, gorgeous dunes in the photos, stretching to the ocean. It's hard to get a sense of scale as to how vast this area is... After playing around in the dunes a bit, we continued on, visiting more lighthouses along the way. We took a bit of a detour from Coos Bay, along a tiny road winding through hilly wooded countryside on the way to the coast and back, as we attempted to find Cape Arago Lighthouse. We finally located it, and although it's not possible to visit it, we ate a picnic lunch within sight of it and enjoyed more gorgeous coastal views. We also stopped at Umpqua Lighthouse and Cape Blanco Lighthouse today, as the birthday boy was really getting into lighthouse visits.

Eventually we made it to our destination, the Tu Tu Tun Lodge on the Rogue River near Gold Beach. What a fantastic place! I had somehow discovered it while researching this trip online many months ago and decided it would be the perfect place to celebrate Dave's birthday. Although I stumbled upon it accidentally, apparently it has been featured in Conde Nast and Karen Brown's Guides, among others. And while it definitely was a splurge, it met our expectations and more. Somehow they have found the perfect balance between unpretentiousness and luxury. Everything is included, from the 6 hole par three golf course to kayaking on the river to binoculars for birdwatching and equipment for lawn games. In the evening there are gourmet hors d'oeuvres, and coffee and juice are delivered to your room in the morning. Our room was lovely, soothing, with a double rainhead shower, fireplace, and hot tub on our deck with its view of the river. The main lodge building is furnished with a modern craftsman feel and has a huge rock fireplace. Outside, the patio adjacent to the pool sports a couple of firepits that are lit after dark. We enjoyed exploring a bit in the late afternoon, then got ready for hors d'oeuvres and dinner in the main lodge. Dinner is served family style, and you are seated by the staff, who have planned out ahead of time who will sit together at the several round tables of 8. We were pleasantly surprised how much we enjoyed our table mates; the staff apparently has a knack for this... The four course dinner was delicious, and incorporated vegetables from the garden near the golf course. It was late when we finished dinner, so we retired to our room to take advantage of our hot tub and romantic fireplace!

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