The sun is finally coming out in Florence, Oregon and we are getting ready to leave.

During our stay in Florence, I was able to become sponsored into a wonderful and charitable organization called the Elks, had a visit with grandson, eat tons of fresh fish and lost 14 pounds...we should stay! Not really, gotta go to Coburg to the Monaco repair shop to have a few things taken care of then to Portland for some medical updating but we are planning on coming back next year for the "Roady Days".

As much as would love to soak up some much needed sunshine I really should go out on a drive. I must say that the RV parks where we are staying (Elks) is so peaceful, clean and well managed by the host and co-host that we hope we will see them here next year.

Anyone who views this blog is being subjected to my close-up practice...ha ha. I'll keep working on it with some of the lenses that I now have.

Ok, off I go along the Siuslaw River and the first thing I photograph is a wonderful old (I mean really old...1914) railway swing bridge about six miles from the ocean  in the two building town of Cushman. 

This swing-bridge is one of six that bridgehunter.com has documented on the Siuslaw.

It's great that someone has taken the time to document all of America's bridge structures and he states that some are still being used, as the Cushman bridge is, while others have been decommissioned. You can usually tell which ones are no longer in use because they will leave them in the open position for river traffic.

Some of the old docks along the Siuslaw River in Cushman.

The scotch broom plant blooms all up and down the river.

This is typical of a lot of the houses along the river. I suspect that flooding is not an issue because many homes were lower to the water and at least 50 years old.

I realize California has a very good "California cows" commercial that show how pampered their cattle are but these guys look pretty pampered to me too, eating green grass and flowers to boot?

Well, if you don't like or eat beef there is always deer meat.

Besides green hills and trees there are plenty of "purple foxglove" to greet explorers. 

I had driven out to Mapleton, Oregon and didn't wish to drive back on the same road. About ten miles on the south side of the Siuslaw was an old rusty sign that stated Florence was just 19 miles down this single lane road. Probably not my best decision being by myself safety wise, but with some nervousness, I made it back to town. I kept thinking I'd run into a marijuana farm with a guy not willing to believe that I was "just out driving"!

As I got closer to civilization there were some "drop dead" gorgeous farms.

  

Back in Florence at high tide, it is really a beautiful port. The pilings in the lower portion of the photo are the only remains of the south side of a ferry landing that was used until  highway 101 bridge was built in 1936.

We have to say goodbye to Florence in three days but will definitely be back as soon as possible.