We had such a great time up the Umpqua yesterday that we returned today. About 15 miles up river from Reedsport and US-101, we turned off to see a place called Loon Lake. I lived near here back in the Stone Age but I had never been to Loon Lake, at least not that I remember. The road to Loon Lake from OR-38 (the highway that follows the lower Umpqua River) is pretty narrow and has many tight turns but it is beautiful anyway.
At the top of the 7 miles up to the lake, the road passes through a big field of massive boulders (3 bedroom house sized) that let you know you have reached the end of a steep canyon that the lake empties into before running into the Umpqua. The lake is very pretty. There is an RV park up there that must cater to the extremely brave because they are the only ones that would pull a big RV up that road.
After Loon Lake, we got back on OR-38 and resumed our eastward drive up to Wells Creek, basically a pullout along the road where my Dad used to live before he died. Somebody bought his place and they don’t appear to be using the property. The blackberries are going to eat the house. It is kind of sad when I think about how much work my Dad put in at this place.
We then returned toward the ocean, passing by the elk pastures I mentioned yesterday. In Reedsport we spotted a place called Ellie’s Chainsaw Art and it appears Ellie is pretty good with a saw. The town has apparently decided that Ellie is talented, too, because they have chainsaw-created wooden statues all along the sidewalks of the main drag. They also have giant flower arrangements attached to all their streetlights and the flowers are open for business this summer.
See some pix. Click here