We started off with another great camping breakfast from the BBQ, this time sausages and pancakes, and again not morsel left behind. I had found out that there would be an interpretive presentation about owls and so we set off to the visitor centre where we learned about owls, dissected their pellets and discovered a lot about the local flora and fauna.

This was just the beginning of a jam packed day that saw us venture back north up the coastal highway about 20 miles. First stop was the historic Hecate lighthouse, one of a half dozen or so that were set up along the Oregon coast in the late 19th century to aid in the shipping and development on the west coast. Hecate was built in 1894 and still has glass and a working light! We hiked up the hill from the parking lot at sea level, along the same trail that the materials were hauled to build the place more than a century ago. The kids were quite interested in the history and the cost of the specially constructed glass.

After setting up our briefcase picnic table (such a wicked item!) to have sandwiches and Fanta for lunch beach side at the lighthouse stop we ventured back toward Florence and a stop at the biggest sea cave in the US. The cave is also home to a large group of resident sea lions that hunt off the cliff sides and make the place home. It is a wondrous place that you access by taking an elevator 300ft through the rock to cave level. The boys were thrilled to observe and explore and Dominic remarked “its like WE are in the zoo”

After losing the argument about buying popcorn from the gift shop above, we departed the salty air with our salty snack, and I’m glad I lost this argument. From here we cruised quickly as we could back toward our campground and the dune buggy tour we had booked. This tour had been on the agenda for the boys since before leaving Dawson Creek and while they all wanted to ride/drive their own, we compromised and got on the big blue buggy tour! The tour came with guided commentary from the driver and some unexpected harassment by an over hydrated local on their quad but our driver was good and safe and fun! I learned that when the pacific highway was first a thing that the beach was used at low tide for fast commuting and to this day has a speed limit of 25 miles an hour.

This was a phenomenal day and when we returned to camp everyone wanted to write or draw about it and we chilled with some camping food and drink. Dom plucked away at his uke and everyone relaxed. We still didn’t want to leave without hitting up Cleawox Lake for some dune running into the water, swimming, and splashing about. They say don’t dig in the sand and someone had…unfortunately Dom found the hole and biffed it pretty good. He was briefly winded but okay and we carried on our run into the water!

Some brief organizing and tidying by the fire and we poured ourselves into bed to be up and ready to hit the road for the California Redwoods.