An Espresso hut and gift shop will welcome you to Charleston. The rally ride for Friday and Saturday will leave around 9 AM. Exact time will be posted when you sign in at the rally headquarters. Same ride both days. It's approximately 150 miles long. All the picture in the blog from here to the end will be things that you will pass on the ride. Of course, there is lots more, and some beautiful scenery as well, that I didn't take pictures of. Have to leave little surprises along the way. We'll have a 30 minute stop in Bandon, and about an hour for a late breakfast or early lunch in Myrtle Point. We'll allow about 10 minutes for pictures and for the smokers at the Umpqua Lighthouse, and about 15 minutes at SCP in Reedsport. For those that want, during the SCP visit, I'll lead you on a 5 minute ride to see the Elk herd, stop for pics, then back to SCP. That will only take about 15 minutes. Then, we'll go straight back down Hwy 101 to Coos Bay, and on to Charleston. The whole thing will take about 6 hours. It won't be a "speed" trip, it will be the speed limit or slower most of the way, so there's no pressure on anyone to "keep up", and also so you will be able enjoy the scenery. We sure are looking forward to seeing a bunch of VROC friends soon! Here's about a hundred pictures. Don't forget you can click on them for more detail, then use the back button to return to the blog.
This ride will be in honor of Wolfman, VROC Number 3. RIP. Wish Rick was here in person for the WWR 08. I'm sure he will be here in spirit.

Fisherman's Grotto used to be very good, but with new owners, the food isn't as good as some of the other places out in Charleston. But, that's just my opinion, some people still like it.

You won't find this gas listed on your GPS, but it's available here at Davey Jones Locker. They also have good greasy Deli food in there.

I stopped and talked to Jen, the owner. She's a very nice Chinese lady. She's looking forward to meeting you all. They are going to do everything possible to make it a good stay with them.

Poppy's in front of Captain John's. The Rhoddy's are still in the bud here.

Open year round, Chuck's Seafood is world famous!

This is only a couple miles up 7 Devils road out of Charleston. It would be something close to do if you were bored.

Coffee, food and WiFi at the Brewed Awakenings in Bandon.

We'll stop here for 30 minutes. Parking will be in the lot on the waterfront. Right across the street will be Cranberry Sweets, for a few free samples, and a stroll through old town to see some of the shops. We'll have to leave in 30 minutes or we won't make the whole route in time to get back for the fun at the rally site.

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The Wild Rose Bistro in Bandon..Yum, Yum

Still offering free beer here at the old barn. Corner of lampa Mountain road and Fishtrap road

This is the 'swimming hole' I go to several times a week. Some of you have already visited here. The morning crew are looking forward to seeing you again. We may have to cut it short on Friday because of the ride leaving Charleston in time to make the round trip. But, it would be nice if some of you could stop by here for coffee around 7:30 or 8 AM on Friday. It's in Empire, about 4 miles from Captain John's.

Charley Tuna also welcomes you! This is his town!

Yes! We welcome you to the Oregon Trail International VROC rally! Don't forget it's also the WWR for 2008!

Local color. That's the bow of a skiff and a Dungeness crab pot. Both are pretty well used

Charleston from the draw bridge over the South Slough

Food, clothes, and tourist things.

This place is for the ladies! Total Glitz! Lots of very nice clothes and things women like in here.
And, it's right across the street from Captain John's.

Live music and good food! Couple blocks from Captain John's and the Beach house at the Portside.

Not only do they have good Thai food, they make Wonderful pastries here. It's within walking distance of the host motel.

Oceanside Campground. Several VROC people will be staying here. 1.9 miles from Captain John's motel. They have nice rest rooms and showers, WiFi here, and a large fire pit. You can camp in the trees or on the beach or in the dunes. Right up the hill is the Bastendorf County park and campground, and another mile down the road is Sunset Bay State park.

"Half a Busa" on Seven Devils road. this is land that is on it's 3rd or 4th cutting since the late 1800's. Timber is a renewable resource, you harvest it about every 30 years. The Pacific ocean is on the horizen, and those are cranberry bogs you can see out there. It's just north of the world famous Bandon Dunes Golf course too. www.bandondunesgolf.com

Good place for breakfast, and with new owners. Back in 1998 the VA sent me down here to eat pancakes with a lot of syrup, orange juice and all the carbs I could cram in. Then I had to be back in 2 hours for a Blood Glucose test. I failed big time. Found out then I was a type II diabetic..I have it under control, but it will always be there.

Old Town Bandon

Nice place if you ever come though Bandon and need a snack...

Old Town Bandon Businesses.

Another good place to eat. But not this time!

This is also a fudge factory and ice cream store. Lots of nice clothes in here too.

Yes, and I hope you are enjoying the ride!

If you brought your laptop, you can stop in for coffee and internet!

Food and "Stuff"

We'll turn off of Hwy 42S onto Lampa Ln. A narrow, curvy road. But the pavement is good.

There are dozens of little farms like this that we'll be riding by. This is on the Lampa Mountain Road.

A pretty pony on the East side of Lampa Mountain.

Cows on Fish Trap road.

Coquille River Valley from the South side, between Coquille and Myrtle Point. When Bandon Cheese factory was in business, there were more dairy farms in this valley to supply the milk and cream. Since it was bought out by Tillamook Cheese, then closed, it put a lot of the smaller farms out of business. There are still Dairy's in these rich valleys, but not as many as there used to be.

Myrtle Point is an old town for Farmers, Ranchers, lumberman and miners. Not much of any of that any more, the little town is fading.

The Logging Museum in Myrtle Point.

A good place to eat. This will be a stop for late breakfast or early lunch. There are several other good places in town to eat, but this has the most seating.

The Kozy Kitchen in Myrtle Point. We'll plan on an hour here to eat and look around town some. If the group is ready sooner, we'll leave.

I have this room reserved for both Friday and Saturday for a late breakfast, early lunch. Both menus are served all day (actually, the food described is served, unless you'd rather eat a menu)
This room will seat 49 people. On the outside chance there would be more, there is a lot of seating in front, and several other restaurants near by.

A huge breakfast omelet severed all day at the Kozy Kitchen. They come smothered in red or green sauce. This was a special order 'dry'. They also have a Chicken fried Steak that takes two platters to serve it on. Comes with all the extras, for around 7 bucks. The special is 3 eggs, huge pile of hashbrowns, toast and coffee for $4.65. Remember anything you buy in Oregon is just what's posted. The is NO Oregon sales tax. For anything!

98 in Myrtle Point. Later in the day this sign hit over a hundred according to the local paper.

Entering the big city of Coquille!

A nice mural near the Court House in Coquille. This is the county seat of Coos County. Not as large a city as North Bend or Coos Bay, but it's still where the legal action is. It's about 16 miles from here to Coos Bay.

The Sawdust Theater burned down a few years ago, and moved into this new location. They do melodramas, always with Villians and Hero's. Sawdust on the floor, and beer and popcorn is served up during the performances. People need a little lubrication so they can "Boo" and "Hiss" better.

Another shot of the Theater.

Bar and eartey in Coquille.