One of the first things I found out about this area of Oregon is that there is lots and lots of sand. The Oregon Dunes start just north of Coos Bay and extend for 50 miles - all the way to Florence. I may not have my facts quite right, but I think this is considered to be the longest uninterrupted coastal sand dune in the world.
There are all kinds of activities you can do on the Dunes - rent dune buggies or 3 and 4 wheelers, watch the mail musher's dog sled race in March, or just enjoy the sand and the sea.
In the summer of 2002 we went for our first dune buggy rides when Janet's brother Jim and his two sons were here on a visit. Somehow we didn't get a good picture of Jim in all of this. Maybe he was stuck someplace when we took these!
We had a blast and we now know that we will go dune buggy riding again. The Dunes are an incredible wonder of nature.
We went to watch the mail musher's run on March 11, 2000 - June's 50th birthday. Dog teams run from north of Coos Bay all the way to Florence - almost 50 miles. It takes three days. This team of Samoyeds proves it's no fun to be the last dog in the team. Notice how the dogs get more the color of the sand the farther back they are in the team?
A team of Samoyeds during the Mail Mushers Run. You don't want to be the last dog in this one!
Janet and Gavin
Janet - ready to roll!
Trevor's ready to kick butt!
June's been into the Diet Pepsi again!!!!
This page was last updated on: June 22, 2024
Love that Diet Pepsi!
When we took our unexpected trip north in January 2004, we came across an area called Sand Lake. This is quite a ways north of the official Oregon Dunes, but it's a very interesting area nonetheless.
A few years after our first dune buggy adventure, we went again - this time on 4 wheelers. These are fun but a bit too scary for the timid of heart (us) on the big hills.
