Oregon Coast for 4 Days - - Day Three

 Our third night's camping destination was Alder Dune Campground north of Florence. Our first priority for choosing a campsite was based on restroom proximity, how do you think we did? This is site #29 in the Dune Loop.  The combined loops of Alder and Dune have a total of 39 sites, my guess would be that only about half a dozen were occupied.

Our day had began in fog at Bastendorff County Park.  Our first stop was at the North Bend Safeway, which put me in mind once again of our Canada to Mexico Bike Tour where stopping at a grocery store was part of our daily routine.  This practice seems to work well for us with this small Cascade Campers van. Next, Jeanette spotted a downtown Public Parking lot that had free parking with a 12 hour limit.  This goes on our list for a repeat trip.  Our favorite book store,  Books by the Bay was our next stop, and netted a book each for us. Traveling north, we found an excuse to stop at the Lakeside Dollar General where Jeanette scored on a couple of carpet mats for the van. Our lunch stop was at the Rest Area at Eel Lake where we enjoyed salads and fruit. Florence was a stop for fuel, and then on to the campground.

Jeanette looking for birds at Alder Lake

While setting up our campsite at Alder Dune, we noticed a Spotted Towhee and a Bewick's Wren calling, which set us in motion to take a bird walk.  We first checked out Dune Lake right next to our site, and then took the trail that circles Alder Lake.  We have come to realize that birding on the coast is best done in the afternoon after the morning fog clears.  We thoroughly enjoyed our walk around Alder Lake. You can see our bird list here.