Eugene weekly., November 16, 2017, Page 35, Image 35

At Charleston, keep driving another 13 miles to Shore
Acres State Park. Pay the $5 entry fee, pull in and park
in the big paved lot, but DO NOT go into the formal gar-
den — yet. That’s your reward for finishing the hike that
awaits, about two-and-a-quarter miles of easy coastal trail
down to Cape Arago, with its loud and smelly sea lions
lounging on offshore rocks.
2 pm: Start hiking. You brought your Gore-Tex, right?
The four-and-a-half-mile loop trail wanders south along
the coast just behind the fenced-off formal garden and
heads past the gorgeous Simpson Cove and onwards. You
may get rained on, and this time of year can be chilly, so
dress warm and dry and keep everyone moving.
Once you’ve reached Cape Arago, enjoy the windy
view, take a few photos, have a snack and, if pressed for
time, return the way you came — or, if you’re more ambi-
tious, take the scenic loop route back to Shore Acres by
heading up the unmarked logging road above the parking
lot and working your way along the ridge. This maintained
but informal trail can be steep and slippery and a little hard
to find in places; as you approach Shore Acres on the re-
turn, it takes you past the concrete remains of a World War
II coast-watching installation. If you get back with daylight
to spare, head north along the coast — past the remains of
the old Simpson tennis courts (who could play tennis in
this kind of wind?) — for another, much shorter loop trail
of less than a mile and back to the garden.
5 pm: Assuming you’ve timed this right (I hope you
brought flashlights on the hike in case you didn’t) you
should be back at Shore Acres just as it gets dark — the
perfect moment to tour the spectacular formal garden,
which is lit up from Thanksgiving until New Year’s by
tens of thousands of Christmas lights. The garden, laid out
in the style of Versailles, is all that remains of the timber-
baronial estate of Louis J. Simpson, who enjoyed life in a
mansion overlooking the ocean before it burned down in a
mysterious fire on July 4, 1921. The grounds fell on hard
times until the state, which bought the property in 1942,
began restoring the garden in the 1970s.
7 pm: By now you should be plenty hungry for dinner.
Head back to Coos Bay to the Blue Heron Bistro, which
serves classic German cuisine — and yes, they have Ger-
man beer — at 100 Commercial Avenue in downtown be-
fore retiring to your room at The Mill for the night.
DAY 2
Sleep in this morning and then enjoy breakfast at The
Mill’s Plank House restaurant, which offers solid North-
west fare and a view of the Coos River. Next drive to
downtown Coos Bay and park in one of the free public lots
along the waterfront, where you can see an ocean-going
tug on display next to a pleasant boardwalk and paved path
about a mile long for strolling between the railroad tracks
and the water. Next divert yourself for an hour or so at the
Coos Art Museum, which is housed in the beautiful old
Art Deco post office building at 235 Anderson Avenue. Big
by small-town standards, the museum has maritime and
Northwestern art. While downtown check out the Egyp-
tian Theatre, 229 S. Broadway, a restored Egyptian-reviv-
al 1925-vintage vaudeville house that now shows movies
and offers occasional concerts on its massive — and origi-
nal — Wurlitzer theater pipe organ.
For a late lunch/early dinner, head back toward Shore
Acres, but this time stop in Charleston, which is perhaps
Oregon’s most-authentic fishing village. It’s wrapped
around a U.S. Coast Guard station and heliport but also
supports a small commercial fleet, whose skippers and sail-
ors can be found — along with some decent seafood — at a
handful of small restaurants and bars within a block of the
water. Wander around and enjoy the scenery before pick-
ing a place to eat. One of the best choices is The Portside,
63383 Kingfisher Road, where you can dine and then hang
out with a book and a drink or a cup of tea and watch the
fishing boats come and go until it’s time to drive back to
North Bend for…
7 pm: Showtime at the Liberty Theatre, 2100 Sher-
man Avenue, North Bend. The Little Theatre on the Bay, an
amateur theater group that is resident at the Liberty, puts on
a delightfully cornball Christmas show each year modeled
on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and using local talent.
This year’s version is called Opry Home for the Holidays
and runs Dec. 1 through 3; tickets and more info at thelib-
ertytheatre.org.
DAY 3
Sleep in again. This is, after all, a holiday. Check out of
your room. Then grab breakfast at the Pancake Mill Res-
taurant, 2390 Tremont Street, North Bend, which is right
across Highway 101 from The Mill Casino. Enjoy sweet,
syrupy carbs and hot coffee galore. Expect a short wait for
a table on weekends.
11 am: Finally, get in the car and head back to Eugene
the way you came, not forgetting to stop and say hello
again to the elk at Dean Creek along the way. You’ll be
home by 1 pm, fully refreshed.
SIMPSON COVE SOUTH OF CHARLESTON
E u g e n e We e k l y ’ s H O L I D AY H A P P E N I N G S 2 0 1 7
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