This week at Ananda Village, our previous home

We visited the meditation retreat early in week with the new directors, our good friends Durga and Vidura. They are cleaning up the place making it look great.
This was original place where


Here’s a 165-year old but still fitting comment on public officials who are so sure they’re right that they’ll drive over a cliff rather than compromise:
“Always to be right, always to trample forward, and never to doubt – are not these the great qualities with which dullness takes the lead in the world?” William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair: a Novel without a Hero (1848).
It's been a whirl wind week visiting friends and completing work.



I finished up on the clinic board and set a date for completion at the IT department.
Below is the little statue given to me by the clinic

We are off Saturday. We will return but no definite date.

Sundial Bridge in Redding

We drove yesterday to Redding, about 320 miles. Beautiful along the Umpqua river to Sutherlin and then boring down I5. Found a nice TV park on Sacramento River ( forgot to takes pix again) which was relatively quiet.
Was good to break up the trip into two days.
Friday morning found us over at Sun Dial Bridge which is major Redding landmark. Built in 2004 to to the tune of $23 million it serves as a foot bridge for both pedestrian and cyclists. Bridge components sourced from 7 different countries. The architect, Santiago Calatrava, is world renowned for his designs and patterned it after a goose in flight. He said the surrounding countryside reminded him of his home town, Valencia, Spain. Amazingly cool.
We walked the bridge and admired the design and construction.
Nice way to celebrate 15th wedding anniversary.




Across the bridge is a really fun botanical garden only accessible by foot traffic. Here is one pic

- blessings from the road

Location:Sundial Bridge Dr,Redding,United States

Coquille River near Bandon

We took a little drive down to Bandon area to perhaps photograph the lighthouse and any fauna in vicinity.


Your intrepid photographer as found lurking on the cliffs of Bandon beach.

Coquille Lighthouse

Nearby old town Bandon we stood on the dock against the 20 knot breeze and viewed the lighthouse as waves crash against the north jetty.  The wind was really blowing.  I had the big lens for this shot mounted on my monopod to give stability.
Out neat the south jetty entrance we spotted several harbor seals playing in the calm waters.

Harbor Seal

 And brown pelicans flying around fishing.  I didn't get any good ones of them diving though.

Brown Pelican

Now we move south onto the village.

Umpqua Lighthouse

While staying in Winchester bay this week we visited the Umpqua Light house.  It overlooks the mouth of the Umpqua river in central Oregon coast.  First we hiked out in the dunes to see the "triangle area where a company grows oysters.  Yum.

It was a bit cold and wet but fun anyway.

Umpqua Triangle

This lighthouse was the second one built in 1894 on this river after 23 vessels had crashed on the ever changing sandbars of the Umpqua River.  The coast guard now uses the surrounding area for living quarters.

Umpqua Lighthouse opened in 1894

We took a 45 minute tour of the lighthouse which features a first order Fresnel Lens from France.  Two lenses were ordered, one for Heceta Head (further north) and this one.  The supplier only had only one clear and one red lens so Umpqua got the red lens.  What is amazing is this lens can be seen 20 miles out to sea.  Wow.  Some engineering feat!

When we climbed up into the top of the lighthouse to see the lens which you can see below.
pretty amazing.

Really cool Red Fresnel first order lens

Here is just another view.  tight space but really cool.  shot with iphone 5





- blessings from the road

Location:8th St,Reedsport,United States

Southern Migration Begins

Sunset at mouth of Umpqua River

After attending to some dental work, we finally were able to button up our stay at Ananda Laurelwood in Oregon and begin our southern migration.

Ready to head out from Laurelwood

As we drive along the edge of the new land we look back to Ananda in the Valley as we now call it.

One last look at Ananda in the Valley

First stop was near Eugene at Guaranty RV service center to pick up new house batteries.  Turns out our Interstate deep cycle batteries were original in 2006 when the RV was built  7 years ago and, while still working, could fail any time. Yikes!  They had them in stock so we bought 2-6 volt Interstate 220 Ah (amphour) batteries and yours truly swapped them out.  Saved sales tax and labor.  We also, after careful research purchased a portable 120 watt solar panel system.  More on that later since I forgot to take photos.

Can some say Pumpkin Pie?

Driving south down Hwy 99 to avoid the freeway and save a gallon of gas, we passed Blue Haeven Farm Stand.....Pie...screech..stop, pull over.

I knew about this place from a berry pie we got a few weeks ago on my northern journey back from the village so Sraddha went shopping.

"Do you have any pumpkin pie?", she asked.

Clerk behind the counter, "Gee we just took some out of the oven about 10 minutes ago.  They are still to warm to eat"...hmmm.  This is what one would call a "no-brainer."
Darn,  we had to wait about 45 minutes to find a little state park in which to pull over and have lunch. Guess what was for desert!  And it was as good as it looks.  Sraddha even said it was as good as she could make which is saying a lot.

The Marina and harbor

At Eugene we headed west to the coast and then south, past Florence to a place called Winchester Bay on the mouth of the Umpqua River.  A little sheltered bay is home to many boats and fishermen.  Not so much commercial fishing here as it is weekenders and vacationers.  Salmon fishing was pretty much over but a few people were fishing along the shore.  We found a spot to camp right on the harbor and settled in.







After landing and settling in we decided to walk before the rains returned so I got out my big camera and even bigger new zoom lens and we walked along the harbor edge around to the river's edge we spotted this egret fishing in evening light.  I shot this handleld at 440 mm.

Walking further around to  and along the Umpqua river we visited with another couple and then the sun came out.  Not a great sunset with the sun in the photo but to the left of the sun the river's mouth reflected the evening light.  This photo also handheld at 560.

The Journey begins