Galway Girl: Coos Bay and a bit of back country Oregon....

Let me appoligize ahead of time for this post being very long and loaded with pictures. I wouldn't normally do this, but so many people have been asking me about my trip and begging to see some pictures. Here you go!
On Monday, we headed to Avis car rentals to pick up our subcompact car. Upon arrival, we were told we made reservations for the wrong day and they would have to give us a different car. You had to be 25 years or older to drive the minivans....so they gave us a 2010 GMC terrain with built in navigation, XM radio, a sunroof...the list goes on. What do two college kids do in a brand new SUV? Cruise to the coast for a few days, of course. We made a stop in Eugene, Oregon so Travis could have a beer at the Rogue pub Brewhouse. Our next stop was Coos Bay, the hometown of the legendary runner Steve Prefontaine. We drove along fog covered mountain roads the winded by rivers and stopped along the way at an elk viewing area. After seeing the Prefontaine memorial, we decided to drive 20 miles further to see the ocean. We arrived at a beautiful state park and watched the waves crash in to the shore. As dinner time approached, we made our way though many small coastal towns. We saw a sign for the national sand dunes viewing area and decided to take a detour. Travis had a bit of fun playing with the 4 wheel drive SUV on the dunes, but we won't let AVIS know this. Around 8 PM we arrived in the small town of Scottsburg, just outside of Elkton. We spent the night at the Daybreak Bed and Breakfast, which was located right on the Umqua River. Our hosts were not the typical B&B hosts, we were definitely in back country Oregon, but we had an exciting time at DayBreak. We were served champagne with lemon sherbet, grapes, cheese and crackers, and freshly smoked salmon that was caught right on the river. We were in heaven. In the morning, Travis and I talked to our host about where to go for a run. We followed his directions and found ourselves running up a mountain through fog and rain. It was beautiful run minus the fact that it was very steep and I was concerned about being eaten by a bear the entire time. Best part was the waterfall we found! After our run, we returned to a lovely breakfast of Belgium waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, scrambled eggs, bacon, and hot coffee and then took a ride in Pat's (our host) boat up the Umqua River. Pat fishes for salmon everyday during the 90 day season, catching $600.00 worth each day. Travis and I learned more about fishing during our stay to last us the rest of our lives.