What to do in Brookings when it rains

Friday – 2 June 2006: Brookings, Oregon - Or... What We Didn't Do on our Summer Vacation. The weather has just turned horrible, but we had hopes and were still registered to go on the 104-mile Rogue River jet boat tour this morning at 8 am. It started pouring at midnight and did not stop. We thought about it. DT actually went up to the campground office to check if the trip was even going to proceed. A phone call down to town assured us the trip would go, but DT decided it would go without us. The weather report predicted 1/2-inch of rain today. That was 1/2-inch too much for us.

A few soggy passengers pass by our campsite at 8:15am

There was nothing to do but hitch-up and get out of town. It was quite a feat doing so too. The campground owner, Donna, and her trusty dog, Hank, guided DT out of one of the tightest spots we have been in outside of Puerto Penasco, Mexico. I was "helping" with the walkie-talkie. Poor guy had two women and a dog telling him how to drive, yet Donna and I are both still standing, the bus is intact, and Hank was chewing on a doggie biscuit from Our Old Beagle's treat jar as we pulled-out of Gold Beach. We really enjoyed our stay at Four Seasons RV Resort and recommend the park.

It was a quick, yet soggy, drive to Brookings. We are camped on the harbor, facing the sea... and you can see from the photo (below) the lovely view from our window. A fog horn blows every few moments, assuring us of a restless night.

The view from here

After settling in, we went straight out to lunch at Chetco Seafood, one of the most popular local fish & chip joints. The cod is hand battered and fried to order on the spot at this harbor-side eatery, fresh fish market and jelly stand. The cook brought our order to the table, with steaming cups of coffee. The batter is lightly seasoned, and cooked quickly - making for a non-greasy gastronomic feast.

Chetco Fish & Chips

Our original plan (after we went on the Jet Boat trip) was to play golf at Salmon Run, a new golf course in Brookings, Oregon. Well, this plan also failed due to the weather. Even if the skies cleared and it became 100 degrees, the golf course would be too soggy to play for days. However, the course was beautiful and we saw several heron, a group of quail and a deer on the drive up to the clubhouse.

Salmon Run signature hole

On to Plan Three.

On September 9, 1942, Nobuo Fujita, of the Imperial Japanese Navy, flew an airplane over Brookings, Oregon and dropped three incendiary bombs that scorched a nearby mountain top (for about two minutes because it was, of course, raining). This is the only "wartime" airplane-dropped bombing on the continental United States. Twenty years later, over much controversy, the citizens of Brookings invited Nobuo Fujita back. He came - and gave the city his 400-year-old sword worn for generations by his family which he carried with him on his mission in 1942. The sword now hangs in the Brookings City Library, so we went to see the blade. The most amazing thing about this plot is that Nobuo Fujita arrived on the Oregon coast in a submarine. Inside the submarine was a seaplane - in pieces like a puzzle. After arriving near the shore, the plane was brought to the surface, piece by piece, and assembled. The plan was to cause huge forest fires and tie-up the civilian and military resources with the fire while the Imperial Army took care of us in the Pacific. Even later Fujita returned again to plant a tree at the bombing site and, after his death a few years ago, Nobuo Fujita's daughter buried a portion of his ashes under the tree. He is an Honorary Citizen of Brookings, Oregon.

I don't see this happening for Osama.

Largest Monterey Cypress in Oregon

After the library visit, we ventured out to the County Museum as they have more information about the attack and an iron mask of Queen Elizabeth's head allegedly left here by Sir Francis Drake. The head librarian warned us that the museum is often closed and - just to make our day perfect - she was right and we were not able to see the famed mask today. Probably closed due to rain.

No worries. Rain or shine, the largest Monterey Cypress in Oregon (99 feet tall) is behind the red and white museum... and here she is in all her soggy glory.

We decided to just give up. We stayed in tonight and enjoyed a quiet dinner, and watched Mel Brooks "The Producers" on DVD.

Shabbat Shalom.

RV Park: Port of Brookings Beachfront RV Park