Part 2 of Day 26 of Lupe’s 3rd Summer of 2021 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast!
3:34 PM, 65ºF, near Dunn Ridge Road – Yup, a pond here alright.
I know where we are now, Loop! Back to the RAV4! We’re real close to the top, but there was a better place to park just a little way back.
Only 0.1 mile NE, SPHP parked the RAV4 again at a large flat spot on the N side of Dunn Ridge Road. A primitive side road headed off into the trees. Not the way to Roman Nose Mountain (2,840 ft.), but blue sky was visible between the tree trunks.
Didn’t you say that we aren’t likely to see much from Roman Nose, SPHP? Want to check out this side road? Maybe we can see something right here!
Fine with me, Loop. Lead on!
A short distance in along the side road, the amount of sunlight streaming through seemed to confirm that there really ought to be some kind of a view. However, before even taking a look, an oddity was noticed ahead at the base of a moss-covered tree. At first, SPHP mistook it for trash, but upon closer inspection, a sign was next to a 3 foot long stick wrapped at both ends with duct tape.
What does the sign say, SPHP?
The Holy Shell Ball Bat “From whence you came, you shall remain …”
Holy Shell Ball Bat! Is that what this stick is, SPHP?
Does appear likely that’s exactly what we’re looking at, Looper.
And what is a shell ball, SPHP?
No clue, Loop! Never heard of a shell ball or bat before. Must be an Oregon thing.
“From whence you came you shall remain” sounds like a prophecy, or a threat, SPHP. Do you think this shell ball bat is magical, like some kind of an enchanted weapon?
Hmm. Well, hard to say. To tell you the truth, Loopster, it doesn’t look all that marvelous to me, but the sign does say it’s “Holy”, so it might be blessed, or sacred.
Or cursed, SPHP! Could a shell ball bat be like a type of wizard’s wand? Those are really rare! Maybe we’ve found a powerful artifact! Any idea how it might work? Conjure me up a few squirrels, or a T-bone steak! Even summoning a shell ball might give us an idea on what it all means. A shell ball might be like a crystal ball, and we could see into the future!
Wizard’s wand? Maybe, but if so, it’s a well-disguised one. Rather unusual for powerful artifacts to be associated with duct tape, I’d say. Sorry, but I don’t know how it works, Loop. Doesn’t appear to have an on/off switch, or any place to swap out batteries. Gotta admit, a crystal ball could come in pretty handy, though. Hold my beer, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk! My Dingo and her shell ball are gonna show ya how it’s done! We’d be rich!
For a powerful artifact, it does look pretty plain, SPHP, although you might be right about it being disguised. Maybe that’s so it can be left around like this in plain sight without having to worry about it being stolen? Kind of dangerous to do that, though. If shell ball is a game, and we were players, we’d just grab it and go! The wizard would be flat out of luck!
Well, cry me a river, holy or evil wizard! That’s what you get for leaving your powerful artifacts cluttering up the forest! A place for everything, and everything in it’s place! That’s what I say, Loopster!
So are we going to take it, SPHP?
No, I don’t think so. Let’s just leave it. Says Holy, but maybe it is cursed, Loop. It’s already preventing us from getting to Roman Nose Mountain. C’mon, let’s have a look at the view, and get out of here!
Alright, SPHP! But let’s remember this place. Never know when having a Holy Shell Ball Bat might come in handy!
Despite all the sunlight streaming in, the view from the Holy Shell Ball Bat proved merely a tree-broken one of low hills beyond the Kentucky Creek valley.
Returning to Dunn Ridge Road, Lupe followed it SW back up to the pond N of Roman Nose Mountain. Small, yet scenic, the pond was green and still. SPHP collected several Lupe treasures strewn about. Dang messy wizards! The American Dingo then pressed on, following the road W.
A short distance beyond the pond, there was a much more open view than the one to be had back at the Holy Shell Ball Bat. Rumpled green hills featuring a patchwork of clear cuts stretched away to the N. Lupe might have been seeing the backside of some of the same mountains she’d seen only yesterday from Marys Peak (4,097 ft.), but SPHP couldn’t positively identify any of them.
Just beyond the viewpoint, Dunn Ridge Road curved SW, starting down into a dark forest. A side road climbed toward a similarly dark opening where a sign was visible on a gate.
Lupe went up to the gate. The green pond was visible from here, looking quite nice, but the sign attached to the closed gate was of more interest at the moment.
A no trespassing sign, SPHP? That would be disappointing!
Hah! Not at all, Loopster! Says “Dingos Welcome! Surveillance provided for your protection. Enjoy your stay on Roman Nose Mountain!”
Dingos welcome? Wow! I like Roman Nose Mountain already!
Beyond the gate, the gravel road went through a short stretch of forest, soon leading to a field of tall yellow grass. A couple of big towers were already visible up on top of the mountain.
Why, we’ll be there in no time, SPHP! Nothing to this mountain!
That’s because we parked so close to the summit, Loop.
Might want to remember that technique in the future, SPHP. Some of these mountains we’ve been climbing on this Dingo Vacation have been doozies!
3:58 PM, 73ºF, Roman Nose Mountain (2,840 ft.) – An impressive array of towers, antennas, and small buildings were contained within a chain link fence. Unfortunately, the true summit of Roman Nose Mountain was part of the complex as well, and Sherlock SPHP cleverly detected several faint clues that maybe even American Dingos weren’t entirely welcome inside the fence.
The highest ground outside the fence was maybe 3 to 5 feet lower than the true summit, but the Carolina Dog insisted this was close enough for Dingo work, enabling her to claim a peakbagging success. Discovering a “Roman 2” survey benchmark attached to the top of a square concrete block W of most of the complex helped make it all official.
The highest ground Lupe could actually get to was along a cliff at the SW corner of the fenced-in area, where a couple of electronic doodads were actually outside the fence. Despite what SPHP had read online, Roman Nose Mountain actually had sweeping views to the S from here.
No towering peaks in sight, but a vast expanse of lower hills and ridges was on display.
However, this viewpoint was cramped for space. Loop found a roomier one farther W. A bit lower, but the view was just as nice, and this was a better spot to relax for a while.
Sunny and pleasantly warm! Not a cloud in the sky, although definitely some of the usual smoky haze present. After checking out the views, Lupe and SPHP sat together in the tall yellow grass, soaking in the Dingo friendly Roman Nose Mountain ambiance. Beautiful trees ringing the mountain’s W, N, and E perimeter completely obscured whatever views might have been in those directions.
Lupe’s traditional summit hour was only half gone when SPHP made an unexpected announcement.
Hate to cut and run, Loopster, especially from a mountain harboring a Holy Shell Ball Bat, but maybe we should? Thought on the way in that we might easily find a decent road going S from here, but didn’t see anything from Dunn Ridge Road that I’d really trust not to wind around forever.
Why is that a problem, SPHP? Are we in a rush to get somewhere?
Yeah, sort of. Thought we’d visit Sunset Bay near Coos Bay and Charleston along the Oregon Coast this evening. Maybe scramble around on some rocks, and enjoy another sunset at the beach. That sort of thing. Would that interest you, Loop? It’s a bit of a drive. Might be lucky to get there in time for sunset, even if we leave now, but I think it’s still possible.
Glad you spoke up, SPHP! Been enjoying Roman Nose Mountain, and I also hate to leave a place that’s so Dingo friendly, but Sunset Bay? Yes, that sounds awesome!
Time to wrap things up here! After a final appreciative glance at the view to the S, RAV4 bound, Lupe bid farewell to Roman Nose Mountain.
7:18 PM, Oregon Coast, Sunset Bay – Got here in time! Sun was still up, but conditions weren’t what SPHP had envisioned.
Hmm, too bad, Loop!
What’s wrong, SPHP?
Was here with Xochi a long time ago, Looper. We went around the S side of the bay out to the open ocean where there were a bunch of awesome big rocks to scramble around on. Can’t do that now, though.
Why not, SPHP?
Xoch and I went while the tide was out, Loop. Had to race the tide when it came surging back in to avoid getting submerged. But it’s already up now, so we can’t get over there. The route is underwater. Probably too late in the day, anyway.
So we don’t get to be swept out to sea and drowned? Gee, what a shame! Guess we’ll just have to enjoy the sunset, SPHP.
Lupe wasn’t alone in her plan. A small crowd was here, all waiting for day’s end. Sunset Bay wasn’t all that big, so there wasn’t an awful lot of exploring to be done. A few children were swimming in saltwater laden with dirty-looking black particles. Not terribly appealing, although the setting taken as a whole was fabulous.
Barepawed, Lupe and SPHP sauntered back and forth along the water’s edge in anticipation of the big event.
Wasn’t long before the display of glory ensued. Not a cloud in the sky, so a particularly wonderful result couldn’t be expected, but at least the sun wasn’t hidden, either. The ocean sunset was still exceedingly beautiful, and a rare treat for a Carolina Dog from South Dakota.
Through the camera lens, the scene was actually rather disturbing. Looked like the American Dingo was here to celebrate Doomsday as an enormous thermonuclear blast exploded over the Pacific Ocean.
Well, it wasn’t really the end of the world, merely the sublime end of yet another great day of Dingo adventures in Oregon! As the golden orb sank into the sea, the camera’s added thermonuclear effect diminished, revealing a more peaceful scene.
You know, SPHP, the sun actually is powered by thermonuclear energy!
True enough, Looper, I was just trying to say that the camera was … oh, well, never mind! Looks like the police and park personnel are here telling everyone to leave. Apparently this joint closes as soon as the sun goes down. They’ll be rolling up the sidewalk any minute now.
Banished from Sunset Bay as August, 2021 drew to a close, SPHP drove through the dark maze of unfamiliar streets of Charleston and Coos Bay. Took a while to find it, but soon enough the American Dingo was back on Hwy 101 heading S, searching for a place to spend the night.
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