Wednesday August 7th 2019

Today’s weather was similar to Tuesday. It was very cloudy and cool all day. With the exception of a little drizzle just before dawn, it never rained, but looked like it could at any minute. The trend is forecast to continue tomorrow.

Late this morning I drove into downtown Coos Bay to check out the weekly farmers market. The market takes over several blocks of Central Avenue every Wednesday from 9AM-2PM. There was a good mix of farm products, crafts and food vendors. There were several well stocked produce stands most of which looked to be locally grown. Other stands had lots of blue berries and strawberries with peaches and apples thrown in to widen the selection. I always expect to see a strange thing or two at a farmers market. Today’s oddity was at a stand selling grass feed beef. They were also advertising rabbit meat.

While I was downtown I toured the waterfront boardwalk and learned a little bit of the towns history. The town has only been called Coos Bay since 1944. It was originally incorporated as Marshfield in 1874. The community is the largest population center on the Oregon coast. The primary industry in the area centers around the natural harbor of the bay and the pine forests inland. Ship building and shipping are primary industries. From the 1940s to the 1970s Coos Bay was the worlds largest lumber shipping port and is still a major player today.

The boardwalk has exhibits and historical placards along its length. In the water beside the boardwalk is a marina area. Most of the boats tied up are sailboats that look like they have been there for a while. The boats are all buttoned up for protection from the elements. There are also a couple of odd boats tied up at the outside bulkhead. The one that stands out the most was a large ocean going tug with a New York registry. It seems to be a long way from home and is currently being painted.