Wear your seat belt. It's the law.

Give them a brake. SLOW down in construction zones. Speed limits are posted. Fines DOUBLE for breaking traffic laws in construction zones.

Provide a free lane. If you see emergency vehicles with lights flashing along side the road, whether it's police, fire or emergency vehicles and it's possible to move over a lane... do so, and slow down. Give these people/vehicles plenty of room. It's the law.

You may see logging truckings on some of the secondary roads. Let them pass you. These folks are paid by the load and you don't want to hold them up, if possible.

If you have a dog/cat at the Oregon Gathering, be very careful when in a grassy area at Bullard's State Park especially in the large main gathering area where we'll have the group campfire and potlucks. There are LOTS of ground thistles. These thistles are very hard to see, they're smaller than about half the size of your little fingernail and easily blend in with the green grass. When these thistles get between the pads of your pet's feet, it's painful. If you see your pet limbing, check the feet!

Drive safely.... shiny side up, greasy side down

See y'all soon!

Also, if your plans change and you don't arrive at the campground for the first night of your reservation you must check in at Bullards Beach by 1 pm the next day or you'll lose your entire reservation!

Jeanne

One other thing worth noting is that we do not pump our own gas in Oregon. State law.

Thanks Donna for the heads up about the thistles. We may need to bring Cody's boots!
Karen

Oh and a really good reminder. There are critters in the campground at night! Clean up your picnic table area. The raccoons will feast if you don't and those little brats will spread/shred potato chip bags, love the taste of graham crackers and generally leave a mess. They're intelligent and can open coolers too. You'd think we need "bear" boxes!

PS: Saw a skunk last year too. Brazen little bugger just walked right through my campsite. Glad I don't have a dog that like's sleeping on my bed

For you folks with bikes, watch out for the 'ground thistles' that Donna mentioned. They are also called puncture vine and can give you a flat tire - stay on the trails and you'll be fine. (The ride out to the lighthouse is fun )

Happy Trails
Kathie

Also, regarding the traffic laws.. unlike the state to the south of us, one may not make a U-turn just anywhere. Signs will be posted at intersections where U-turns are permitted.

Another thing to be aware of is Poison Oak! It's nasty stuff, I've tangled with it twice down here, we live about 30 miles south of Bandon. Dogs get into it with no problems, pet the dog and you'll have problems in a couple days. The oil that's what causes the problem can get on things and still be active several years later, so beware. There's lots along the Umpqua River from I-5 to near Reedsport, more from Roseburg to Bandon, especially up on the pass through the coast range. Many headlands also have it.

Being a nature photographer by profession, I tend to get off trails for the best shots, and no matter how careful I try to be, it nails me somehow every few years.

Steve

If you're arriving at Bullards Beach a little before the Oregon Gathering, watch out for high winds which are predicted for Mon, Tues and Wed. In the past a few people have had their car doors damaged when gusts have whipped them open.

Jeanne

Where did you find the forecast for high wind? The source I use (Weather Underground) did not indicate any wind advisories through the end of next week.

I saw the high wind advisory on Accuweather.com. However, I just checked the Nat'l Weather Service's page and the maximum gusts they predict for Monday are only 22 mph compared to Accuweather's 41 mph, so maybe it won't be so windy after all... I think the Nat'l Weather Service hasn't posted their wind predictions for Tues and Wed yet.

Jeanne

note: as of Sunday, July 12 Accuweather has downgraded the high wind warning to just July 14, with gusts that day up to 50 mph.

I've had them open a cooler, take a dozen eggs, apples, and chew through a milk carton. Little pigs!! We had to make an other trip to town to re-stock and find a way to lock the cooler. Fortunately they don't like beer in bottle or just haven't figured out how to open them.
I'm bringing my grandson and we are both getting excited. See everyone Thursday.