Our first destination was the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area. It was very close to where my travel companion and I were staying, so it didn't take long to count the elk we saw, wait for some movement, then decide what we wanted to do next.

Then we saw the sign to Loon Lake. Well, we had to go see if there were loons. We weren't expecting the lake to be so large with nooks and coves at every turn, so we realized there was little chance we'd be seeing loons on this outing.

But we were quite impressed with this jewel of a recreation site 20 miles inland from Reedsport, deep in the Coastal Mountain Range. It has a swimming area with a sandy beach. All boating sports are allowed, as is fishing. A campground with paddle boat and kayak rentals is also available.

We may not have seen loons at the lake, but we did see a small herd of elk at the viewing area.

Highway 38 meanders along the course of the scenic Umpqua River, particularly tranquil on this beautfiul sunny day.