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If you can stand the wet winters that will be starting soon, Brookings is a wonderful place.

Dick and Casey's smoked fish and canned fish in the harbor is wonderful. The coffee place on the dock has the best lattes on the coast. Wild Rivers Pizza is world class pizza and they have their own brew. The last week of open sea salmon season will be next week. Be sure to go to Dick and Casey's for fresh salmon caught that day in the ocean. It is incredible.

Across the street from the chamber of commerce bldg at the harbor is a little place for seafood called Scampis. Be sure to try it. The guy is a professional fisherman and brings the daily catch to his wife to cook. They have other pros bringing fresh prawns and fresh seafood each day.

The Great American Smokehouse is very good for lunches and dinners. However, to us the better dinner restaurants are in Gold Beach about 30 minutes up 101 on the most beautiful drive in the world.

Bandon has a lot of excellent restaurants for dinner. I would save them for spring, summer and early fall during day light savings time. I don't like driving 101 in the winter rains/snow/sleet in the dark. Bandon has a pick your own oyster farm and some great seafood places. Just take a good small cooler with on all trips. Bandon Cheese Factory makes world class cheeses. On the way back from Bandon stop at some of the road side family places that make fresh jams, jellys, perserves and syrups. You can't beat them.

If you stream fish for Salmon and Steelhead, you are moving up at the beginning of world class river Salmon fishing. The Chetco River has King/Chinook Salmon up to 60 pounds. Last week in the mouth of the river I had two break a 12 pound tippet like it was sewing thread. That was my intention since I didn't have a boat to chase one of these monsters.

The World Class Steelhead fishing on the Chetco and the Smith River starts after Thanksgiving. Then on the Elk and Sixes rivers north of Port Orford, monster steelhead move in those little streams.

The people are friendly and if it wasn't for the wet winters, we would be living in Brookings. Also, it is a long way from our grandkids in Contra Costra county.