5/8 - I headed up the coast in the fog down the Samuel H Boardman Scenic corridor. It seemed like the fog was going to burn off, but by 2 PM it still hadn't. We stopped at House Rock and couldn't see a thing, so we took a walk through the woods on the coastal trail for a bit. There wasn't any poison oak that I could see so Zoe got to run around and enjoy herself. I always feel bad for not following the rules (well, maybe a little), but dogs need to run and she's not going anywhere, so I feel that it's reasonable. Plus there was no one else around. After our walk, we hung out in the sun since we were up high, kindof above the fog, so that was relaxing.
 |
| Morning view at Harris Beach |
 |
| “View” at House rock |
We drove onto the next stop, Whaleshead trail and the fog was lifting! Woohoo! So happy about that! (as you can tell from all those !!!s) Then Natural Bridge Cove and Arch Rock. Both of these are supposed to be highlights, but I wasn't all that impressed. 😕 I'm still super spoiled by the CA coast and the super clear blue water. I'm guessing it's because there is more sand here getting churned up? More beaches. Maybe I'll be more impressed as we head farther north.
I tried to stop at Secret Beach, but there wasn't any room to park. Maybe it's for the best as it is supposed to be a tough trail and maybe I shouldn't do stuff like that yet with my foot.
 |
| Whaleshead |
 |
| Natural bridges |
 |
| Arch rock |
 |
| Horsetail on steroids! |
 |
| I think she likes the pack there |
I drove to Port Orford (oldest town on the Oregon coast), which was highly recommended by a gentleman I met at the protest in Mt Shasta. We took a walk at the Port Orford Heads State Park and enjoyed some nice views. There is a museum there, but it was closed. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow?
Went back into town and after investigating a possible place to park in town ($20 and it's just a dirt parking lot, but looks over the ocean), I went to Shoreline Inn for some excellent NE Clam Chowder. Probably the best I've ever had, and chatted with some neighboring tables. I left the restaurant in time to catch the sunset on the way to Humbug State Park for the night. It definitely looks like I could have parked overnight in some pull-offs along 101, but I realized that I don't really enjoy that. My site only cost $24 and I didn't have to wonder if I might get "the knock" and I felt safe. The campground is right on the road, which doesn't really bother me at night, but not great if you want to hang out during the day. Plus I had access to a shower.
Apparently I had picked a spot that had 0 cell reception (a bit further from the mountain had at least one bar), but that's OK.
 |
| View from where the tower was at Port Orford Heads SP |
 |
| So many beautiful Irish on these trails. |
 |
| In the center are trees that are just wind blown and grow up the hill |
 |
| From Port Orford near the Port (where I could have parked) |
5/9 - After a great nights sleep, Zoe and I took a walk to the beach through the campground. I should have checked out the rest of the campground before picking a site since there were plenty of other spots that I might have liked better. Oh, well.
 |
| Beach at Humbug campground |
 |
| Stellar Jay think they can pilfer from my van |
We left and headed back to Port Orford, walked at Battle Rock park, then went to the Lifeboat Coast Guard museum. I left Zoe in the van and checked out the museum and took a walk on my own there. I feel guilty when I do this, but it also feels good to walk at my own pace. After that I was going to go have lunch at Redfish, but on my way I saw Golden Harvest Herban Farm and Bakery and a sign for Pot Roast out front. It was around 2 PM and I still hadn't eaten anything, so I went around the block and checked it out. I decided to get the pot roast and OMG was it yummy! I'm so glad I stopped there. I hadn't been all that psyched about eating at a restaurant, and I really should have had some of my spaghetti, but I'm glad I went with the pot roast. I took it away and enjoyed it at a beach overlook.
Time to decide where to sleep. I went to Cape Blanco State park and grabbed a site. It has hookups, which I don't really need, but oh, well. I think I could have stayed in the horse area which doesn't have hookups for $24 instead of the $42 I paid. I did plug in only because it's cold and I was using my electric heater and it's supposed to be cloudy and rainy for the next few days, so I didn't want to run my batteries too low. I would have just used the diesel heater again if I didn't have access to electric.
We took another walk to the lighthouse. Again, too much for my foot. Over 15k steps today... For the most part my foot feels fine, but sometimes it's a bit painful. Not sure what it means, but I hope it's healing.
5/10 - tried for a walk to the beach, but it was fogged in so we bailed on that. Filled water, took a shower, packed up. Man it takes forever to do all these things. It’s nice cuz the Oregon SPs have a 1 pm checkout time, which gives slowpokes like me time to get everything done.
I cannot believe that it’s only been one week since leaving Dunsmuir/lake Shasta area. It feels like at least 2. And I have enjoyed my time so I wonder why it feels so long.
Left Cape Blanco and tried to go to the Hughes house, but it’s closed for the month of May. ☹️. Continued north and stop at a nature area for a walk. Then drove onto Bandon, OR. Cute little town. Zoe and I walked around town, then I went and grabbed dinner at the Bandon Bait shop. It really is a bait shop that serves food. I ordered calamari and it was strips of a calamari steak. I’ve never had anything but the rings and tentacles before. It was tender, not chewy and really good. Lightly breaded. But served with tartar sauce, which I did not expect. Each time I eat an animal I struggle with it. I won’t eat certain animals/products (octopus, veal, foie gras), but why just them? I do try to eat only humanely raised meat, but when eating out that’s hard. And why is it ok to eat squid or fish, but not octopus?
I considered parking in a lot in town that, on iOverlander, people said it was a good place to stay. I scooped it out and there were no "no overnight parking" signs, but I just didn't want to do it. Some places it feels fine, but others not so much. So, I went to Bullard Beach State Park. Not awesome, but fine and away from cars and no question of being bothered in the night. I did look to see if I could park in the horse area with no hookups ($22), but you had to have a saddle to park there. So, I had to pay $44.
5/11 - Had a nice chat with Tess in the morning - it's so nice to catch up with friends. Being on the road solo can get quite lonely, so feel free to call! Then went into Coos Bay and walked around. Unfortunately, it was pretty uninteresting and has many closed stores like so many other places, but I found a running store and got some new sneakers - finally. I was ready to get new sneakers around the time I hurt my foot, but since I wasn't walking normally, I didn't think I could properly evaluate the fit, so I waited. And then when I had to wear the walking boot for a month, I figured I didn't want to get new sneakers, but only wear one of them for a whole month. So, anyway, I'm happy to have new sneaks! I have never bought Hokas before. I've tried them on, but always preferred the fit of another brand, but this time the Hokas were the winners. Zoe was such a trooper hanging out while I tried on so many sneakers. She did hang out at the door wanting to leave quite a bit though. They had a trigger for a sound, the sound of when someone whistles at someone sexy, and she kept triggering it. It was pretty amusing. I think she liked being whistled at! 😂
5/12 - We stayed at Sunset Bay State Park, which was fine. I had a good shower in the morning and met Chris on a dog walk and chatted for a while. She and Mark live in Eugene and have the cutest pup. Then Zoe and I drove down to the beach and went for a hike (shortened by overgrowth) and then explored Shore Acres and Cape Arago. Shore Acres doesn't allow dogs, so I explored that on my own. Not always a bad thing.
 |
| A tree growing right on top of a stump. Eerie looking. |
 |
| I walked to the lighthouse to see it in the dark, but didn't wait long enough as I had to walk back through the woods. Pretty though! |
5/13 - I went to the museum that accompanied the lighthouse tour and got some lunch at the cafe. My sandwich came with a cup of clam chowder, but it was so incredibly thick I couldn't eat it. The sandwich was OK, but the salted caramel cookie was excellent!
 |
| I did not know that the Japanese, during WWII, sent out balloon bombs with hopes that they'd land in the US and start fires to distract us. According to a sign, sometimes these bombs can still be found or dropped(?). |
On the way north we stopped at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation area and Zoe and I took a walk to the water. It wasn't a great idea because she got pretty tired with the sun, though not too much was in the sun, and the sand. The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is a 40-mile (64 km) stretch of coastal sand dunes that covers approximately 32,000 acres. The dunes can reach heights of up to 500 feet (152 meters). It's the largest coastal dune system in North America. The Oregon Dunes are over 100,000 years old, with the youngest dunes near the ocean forming over the last 7,000 years.
 |
| I love these bright yellow flowers that are everywhere. So beautiful! |
 |
| No dogs allowed on beach due to birds nesting. |
5/14 - We stayed at Carl Washburn SP Campground. It was a bit damp, but I found a good tent spot that didn't have any dirt/mud on the asphalt parking area - I'm always trying to keep the van as clean as possible, but it really is pointless. Depending on what we're tracking in - sand, pine needles, grass clippings, etc - I need to sweep multiple times a day. It must have been heavily misting all night because I had trees over me and I heard heavy drops of rain land on the van. Not enough to be heavy rain, but most likely enough light rain to form big drops on the trees. I had to put in my earplugs due to how loud it was.
 |
| I woke to this view. The photo doesn't really do it justice, but it was very rainforesty looking. |
We headed north and hit some viewpoints along the way. I really enjoyed the Thor's Well and Spouting Horn stop. It is really fun watching the waves come in and break on the rocks and then to have these narrow areas or holes in the rock that the water spouts from is mesmerizing. I spent quite a bit of time here. I'm glad I came across this area that I enjoyed so much because I haven't been super enamored with the Oregon coast. Everyone says how amazing it is and I can see that with the ruggedness of the shoreline, but maybe because the weather has been less than spectacular (even though we did get more sun and blue sky that expected on some days) and the water hasn't been beautiful like in California (some of that has to do with the sun/sky for sure).
Stopped at Seal Rock beach, which was so lovely and Zoe got to enjoy a drink from the stream that came down from the bank. I never know what I'm going to find when I stop at places because I typically don't do much investigation. I just hear/read that something is interesting, so I go check it out. Sometimes it's a let down and others it's a hit. That's part of the fun of it.
 |
| Seal Rock?? |
 |
| Devil's Punchbowl |
I drove to a place that I had seen on iOverlander on Otter Crest Loop to make some dinner. I wasn't sure I'd stay here, but after having dinner, I figured why not. I've been pretty resistant to parking on the side of the road based on iOverlander after getting the knock in Carmel Valley! It's the first time in quite a while. It really depends on what my options are. I like using Harvest Hosts/Boondockers Welcome, State Parks, BLM/Forest Service land, and last is the free spots in parking lots or side of the road. I almost never park in neighborhoods if I'm not visiting someone. I did it in Savannah, GA and Austin, TX, but I'm not sure if I've done it other times. It's definitely not a favorite!
|
| Used my cute little toaster oven to make a tortilla pizza with pesto and veggies. Yum! |
 |
| Enjoyed it with a gray view |
5/15 - Walked near where I parked for a bit. It was nice because the road was one way, so it was nice for parking overnight because I never had headlights coming at me and it was nice for walking, plus there was a sidewalk too.
 |
| Pretty and clear water. Looking for whales. No luck |
 |
| Whale Cove - no whales though |
Depoe Bay is a little town with the claim to fame of the World's smallest harbor. Like Vergennes is the smallest city. This town gets most of it's tourism from Whale watching excursions. While hanging out along the shore in town, there were times when several tour boats congregated, so I was looking for whales, but never saw anything.
 |
| That's the entire harbor |
Stayed the night at Cape Lookout State Park.
 |
| Look at the size of that horsetail!! |
 |
| Stop at Hug Point. There were supposed to be falls there, but maybe it was around a point where the water was too high. I suppose I should have just taken off my shoes and gone! I didn't even think of that. Had I done more research I would have been more interested in going... |
We stopped and walked around Manzanita in the rain. It had a good vibe - no photos though.
 |
| Cannon Beach |
Last stop in Oregon was Astoria where Zoe and I just walked around the town and on the Riverwalk. I could spend some time here. So often I'd like to sit down and grab a meal at a restaurant. Sometimes that gives me a good feel of a place, but I'm not always hungry and I don't want to eat out all the time. I have so much food in my van that I need to eat!
If you haven't already and want to get emails, subscribe to the Substack blog that will link back to here at cjbinavan substack.
No comments:
Post a Comment