Traveling America By Van: Oregon

We read the weather headlines with a touch of disbelief. "Triple-Digit Temperatures!" "Record-Breaking Heat Wave!" We were on the Oregon coast. In spite of the record heat only 100 miles away, we often wore our cold-weather jackets, at the end of July. Frequently, those jackets were not warm enough.

I went for a walk, alone, on Gold Beach. There was no fog. It was near mid-day. Susan wouldn't get out of the van due to the hard, cold, northwest wind coming off the Pacific. Sand was sculpted into whatever shapes the wind had imagined for it, behind any piece of flotsam the sea had provided. I walked downwind because it was easier. I had to put up the hood on my parka to make the return trip.

Susan, dressed warmly, in from of the Yaquina Head lighthouse.

I had miles of beach to myself.

We went one evening to Myers Creek Beach.  Large rocks jut out of the sand and sea there. I wanted to photograph the sunset, and hoped for high clouds. I didn't get the clouds, but photographed anyway, again alone. It was too cold and windy for Susan. I wore my parka, and took great care to not get wet. There was only one other soul on the beach, also a photographer.

Because we braved wind and cold, we experienced a sunset that was a miracle of nature.

Like so many parts of the United States, the Oregon coast is being overrun by invasive species of plants. Some are quite lovely to the human eye, and others very delicious. I photographed lots of flowers, and ate quarts of blackberries. I found it odd that other people would see Susan and I gorging ourselves on berries, but would not partake in that invasive bounty. We seldom saw people picking blackberries. If you want to find them, it's easy to do!

Invasive Queen Anne's Lace growing roadside in the Oregon Dunes area. No fog!

Myrtle trees grow in this part of Oregon. There are many gift shops in the region where you can buy all sorts of products made from myrtle wood. Bowls, tables, cribbage boards, clocks, puzzles, and more, many of which qualify as pieces of art, can be seen in these shops. The state's largest myrtle tree grows in the Umpqua River valley. Susan and I hiked to it. The tree was large, but in surprisingly poor condition. They'll be crowning a new champion before long, I'm afraid.

Fog was a frequent visitor during our explorations. Sunset Bay State Park has spectacular rock formations. Due to fog, we couldn't see any of them. Fingers of fog, ethereal wisps of mist, crept through our campsite the entire time we were there. Cold.

We visited Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Fog. Bundled up, we took a hike to the beach. Fog, and cold wind. Because we got chilled, our stay in this magical spot was altogether too brief. We did own the beach while we were there, though!

This paddleboarder braved the cold fog at Sunset Bay State Park.

At Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site, the coast is spectacular! Thousands of nesting murres on the high rocks, sea lions basking on the low rocks. A lighthouse. Cliffs. Pacific waves crashing. And fog, and wind, and cold- all of the many tourists there were bundled up. 

During the heat of summer, Oregon's coast may be the most refreshing place in the country.

The fog missed our stay at Nehalem Beach State Park. Under bright sunshine we watched people pulling crab pots in the bay, flying kites, surf fishing from the beach. It was still windy and cold. I braved the weather, wearing a hoodie and down jacket, to get sunset photos. In spite of the warm clothes, I was still chilled.

Dusk at Nehalem Beach.

Lots of fishing happens along this coast. At the mouth of the Rogue River, the mouth of the Umpqua River, lots of trollers were trying to catch salmon. I'm sure they were out on the Columbia too, but due to jetty construction I could not see them. There are many smaller, lesser-known streams. The number of tackle stores makes me think fishermen must be having success. But we got all of our Oregon seafood at restaurants!

Fishermen trolling for salmon near the mouth of the Rogue River.

The town of Reedsport sits near the mouth of the Umpqua River. If you follow Oregon Highway 38 east, up the river, in a few miles you come to the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area. The elk come out of the woods here to feed on grasses growing in old cattle pastures. Best viewing times are early morning and late evenings. Come then and you will see some elk! It's definitely worth the trip!

We had toyed with the idea of visiting the Tillamook Creamery. Their products are favorites, delicious one and all. When we got there the lines were outrageous, long, long, long. We just kept going.

I wanted to see the mouth of the Columbia River. It's known as one of the most dangerous inlets in the country. Lewis and Clark viewed the Pacific from there. Before dams, the Columbia was the biggest salmon producer on the planet. I wanted to see!

Bull elk at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area.

I drove as close as I could. Jetty construction was going on. The only way to see it was a miles-long walk down the beach and back. Susan did not care about seeing it, and I was unwilling to leave her in the car for a couple hours just to satisfy my curiosity. I didn't see it.

We would be following the Columbia River upstream as we started our trip back to Florida. I would get to see the river. That's a story for another time.

The Oregon Coast- spectacular, refreshing, wonderful. You need to visit.

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