Is That a Whale?

Day 3 ~ Beverly Beach State Park to Humbug State Park, OR

Beverly Beach State Park is located along the coast between the towns of Depoe Bay and Newport, OR.  It is our first campsite on this trip and my first camping experience in probably twenty years.  My first impression is good ~ the park itself has lots of trees, a nice nature walk around the campground, family friendly areas with playground equipment, a welcome center that offers tea and coffee, firewood and ice available for a reasonable fee, and a kindly host who suggests we move to a different site than the one we had reserved.  This state park is a beach park but US 101 runs alongside it.  Our original site was closer to the beach but also basically next to the highway.  Good suggestion on moving!  One thing about the site exceeded my expectation . . . there are actual flushing toilets and hot water in the restrooms!  Camping has come a long way since my earlier days of backpacking with Bob. http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=164

Beverly Beach State Park Nature Trail

Beverly Beach

Bob set up camp and got the campfire going.  We decide to cook hot dogs and beans over the open fire and dispense with the camp stove tonight.  Our family had suggested we invest in camping cots since we are “not young anymore.”  They are low to the ground so not easy to get in or out of but we both believe we are more comfortable.   Lesson learned though . . . need to keep a barrier (wool blanket, foam pad, anything!) between your sleeping bag and the cot since you are above the ground and therefore cold.  All in all the camping experience was good, for the first night.

We head out of Beverly Beach by mid-morning, continuing south on 101 and immediately get to Newport.  It’s a nice little town, and one of the oldest (1868) communities.  Newport is home to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, a world-class marine education attraction (http://www.newportaquarium.com/) and also the beautiful Yaquina Head Lighthouse (http://yaquinalights.org/)  There are several lighthouses along the OR coast so plenty of opportunity for visiting and exploring them if you enjoy and appreciate them.  In addition to its historic district, Newport has one of the prettiest bridges on the OR coast.  There’s a nice park on the north side, worthy of a stop for a photo.

Newport Bridge

Seal Rock is a coastal village stretching about five miles.  It has some lovely homes, many on the hillside.  It’s actually a hidden gem among OR coast towns with galleries, shops, and a beautiful beach.  Enjoy!  http://www.sealrockor.com/

Years ago, Yachats (pronounced Yah-hots) made a big impression on me, and it continues to do so.   Nestled between the ocean and the base of the coastal range, the village is sort of quirky and therefore unique in comparison to some of the other coastal towns.  We stopped for a break and walked through the small farmer’s market and spotted Bread & Roses.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bread-Roses-Bakery/108141789227468  We had planned to grab a coffee and run, but ended up sitting and enjoying the friendly staff, the ambience of the place, enjoyed espresso and pastry, used the very clean restroom, and enjoyed ourselves. It was a lovely experience, and a welcome break.  Yachats has made tourism their mainstay.  http://www.yachats.org/

Beach at Yachats

 
 One of our favorite sites along the OR coast is a couple miles south of Yachats at the Cape Perpetua Visitors’ Center operated by the USFS.  The Siuslaw National Forest is dense with old-growth Cedar, Sitka, Fir, & other Spruce and the headland over looks the Pacific.  The visitors’ center offers spectacular views of the ocean, the coastline, and a lighthouse and is a great place for storm and whale watching.  We didn't see any whales but the visitor's center is worth a stop!  http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/siuslaw/recarea/?recid=42265

Cape Perpetua

Cleft of the Rock Lighthouse from Cape Perpetua

 We pulled into Florence needing gas and as soon as we left the station we were alongside of a parade route.  The police kept one of the lanes of the highway open and the parade (Rhododendron Days) meandered down the other lane . . . for 2.8 miles!  There were lots of people watching the parade and lots of people in the parade . . . this must be a big deal for the small town of Florence.  http://www.florenceoregon.net/

Coos Bay is the largest city on the OR coast, and a strong history of timber and shipbuilding.  http://www.oregonsadventurecoast.com/ It has a beautiful bay and is a major hub of southwestern OR.  As a tourist destination, Coos Bay is best known for the Oregon Sand Dunes National Recreation Area.  http://www.stateparks.com/oregon_dunes_national_recreation_area_in_oregon.html  There are miles of sand dunes, not little ones, but huge ones!  We drove out as far as we could go and then hiked up one of the dunes designated paths to see the ocean.  It’s an impressive destination. 

Across the Sand Dunes

Path up the Sand Dunes . . . ocean just over the dune!

  
Bandon is best known for the Bandon Dunes Golf Courses, world-class links courses reminiscent of Scotland, where golf was born.  We have been to St. Andrews, Scotland and were struck by the similarity.  It was a cold, windy day when we visited both!  Bob didn’t play any of the courses, and we didn’t stay at the beautiful lodge, but driving and walking around the grounds and found ourselves wishing we were indulging.  Maybe next time!  http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/

Coastline at Bandon

Bob shivering at Bandon

After a long day of driving we reached our next campsite, Humbug State Park in southwestern OR.  http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=40   Remember, I’m not a “camper” but you won’t catch me saying, “bah Humbug” about this camping experience.  This campground was not very busy but that may have been because it was a Sunday evening when we camped.  We did have a reservation but did not need it for this particular stay.  The host sold us some firewood (no ice available) and we had a lovely campfire.  Our particular site was #27, directly across from the restrooms.  The restrooms at this park were immaculate, and the shower was definitely better than the one at my neighborhood swimming pool.  The best part about camping at this park is that the area is grassy so the tent sites are very clean and level. 

Restrooms at Humbug State Park

I should probably explain that one of the best parts of camping with Bob is that he does all the work!  He sets up camp, he cooks dinner and breakfast, builds the fire, finds sticks for marshmallows, and tears down the camp.  I do help wash dishes but my contribution is very minimal.  Spaghetti for dinner and oatmeal for breakfast, a good night's sleep, and a nice shower . . . we both enjoyed this experience. 

Our insight into retirement for today was that we have time to poke around, stop when we want, see what we want, and take the time to enjoy our surroundings.  It's very relaxing to not be on a schedule, or at least on a firm one.   Next up on the itinerary is visiting Redwoods National Park in northern CA . . . we are looking forward to seeing these “really big trees.”  Yes, we will camp for a couple more days, and we still have the roof top carrier and getting better at packing it up and strapping it down!