KOA??? Yup, they have Internet!

June 6, 2011

We left our campsite at Washburne on Sunday morning, just as it was starting to spit rain.  Our destination was South Beach State Park just two miles south of Newport, OR.  The state camp ground guide boasted that this campground had Wi-Fi!!!  When we got to the camp ground, the welcome booth has a small sign which read, “Wi-Fi for this camp ground has been discontinued”.  WELL!!

We drove through and considered staying anyway, but since they don’t have full hook-ups there, we really had no reason to stay.  It looked like a nice campground with lots of grass and large sites, but it was still a half mile hike to the beach so no advantage to staying there.

We decided to head on north for a bit and see what we could find.  I looked at the GPS and it showed a KOA just three miles east of Lincoln City near Devil’s Lake.  INTERNET- I MUST HAVE INTERNET!!  So we took the Devil’s Lake road just like the GPS said and headed for the KOA.

Now there are many stories and legends surrounding Devil’s Lake.  I think they are mostly made-up but then you just never know.  The road is narrow and winding and really quite picturesque.  BUT…as we were going past the local cemetery, the GPS suddenly flashed a big arrow and said “MAKE A U-TURN”.  Now, why would it do that, unless it knows something we don’t?  Hmmmm…I told Russ we were probably just in a dead zone.  As soon as we were past the cemetery, the GPS went back to normal and we found the KOA without any problem.

For a KOA it’s a nice park.  Not very busy and fairly quiet.  Don’t know how it is in the busy season.  Russ finally got a chance to put out the awning and use his noodles on the arms.  He was happy!



I grilled some steaks for dinner on our little portable grill and they were sure good.  Used the steak rub I bought in Lone Pine in April.  I also did something I swore I would never do…I served instant mashed potatoes.  Hey, I was tired and I forgot to start the bakers on time so got my emergency supply of dry foods and there were some garlic mashed taters!  You know what??  They were actually very good!  I also swore I would never use instant rice, but I do it all the time now.  The older I get the more I like “easy!”

We have forest on one side of this camp ground and on the other side is a pasture with horses…all very green and scenic.



Of course all the grassy areas have “No Dogs” signs and you are not allowed to leave your dogs in your MH unattended so how are you supposed to get out and enjoy the area?  Dogs are pretty much welcome in a designated forested area and that’s about it.  Oh well, that’s KOA. 

I must say the people are friendly here and they have a nice little store.  The sites are pretty level and it was very quiet last night.  We decided to stay another night so we have some time to explore Lincoln City a little bit.  The only thing that drives me nuts is the “bell” in the office.   It is one of those electronic ding-dongs and you can hear it all over the park.  It’s a busy little office/store so the bell is going off all day from 8am to 8pm!  Small price to pay for having the rest of the amenities.

On Saturday we took the dogs to their favorite beach at Heceta Head.  This is a day use only park and has a day use fee.  However, in Oregon, if you are camped at any state park, that fee also covers any day use area as well.  We also purchased an Interagency Pass this year for only $30.  It is an add on to the senior national parks pass and it is good for any day use park in Oregon and some in Washington as well.  It’s a really good deal and we have used it several times already this year.

Heceta Head day use area has always been a favorite of ours.  You can hike to the lighthouse (which we have done in the past but I think we’re done with that).  The beach is small but so interesting with lots of caves and tide pools to explore.


 
That is sand, not water in the cave.  When I first looked at this photo it looked like foamy sea water…it was just the sun shining on the sand.



Our kids used to explore these caves, and when our oldest grandsons were little boys, they did the same.  Haven’t had any of the younger grandkids here but I think we will have to fix that!





The trees are very tenacious and will find a foot hold even if it means going over the side of the cliff.  I imagine there was more soil there when the tree began and erosion has taken away some of the cliff side.  Imagine what would happen to that cliff were it not for the roots helping to stabilize the soil.
 
There is also a small river that flows into the sea at this park and I don’t know why I didn’t get a picture of it.  The river is large enough for fishing upstream but as it nears the beach it becomes small and shallow and very placid.  It’s a great place to kids to play as it has a sandy bottom (rather than rocky) and the sandy shore is perfect for building sand castles.  Of course the dogs went wading but with all the other people and dogs around, they had to stay on leash so didn’t do any swimming.  They were happy anyway.  Poppy wore her pink polka dot dress to protect her skin and to keep people from running away when they saw her haircut!  Her skin in healing quite nicely by the way, so we are happy with the results, if not the look, of the haircut.

Well, we should have some photos of Lincoln City to share this evening .  You all have a good day.