Can You Say Yachats??

If I could just bottle up the fragrance of the ocean, I think I would be a millionaire. You know what I mean, that salty, sandy, seaweedy essence that even with a hint of fishy odor is somehow fresh and clean and like no other scent.  Then add in the sound of the waves rushing to shore and the gulls crying on the wind and there is no experience like being at the ocean.  That’s where we where yesterday…the beautiful Oregon Coast.

It was a foggy, drizzly day that we often get here in Oregon – Marsha Weaver can attest to that!!  Yet, we didn’t let that stop us.  Brian and Laila insisted on buying our breakfast at the Prime Time Diner, a local favorite.  The breakfast was so good I forgot to take pictures…you’ll have to trust me on this one!!  The Diner serves “flapjacks” and DO NOT call them pancakes!  These delectable delights are thinner than a traditional pancake, with a sweeter taste that has a hint of vanilla, and one covers a huge dinner plate.  Three of us shared one flapjack along with some eggs and bacon.  What a great way to start the day.

Then it was Westward Ho to the the Oregon Coast.  First, about 35 miles from Eugene, we did a memory stop at Whittaker Creek Campground.  This is where Laila used to take her kids camping and where we used to go for day use fun.  It has changed some from when we were younger but it is a positive improvement.  There is now a set of steps down to one of the nice wading areas.  Makes it easier for us OLD folks!



Whittaker Creek is a slow moving crystal clear creek with both shallow areas for wading and swimming, but also some deeper pools that are home to trout and salmon.  Laila, couldn’t resist calling Brian down to the edge of the creek bank.



In her younger days, she would have had him in the water and most likely her younger sister as well.  It turns out this time her intentions were rather innocuous.



I can remember the first time we brought our kids here.  The boys were just little fellas and so Russ went into the creek with them.   They soon spotted one of the many crawdads that inhabit this creek.  The boys were so excited and wanted to catch them but they didn’t have a container.  Russ took off his t-shirt, tied the arms together, and that became their “net.”  They hauled out a good number of crawdads and requested we boil them up.  Merry (our daughter) and I didn’t eat any but the “men” insisted they were delicious.  Apparently we didn’t take them all as one of the first things we noticed was a bright red crawdad.



Yes, he is underwater.  the water is just incredibly clear.

The Whittaker Creek Campground has been improved over the years.  To get to the back loop, you used to have to drive through the creek.  Now they have a bridge, although Brian was not certain it was wide enough. 



The back loop is all tent sites.  DO NOT take anything bigger than a van over here as there is no place to turn a rig around.  The campsites are large and scattered and each has a level tent pad.  Many are right on the creek.



Back across the bridge on the main loop, the camp host has a HUGE sight and has made it his own for sure.  I think he (or she) has a whole little town set up there.  Look at the shower tent near the middle of the second picture.  Yes, all of that is in the camp host’s site.





The rest of the sites are either for tents or smaller rigs…anything bigger than about 27’ would be a tight fit.  It is a beautiful place though, very heavily wooded with some significant hiking trails and lovely water.

From there we made a quick stop at the Casino in Florence where Laila was the big loser with a $3 loss!  There were quite a few rigs in the boondocking area and we even spotted a blue Lazy Daze among them.



We stopped at Harbor Vista Campground, a Lane County Park on a high bank overlooking the ocean.  We visited there back in February, ironically a better day in winter than we had in July!  You can see more photos and info here.  Today we stayed under cover at the viewing area and MOST of us tried to behave ourselves.



OUCH!  That hurt!


As we were leaving, this interesting rig pulled in.  The fella said he bought it from a friend of his 25 years ago.  The friend had made the camper and the fella we talked to said he has had it to Alaska once and to Guatemala three times.  He started that old engine and it purred like a kitten.



We headed north to our lunch destination in Yachats at the Adobe Inn.  We love to eat here when we visit the coast.  The food is great and the view cannot be beat.  It was overcast and drizzly but we could still watch the waves crashing on the rocks while we enjoyed our lunch.




Everyone sure seemed to enjoy their meal.


Thank you Brian and Laila.  You did NOT have to treat us again.  This time they insisted it was for our anniversary which is not until Saturday.

We drove North from Yachats to Newport, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Japanese dock that has landed on the Oregon coast at Agate Beach, more than a year after the devastating tsunami.  We didn’t get to see it but we did see some beautiful wildflowers.  I don’t know what these yellow ones are but they lined the highway for several miles and they were beautiful.


And this wild rose rivaled anything in a formal garden.



Not to be outdone by Russ,Laila tried her hand (or foot) at climbing.  Like Russ, she didn’t make it very far!

And Russ, you need to not be so ornery.  Imagine you young stud, picking on that old man.  Next time just hit him with your cane.






The path of life may be uncertain, and (thankfully) we do not always know exactly where it leads or what is around the next bend, but we do know that we will walk the path without fear and do our best to enjoy the journey.



BTW, Yachats is pronounced YAW-HOTS for those who didn't know!