At last…something you all may be interested in – or not. But it’s what we saw. At Winchester Bay is a neat little campground that is set back against a hill, with the sites across the street from the Salmon Harbor. Windy Cove is operated by Douglas County. It has both FHU and primitive sites. Most are first come, first served and it looked like a lot of folks were enjoying the park right now.
Most of the spaces seemed pretty close together so better like the people you’re camping with! Many are fishermen or ATVers. The park is fairly well kept with the Caretaker's residence surrounded by flowers and well- kept grass.
A FHU site will run you $23, which includes cable TV and Wi-Fi, with a primitive site going for $15. That’s a pretty good deal but it can sure be busy during the summer and during prime fishing season.
If you want something a
little more upscale, right across the road and on the harbor you will find the Winchester Bay RV Resort. Definitely the place where the big rigs go. Very nice place, green grass, very clean, and direct water views. The bay road bisects the park but it’s a little used road and doesn’t seem to create any problems. This park is NOT $23 per night!Past Windy Cove park is a road leading to several ATV areas. Again, although we have been to Winchester Bay many times, we had never taken this road. Something new to us!
We have visited the portion of the Oregon dunes near Florence so we were prepared to be unimpressed by the scenery. WRONG!! These are not sand hills, these are sand mountains. I could not believe the size of some of the dunes. There is no way to capture the their majesty in 2D but I did take a few shots.
It looked more like a ski area than somewhere you could go roaring across miles of sand in an ATV. The contrast between the dun colored sand and green of the pine trees and sea grasses was something to behold.
It’s hard to visualize just how tall these dunes are but believe me, you wouldn’t want to try walking to the top.
There are rules and precautions in place to protect some of the areas and there are seasonal closures to provide sanctuary for breeding shore birds. These dunes go on for over 40 miles and any marks left in the sand by the ATVs are blown away with the next day’s wind. I am not a big fan of these sand rails, but I saw a lot of people having a grand time with their families and if they enjoy it and follow the rules, more power to them.
To give you a sense of perspective, the red arrow is pointing to a full sized ATV. Click on photo to enlarge.
At the end of the road is the Umpqua Beach Staging area. This a a day use only area and usage fees apply. It’s a great place for ATVers as it is at the end of the road, has a huge paved parking area, restroom facilities and a WHOLE lotta sand!!
If you want to see the immensity of these dunes, go to Google Earth. Some folks may think the dunes should be left alone and no one should be riding loud obnoxious gasoline machines through them. Although a little of the noise goes a long way with me, I feel the dunes are there to enjoy and …why not? It’s not like you can grow crops on them! Oregon is very aware and careful with her natural resources and I believe the dunes are managed in a thoughtful and sustainable manner. This area provides a lot of high energy fun for families and a lot of picturesque viewing for the rest of us. It’s a win/win. Definitely worth going to see even if you hate ATVs!!
Loved your title! You are too funny, Donna. I was like you and didn't think I'd be the least bit impressed by the dunes, but I certainly was. Amazing, this country--all the different types of terrain, each with it's unique beauty (with the exception of a few places I've been).
ReplyDeleteI do so love to see different scenery...dunes, ocean, rivers, mountains, prairie, I love it all.
DeleteDid you know that Frank Herbert conceived his Dune books based on his experience with our Oregon dunes? That's pretty cool. They're inspirational.
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't know that, you book lover, you!!! Interesting.
Deleteyou four did all this one day!..what a whirlwind!!
ReplyDeleteThose dunes are massive. That would be a great place to run an ATV. Wonder if anybody gets lost out there.
ReplyDeleteThose dunes are something else! It almost made me wish I could ride on an ATV over the dune hills...almost! Did you have a chance to visit or at least see the lighthouse? It's one of the more accessible Oregon lighthouses since it's right on the road and you don't have to hike to it. The lighthouse gift shop is nice, too.
ReplyDeleteGuess what, Dave and our friend Tom both had hash browns at the Astoria Pig and Pancake today and the hash browns were cooked well, but only on the top. I guess that must be the norm these days. I told Dave that I had to peek under his hash browns just to see if they were cooked on both sides. He thought I was a bit strange, so then I had to share your Elkton story. ;)
We usually stay away from ATV areas, but this one looks very interesting. Next time we visit Oregon, we'll have to spend a month or two with you guys. You seem to know where to go, what to do. OK, OK, maybe only three weeks.
ReplyDeleteI love the dunes... all dunes... everywhere. I like the signs that say "allow 2 hours (or whatever) to climb back up if you climb down and stuff like that. I even enjoy watching the ATVs (sometimes just their high flying flags) race over the dunes. We just don't travel close to them often enough. Looks like y'all had a great time!
ReplyDeleteWe loved those Dunes also. I had the same issue trying to figure out how to get some good photos. You did a great job with the photos.
ReplyDeleteYou said it .... Lot's of sand! Wonder how much gets taken away in one's shoes.
ReplyDelete...and other items of clothing!!
DeleteHaven't see the dunes in Oregon, but visited the ones in the OBX last spring, and like you, we were wowed by the size of these constantly shifting piles of sand. They had no ATV's at the OBX, just paragliders, so it was a quieter experience.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right about those Dunes, they are massive. We've always driven by them for some reason and opted to enjoy the ocean views on the Oregon coast instead. Maybe next time we'll get some sand in our hair.
ReplyDeleteYou could always rent an ATV and see them up close and personal!!
DeleteOh those dunes...Never realized how high they are until we started climbing; slipping and sliding in the sand. Beautiful coastline!
ReplyDeleteWas that Russ on his ATV at the arrow that you where taking a picture of? I bet he was doing wheelies out there in the sand!
ReplyDelete