A Picture Perfect Day

As some visitors to our illustrious state have learned, May and June in Oregon can come with some pretty nasty weather. Summer doesn’t make a sustained appearance until around the 4th of July.  The coast can be especially nasty, with fog, cold winds, and generally miserable conditions.  And then sometimes nature bestows a gift of The Perfect Day.  I guess it was our turn because that’s the kind of day we had.

Saturday we had planned to work in the yard.  But even in a stix and brix, plans can be made of Jell-O.  Poppy, uncharacteristically, woke each of us up early and seemed to want to get on the move.  What are we to do?  Stay home and work or take the advice of our old dog and hit the road?  It was free fishing day in Oregon so a drive upriver didn’t seem like a good idea, but the coast seemed a reasonable alternative.  At our age, spontaneity is to be treasured and never wasted.

We loaded up and headed out.  First stop was for a great breakfast in Harrisburg at the Grubstake Restaurant.  Then on through Peoria and a quick stop at the Mennonite Country Bakery for a couple of maple bars.

We drove the back roads, even opting to take Hwy 34 out of Philomath rather than Hwy. 20 to Newport.  Hwy. 34 is a narrow, winding road but the scenic value is well worth the extra time it takes.  Lots of 20 mph curves on this road!!





On the route we saw a sign for the Alsea Fish Hatchery.    If you have read my blog before, you know that we love fish hatcheries.  There is always something unexpected and always grass, trees, shade, picnic tables and just a peaceful atmosphere.

There was a display of some kind of exotic pheasant and quail here at this hatchery.  Never did see anyone around to ask and there was no sign, but the birds were pretty cool.











The grounds were beautiful and we spent a lot of time just walking around enjoying the ambiance.  Poppy enjoyed the smells!!

See that motorhome tucked up under the trees on the left?  That’s where the volunteer lives.  I think if I ever do any volunteering, it might be at a fish hatchery!!


Of course hatcheries need water and right across the parking area there is a small stream.  It is public fishing access and signs invite fishermen to park at the hatchery.  How cool is that!  This is a hatchery specimen and is not involved in the free fishing!!



The stream was one of those perfectly clear, gurgling brooks that make you want to throw a line in the water (or sit and read a book!).  Even though it was free fishing day, there was not one person trying their luck.  That’s another thing I like about fish hatcheries – no one goes there!!!

As we neared the coast, we stopped and explored several parks and campgrounds.  A hidden gem was this Benton County Park, Salmonberry Campground.  Although at $25 for electric only hook-up, it seems a bit spendy for a county park, it was clean, quiet and under used.  The park has a total of 28 sites plus a yurt.  The access was easy and the sites were all paved.



The route follows along the Alsea River and its tributaries so there are many boat launches and picnic areas.  Here’s a boat launch not for the faint of heart.


I assume the rope at the top is to keep the boat from getting away from you as it skids down to the river.








The day just kept getting better the closer we got to the coast.  Obviously we took our time and made lots of stops.  Tune in tomorrow and I’ll show you some of the best June weather ever on the Oregon coast.  We had a great day!