A View of the Oregon Coast

We are in the library in Bandon, OR and I didn’t prepare a post ahead of time.  We’ve been so busy sight-seeing and enjoying life, that I haven’t had time to do mush else!  That’s a good thing!!

Yesterday we visited the area around Charleston, OR.  This is a real working fishing village.  Lots of boats and lots of hardworking fishermen.  Here are just a few shots of the area.

Basdendorf Beach.  There is a county park there with RV sites but it is not near as nice a campground as Sunset Bay…but the view is killer!!



Charleston Marina


This boat was in the shipyard – Russ liked the name!!  His kind of boat.


This is The Hollering Place Wayside.  It was so named because the native tribes that settled the area, would yell across the water to those on the sandspit.   Now it is a historical marker.


So many more pictures and adventures to share but some will undoubtedly wait until we get back home.  Just one more picture that Russ took…

…and what I posted on Face Book about this picture….

I was complaining to Russ that I didn't want him to take my picture, because I am so old and fat and ugly. He said he likes to look at me and take my picture because he likes the way I look. How can that be, I wondered. Russ responded..."I don't see you with my eyes, I see you with my heart."

Encounter with a Wildcat

Okay, so it was a SMALL cat and it didn’t pose a threat but it is wild! 

This is the camp cat at Sunset Bay campground near Coos Bay, Oregon.  He lives under a bench at the Interpretative Center, and has his own food and water bowls.  The camp hosts see that he is fed and brushed and taken to the vet.  The story I got was that a ranger found a couple of these cats but the cats were happy to be wild so they were allowed to live here.  One was so wild he wouldn’t let anyone get close and he eventually died.  This cat is very friendly and seems to love the attention.  It looks to me like a lynx point ragdoll cat so can’t imagine how he got to be feral.  Anyway, he is gorgeous and I am enjoying visiting with him.

Sunset Bay campground is on Cape Arago Road and it is cold and foggy here, bet we are loving it anyway.  It is peaceful and you can hear the distant cry of the whistler buoy off the point.  It sounds almost like a dove call.

There is no internet, phone service, or TV reception here – YIPPEE!!  Almost like the old fashioned camping out we did as kids.  The sites are well spaced and separated by bushes.  The campground was full last night but we were able to snag the last full hook-up site.


There is a big berm behind us so it is very private.  We spent two nights in Lincoln City after leaving Fort Stevens and it was so crazy with people that we are glad for some peace and quiet.

This campground also has tent sites and yurts.  The yurt sites are amazingly large.


The entire campground has a nice “feel” to it.  Across from us was a middle aged couple from Hong Kong.  They are on the last two weeks of a three month trek that included driving all the way to Winnipeg.  They flew into San Francisco and rented a car and were tent camping when we saw them.  Russ didn’t want to ask too many questions so don’t know if they have spent the entire time tent camping or if this was just something to experience.  Interesting folks and what an adventure they are on.


We had a beautiful drive down the coast yesterday before we arrived at Sunset Bay.  Beautiful blue sky under which to enjoy this scenic stretch of Hwy. 101.  Just got a couple of drive-by shots as we traveled on.






OOOPS!  That’s not a shot of the beautiful coast…that is the visitor we had in Lincoln City!!  I think it escaped from Eugene but we are going to send it back.  After all, that is where the Slug Queen is elected every year!  REALLY!!  Look it up!

We are off to find something to take pictures of and hopefully find some free Wi-Fi so we can check in and make this post.  We are enjoying our trip and beginning to really relax.  I loved the north coast but life somehow seems slower in this area.  I think I could just sit and stare out the window at the trees and watch the grass grow…but there are things to see.   Talk to you next time I have internet…

Nehalem Bay and Astoria Sunset

Continuing our journey on Wednesday, we reached our final destination of Nehalem Bay.  This is where we were supposed to camp with Sue and Doug and Dave and Carol this past summer.  We had to cancel due to the ongoing construction in front of our house, but we look forward to trying again next year.

We knew it was going to be a nice place when we came across a herd of elk on the access road.  There must have been 6-8 elk and they just stood by the road grazing without a concern at all for the cars going by or those stopping to take pictures (like us!).






Welcome to Nehalem Bay State Park.  This is a large park right on Nehalem Bay and offers partial hookup camping, day use, boat launch, and a horse camp.  We drove through several of the loops and didn’t find a bad site in any of them.  I would recommend this park.


We did find a rather unique tent.  I really don’t see the advantage to this type of arrangement unless you are afraid of ants crawling into your tent.  It definitely limits the day trips in the car!!



This picture is down by the boat ramp in the day use area.  We saw a fella out in the mud digging clams but other than that it was deserted.  It’s a beautiful view and there was a nice restroom facility and picnic tables.



This is close to the horse camp.  There is also a stable where you can rent a horse if you didn’t bring your own.  Tie up your horse here and have a picnic!


After a long driving day, Russ decided I was not going to cook dinner and he took us into Astoria for dinner.  We had country fried steak at the Pig ‘N Pancake, with extra of that creamy white gravy that Rick likes so much (tee-hee!).  After dinner we went for a walk along the waterfront and got some sunset pictures.
Those are masts sticking up along the bay front.



A lone seagull looks for dinner under the pier at sunset.







The fog was rolling in and the Washington side of the bridge disappeared into the mist.



Altogether a great day with a great ending.  And next time you cross the Astoria Bridge, just remember, you’re in good hands.

Seeing the Sights in Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Manzanita

Summer was wonderful here on the Oregon coast.  It lasted for three days this year and we enjoyed all of them.  Wednesday we made a sight-seeing run south on the coast.  Took a quick run through Seaside but it was just too crowded.  It is a scenic town but too much of a tourist destination.  We have visited before so we just kept going.

Next stop Cannon Beach.  Still touristy but not nearly as crowded as Seaside.  We didn’t take pictures of Haystack Rock – there are so many of those already out there that ours would not compare.   We made a stop at a small park and walked down on the beach.  Russ got a nice picture of a couple of beached whales.


The beach here is wide and beautiful, but it is quite a walk to the water.


We thought this was a unique house in Cannon Beach.  Not only did it have eye popping colors, it had a built in climbing wall!  The grandkids would love this.



Son John, this is for you!  Can you imagine the ribs you could do on this baby?  It’s for sale!!


We stopped in the small town of Manzanita and we loved it here.  Nice quiet town with very accessible beach.  Dave lent us his parking angel and we found a place just steps from the beach access.  How nice is that?


This is one of the prettier beaches on the Oregon coast.  Wonderful access and a long wide stretch of sand.  Little hills of beach grass make great places to pitch a sun shelter or just relax out of the wind...although it was virtually windless the day we were there.











We went on to Nehalem Bay but that is a story for another day.

Old Folks Have Fun at Fort Stevens…and beyond

Who says it rains all the time on the Oregon coast??  Or even the Washington coast?  We have lucked out and had a couple of wonderful sunshiny days here at Fort Stevens Sate Park, near Astoria, OR.

We have a nice FHU campsite and Russ is making good use of it.


Therapy seems happy too.  I think she’s smiling!!


Friends Dave and Carol joined us for a couple of days and Russ managed to start harassing Dave before the first marshmallow was in the fire.


Fortunately, Dave does not hold a grudge and he and Carol played tour guide for us on Tuesday.  Being from Washington, they have spent a lot of time in this area and showed us all the good spots.  (I don’t have Wi-Fi as I write this so cannot check on place names as I normally do…and some I have forgotten already.)

First stop was a viewpoint on the Washington side after crossing over the Astoria bridge.  What a view!



That paved strip is part of the Discovery Trail that goes for 8 miles along the beach.  Great for walking or biking.




If you read Dave and Carol’s blogs (they both blog) you know that one of their favorite places is Cape Disappointment.   I can see why!  It is a beautiful park and some of the FHU sites are almost directly on the beach.  You can see the ocean, hear its roar, and feel the salt air. 

One of the places we stopped was Waikikii Beach – no, not THAT Waikiki but so named in honor of a local man who died in the area who was originally from Hawaii.  It had a great little beach, a picnic area, and you could see the lighthouse off in the distance.
 




I could easily have spent most of the day here…just bring a picnic lunch and you’re golden!!


On to Long Beach where we had lunch at the Hungry Harbor restaurant – very nice and down home.  I forget to get pictures but the food was wonderful.

Then my favorite part…we got to drive on the beach!!  I wasn’t too worried until Dave noted that the tide was incoming and all passengers were required to push should the need arise!  I am happy to report, the need did not arise.  Saw this boat offshore as we were sailing along.


Here’s a short clip of us dodging waves at Long Beach.


Altogether a wonderful couple of days.  Dave and Carol head for home in the morning but it was great to have a nice visit.  We were scheduled to camp with them and Doug and Sue earlier this year but had to cancel due to the construction on our street.   Sure hope we can all get together sometime in the future.

If it was any purtier I couldn’t stand it!

One thing you gotta understand about the Oregon coast – summer doesn’t arrive until September 1, and today it was right on schedule!!  Cleat blue skies, gentle breezes, and temperatures that didn’t require a jacket!

We went for a drive northward to Pacific City, off Hwy 101.  First stop was the Winema Wayfinding Station, a vista point overlooking Winema Beach.  I forgot to get a picture of the explanatory signage so don’t know what this is all about.  (In fact, I didn’t get a picture of anything – forgot to charge my battery so thanks, Russ, for the photos today!) I found some info on geocaching websites but don’t know if that is the purpose or just a byproduct of this overlook.  At any rate, the view is worth stopping for.



The RVs you see down below are on the grounds of the Winema Christian Camp.  It is a private camp for youth and family camps but their website did say they had some limited RV camping spots available.  We drove down to the camp and I DO NOT think I would drive the RV down there.  Those who are camped are braver than I am!!  It is certainly a beautiful setting though.

On to Pacific City, home of the Dory Fleet.  That viewing will have to wait until next week when some of the tourists go home!!  Couldn’t even get in the parking lot and some entrepreneurs had set up parking in vacant lots – $10 per car!!  No thanks!  There were other sights to see.

Lots of fishing going on.  The smart ones parked their boats under the bridge where they could fish in the shade.



Others fished from shore. That's the Nestucca River.



There was a small Farmer’s Market at the library and we got some wild blackberries and some Italian plums (fresh prunes).  I don’t care how pretty and big the domestic blackberries are, nothing beats the taste of fresh picked wild blackberries and these were no exception.











They had some live entertainment too.  I threw a couple of dollars into their tip jar, but they kept up the caterwauling anyway!  Guess it wasn’t enough to make them stop.  Even this poor guy seemed to be wishing they would quit.  It would have been an improvement if he had joined in!!



We drove up to Sand Lake Recreation Area.  This is a huge area for all things related to sand rails, ATVs and dune buggies.  Several large campgrounds and one was nothing more than a paved lot.

And we thought we were packed in tight!!

The draw is that you can go right from your campsite into the dunes and ride for miles. 



No one minds the noise because that is why they come here.  Not my cup of tea although I might have enjoyed riding around when I was younger.  I had some fun when I had my dirt bike but never in dunes like this.




The best part of the day was coming back to the RV park and sitting outside in our chairs.



It was a picture perfect day and this was the view from my recliner…can’t be beat!


Tomorrow, on to Astoria and Fort Stevens State Park.  Hurry, Nancy, we’ll wait for you!!