Photo: The Pacific Ocean meets the calmer water of the tidal flats at Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast.
Today is Friday, April 29, 2011. We left Eureka, California and hit the road for Brookings, Oregon, the southernmost town on the Oregon Coast. The area is self-described as the ‘Banana Belt of the North Coast.’ Janice’s brother, Alan, had guaranteed us good weather if we went there and, sure enough, just as we pulled into the Driftwood RV Park, the sun came out.
Photo: We entered Oregon from California, driving north to Washington.
We spent the afternoon getting an oil change on the truck and replacing a safety chain hook on the trailer that had somehow come off on the winding highway. Taking advantage of the sunshine we barbequed some burgers and then sat around a campfire until dark.
The next day was sunny so we decided to back track and visit California’s Jedadiah Smith State Park. That visit is chronicled in the California blog.
Following the park visit, when we re-crossed the Oregon border, driving back to Brookings, we visited the Azalea Park there. The flowers had already peaked this late in the spring though so we took a drive along the Chesko River instead, to Loeb State Park.
Photo: I said the Smith River was brilliant – well, the Chesko River was unbelievably blue, as pictured.
After going for groceries we took a sharp right at a sign that said Chesko Point and then walked out to where we could get a view back to Brookings.
Photo: Brookings from Chesko Point.
Photo: The view, north, from Chesko Point.
Photo: The Little One, as we return along the path from Chesko Point.
Sunday morning was sunny again as we headed north to Coos Bay, about halfway up the Oregon Coast. We’re likely going to be back in BC by Friday! Our year is almost up!
By the time we were twenty-five miles north of Brookings the Pacific Ocean had lost all of its’ blue hue. The ocean becomes less tropical looking in Oregon but often the waves break a brilliant emerald green instead.
We stopped for lunch at Tony’s Crab Shack in Bandon where I had fish tacos and Janice had a crab and shrimp sandwich. Before lunch, while we were walking around the town, we had asked some locals for the best place to eat. They were right about Tony’s.
Photo: Tony’s Crab Shack at Bandon.
We got to Coos Bay and the Midway RV Park about 2:30pm. It turned out that our GPS, Susan, had landed us in Harington rather than Coos Bay, so our walk, which took us along the water, never actually got us to Coos Bay proper.
Monday morning we woke to a rare day of rain. We stopped in Coos Bay to get the tires rotated on the truck. I noticed that the new tires we had purchased in Florida were wearing much faster at the back than they were at the front, presumably due to towing the trailer.
We were having coffee next door to the tire shop where we discovered that the Americans had finally caught up to, and killed, Osama Bin Laden. We had to bite our tongues listening to the coffee shop chatter because people seemed absolutely elated, like this single event was going to solve all of their problems.
We stopped at Yachats because our neighbours at home in BC, Mike and Ellen, have met their daughters in Yachats a couple of times in the past few years for some family R&R. We had a picnic lunch at Yachats State Park, a beautiful place that we’d somehow overlooked in the past – blowing and rainy for our short stay though.
Photo: The Pacific Ocean blowing into Yachats.
About 3:00pm we pulled into the Coyote Rock RV Resort on the Siletz River, near Lincoln City. After setting up we took a drive into town to get the lay of the land. Parking near the new casino, we leaned into the wind as we walked the streets closest to the oceanfront.
On the way back we pulled into another little bay and saw a whole lot of seals lazing around a sand bank. The Pacific Ocean crashes into, but is quickly placated by the tidal flats, not more than a hundred yards from where the seals lolled.
Photos: The seals at Lincoln City and, the tidal flats.
Back at the RV Park we built a ripping campfire but were still chilly eating our warmed-over Chili. We’re stubborn though and, like moths, wouldn’t give up the flame. It was nearly dark when we were driven inside. The park is situated where the river meets the tidal waters of the ocean, which made it constantly windy and cool.
Photo: The wharf at the Coyote Rock RV Resort.
Photo: A bench in front of a mossy rock cliff at Coyote Rock RV Resort.
A long-time friend, Al Hovden, from North Van – no, not Al Harlow from Prism – Al Hovden, whom I used to play with in The Burner Boys, at least two lifetimes ago, has the number one blues song, Zero Avenue, on a top-rated Internet site. Congratulations Al, it sounds great.
It rained overnight but Tuesday morning we woke to sunshine. We drove north to Rockaway Beach where we spoiled ourselves on a bowl of clam chowder for Janice and a bowl of Philly cheesecake soup for me – they were both very thick, but tasty.
We had been headed for Astoria, on the northern border of Oregon, but, because there were no RV Parks there, we continued on to Long Beach, Washington…