Coastal Oregon

15^th May

It was really hot in the night at Eugene. Before we left we registered “Ernie” with Florida Vehicle Registration for 2015. We used 25 miles of the I-5 before heading towards the coast following the Umpqua River where it joins the coast at Reedsport. Slightly south we found a State Park at the Umpqua Lighthouse. We camped by a small lake and walked the short distance around the lake to the Umpqua lighthouse. We joined a tour of the lighthouse by a ranger, built in 1894, which is still used today. It was fascinating. We even managed to poke our heads up into the revolving Fresnel lens system. It was of brick construction with the original spiral internal staircase.

16^th May

Back to Reedsport to the information centre where we learned about the Oregon National Dunes. This is a strip of coastline about 40 miles long and 1 mile wide dominated by huge sand dunes. Unfortunately they are a recreational area which means that everyone drives their dune buggies over them. Dune buggies (ATVs in NZ or OHVs in the USA) are noisy vehicles which roar over these beautiful dunes. (only in the USA!!!). We found an area where we could safely walk over the dunes to the beach without being run over by them.  We camped in a forest park in a lovely sunny camp situated on a lagoon. There was a short walk around the lagoon which we enjoyed before soaking up the sun. Unfortunately the lagoon also meant that there were a lot of annoying midges which in the evening drove us inside.

17^th May

We had a couple of showers of rain in the night. We drove to Florence, a beautiful seaside port on a river. There were hundreds of Harley Davison motor bikes in town as there was a rally this weekend. What a site!! I have never seen so many “Hogs” in one place. We continued on up the coast on the ‘101’ with a coastline like northern California to our next camp at another state park near Waldport.

 We were camped on a beautiful sandy beach and, as it was sunny and no wind, we sat on the beach for 3 hours enjoying the sunshine and the sights.

18^th May

It rained again in the night. We continued on the ‘101’ north. There are a number of small fishing/tourist ports along this coast. Each port has a huge bridge crossing the harbour entrance. We stopped at Newport and

walked the historic waterfront, a mixture of fishing industry and tourist shops. Our next stop was at the Yaquina Bay lighthouse, one of the oldest lighthouses in Oregon. We left the ‘101’ and followed the “Three Capes Scenic Loop” to a State Park at Cape Lookout. It has rained off and on all day. We walked to the beach between showers.

19^th May

It rained very heavily in the night but dawned clear and sunny. We had to drive back 3 miles to the start of the track to the end of Cape Lookout. It was a 2.5 mile walk to the view point at the end of the cape. We had great views thru the forest of the coast line north and south. The last part of the walk was along the cliff tops with huge drops to the sea below. This is another area where the Grey whales can be seen migrating north. Not for us unfortunately. On our return to “Ernie” it started to rain but we were mostly protected by the forest canopy. Our lunch stop was at a great lookout above the camp where we were last night and we decided to head further north for the night.

A bit more on the “Three Capes Scenic Loop” before rejoining the 101. The road followed around some large inlets with many lovely small coastal towns. The State Park at Nehalem was huge with 265 electric sites with a short walk to a great beach. It even has an area for horse camping complete with corals for your horse. In the evening we returned to the beach and watched the sunset.

 20^th May

Before leaving this camp we rode our bikes along a cycle path around a small airport. Yes there is even an airport camp for those who fly in. Another short drive along the cliffs and then around more inlets to our last camp on the Oregon coast. We stopped at Cannon Beach where the famous Haystack Rock is. This is reportedly the most photographed thing in Oregon. Unfortunately in the grey gloom it was not at its best. We are now as far north as you can go in another huge State Park at Fort Stevens at the mouth of the Columbia River, the border between

Oregon and Washington. It was a cold overcast day with the wind from the north and we did not see the sun. After lunch we set off on the bikes for a 9 mile ride on cycle paths to Fort Stevens. This fort was built in 1862 for the Civil War but has been use right up until WW11. We had a look in the museum and climbed up along the fortifications where there are still some cannons. Back at “Ernie” and inside as it is really cold!  

21 May

We drove out of Fort Stevens State Park and into Astoria, an old port town on the banks of the Columbia River. After a quick shop we crossed the huge Astoria Bridge and into the state of Washington. The bridge is about 2 miles long - the first bit is high over the water to allow the ships to pass up the river. At a small town over the border we found a visitor’s centre where the helpful staff had all the brochures we needed for camping and touring. The state park at Cape Disappointment was our stop for the night. After lunch the sun came out and we headed off on a trail to a lighthouse.

This was a 4.5 mile lovely walk thru the rainforest. Just before the end of the trail, in an enclosed bushy area we walked straight into the path of a large black bear coming the other way. Apart from the fleeting glimpse we had of a bear cub in the Grand Tetons last year, this was the first bear we had encountered. He was about 1 metre high at the shoulder and would have been at least 2 metres tall if he stood up. He was very handsome with a black shiny coat and a ginger face, with a long nose. We followed the approved procedure and yelled and clapped our hands. Perhaps he had not heard of this method of making a bear retreat because he put his head on one side and kept coming. The worse thing you can do is turn and run. We advanced with more yelling and waving of arms and he eventually turned and disappeared around a corner. We continued on and were surprised that he was still just around the corner and waiting for us. It appeared that he was more curious than aggressive so we

backed him off and he eventually left the track and into the bushes. We yelled as we passed where he disappeared and continued on to the lighthouse. The views from the lighthouse were spectacular but the bear had been the highlight of our walk. We had to return down the same track with much loud talking as we went passed bear alley.

22 May

A beautiful morning. Over breakfast we decided to change our plans for the day and head to Mount St Helens. We had intended to see this volcano later in our trip but it would have meant a long back-track where as doing it now cut that out. The first part of the drive was passed the beautiful tree lined inlets creating Cape Disappointment before we were back on the north bank of the Columbia River. A short drive on the “I-5”

before turning inland on the 52 mile scenic highway up to Mount St Helens. This a beautiful road sweeping up the valley with tantalising glimpses of the mountain. We stopped at one of the visitors centres where we had lunch with a view of the mountain before heading to the end of the road at Johnston Ridge where there is a huge visitor’s centre. Some history of Mount St. Helens -

On 8 May 1980 the largest landslide known to man roared off the mountain. It was about 80% of the mountains volume. It speed down the mountain, over the ridge we were on and the blast wave ahead of the slide knocked the forest down like matchsticks. It also filled a large lake. Now that the mountains centre was exposed a volcanic eruption spewed columns of ash 15,0000ft into the air. These eruptions went on for months causing ash fall out and aircraft disruptions. About 50 people were killed. We learnt some of this from a very good audio/visual. On a

short walk we also spoke to an old guy who had been around before, during, and after the eruptions. He was fascinating and filled us in on some of the more obscure facts and stories. This is a magnificent sight. Unlike most volcanoes you can see straight into the crater. As Val said it made up easily for not seeing Crater Lake in Oregon. There was no camping near Mount St Helens but we found a great little camp about 35 miles down the valley.

23^rd May

We woke to the pitter patter of rain on the roof. A lazy start before setting off to Portland. The first 18 miles were down the valley and then we joined the I-5 for 50 miles. The ‘I‘ roads are a bit scary when it is raining as most cars do 70mph regardless and the visibility is limited. Even the trucks go faster than the 60mph I am comfortable doing. We wanted to shop before our camp and struggled to find  parking at the supermarket. Eventually we accomplished shopping and fuel and found the camp we had booked in Portland. As this weekend is Memorial Weekend (public holiday on Monday) we are staying here for 3 days. Last year we spent Memorial Weekend near Sedona, Arizona, in Oak Canyon. This year there is a huge forest fire burning there. Our RV Park seems very nice and we explored methods of getting into down town Portland which we will use tomorrow. As I write this the sun is shining and we will publish this blog tonight.