We headed up highway 101 hoping the road would not get too steep and windy. It did have sections that slowed us down but nothing to worry about in fact it was better than the Pacific highway in Australia. Everyone we spoke to suggested 101 as the most scenic road to take - they were right!
Bright Blue Sea
A Real Change From The Desert
Our first stop was Bullards Beach State Park located 2 miles north of the small town of Bandon. The site was great - screened on three sides by bushes and shrubs so very private. I climbed up on the roof and snapped off a few low hanging branches ( 5th wheeler roofs are made of rubber and are very easily damaged by tree branches) - great site! At check in the ranger warned us about the mosquitos - being a state park they are not allowed to spray any chemicals around to kill them. He was not kidding, we have never seen such big mosquitos (they are jokingly called the state bird). Even after spraying ourselves with insect repellant we still managed to get a few bites and were forced inside.
We had booked three days here so had plenty of time to explore the area. Oregon has the most number of state parks in the USA with a large number along the coast line. The beaches are beautiful (not golden sand like the Gold or Sunshine Coast in Australia though) but are littered with large amounts of drift wood, or rather drift logs!! We later found out this comes from winter storms that hit the coast and wash the trees etc out of the river system onto the beach. The rocky outcrops and tiny islands along the coastline are home to the native birds, sea lions and seals and It is against the law to go near them. We were lucky to see some sea lions basking in the sun - got a few good photos using the zoom lens of course!
Migratory Birds Fill the Small Islands
Sea Lions and Seals Rest Up
Tonnes of Driftwood Scattered on the Beach
One of our favourite foods here in the USA is clam chowder - they do it soooo well! We found a small waterside restaurant (with only enough seating for 7 people) and tucked into a big bowl of their homemade chowder made from freshly caught clams straight off their boat which was moored at the back of the restaurant. Can't get any fresher than that!
As Small as a Restaurant Gets!
From Bandon we headed further up highway 101 towards Newport stopping frequently - the scenery was just spectacular. Against our better judgement we stopped at a tourist spot called Seal Lion Caves. We had read and heard about it so paid the $14 (each) entrance fee. We should have listened to our instincts - for $14 we caught a lift down a couple of hundred feet which opened up to a cave where about half a dozen sea lions were resting. In reality we got better views of the sea lions out in the wild. We were disappointed!
Forget this Tourist Site!
We hadn't booked ahead for our stay in Newport so were lucky to get the last available site at the South Beach State Park. This was one big and busy park with 227 sites. Newport is a bustling tourist town and supposed to be the fresh seafood capital of Oregon. So we headed into the old town area where the majority of the eating houses were located. After a few trips up and down the strip we finally picked a restaurant and placed our orders. We had envisaged that prices would be low given the number of fishing boats in the harbour - incorrect - they must export all they catch because we paid top dollar for a not so well cooked seafood meal.
Depoe Bay is another quaint little seaside town about half an hour north of Newport. It is infamous for having the worlds smallest harbour and of course clam chowder. At $6 a bowl it was a far better eating experience than in Newport.
Depoe Bay
Clam chowder devoured and with a jumbo bag of caramel popcorn in our hands we headed back to the park stopping at a few lookouts etc along the way.
As we were driving up a fairly steep incline we pulled aside to let a couple of cyclists pass - they were doing it tough! Oregon has a number of designated bike routes and as we discovered later this couple was doing one from Vancouver to San Francisco (a distance of over 1500 km) - not just the 2 of them though - they also had their 5 year old daughter with them. We had pulled in at an old lighthouse to take a few photos and they pulled up - "are you from Australia?" we were asked. I had my Aussie cap on so that was probably a dead give away! We started chatting - Lauren, Adam and Tahlee are from Adelaide and have been in Canada for the past 5 months and are leaving the USA from San Franciso. They had heard and read about the Oregon bike trails and decided to give it a go. Tahlee has a little pod she sits in (sunglasses on) which is towed by Adam. They cycle each day and camp in a tent most nights with the occasional splurge and stay in a cheap motel. We were in awe of them - to undertake a challenge like this alone is amazing but to do it with a 5 year old is, for us, unthinkable.
The quick chat at the lighthouse was never going to be enough - as they were heading for the same town we were staying at we arranged to pick them up later in the day. A few drinks in our park turned into dinner as well. A great night spent with an amazing family. We said our goodbyes (swapping contact details) still shaking our heads at what they were undertaking - highway 101 is just that - a highway used by cars, motor cycles and logging trucks.
Adam,Lauren and Tahlee, what a family adventure!
Who Else but an Aussie Would Cycle With a Naked Barbie on Their Bike
Fort Stevens near the town of Astoria on the Columbia River was our next destination - just 3 hours up the road - stopping where we could to take more photos. This is not an easy task with such a big outfit. This photo really brought it home to us just how big it is.
Nothing Like Towing Your Home
As we drove north we came across a number of tunnels and bridges which have pedestrian type buttons at each end. Cyclist press these to start the flashing lights to warn others of their presence. I shudder the thought of being in a tunnel on a bike as a logging truck comes through! Once again we thought of Adam, Lauren and Tahlee.
Not For the Faint Hearted
101 Views Never Disappoint
We arrived at Fort Stevens in a light rain and once again the state birds (mosquitos) were out in force. Being ridgy digde campers we put the "deet" spray on lit a citronella candle and sat outside. Our site was covered in little mounds of dirt and were informed by the locals that they were gopher holes. The gopher is a small burrowing rodent that frequents the area and are commonly treated as a pests. We disrupted one of the burrows as we were told, if they were still around, they would pop their heads up and rebuild. We sat with drinks in our hands for quite a while watching but didn't spy any little critters.
A Wet But Nice Site
Fort Stevens was an American military installation that guarded the mouth of the Columbia River in the state of Oregon. It was built near the end of the American Civil War. On the nights of June 21 and 22, 1942, the Japanese submarine I-25 fired 17 shells at Fort Stevens, making it the only military installation in the continental United States to receive hostile fire during World War II. We toured the site and as always we were warmly welcomed by the volunteer hosts.
Fort Stevens
We had been hankering for fresh oysters since Destin Florida so headed into Astoria which is another fishing town. Unfortunately oysters weren't going to be on the menu, we could only find the bottled variety - not quite the same! A fishing charter boat had just docked at the wharf and the lucky fishermen we getting their catch cleaned by some locals - for a price of course. We also learned that a 'shucked oyster" is called a shooter in this part of the country.
Local business' are always interesting in little towns - I was in desperate need of a hair cut - last one I had was in Yuma in April - so on the way back to the park I stopped in at the local barber shop. When asked what I wanted I responded with " a number 4 all over thanks." The response came back, "I don't use that plastic stuff I use scissors". Technology has not made it to the little town of Warrenton!
The Oregon coast is a truly remarkable and beautiful part of the world. We leave here tomorrow and head for the bright lights of Seattle. We have a very different travelling experience starting on 22 June.
Posted by RnR on their IPad
Location:Bandon, Newport and Astoria Oregon
No comments:
Post a Comment