The Oregon Coast - Where are the Dickens?

October is here. Time to travel.

I’m tasked with planning our travels and finding places to ‘go, see, do.’ I use Campendium, Harvest Hosts, and Campground Reviews to find places to stay. Trip Advisor is my “go to” for finding the food and the fun. I love these apps!

With that intro, I planned 10 days on the 101 exploring the Oregon Coast; hunting lighthouses and sea stacks! If you ever travel this area, I highly recommend the magazine, “Mile-by-Mile Guide on the 101.” It starts in Astoria and ends 363 miles later on the California state line and is chock full of places to see, eat, and stay. I found mine at the Visitors center on our 1st day.

1st Stop…Tillamook

Traveling south on I-5 is an easy drive, until Portland. Yuck! Traffic slowed to a crawl and we got to experience the roadside homeless mess up close. Sad! Traffic thinned out pretty quickly as we headed west to the coast. What a gorgeous drive through the winding roads of the Tillamook forest.

After a 4 hour drive, we arrived at our Harvest Host site for the next 2 days, the Blue Heron French Cheese Company. Set up in a huge field with about a dozen other campers and random farm animals! This is one of the few Harvest Hosts that allow a 2 day stay. Longer if they aren’t busy.

A Happy Hour Surprise

Our daughter, Shelly, and her soon to be fiance, Brandon, drove down from Washington, along with our Grand dogs, Mumford and Pig! How much fun!…

Silly Fun…listening to John and Shelley quoting from Dr. Doolittle and talking to the animals…

Crazy-kid Fun…playing on the farm equipment…

Hee-larious Fun…watching A Million Ways to Die in the West…(I think we wore the dogs out!)

Tillamook Creamery

Have you ever heard of Tillamook Cheese? It’s a thing in the Northwest. And can you guess where it’s made?! HAHA! We were all excited about cheese tasting after the tour. But alas, another COVID causality, no cheese tasting. The self-guided tour “led” by Daisy the Cow was entertaining.

Symons State Park

Touted as the smallest state park in Oregon, Symons Scenic Viewpoint, is home to a grand view of the Three Arches. It is truly just an easily missed gravel pullout along the windy Three Capes Scenic Route near Oceanside and Cape Meares.

Cape Meares

Cape Meares is home to the smallest lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. Standing only 38 feet tall, this mighty little light was first lit in 1890 and could be seen from 21 miles out.

There’s also a curious Sitka Spruce nearby that is aptly named the Octopus Tree. How it became shaped this way is a mystery shrouded in Native American legends and science. The tree measures more than 14 feet across at its base and has no central trunk. Instead, limbs extend horizontally as much as 30 feet before turning upward. It is 105 feet tall and is estimated to be around 250 years old.

Dungeness Crab, Kites, and more Sea Stacks

When on the Pacific Coast one MUST eat Dungeness crab! Not as sweet as the Blue Crabs from the Atlantic; these large crustaceans are still a treat! We found Kelly’s Marina in the small fishing/crabbing community of Rockaway Beach about 20 miles north of Tillamook where they cook and clean the crabs to order right off the boats. We stumbled by a kite festival and a few more cool sea stacks. This cloudy day on the coast was gorgeous!

Dirigible Hangar

Had to do a drive by the Tillamook Naval Air Station Museum to marvel at the sheer size of a blimp hangar. Wish I had snapped a pic of our rigged next to it. Impressive! During WWII, blimps patrolled out of Tillamook to guard against enemy submarines. Completed in 1943, the hangar was the largest wooden clear-span structure ever built. Impressive!

2nd Stop…Beverly Beach

What a great State Park right on the beach, yet hidden in a forest! Located between Depoe Bay and Newport, Beverly Beach SP is a huge, well run park with several Big Rig friendly sites. Water and electric for $32/ nite is a real bargain for a state park. However, starting next year they are raising the rates for out of state folks. Ouch!

The Oregon Coast is unlike any I have seen yet! And the waves! Just WOW!! We spent the next 4 days traveling the area, pulling off at most every iconic spot. Here’s the highlights…

Devils Churn

This cool feature is a crack in the rock that the ‘churn’ of the waves continues to erode away. Best viewed at high tide, when the sound of the crashing waves is thunderous! There are several hiking trails that lead to the edge. But,the best view is from up top.

The Devil’s Churning!!

Thor’s Well and Spouting Horns

Thor’s Well is an old sea cave that collapsed creating a seemingly bottomless hole. Nicknamed “Drainpipe of the Pacific,” it is an incredible site to witness. Again, best viewed at high tide. However, it is not easily seen if you don’t know what to look for. We were among several visitor’s who were perplexed, until finally when the tide was rushing out we spotted it!

Depoe Bay

Depoe Bay is a picturesque town known for fishing charters and whale watching tours from the world’s smallest navigable harbor. A sea wall runs almost the length of town and across the street is a plethora of shops!

After a scrumptious birthday lunch of clam chowder followed by a yummy chocolate treat, John took a nap and I took in the shops! I don’t know which was better, the view or the food.

Cape Foulweather and Devils Punchbowl

Named by Captain James Cook on a particularly nasty weather day, Cape Foulweather offers gorgeous panoramic views. Otter Rock and Devils Punchbowl are just to the south.

Sunsets on Beverly Beach

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

The tallest lighthouse on the Oregon Coast, Yaquina Head stands 93 feet tall. She was first lit in 1873 and continues to protect ships with a fixed white light.

One of the largest colonies of common murres lies just off the coast.

The last pic reminds me of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Nights.

Sightseeing works up an appetite! Stopped at a highly recommended local lunch spot. It was definitely worth the 30+ minute wait in line just to order! We devoured some delicious fish and chips. Forgot to take a pic! Lol

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse and Bridge, Newport

This is the only wooden lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. It was first lit from 1871 to 1874. In 1996, it was re-lit with a steady white light that safely guides ships from dusk to dawn.

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Standing like a sentinel on the 1000′ cliff, Heceta Head keeps watch. With the brightest light on the Oregon Coast flashing every 10 seconds. It was quite a hike from the parking lot, but we’ll worth the view from the top. Plus, we were able to tour inside!

3rd stop…Bullards Beach

Another wonderful state park nestled among shore pines and the beach. It’s home to the Coquille River Lighthouse and miles of sandy beaches. Unfortunately our day on the beach was cloudy and cool.

Coquille River Lighthouse

Sitting adjacent to river and ocean, this short (40′) and stout lighthouse is no longer in operation. But it is much loved by the city of Bandon. It served as a refuge and command center during the Bandon fire in 1936. The townspeople decorate it with holiday lights every December.

Bandon-by-Sea

I first heard about Bandon on an NPR episode featuring Washed Ashore, a nationally recognized community art project that uses ocean debris to build art and raise awareness of plastics in our oceans. I immediately put Washed Ashore on my Bucket List! My only disappointment was the workshop was closed on the day we visited, so I couldn’t help build anything! Heads up my Wichita friends, Botanica will be hosting one of their traveling exhibits in May 2022. Enlarge the pics to get a true feeling for the plastics that wash ashore!

Face Rock

These Sea Stacks are located at Face Rock Scenic Viewpoint near Bandon and have some interesting names. We never could “see” the elephant or the cats in the rocks. And it took us awhile to figure out the face, but once you find it you can’t un-find it! 🙂 Legend says the rock is the face of a Native American woman who died on the beach and at times you can hear her moaning call in the wind.

Cape Blanco

Built in 1870, the Cape Blanco Light is the oldest lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. I was so excited to tour this lighthouse, but the gray rainy morning kept the volunteers away. But she did wink at me every 18 seconds!