Good Day Sunshine!

Make that multiple days. Since I last posted on Friday, it has been sunny every single day. That has to set a record for the Central Oregon coast.
On Sunday I took a trip to Jesse M. Honeyman State Park.



Situated half way up the Oregon coast and three miles south of Florence on scenic Highway 101 is the second largest overnight camp in the state. There are two miles of sand dunes between the park and the ocean. Two natural freshwater lakes are within the park. Cleawox -- which is great for swimming -- and Woahink, which has a public boat ramp, is used for all water sports. There are over 350 campsites here. It took a while to walk it.
Monday I resumed my journey up the coast. All 364 miles of Highway 101 are designated as a scenic route.

I stopped by three campgrounds in the Siuslaw National Forest. With abundant rainfall and mild winters, the Siuslaw National Forest is one of the few National Forests that offers both fresh and salt water recreation opportunities. Stretching along the Oregon coast from Cape Lookout to North Bend and up into the majestic coastal mountains, Siuslaw National Forest offers a diverse range of camping locations and recreational activities, attracting many for their family camping vacation.



Tillicum Beach is the only Forest Service camp with direct beach access in the area.

Here is the view from that campsite.

Before I arrived at my campground for the night in Newport, I had one more stop to make at Carl G. Washburne State Park.


Washburne is located on the east side of Highway 101 with a buffer of native plants between you and the highway. The campsites are spacious. There are several trails of varying difficulty leading from the campsites to the beach, wildlife viewing areas, and second-growth forests.
A walking trail leads you under the highway to a five-mile sandy beach and a day-use area, where you'll find space to watch whales, hunt agates, beachcomb, and picnic. Another trail connects you to the Heceta Head trail, which you can use to reach the historic Heceta Head lighthouse.
Well, I did that. I walked down to the beach and hiked to the lighthouse. The beach was nice.

But the lighthouse was all wrapped up.

There was a cool little creek and some mini-islands however that made the hike worth it.


Anyway, I arrived in Newport Monday afternoon and set up camp. A nice little spot in the trees.

You can see my Polar Bear Coolers on the table. And what to they hold, you may ask? Well, I will show you.

Taco Fixings! And there was much rejoicing!
While I was munching tacos, I was thinking about the whole spicy seasoned ground beef thing. What if you could get it pre-seasoned? I mean, if you fed beef cattle habanero peppers as part of their diet, would the flavor already be in the meat? Kinda like live marinating if you will. Something to sleep on.
Tuesday I headed into Newport for food and photos of the area. Here is the Bay Street area on the harbor.



That bridge in the background in the Yaquina Bay Bridge. I like bridges, so let’s take some pictures of it.
Zoom out a touch.

Now let’s drive farther away for a full shot.

Maybe some neat angle shots near the North end.

Nah, too much stuff in front.

That’s better, now what about the other side?

Nice idea on framing, but that one tree branch blocks part of the bridge.

This will work, lot’s of neat stuff going on.
Wednesday I headed over to South Beach State Park. A small campground with only 230 campsites…


South Beach State Park and the surrounding areas offer a variety of recreational opportunities. One of the most exciting additions to the program at South Beach: kayak tours. Folks who register for the activity will launch from nearby Ona Beach (5 miles south) and spend two hours exploring the fascinating Beaver Creek area with a guide. Other activities around the park include fishing, crabbing, boating, windsurfing and beachcombing. Attractions nearby include the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, marine life exhibits at the Hatfield Marine Science Center and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Here is the beach.

Friday I head north to Pacific City, OR. There will be no campground photographs for the next few days. I have already taken photos at 19 and need a few days off.
Instead, I will play around on some beaches and capes and hopefully capture to fun images.
Regards,
Greg

Beavers and Ducks

 

What do they have in common? They both like water. No, that’s not it. They are both team names for Oregon Universities? Yep, that’s it! It’s fitting that they are both named after creatures that love the water because Oregon is full of it. Many lakes and rivers, beautiful beaches, and very wet air. More on that later on.

I hit the road Saturday, April 28 and drove about 550 miles to a campground on the Russian River near Cloverdale, which is 80 miles north of San Francisco. Set up my tent and hit the sack.

A nice enough place, I spent Sunday airing out my gear and taking a walk down to the river.

Monday night I planned on camping at Harris Beach State Park near Brookings, OR. It was only about 300 miles away so I took my time to check out the strange stuff along the roadside.

Just south of Oregon is “Trees of Mystery”. It’s also where the air started getting wet.

With Paul waving me on, I headed to my campground.

I had planned to stay here two nights, but instead I took campsite photos while hoping the rain would end. It finally stopped and I set up my tent and read a book in my car until bedtime.

Harris Beach was named after the Scottish pioneer George Harris who settled here in the late 1880s to raise sheep and cattle. The park offers sandy beaches interspersed with eroded sea stacks. So I decided to check out the stacks the next morning before I left.

Very nice stacks!

Since I only stayed one night, I had three stops on my way to Bullards Beach State Park. In order:

My first impression of Loeb was the scent of the myrtlewood forest ... a crisp, bay leaf aroma. The park is nestled in a grove of these lovely trees. Many of the trees in the park are well over 200 years old. The Chetco River swirls and dances just beyond the park.

I really liked the campsites and this park in general. It’s only about 12 miles east from Harris Beach, but feels world’s apart. This is what a campsite looks like.

Next up:

The park and campground are dominated by Humbug Mountain (elevation 1,756 feet) and surrounded by forested hills. The campground enjoys some of the warmest weather on the Oregon coast as the surrounding mountains offer protection from cool ocean breezes. Many visitors enjoy windsurfing and scuba diving. Hiking to the top of Humbug Mountain is a major activity. Here is a side view of the mountain and a campsite.

I stopped at Cape Sebastian to admire the view.

Then:

This campground is great just by itself, but a walk to to the tip of the cape gives you views like this:

I finally arrived at my campground for two nights:

Bullards Beach is a large, family-oriented park located just two miles north of Bandon. The campground is nestled among shore pines and well protected from the strong ocean breezes. Well known for excellent fishing and crabbing opportunities on the Coquille River, the boat launch facilities are well-used during the summer and fall seasons.

What I liked the most, however, was that the sun finally came out of hiding. I quickly dried my tent:

It started to look like rain so I got my tent fly ready.

And then:

Wednesday morning was not that wet, so I drove out to Sunset Bay State Park. Stopped by this place first. Can you guess where it is?

If you are a golfer, you have heard of it.

It recently surpassed Pebble Beach as the top golf resort in America.

My GPS was showing a shortcut to Sunset, so I followed it since they are never wrong. Looks interesting.

GPS is having fun.

Didn’t make it. The road did not go through. Sheesh. Headed back to camp and took some pictures of flowers near the mouth of the Coquille River. Made me feel better.

I think this is a cool effect by using an open aperture and changing the focal plane.

I left Thursday morning, visiting seven campgrounds on my way to Florence and my campsite for the next four nights.

I stopped at William M. Tugman and Umpqua Lighthouse State Parks. I also looked at five campgrounds in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. I carried my umbrella at each stop, and not just to look suave.

I fully deployed here at South Jetty campground in Florence.

Woke up this Saturday morning and it was cold and wet. But did it get me down? No Way! It was TACO TIME!!!

It’s not all bad, though. I wrote the blog here:

Shot some pool:

And might go swimming later:

Regards,

Greg