We made the annual trip to the Oregon coast, reaching Depoe Bay before turning back. This turned out to be a good decision since we were able to see areas of the state that we have never seen before. We met hospitable people and observed a wonderful local event in Depoe Bay. The weather did not cooperate and we hardly saw the sun. This constant gloomy weather prompted us to California via Interstate 5 instead of the coastal route. We made a detour to see Mount Shasta and was rewarded with a great display of wildflowers albeit a little past prime.
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Harris Beach State Park - We spent our first night at this picturesque campground right on the beach just north of the city of Brookings, one of our favorite Oregon destinations. Short trails from campsites meandering along lush vegetation with nice displays of wildflowers lead down to the beach. |
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Highway 1 in Oregon - While the southern coast of Oregon does not awe you the way Big Sur might, it's quite scenic and one can relate to more easily. In August, flowers adorn the beach making a foggy scene more lively. |
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Depoe Bay - On the way out of town, we drove the Otter Crest Loop - a very enjoyable side trip even in the fog, and visited the Devil's Punchbowl. |
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Newport To Florence - As we wound our way south, we made a long lunch stop at the Port Of Newport for a stroll . Despite the stress of finding a place to park - it seemed like everyone in Oregon went to the place for lunch that day, our lunch was nice and the stroll along the boardwalk was interesting due to a good mix of tourism and fishing industry activities. Yakina Bridge... The Yakina Head Lighthouse was somewhat shrouded in the fog and was not a good photographic subject for us. A few stops along the way was not very productive due to the weather. The hike to the Heceta Lighthouse was nice as a rest stop. However, the lighthouse was covered up for renovation. We found a campsite at Sutton Campground. The host was quite hospitable. We even bought some firewood to make a camp fire for the first time in years. |
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Mount Shasta - Having had enough of the fog, we skipped to drive south along the coast and instead headed inland and took Freeway 5 to California. Having had a good stay at Mount Shasta previously, we made it our final stay of the road trip. The flowers at Panther Meadow was quite showy despite a bit over prime, making it a worthwhile detour. We also found a group of people gathering at the meadow spring for meditation and getting water for healing purposes. Our campsite was primitive. No water, vault toilent... |
Depoe Bay was the northernmost town we visited in Oregon during this trip. The fog lingers with us through our stay, thus offering few opportunities for photography. We managed to capture a few shots of the town, its self proclaimed "World's Smallest Harbor", and its coastal cliffs. By chance, we observed the Pirate Treasure Hunt Event. This was an interesting mix of fun and charitable causes. For the first time, we stayed at a "Select Registry" inn. Our room was quite small, but the host was pleasant and the continental breakfast was of high quality. Among the interesting things we saw was 3 harbor seals and numerous seagulls gathering at the base of a fishing cleaning station for handouts.