The Oregon Coast

The Coast

The coast of Oregon is right up there with the most scenic places we have been in our travels. We followed the coast from the Washington border to the California border, taking lots of photos along the way. It's stunning, whether in the sunlight or in the fog.

The Heceta Lighthouse

Tillamook Area

We spent a few days in Tillamook and did some exploring from there. We visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory which was really touristy so we won't do that again. Long lines for free cheese samples, which we passed on, but Brian did buy some really good ice cream.

Tillamook has an air museum that is unlike any that we have seen before. It's not so much what's in the museum, but the massive building itself which can be seen from miles away. Brian can barely be seen in the photo below, standing next to the plane in the foreground. The doors of Hangar B behind him are 120 feet high and 220 feet wide.

Hangar B, which also houses the museum, was built for class K blimps. I took a photo of a picture that shows the 8 blimps housed in the hangar.

The hangar covers over 7 acres (6 football fields). It's 1,072 feet long, 296 feet wide, and over 15 stories tall. It's pretty amazing.

Hangar B is the largest clear-span WOODEN structure in the world . Anyone interested in building construction will be amazed by the structure of this huge building. A closer look...

More info on the air museum at       http://www.tillamookair.com

We drove the Three Capes Loop road, very scenic with dunes and several beaches along the way.

People were out enjoying the sun and sand, but the water looked a bit cold to us.

There were several kite boarders but no surfers. We love watching the kite boarders and if we were a bit younger we might even give it a try - it looks like a lot of fun!

At Cape Meares we hiked out to see the Octopus Tree, estimated to be 200 to 300 years old. The Octopus Tree is a massive Sitka spruce with branches growing like giant tentacles from its 50-foot base. The cause of its shape is a mystery, but one theory is that the tree is one of several "Indian Ceremonial Trees" trained over time, a common practice of the Coast tribes. The branches of the tree were forced downward toward a horizontal position when they were still flexible, finally extending about 16 feet from the base. The branches reached skyward to more than 100 feet, creating the distinctive shape. Very unusual. More at http://www.capemeareslighthouse.org/html/octopus_tree.html

We took a short but beautiful hike up to Munson Creek Falls which was just down the road from our RV park.

We found an interesting restaurant just north of Tillamook in Bay City called the Pacific Seafood Company. They had probably the biggest and the best oysters we have ever had the pleasure of eating. We also watched them clean, pack and shuck the oysters. The shuckers are paid 2 to 3 cents per oyster, so moving quickly pays off. They were fast and efficient. We learned to shuck many years ago by using an oyster knife to pry the oyster open at the hinge. In this area they pound with the knife to bust the lip of the oyster and then pry from that end - they say they make a cleaner cut that way.

We highly recommend the restaurant, but there may be a bit of a wait - more at  http://www.pacseafood.com/Default.aspx?page=138

Newport

Unfortunately we were only able to get a reservation for one night in Newport which is too bad because there's a lot to do there. The photo above is the of the Yaquina Bay Bridge which is one of the most recognizable of the U.S. Route 101 bridges designed by Conde McCullough. The photo was taken from the Port of Newport RV Park and Marina where we stayed. There were lots of people going out fishing and crabbing from the marina, but there is also a sizeable commercial fleet in Newport. This means great seafood and we made a return visit to a restaurant called Local Ocean.   http://www.localocean.net/  Fabulous food, we highly recommend it - they just opened a second floor addition. Newport is an interesting place to spend some time, wish we could have stayed longer. More info at   http://www.discovernewport.com/

Port Orford

We made a stop in Port Orford again this year, hoping to see them bringing the boats in and out of the water. Port Orford is one of the most unusual harbors in the world. Each boat is lowered into the water to go to work and raised back to the “dock” parking lot on their return. Port Orford was being dredged the day we visited. Most of the boats were on their “dollies” on the dock so we weren't able to see the cranes at work.   http://www.enjoyportorford.com/portofportorford.html

The dolly dock is only one of two in the United States, and one of six in the world. The photo below (taken from the internet) shows a boat being lifted by one of the two cranes. Looks pretty exciting but also a bit scary.



Boats on the dollies.

Bandon

Our next overnight was in Bandon on the Sea which is a nice little town and also the Cranberry Capital of the World (according to them). We were told we could see whales coming into the Coquille River from the ocean but I guess our timing was off. Pretty spot, though.

We didn't see whales but did see a cool osprey nest in the RV park. This one seems to be looking right at the camera. I think it looks a bit like a cartoon character.

Bandon is also a world class golf resort area. The Bandon Dunes Golf Resort has 5 courses - all true "links" courses of which there aren't a great many in the world. There are several golf resorts in this area. As a caddie back in the '60s Brian was amazed at what caddies are paid these days. Back in the day he got $5 or $6 per bag, per round, with hard working caddies taking home over $100 a week. Today at Bandon Dunes all caddie fees are to be paid by the guest directly to the caddie. Caddies average $80-$100+ per bag, per round. Not a bad gig. If you're a golfer and interested, more info
http://www.bandondunesgolf.com

Gold Beach and the Rogue River

The Rogue River meets the ocean near the town of Gold Beach. As we got close to the bridge over the river we were astounded by the number of salmon sport fishing boats - guess it's a really good spot to catch salmon.

The dots in the pictures above are boats, just a small sample of what we saw in the river.

Maps....we made many stops along the way. 

Forks, WA to Tillamook, OR 253 miles

The Three Cape Loop with Cape Meares, 65 miles. Bay City, the oyster place, is just north of Tillamook.

Tillamook to Newport, 66 miles.

Newport to Bandon, 123 miles.

The Olympic Peninsula

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park

This was our second trip to Hurricane Ridge, which is part of Olympic National Park. The park encompasses mountains, forests, and beaches.
Our drive up to Hurricane Ridge began at sea level and ended at 5,242 feet. The views were spectacular, although this time it was more overcast than on our previous visit. At times it seemed as though we were in the clouds.

Once we reached the Visitor Center we got views in all directions, including across the Straits to Vancouver Island which we could barely see this time around.

There were an abundance of deer that seemed to be totally oblivious to people. This young buck was wandering through the parking lot, not panicked or anything, just wandering along.

This guy was calmly watching all the tourists go by.

Sequim

We stayed in Sequim (pronounced Skwim) while exploring Hurricane Ridge. Lovely little town that is know for its lavender. Very nice.

Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park

We stayed in Forks, Washington, home of the Twilight movies, to explore the beaches. We made a day trip out to Rialto Beach and La Push. Sea stacks, which are remnants of eroded coastal cliffs, rise out of the water just off shore.

Rialto Beach and La Push have incredible remains of immense trees. We think the trees were eroded, washed out to sea, and then washed back onto the beaches during some of the intense ocean storms. It's a great place to take photos, some of which are shown below. Hopefully they give an idea of what it's like to be there.

This kid is sitting on just one root of a massive tree base

Our routes

Mystery Bay to Sequim, 34 miles

Sequim to Hurricane Ridge, 37 miles

Sequim to Forks, 75 miles

and Forks to Rialto Beach and La Push, 27 miles

Port Townsend

Port Townsend is a scenic little town about 17 miles from our spot on Marrowstone Island. I always enjoy wandering around there. One of its claims to fame is that the movie 'Officer and a Gentleman' was filmed in and around it. In the movie, the building above was a bar where Richard Gere got into a fight (funny the things that stick in my memory).

Port Townsend has lots of interesting shops and restaurants as well as marinas, an RV park, and a huge boat repair facility. Ferries could be seen coming and going throughout the day, while sailing school seemed to be a big hit with the kids. Their little sailboats seem so tiny, but then again so were the kids.

Wooden boats are another of Port Townsend's claim to fame. There is a huge boatyard with wooden boats both small and huge undergoing maintenance and renovation. One place that we found particularly fascinating was Pygmy Boats.

We had been by there several years ago and admired the kayaks and canoes on display. They're real works of art.

This time we were able to speak to one of the people working at Pygmy Boats. She explained that what we were seeing were demos and not available to buy since what they sell are kits to make the boats yourself. They're made of plywood panels covered with fiberglass cloth and a clear resin. Everything is included in the kit, which was voted the best kayak kit and the best wooden boat kit. We asked the price of one of the smaller kits and it was roughly $1,000. They have an informative website at   http://www.pygmyboats.com

Fort Worden is a Washington State Park that is adjacent to Port Townsend and worth a visit as well. It was originally built as a U.S. Army installation to protect the Puget Sound in the early 1900s. There are some nice beaches, an RV park, and lots of hiking trails. The picture above shows the lighthouse and outer buildings with Mt. Baker in the distance, about 65 miles away. The barracks area and officer's quarters have been preserved and are now used for conferences and rentals. Back to 'Officer and a Gentleman' again with Richard Gere's barracks and the parade grounds.

From Mystery Bay to Port Townsend, about 17 miles, an easy day trip.

Crabby in Mystery Bay

The lure of fresh Dungeness crab combined with seeing our friends has us back at Mystery Bay. We've spent two weeks eating our fill while enjoying good company in this beautiful area. We've had crab cocktails, crab soup, crab sandwiches and even a crab omelet. Judy has some great crab recipes.
Judy and Jim are park hosts at Mystery Bay for two weeks in the summer, and there's a nice RV park about a mile down the road so it's a pretty good setup. The photo above shows their boat on the left, and their friends Larry and Betty's boat on the right. Jim and Larry went crabbing every day Larry was here, then Jim carried on, keeping us well supplied with these delicious creatures. Nothing like getting it really fresh.

Once the crab pots are brought in the crab is cracked and cleaned out in the middle, as Larry is doing in the photo below.

The crabs are then boiled in a large pot over a propane stove. Brian's checking out the catch while Larry and Jim rest for a minute.

Once the crabs have been boiled they're cooled down and the pickers take over. Judy's an expert and picked at least two for each one we picked. Of course a little sampling goes on as well.

We then enjoyed the fruits of our labor, often while sitting on the deck of Jim and Judy's boat where we could see the mountains in the distance and watch the activity in the bay. There were lots of other crabbers, stand-up paddleboarders, sailors, kayakers and swimmers. Quite a busy little place.

We think that one of the most striking things about this part of the country is the way the mountains rise up above the water. We could see snow-capped mountains in the distance from the boat

and most days it was clear enough to see Mt. Rainier, about 95 miles away, from the road on the south end of the bay.

We were able to get some great views of Mt. Baker as well, about 65 miles away.

Mystery Bay is on Marrowstone Island and the nearest town of any size Port Hadlock. The maps below give an idea of where it is and how we got here. An overview of the area

and our route from Vancouver, Washington via a detour to McMinnville, Oregon (45 miles) for a bit of wine tasting

then on to Mystery Bay, 251 miles.

Boise to the Columbia River Gorge

From the Birds of Prey we traveled to Bend and Redmond, Oregon. Bend is a neat college town that reminded us a bit of Boulder. The Deschutes River flows through Bend and we saw lots of folks floating down the river on just about anything that floats – tubes, air mattresses, kayaks and other things we don’t know how to name. There are lots of breweries in Bend and we were able to do a bit of sampling.

In the distance we could we quite a few snow-topped peaks. Mt Bachelor, Mt Jefferson, Mt Washington and the Three Sisters were all visible.  The Sisters were originally named Faith, Hope, and Charity by early settlers, but "these names have not prevailed" and now they are named North Sister, Middle Sister, and South Sister.  They seemed to have a lot of snow for late June and we are always struck by the amount of snow we see on the mountains in the Northwest. Though these mountains may not be as high as mountains in Colorado they seem to get a great deal of snow. For example, Mount Baker (48.77707 -121.81324) recorded the largest single-season snowfall on record in the world in the winter of 1998–99 with 1,140 inches.

From Bend we headed up to Vancouver, Washington where we stayed at the Elks Lodge. We took a drive along the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland. Along the way we saw the Bonneville Dam, a National Historic Landmark (who knew) and decided to take a closer look.

Although the dams on the Columbia River are beneficial to people, there is great concern about their impact on the wild salmon population. In order to combat this, the Army Corps of Engineers is making efforts to save the salmon and other fish. At the dam and spillway adult fish swimming upstream go through a series of ladders, which are like stairways forming an artificial set of rapids. The survival rate for salmon going through the ladders is 95%. Some of the passages they swim through have lights on so that the fish won't think it's night and stop swimming. Juvenile fish are transported downstream in tanker trucks, go through the spillways or are directed by a series of screens to a juvenile bypass route. Fish that are not transported,  bypassed, or passed through spillways end up going through the turbines. Some make it through and some don't. At least it was encouraging to see the efforts being made to mitigate the effects of the dams on the river.

There are viewing areas next to the ladders that have glass panels which allow people to watch the fish. We learned about which fish migrate at what times of year and about the fish counts, all pretty interesting. This time of year it was mostly chinook and sockeye salmon, shad and the Pacific lamprey. Ugly little sucker isn't it?

There was a tour of the power plant portion of the dam and we were able to join it as last minute arrivals.

The dam is huge and the generators are huge – 20 of them. We went down into and below the generators where we could see the turbines turning the shafts that turn the generators. We were about 60 feet below the river.

It gets very technical more information  about how part of the Pacific Northwest gets their electricity can be found at
http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Locations/ColumbiaRiver/Bonneville.aspx

http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Portals/24/docs/locations/bonneville/Bonneville_FS.pdf

 

We crossed to the Oregon side of the river at the Bridge of the Gods by Cascade Locks. We were looking for some thing to eat and found the Brigham Fish Market  http://brighamfish.com where we had some fabulous food. We were able to taste several types of salmon and ordered clam and salmon chowder and other delicious river delicacies for lunch. There was a really nice write-up about the market at
http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2014/05/brigham_fish_market_in_cascade.html



The owners of the market are members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation and their families and ancestors have been fishing the Columbia for centuries. They were very interesting to talk with and they took good care of us. Highly recommend a stop there if you're in the area.

More information about the Native American Tribes and the Columbia River can be found at
http://www.critfc.org Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
.
Our route

2) 6-23-2014 Burns, OR

3) 6-24-2014 Redmond,OR

4) 6-26-2014 Vancouver,WA

450 miles

Vancouver – Bonneville – Cascade Locks – Vancouver – 80 Miles