Well, not the actual Oregon Trail, but a coastal Oregon trail. We were stunned by the beauty of this coast. It is absolutely breathtaking.
We were informed that the southern most part of the coast does not get as much rainfall as the remainder of the Pacific Northwest. Which was a plus + for a few days. We drove the Samuel H Boardman State Scenic Corridor and enjoyed the sights of arches, natural bridges in the rock formations, beautiful beaches and the tallest bridge in Oregon (345ft).
What a difference a day makes! When we arrived at the Boice Cope County RV Park it was sunny, but cold 🥶. It was a flat walk out to the beach, and we (including Harlie) enjoyed a nice hike. Fast forward to the next day, and we could not see 100 yds down the beach.
Lighthouses everywhere!! We enjoyed visiting all of the lighthouses on the coast. They are all so unique and beautiful, with one single purpose. This is just a sampling.
We spent an entire day searching the beaches of Lincoln City for glass floats that are hidden by the community. The program is called Finders Keepers. They hide thousands of the handmade glass floats each year, with over 300 hidden during the time we were there. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. We were unsuccessful, but managed to see someone right in front of us succeed! There were hundreds of people out searching, and that one ball was the only one we had sights on. Oh well, we had fun and exercised well that day. 😊
The surf was very volatile at times, and we were amazed at its power.
We continued north to Florence and visited the Sea Lion Caves. The elevator takes you down over 200ft under ground and opens into a large viewing room. As soon as the doors open, you can smell the sea lions 😜. There were several hundred, congregated in the natural cave, at the time of our visit. Not only do they have a distinct odor, they also have considerable vocal cords. It was mesmerizing to watch them as they navigated the rough seas to find rocks to perch on.
Many of the bridges in this area are framed with what seems to be an Art Deco style of architecture. Just a couple of examples. They were all very different.
Next stop, Tillamook!! And a visit would not be complete without a stop at the Tillamook Creamery. Cheese and frozen custard heaven 😋.
During one of our hikes, we came across The Octopus Tree. Very interesting, as it has no central trunk, and its branches grow out horizontally before reaching up.
Our journey on this trail did bring us to where Lewis and Clark first reached the Pacific Ocean. In addition, we visited the Salt Cairn Monument where salt was made. So much history in this area of Oregon.
Another must stop on the Oregon coast is Cannon Beach, where the famous Haystack Rock sits regally just offshore. This rock formation has been seen in many movie scenes, the most notable being "The Goonies".
Our last stop in Oregon was Ft. Stevens State Park, just outside of Astoria. This was our favorite state park so far, with miles of bike trails and a drivable beach (auto & bikes), complete with a shipwreck. We took several bike rides and explored the fort, as well as the beach.
While walking through the campground, we met great new friends Tom and Kathi. They gave us tips/tricks on how to find razor clams and clean them. We set out the next night and were able to catch our limit of 15 clams per person. These clams are huge, very mild and were delicious in a large pot of chowder. We actually still have some in the freezer and need to eat them before crossing into Canada.
Don't think that will be a problem!
The next night, we decided to go watch our friends clam, since cleaning was a little time consuming. Clamming was slow on the second night. Apparently, we had beginner's luck, which is fine with us!
Also, as a side note, you must watch out for rogue waves. They will wet your pants quickly. Luckily, I didn't fall down.
We finished our evening at the campground with some Salted Caramel Ole Smoky whiskey and red wine. Can't wait to catch up someday down the road with Tom and Kathi! Maybe Glacier this fall...
NEXT UP: WASHINGTON AND RAIN!!!!!!
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