On The Road
December / January, 2012
Spectacular Sights of the Oregon Coast
Tantalized by 200-plus miles of Oregon's north and central coastline, we stuff our car with camping gear and drive to Pacific City, which will serve as our base camp for several days.
By Rose Muenker
Pacific City looks like an ideal beach party movie set. Vacationers drive and tailgate on the flat beach, swim and ride the surf, and gather around blazing bonfires. Cape Kiwanda towers over the shore.
Clams and Cheese
Heading to Tillamook the next day, we wind along the Three Capes Scenic Loop (Capes Kiwanda, Lookout and Meares). Just beyond Cape Kiwanda, OHV tracks etch the terrain of a huge dune-riding area.
From Cape Lookout, a breathtaking scene unfolds: the Pacific Ocean and Netarts Bay separated by a long sand spit. The scenic loop then slips down to sea level and hugs Netarts Bay, where folks dig for clams. Today their catch is mainly cockles, with occasional steamer clams.
At Cape Meares, fog wraps around an historic lighthouse, emphasizing the lifesaving role its beacon once served. An inland trail leads to the intriguing Octopus Tree. With its branches extending horizontally as far as 16 feet before shooting upward, it resembles an enormous circular candelabrum.
Farther north, pungent odors and green pastures signal our arrival in dairy country. The bucolic setting of Blue Heron French Cheese Company lures us inside, where we sample exquisite cheeses and jellies. At the Tillamook Cheese Factory, we watch workers slice, weigh and package cheese at a dizzying pace. The main attraction, though, is Tillamook ice cream cones, which visitors stand in long lines to purchase.
Bays, Chowder and Lighthouses
The next day, our itinerary focuses on natural sights from Pacific City south to Newport. At Depoe Bay, we visit the Whale Watching Center to spot one of 60 gray whales that reside year-round along this part of the coast. Alas, none show up today. While other travelers browse through shops, I watch skippers deftly navigate their vessels through a curved, narrow channel into the "world's smallest navigable harbor."
At Devil's Punch Bowl State Natural Area, turbulent waters slosh inside an enormous bowl-shaped formation. Nearby in the tiny commercial district of Otter Rock, the Flying Dutchman Winery offers free tastings. We can't resist buying a bottle bearing its Devil's Punch Bowl label.
Bird watching captures our attention at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area and Lighthouse. Common murres strut penguin-style on an offshore rookery. Aided by the powerful magnification of a spotting scope, I watch a fluffy cormorant chick chirp inside its nest.
Atop Yaquina Head, we see Agate and Nye Beaches beautifying the coast as far as Newport, the coast's largest city. The charming beach town of Nye lies a few blocks west of Newport's busy thoroughfare. Strolling beside shingled buildings with bright colored trim, we happen upon The Chowder House at Nye. Here we top off our day with the best clam chowder and fish 'n chips we have tasted on the Oregon Coast.
Spewing, Churning Waters
After breaking camp, we head south to Heceta Head Lighthouse north of Florence. The lighthouse sits grandly on the side of a slope. On the dog-friendly trail climbing to it, we pass the lighthouse keepers' sparkling white wood-frame house, now a B&B. If I were a lighthouse keeper, this would be my choice out of the many that I have visited.
Back at our campsite at Cape Perpetua, Cook's Chasm spews ocean water through blowholes, creating small "geysers." Waves clap like thunder when they slam against rocks. Nearby, we follow the trail to Devil's Churn where I perch on lava rock to watch tidal waters surge and swirl. Early evening, we climb to the lookout on Cape Perpetua. From this height, we can trace the trails we hiked earlier and see miles of pristine coast.
Dune Climbing and Sandboarding
Heading down Highway 101, we stop in the Reedsport Visitor Center for an orientation to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. A fascinating film shows how dunes cyclically create entire meadows and forests and later bury them. It also warns that the natural cycle is threatened by an invasive plant (European grass) that enables formation of large foredunes that block sand from being blown inland.
After sliding back one step for every three I climb, I join hikers and sandboarders at the top of John Dullenback Dune. The forceful wind nearly blows me over. Grains of sand sting my legs. But I stay on top long enough to soak in the spectacular view of the Oregon Dunes stretching south to North Bend.
Our sightseeing ends when we cross Coos Bay into North Bend and enter our "backyard." Whether glowing under sunshine or blanketed with fog, the natural beauty of the Oregon Coast from north to south has won our hearts.
IF YOU GO
Oregon Coast Visitors Association
visittheoregoncoast.com
Oregon State Parks
oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/
Travel Oregon
traveloregon.com
Rose and David Muenker, a travel writer-photographer team, are traveling the roads of North America by motor home. Read about their adventures in every issue of Out of Denver and on their blog davidandrose.com. Email them at rose.muenker@gmail.com.
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