Hello traveling friends. If you have a bucket list of scenic places to visit, you might consider adding the Oregon coastline in autumn or winter (maybe spring?). Heads up: (The central coast would be something to avoid in the summer, for sure. Highway 101 runs through the center of Lincoln City, Newport and most places south. Unless you are in a hurry to get from the I-5 corridor to the coast, just skip those places and head to Yachats.)
My family (not-so) fame and fortune reside along these shores. I am sure that as our airstream negotiated the hairpin turns, I was able to identify the structure south of Cape Perpetua, south of Yachats, where my grandfather and grandmother started a little wayside restaurant on a precipitous cliff between highway 101 and the rocky coastline. They served the best clam chowder on the main floor and lived in the sunny, window-lined viewpoint of the upper floor. My sister, mother and I lived there for a summer after my grandmother became ill, and my grandfather went to Portland to take care of her. At 10 years of age, I became infatuated with neck scarves worn by actresses back then, and to my dismay, one of them flew over the cliff into the great Pacific. We’d climb down the trail each day to play in the surf, and for fun, take the bus up the coast to Newport for a “big time”.
The highlight of the central coastline is certainly the immense sand dunes that begin in Florence and hardly stop until you reach the Oregon dunes overlook just north of Bandon. If we were just doing the coast, we’d kennel Cisco for the day, and be on a dune buggy for sure!! Can you believe we think we need more time??!! There are so many lighthouses, the Wild and scenic Rogue River, and so much more to explore. We’ll be back.
As we traveled further south on this journey, I recalled my mom telling me she began her teaching career in Bandon, Oregon. My mother was a Portlander, and began her post college (i.e. WW2) teaching career in Bandon, while dad was overseas in the Philippines. She used to tell me she had to drive up and down the coast highway after dark, with the lights off, to prevent further attacks from the Japanese.
Brookings, Oregon, Harris Beach state park, has been our point of respite for the past two nights. It is January 16, and we have enjoyed 70-degree weather, and beaches with few footprints. I wonder what Cisco will remember of what has been unadulterated dog nirvana on the Oregon beaches. If you are here, do NOT miss the Whaleshead Beach in the Boardman State Scenic Corridor!! Absolutely miles of pristine beach with huge rock outcroppings, and no one but a few walkers and seagulls.
Good night and postings when we get to Eureka!
Teresa Van Haalen Ventures 