Driving further down the coast on Route 101 another
120 miles, it took about 3 ½ hours.A
lot of this route is inland so we couldn’t see the coastline, and when we did
that stubborn fog combined with some nearby fires added to the haze.Driving inland the last few miles to Rovers
RV Park the air cleared and the sun shone just as the park advertised!
From Netarts to Waldport took about 3 1/2 hours. Trip in RV is in BLUE. Day trips as far south as Dunes National Recreation area in Reedsport is outlined in RED.
Our first impression as we pulled into the tiny
campground road was “Oh boy. This place looks really bad, and we are here for 5
nights!”We discovered initial
impressions can be deceiving, but those same impressions were shared by nearly
all the other RVers here.
The site was probably the best in the place with
plenty of room and a pretty good view of the river in behind it.Nothing special, but was adequate. We were a
little concerned by the fenced in doggie area beside us which is usually not a
good sign, and a huge area in back where large dogs can run free. We soon
discovered that the main reason people come here is because it is so dog
friendly. We somehow missed that on their website.
Over the next few days, Rovers RV Park ( it just
occurred to me perhaps the name “Rovers” means “dogs?” ( How in the world did
we miss the connection? ) became one our my favorite campgrounds.The owners were constantly working to make
improvements, plus they had cable TV (Which means Norm will not have to cuss
Direct TV out again for lack of service! Yeah!) and free DVD’s, plus books that
people can take if they would like. The biggest benefit here was their approval
of RV washing, and working on your rig should you want to. “Knock yourself out”
the owners said. Since we have not found a place to do that in months, that was
such a big deal to us.
They lit a huge
communal fire pit each evening that most of the campers attended. I went several
nights but Norm decided to stay inside. The people were very interesting, and
definitely funny.This older Welsh couple,
who had just gotten their first travel trailer, entertained us with their
stories of trying to park. The wife was afraid that after 60 years of marriage
they may not make it to 61 after purchasing this tiny little trailer.We roared with laughter!It was great spending some time with a group
of hilarious people.
Most everyone here had at least one dog, running free
and playing with one another.They never
fought or barked.Poop was collected as
far our shoes could tell.We were
positively amazed!Perhaps the secret to
doggie happiness is doggie freedom?
These huge and delicious Oysters at Ona Restaurant in Yachats, Oregon were incredible! I never had tried Oysters before this trip, now I am hooked! ( I will never try a raw oyster, however )
We started out our stay in style by going out to
dinner at Ona Restaurant and Lounge in Yachats, about 25 minutes south. Parking
in this small but popular town was terrifying due to the aggressive maneuvers
people were using to snatch that rare parking spot I was about to pull
into.When I hesitated to pull back into
traffic, obnoxious folks leaned on their horns to voice their disapproval.By the time we were able to park, that
special martini was all I could think of, and boy, was it good!
We constantly saw Tsunami evacuation signs all over the west coast, but never saw one indicating a route up a set of stairs! Very unnerving.
The fog and smoke was still with us, but over the next
few days we headed both up and down the coast, seeing the sights in our car
that we otherwise could not in the RV.
Norm and I laughed when we saw this sign to Boston clear across the country. We lived very close to this same Route 20 when we lived in Massachusetts. It also reminded me just how far away from family we are!
I spent one morning booking flights to visit our kids
when we get back.I miss them so much,
we are going to go crazy when we see how our grand-kids, ages 4,3 and 2 years
old have grown.That is definitely the
downside of this fabulous trip.
Our brakes in the car have been scraping so we wanted
to have those checked at the local Honda dealer.The appointment was at 3PM so we drove around
killing time and having a scenic picnic lunch overlooking the beach.They looked at it very quickly and assured us
there was nothing wrong.I emphasized
that the emergency brake was not working even when put to the floor ( which it
shouldn’t do ) but they insisted it was fine.I was skeptical, but hey – “if it ain’t broke don’t fix” they say!Driving off the scraping noise was still
there but we were glad it checked out ok.Perhaps there was just dust on the rotors.
Stopping at a random parking lot, we climbed up over a small dune to this very beautiful sight! I just had to go back and get my camera!
During the next couple of days we drove around
checking out several beaches, many overlooks, and the Heceta Lighthouse where
the ranger gave a brief talk and tour.
Several volunteers gave tours of the Heceta Head Lighthouse.
Heceta Head Lighthouse in Yachats, Oregon
Although tired, we wanted to check out the sand dunes
at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Extending 40 miles from Florence to Coos Bay, Oregon its sand
dunes can reach the dizzying heights of 500 feet above sea level! Speaking of “dizzying” check out
the short video where I choose to roll down 100 foot dune.I got a little dizzy, and a lot of sand in my
pockets!Let’s just say I won’t be too
quick to do that again anytime soon.We
didn’t drive the entire length of road where these sandy marvels beckon
travelers since we have seen plenty of sand dunes in our life.We just wanted to see a BIG one!
Wait for me, Norm! Walking in deep sand while trying to take pictures was slowing me down!
We had to check out where all the noise was coming from, and watched these crazy people ride almost vertically!
As we headed back the fog rolled in and within minutes
hid the most photographed lighthouse on the coast.Luckily, I pulled over, jumped out and got a
picture before it disappeared.Norm was
wondering what the heck I was doing, then couldn’t believe how it was there one
minute and absolutely gone the next!
As we were driving back, I swerved to the side of the road ( view point ) then grabbed my camera and jumped out to take this picture of Heceta Head Lighthouse as it suddenly peeked out amid the thick soup-like fog. I scared the crap out of Norm. A minute later, it crept back behind the fog. How neat!
We timed our visit to Devil's Churn during low tide. Boy, there are so many warnings!
There was a very well built path down to the rocks so people can watch the incredible force of the tides as it "churned" its way into shore. People however ( we were among them ) climbed further out to get a closer look at nature's power. Norm and I, however, stayed away from the edge.
This stupid fellow obviously did not give this ocean, or the many warnings, the respect they deserves! He was so lucky he didn't get swept off the rocks!
