Oregon Dunes

Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.

Heading to the coast on Sunday sure felt good.  Even though we had some issues getting out of Portland with the bike marathon going on, it was great to be heading someplace … anyplace different.  We’ve been to the Oregon coast many times.  However, over the last couple years we’ve mainly stayed from Tillamook north.

Our trip this time was just an exploratory trip. It gave us something different to do, other places to check out and a little time to look at places we might like to go. Besides Lee was babysitting Duchess. It won’t be long and a babysitter won’t be available.

We had been wanting to visit the Oregon Dunes and that was the plan. However, we couldn’t go through Tillamook without stopping at the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  We have visited this place numerous times in the past and have never seen it this packed. After standing in line for one ice cream cone, we were out of there as fast as we could be.

Just south of Tillamook is the Air Museum. This is a great museum and if you haven’t made the stop to check it out, you’re really missing something. We did this last year with our friends, Jerry and Janice. 

Just a short hop farther down HWY 101 was our exit to Sand Lake. We had heard about this place and we wanted to go. It’s supposed to be one of many ATV hotspots on the Oregon Coast. Our mission was to check it out as well cell signal. Well, the cell signal flunked but everything else about it we really liked. Most importantly we liked the fact that the senior pass was good in the campground and you could ride straight from the park to the dunes.

  

The weather was gorgeous for the drive.  On the north end of our drive there were very few clouds.  The clouds and fog started rolling in the farther south we got.  However, it was spotty.  It was still a nice day regardless of the fog.

Leaving Sand Lake and heading south we followed the coastline for just a short distance until we came to Cape Kiwanda.  Cars could drive and park on the beach.  We loved it.  We couldn’t tell if the clouds were coming in or going out but there wasn’t much cover so we thought it was going.   This looked just about like the most perfect spot with great cell and even a full hookup RV park across from the beach.  The downside?  Price.   This marvelous little park is available at just about $1K a month during the summer.  Hmmmm.    Now if you could ride your ATVs from the RV park to the beach, that might even have been a bigger plus.

Off we went south …. through Lincoln City.  I like Lincoln City but I don’t like Lincoln City.  It’s a busy little beachie town with lots of traffic.  The town is also very long and seems to go on forever taking forever to get through it.  We were happy to finally get on the south side.of the city and to the little town of Depoe Bay.

Depoe Bay boasts as having the smallest Harbor in the world.  It probably does.  It’s a cute little town.  I’ve always liked it just as much as everyone else does.  The fog was sitting over the water, every parking spot was full and the sidewalks were crowded with vacationers.  It was down the road for us.

ATV trail to the beach and dunes.

Newport was the next good sized little coastal town we went through.  It’s big enough because it even has a Wal-mart.  It also has a huge RV park right next to the marina. 

We used to camp when our kids were younger at the Whaler’s Rest Thousand Trails park which is just South of Newport.  It was just an independent park and not part of any membership when we first started going. Then, Leisure Time bought it. Now it’s Thousand Trails. So, been there done that but we still wanted to drive through the park and see the changes.  It was packed with families and kids.  Family camping trips are just about the best thing parents can do with their kids.  We did it with ours ….. but that doesn’t mean I want to be in RV parks when other parents are doing it with theirs.

Florence is known as the northern gateway to the Oregon Dunes.     One place we stopped would teach you how to sandboard.  I had never heard of sandboard.  It’s the same thing as snowboard but on sand!!  It was interesting but we weren’t thinking it would be for us.

There were several campgrounds at the base of the dunes. It would be a fantastic place to spend a few nights.  ATV trails led from the campgrounds to dunes.  There were also several paths to the beach.  The path I chose looked like it was almost straight uphill.  Walking with  your shoes or sandals on up the path to the beach was next to impossible.  There was no choice.  You had to take off your shoes.  What a workout.  I tried to get some teenagers to pull me up.  They thought I was teasing.  We both know I wasn’t. 

The reward on the other side of that hill was the beach!

Next stop … Reedsport.  We were ready for a hotel and dinner but that's another story.  Tomorrow the biggie --- Winchester Bay. I'm already thinking this might have been the place for that home base!!

‘Tis life on the road.