Oregon - Part 1
After a morning of laundry (zzzzz!) we enjoyed the unique sights, smells and sounds of the town which included a colony of very loud, smelly and intolerant sea lions, a man cycling around town with a cat on his shoulder and one of the best signs we've seen yet - at a Vet clinic "Free belly rubs with every exam, sorry, pets only!".
The Google Reviews of the Sea lions are well worth a read, a few of our favourites;
★★★★★ Fantastic, majestic obnoxious sea lion heaven. This is just a marina but if you want to see some wildlife howling like mad it's a really fun detour!
★★★★★ 24 hour choir composed exclusively of amateurs. Never a dull moment, or at any rate never a silent moment.
Mike got a much(!) needed haircut and we both decided after sharing a small space together for a week at this point that we both appreciate and sympathise with the sea lions intolerance of intrusion into personal space (we probably didn't smell much better either due to lack of showers so far...)
We then carried on south along highway 101 to Cannon Beach which we found to be very similar to a town near home, Croyde, being overpriced and full of surfers. This area was also very anti-camping so we swiftly moved on to Arcadia beach where we watched another beautiful sunset and were surprised by the squeaky sand!
The next day we pulled into Rockaway Beach (Ramones fans may recognise this!) for brunch snack of freshly baked cinnamon roll and a peanut butter brownie (they were as good as you imagine). Here we were caught off guard as a steam train rolled through the parking lot on what we thought were abandoned tracks.
Further on we encountered Tillamook Dairies (local farmer owned cooperative) and stopped for the cheese factory tour which included free samples and a very accurate day in the life of a farmer and his dog display! We couldn't leave without sampling the ice-cream kookies which were also as tasty as you imagine.
Our food themed day got even better as we stopped at the Blue Heron French Cheese company, only a mile down the road, to sample yet more cheese and many of their sauces, dips, condiments and jams (YUMMM!). We would be staying here for the night but first we headed back to the coast and another wildlife refuge where we saw lots of seabirds, Peregrines, several seals and the "famed" Octopus tree - according Amy this is where baby octupi come from, the eggs grow on the tree and then roll down the cliffs into the sea!
Back to the Blue Heron for the night where we enjoyed the company of the free ranging peacocks, chickens and guinea fowl. In the morning we were woken by the aforementioned peacocks, cockerel and donkey chorus.
We started the day with a walk at Munson Creek Falls to find a closed trail, we did catch a glimpse at a distance. Next we found another wildlife refuge where we walked up to a fantastic (cold and windy) viewpoint where there were beautiful flowery meadows. Back down near the van we spotted hummingbirds which were dive bombing and making awesome noises (think star wars fighters!)
Further on we stopped at Road's End Beach for a walk and our first paddle in the Pacific Ocean where we spotted hundreds of scuttling critters in the surf which we later found out were Mole Crabs, this beach also had squeaky sand.
For our final walk of the day we visited Drift Creek Falls which we'd heard had a suspension bridge! Our Annual Parks pass yet again proving amazing value as we didn't need to pay here. The walk to the creek and bridge was 2 miles through Oregon forest where we enjoyed the sounds of the birds and didn't so much enjoy the warning signs about bears. The bridge crossed the creek and we then had a great view of the falls.
We got back to the van as it began to go dark and enjoyed Chili for supper, then it was a drive back to the coast for a night at Rocky View which we had been told is great for whale watching.
In the morning this proved to be true as we spotted Grey Whales from the van feeding only 100 meters from the shore. Here we were also given a tip about another great spot to see more whales and sea lions so we headed in that direction.
At Yaquina Head (free entry with our pass again!) we saw seals hunting for food then hauling out with their pups to bask in the sunshine on the beach, the pups in particular seemed to enjoy this!
Huge colonies of sea birds on stacks
Ona Beach, another walk and paddle and the most disappointing game of pooh sticks ever! Neither stick went underneath the bridge and Amy's somehow went upstream.
Smelt Sands - rockpooling (poking crabs with sticks) where we saw Giant Green Anemone and many crabs.
Look out for Sneaker Waves!
Devil's Churn which we thought was Thor's Well but was not and otherwise disappointing.
We found the real Thor's Well which had waves spouting over 50ft up through it, Mike got a bit too close with his camera and Amy got drenched by those pesky Sneaker Waves despite being significantly further away!
We took this as a hint that it was time for a wash, a local campsite had unlimited hot showers for $2 (best $4 we ever spent!) and we then found a local spot to camp for free right next to the sea.
The next day we carried on South, we spotted a colony of sea lions relaxing on a beach whilst more Grey Whales fed just off shore.
Around Reedsport we saw some cars with important parts missing on the roads, one with no passenger door (but did have a passenger) and another with no bonnet (cooling mod?!)
Drove through an Elk reserve, saw some Elk (still the Moose evades us...)
We then began our journey inland by following the Umpqua river, crystal clear blue waters flanked by mountains made stunning driving scenery.
Gave a lift to a couple who had broken down in an effort to repay some of the kindness shown to us and they gave us a tip off about some natural hot springs near one of the waterfalls we were planning to visit.
At Medicine creek we walked through spooky woods to a giant boulder on which there were historic paintings by native tribes in this spiritually significant area.
After a camp by the river near Toketee we headed up to the hot springs for a morning soak on this chilly day. Although busier than we expected we were lucky to get a pool to ourselves where we enjoyed a hot soak for a couple of hours, taking in the ambiance of the surrounding forest and river.
and then Watson which are 272ft tall, we were able to scramble to the base of the falls and enjoy the spray and mist.
Clearwater falls and clearwater creek which unsurprisingly had exceptionally clear water
We tried and failed to find Lemolo and Warm Spring falls, a lack of signs and very poor condition roads meant we turned around before we got lost/stuck/eaten by cougars.
A forest campsite, cup of tea and a roaring fire were the perfect end to the day and our first full month of travelling.
Next post: Oregon Part 2 (June Edition)
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