Thanksgiving 2017: The Oregon Coast

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

It was unusually warm when we woke up Tuesday morning at our campsite in Jedediah Smith State Park.  It had rained steadily until the wee hours of the morning, so we slept in the car rather than in our tent.  I prefer the tent because there's more room.  Pongo's a bit of a bed hog.  The car is nicer for bad weather, though.  It's very comfortable when it's just me but get's a little tight with me and the dog and all of our camping gear.  Plus, I packed too much stuff for this trip.  I need to weed some stuff out before the next road trip.  Anyway, it was so warm that morning I was in short sleeves all the way up to Bandon, OR.

Smith River, Jedediah Smith State Park, CA

Smith River, Jedediah Smith State Park, CA

The campgrounds at Jedediah Smith State Park are fantastic.  The site is in the middle of a redwood forest along the banks of the Smith River.  A number of the campsite look right out onto the river.  I prefer the ones across the road from those which are under some really big trees.  It makes for a dramatic place to wake up in the morning.

Jedediah Smith State Park, CA

Jedediah Smith State Park, CA

Jedediah Smith State Park, CA

We drove up North to Pistol River in Oregon where we stopped for a walk on the beach and dunes.  Pongo particularly liked the dunes, where he could poke his head around dunes and tall grass looking for little critters.  We didn't find any.  It reminded me of his adventures at Goblin Valley in Utah, where he had great fun sneaking around the sandstone structures.

Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint, OR

Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint, OR

Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint, OR

Harbor Seal -- Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint, OR

Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint, OR

We made our obligatory stop at Gold Beach to photograph the sunken tugboat in the Rogue River.  I never miss that opportunity.

Rogue River, Gold Beach, OR

Prehistoric Gardens, Port Orford, OR

We took a short detour in Bandon, mostly because I had to go to the bathroom.  It took us out to the Coquille Lighthouse, which was pretty cool.  The thing with driving up the Oregon Coast on 101 isn't the Oregon Coast itself.  The highway actually spends a lot more time out of sight of the ocean than within it.  It's the rivers.  A hundred miles or more can be driven on the California coastline without crossing a major river.  In Oregon, they come one after the other.  The rivers and the bays make the drive up the Oregon coast the unique drive that it is.  There are more spectacular coastlines.  My dad would probably argue that point, but IMO California and Washington both have Oregon licked in that regard.  It's the preponderance of big rivers that makes Oregon unique on the American West Coast.  I don't know any other coastline, so I can't speak in more general terms.

Bullards Bridge, Coquille River, Bandon, OR

Coquille River, Bandon, OR

Coquille Lighthouse, Bandon, OR

It rained for the rest of the drive up the coastline.  We were going to camp if the weather permitted.  It didn't.  So, at Lincoln City we cut over to Salem and had a nice dinner with my parents before settling in to a nice warm bed for the night.  Well, more of a mat on the floor of my sister's old bedroom.  Close enough.  I actually sleep very well on that mat.  So does Pongo.

Steller Sea Lion -- Sea Lion Caves, Florence, OR

Steller Sea Lion -- Sea Lion Caves, Florence, OR

Heceta Head Lighthouse, Florence, OR

Soundtrack:

• Elvis Costello -- The Man
• Ryan Adams -- Heartbreaker
• Sonic Youth -- Murray Street
• Loretta Lynn -- Van Lear Rose
• Erykah Badhu -- New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
• LCD Soundsystem -- This Is Happening

Year in Review, Part 3

Death Valley
April 7-10, 2013

I spent three nights in Death Valley in April.  I went alone and camped in my car.  It was an amazing experience.

Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley National Park, CA

I stayed in Panamint Springs.  It rained a bit while I was there.  The wind never stopped blowing, often gusting at 60+ mph.  Wind howls even when it's got nothing to blow through, guaranteeing that the desert was never quiet while I was there.

The mountains and hills look like they were painted.  I never expected to see so many different colors on what are essentially mounds of barren rock.  I also didn't expect to see as much wildlife as I did.  I saw all sorts of birds (including waterfowl), a number of lizards and even got up close to a coyote.  Well, she got close to me.

Artists' Loop, Death Valley National Park, CA

I ended the trip to Death Valley by driving up 395 to Lake Tahoe then crossing the Sierras on 50.  What an amazing drive.  The Sierra Mountains were on the left for the entire drive up 395.  Imagine, for 200+ miles driving at the foot of a 10,000 to 15,000 foot granite wall with no visible breaks or passes through.  I cannot imagine how disheartening that must have been to early settlers.  Then again, the Eastern side of the Sierras didn't seem like a bad place to settle down.

Mono Lake, CA

Redwood National Park and the Oregon Coast
November 19 & 20, 2012

Avenue of the Giants, CA

Roosevelt Elk, Redwood National Park, CA

I drove up Highway 101 and the Oregon coast on my way up for Thanksgiving last year.  That's always a nice way to get there, but it was particularly interesting on that drive because it came in the middle of a big storm.  The Oregon Coast is at its best in bad weather.  I stayed in Crescent City overnight.  It was one of the windiest nights I've ever experienced.  I heard from the locals that a truck was blown onto its side while crossing a bridge.  It's funny because my car is shaped like a toaster and I'd expect it to handle side winds poorly, but it actually does quite well.

Pistol River State Park, OR

Point Reyes National Seashore
September 23, 2012 & May 19, 2013

Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA

The California coastline is an exceptional place to see wildlife, with Point Reyes being one of the premier sites.  Sea lions, black-tailed deer, red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures, elephant seals and various other birds and small mammals can be seen in abundance at Point Reyes.  Taking the four and a half mile hike to the tip of Tomales Point will take one through the Tule Elk Preserve, where dozens of elk will likely be seen.  These elk are accustomed to the presence of people, which allows for some fine photo ops.

Tule Elk Reserve, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA

Big Sur

Pfeiffer Beach, CA

Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CA

The Big Sur coasline is stunning.  It has a small mountain range that disappears directly into the ocean.  It was a waterfall in a protected cove that falls into the sea.  It has a beach with purple sand.  It has pelicans and sea otters and condors and giant coastal redwoods.  Driving Highway 1 in Big Sur doesn't require a destination, it is the destination.  I've been there a handful of times over the last year, and it never disappoints.

Just below Big Sur sits Hearst Castle.  Driving down the coast to take one of the guided tours of the old estate makes for a great day trip.

Big Sur, CA

Silver Falls State Park & Multnomah Falls
November 21 & 23, 2012

Silver Falls State Park, OR

Silver Creek Falls may not have waterfalls that are particularly tall, but they make up for it in drama.  The park has a nine mile hike called the Trail of Ten Falls, and I'll take this hike up against anything Yosemite has to offer when it comes to falling water.  These aren't waterfalls to just look at, they're waterfalls one can actually feel.  Parts of the trail lead behind a few of the bigger falls.  I remember hiking there once in winter with my friend and his dad.  We were in junior high, and ice covered the trail behind the falls.  That didn't stop us from covering that section, mind you, but one slip was all it would have taken to send any one of us down.  I was there in November after a huge storm and the water was running high.  It rained during most of the hike, leaving me with the park pretty much to myself.  What a great day that was.

Silver Falls State Park, OR

Multnomah Falls, OR

The day after Thanksgiving I went with Sam, my brother and his family up to Multnomah Falls on the Columbia Gorge.  Multnomah Falls is one of the prettier waterfalls I've seen.  It's about 600 feet tall, putting it on par with Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite in terms of height.  They're different in every other way, though.  Bridalveil is a jewel of the Yosemite Valley, one in a number of amazing sightes to be seen there.  Multnomah Falls stands on its own, a destination unto itself.  I'm not saying one is better than the other, mind you, I like 'em both, they're just different enough to make the comparison easy in my mind.

Silver Falls State Park, OR