Driving down the Oregon coast is just jaw dropping! It also had some of the steepest inclines I'd traveled so far. I got an early start as usual heading down Hwy 101. First stop was to be Cape Meares NWR. Unfortunately, about a mile from the entrance there was a newly fallen tree. I was only the third person to reach it and the first one was calling it in. The car in front of me turned around and I, not knowing how long it would take to remove it did the same. What a disappointment, there was old growth forest up there! So, I continued down the coast looking for the next refuge or spot of interest. The amazing thing about Oregon is that all the beaches are public, mostly in the form of state parks or recreation sites. I was stumped by this at first, thinking like Texas they all had a fee charged. Mostly they rely on a state pass, but I found that was mostly needed for camping, not day use. There were also lots of free camping pull offs right on the beach. After making my way to Newport I stopped at the local ranger station to inquire about campsites and was directed to Mary's Peak in the Siuslaw NF. I spent three days there and visited Finley NWR and took a day to visit Corvallis for a haircut.
From there I continued south on Hwy 101 to the town of Gold Bar, and found a campsite just outside of town on the Rogue River, hiking the Frances Shrader Old Growth trail.The following morning I hiked in the Alfred Loeb SP before heading into CA to hike in the coastal redwood forests of Redwood NP spent time at the Jedediah Smith SP.
Once again I stopped at the ranger station to inquire about camping and opted to stay at Big Flat campground which turned out to be fun. There were hiking trails nearby and it wasn't very crowded unlike a couple of others I passed up on the way there. I awoke the following morning and took a walk around the campground. Most folks left during the day to hang out on the nearby Smith River, which gave me the place to myself. At one point a large group showed up and set up camp right next to another site where a couple of gals were set up, but had gone off for the day. I remembered thinking, boy I bet they won't be happy when they see how close those folks pitched their tents near their's. Sure enough that afternoon on my walk I came around the circle and met a gal carrying her small tent. I offered to help and took one side. I talked with her and sure enough they were the occupants of the site that had been invaded and were in the process of moving. I finished helping and headed back to the van to start dinner. A few minutes later there was a knock on the van and when I opened the door, one of the gals asked if I'd like to join them for happy hour and hors d'oeurves, how could I refuse. Their names were Sally and Alice and they were from Portland and Springfield OR, respectively. The invited me to stay for dinner and we had a great time. They told me about the hike they'd done that day and I decided to do it the next day. Unfortunately when I awoke my knee was really bothering me so I decided to pass. I spent the day relaxing but it was warming up so I decided to head out the next day. I exchanged info with the gals and headed out. I drove down the coast to Orick another section of the Redwood NP then headed south to Humbolt Bay NWR. It was midday when I arrive there so not a lot to see.
My plan was now to drive back up into Oregon and visit Crater Lake so I found a great campsite on the water and headed out the next morning.
I drove Hwy 199 to Grants Pass stopping along the way at a roadside attraction that caught my eye. It was called "It's a Burl". I don't stop at a lot of shops, but this one was intriguing, there were tree houses and a huge wood working shop and three separate galleries. I got to talking with the owner and we really hit it off. I mentioned my knee issues and she gave me the name of her doctor in Grants Pass. I accepted it but opted to wait til I got home. I figured I wouldn't want to wait around for an appointment. I headed to Crater lake, stopping first at the ranger station for advise on camping. I found a free spot and headed out the next morning to drive into Crater Lake.
As all national parks it was crowded, and made more so by road construction.....let me just say that the weather in the northwest wreaks havoc on the roads, they were terrible. I started noticing it at Glacier and it never got better. I did some shorts hikes then headed out. I found a place to camp outside the north entrance to the park and the next day headed to Redmond where I caught up on chores. My plan had been to head north to Bend and the Three Sisters Wilderness, but there was a heatwave moving in so I made the decision to head east to the Sawtooth Mts.
Once again I stopped at the ranger station to inquire about camping and opted to stay at Big Flat campground which turned out to be fun. There were hiking trails nearby and it wasn't very crowded unlike a couple of others I passed up on the way there. I awoke the following morning and took a walk around the campground. Most folks left during the day to hang out on the nearby Smith River, which gave me the place to myself. At one point a large group showed up and set up camp right next to another site where a couple of gals were set up, but had gone off for the day. I remembered thinking, boy I bet they won't be happy when they see how close those folks pitched their tents near their's. Sure enough that afternoon on my walk I came around the circle and met a gal carrying her small tent. I offered to help and took one side. I talked with her and sure enough they were the occupants of the site that had been invaded and were in the process of moving. I finished helping and headed back to the van to start dinner. A few minutes later there was a knock on the van and when I opened the door, one of the gals asked if I'd like to join them for happy hour and hors d'oeurves, how could I refuse. Their names were Sally and Alice and they were from Portland and Springfield OR, respectively. The invited me to stay for dinner and we had a great time. They told me about the hike they'd done that day and I decided to do it the next day. Unfortunately when I awoke my knee was really bothering me so I decided to pass. I spent the day relaxing but it was warming up so I decided to head out the next day. I exchanged info with the gals and headed out. I drove down the coast to Orick another section of the Redwood NP then headed south to Humbolt Bay NWR. It was midday when I arrive there so not a lot to see.
My plan was now to drive back up into Oregon and visit Crater Lake so I found a great campsite on the water and headed out the next morning.
I drove Hwy 199 to Grants Pass stopping along the way at a roadside attraction that caught my eye. It was called "It's a Burl". I don't stop at a lot of shops, but this one was intriguing, there were tree houses and a huge wood working shop and three separate galleries. I got to talking with the owner and we really hit it off. I mentioned my knee issues and she gave me the name of her doctor in Grants Pass. I accepted it but opted to wait til I got home. I figured I wouldn't want to wait around for an appointment. I headed to Crater lake, stopping first at the ranger station for advise on camping. I found a free spot and headed out the next morning to drive into Crater Lake.
As all national parks it was crowded, and made more so by road construction.....let me just say that the weather in the northwest wreaks havoc on the roads, they were terrible. I started noticing it at Glacier and it never got better. I did some shorts hikes then headed out. I found a place to camp outside the north entrance to the park and the next day headed to Redmond where I caught up on chores. My plan had been to head north to Bend and the Three Sisters Wilderness, but there was a heatwave moving in so I made the decision to head east to the Sawtooth Mts.
Comments
Post a Comment