Oregon has treated us so, so well these last few days of wandering up the coast.

The rocky coast of southern Oregon

We spent our first scenic day on the coast driving past southern Oregon’s spectacular offshore rock formations, towering darkly above the salty blue water of the Pacific. We hiked from the top of Cape Sebastian down to the water’s edge and explored a rocky promontory with a few tide pools. After wandering a bit along the shore, and only because of Nic’s sharp and patient eyes, we spied five huge whales traveling north up the coast. Surfacing several times in a short period before diving for up to five minutes, whales are easy enough to follow if you’re willing to wait. We followed a mom and baby for about twenty minutes, scuttling quickly down the path as they glided through the choppy surf. It’s a little late in the season for the whales to be moving north, but some mamas and their babies take more time to reach colder waters. We learned today too that a small population of gray whales have summer homes just off the Oregon coast. On that hike, we also saw two small snakes, three seals, and many sea anemone and sea urchins. We’ve been expecting to see lots of wildlife on this trip but really haven’t all in one shot before Cape Sebastian. That evening we watched the sun slowly drop below the horizon as we ate our favorite new beach meal: scrambled egg burritos – so delicious when wrapped in foil and consumed on a windy beach.

Luna’s stomach issues the next morning were far less troublesome than the previous episode I wrote about, since we got her out of the RV (numerous times) before she delivered the projectiles. I couldn’t say what she ate that made her feel sick, but she was gobbling to an embarrassing degree when I walked her on the beach the night before.

I wouldn’t consider us to be “foodies,” since we barely ever eat out and are pretty easily impressed with plenty of simple food. Strolling around Bandon, OR, though, we easily took on some foodie traits. It’s hard to choose a favorite food stop of the day; all three stops merit mention. Face Rock Creamery offered us about twenty samples of delicious craft cheeses. Nic liked the Extra Aged Cheddar, and my favorite was the Peppercorn Harvest. We walked out of that place amazed that we got to try so many of their cheeses. Just a few short blocks away, we had the same experience at Cranberry Sweets & More with piles upon piles of samples of fruit pates, chocolate, truffles, and cookies. Why did we make this stop before lunch? We strolled down to the harbor for some super fresh fish and chips, munching our fried treats and licking our greasy fingers while we sat on a bench looking out at the Coquille River dancing with the Pacific. The Oregon coastal towns are known for amazing seafood, and the Pacific cod was heavenly. Later that evening, we watched another colorful Pacific sunset on Bastendorff Beach just a few hundred yards away from our free campsite.

Face Rock Creamery cheeses – yum!

Sunset at Bastendorff Beach

Looking back from Bastendorff Beach to our free campsite. You can see the RV on the right side of the picture.

A fishing boat bringing their haul back to Charleston.

Tuesday’s activities were more mundane to accompany the foggy and windy weather: a grocery run, some drive time, a professional oil change for our generator done by Nic, and an oil change for the RV done by a very speedy Valvoline shop. I found a municipal pool and so happily swam my little heart out (with a free hot shower afterwards too!). For the second time on this trip, we camped in a casino parking lot. We get really excited to even have a garbage can within walking distance of wherever the RV is parked, so we are super easy to please. A very nice restroom in the casino makes us smile too. The other campers were quiet, and it’s always interesting to see the other rigs (and their owners).

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Oregon has kept the amazing sights coming today. After driving a few scenic miles of the coast north of Florence, eyes wide at the beauty of Heceta Head Lighthouse, we parked at Cape Perpetua. We took the dogs on our hike up to the top of the Cape. Homer was determined to drag Nic up and down all 800 feet of steep hill. Although our guidebook makes some sarcastic comments about locations like this providing great views on a clear day, which is never, we’ve had our fair share of sunshine and clear skies on the coast. We saw several more whales from our lofty viewpoint, one of which seemed to be hanging out just offshore of the Cape. As we hiked back down and then towards the beach to see a few more sights, we kept seeing the same whale surface repeatedly. Who could blame him for picking such beautiful surroundings? We found a delicious dive joint for fish and chips in Newport, and I tried some salmon candy (smoked salmon in a sweet glaze). After seeing yet another beautiful lighthouse and exploring even more colorful tide pools, we are ready for hot showers and bed. Our pace through Oregon has felt fairly leisurely, but we are overwhelmed at times by the nonstop beauty. And all that brisk sea air saps the energy too, the wind constantly pulling apart your ponytail and blowing salt on your sunglasses. Give me a chunky knit sweater, hot tea, and a roaring fire, and I’ll be asleep before you know it.

See the two whales? We were 800 feet above them when I took the picture.

View from Cape Perpetua.

Will hike for fish and chips!

Tide pools at Yaquina Head.

Colorful sea life.

We have two full days left on the coast. We will sure miss the fresh seafood, quaint lighthouses, ocean sunsets, and brisk ocean air. We won’t see the Pacific again until several thousand miles from now – in Alaska!

Yaquina Head Lighthouse