The Oregon Coast

We left Winston, WA the next day, headed for the Oregon coast. Dale was concerned we had not spent much time on the coast of Washington, so we were determined not to make the same mistake in Oregon. Route 101 follows the west coast, much in the same way Route 1 follows the east coast. We picked it up in Tillomock driving through a narrow valley with lots of farms- very pretty. We did not actually see the ocean until a little further south, where we stopped in Pacific City for lunch. The restaurant was located right on a beautiful beach, with rock outcroppings in the water and one of the largest sand dunes we had ever seen.

We continued down the coast through little seaside towns, following the ocean most of the way. The views ranged from rugged and rocky to long, open ocean sandy beaches. We were told that Oregon has no private beaches, they are owned either by the state or the federal government. As a result, all citizens have access to all beaches- not a bad idea! The coast was just beautiful! We ended our day in North Bend, next to the Dunes Recreation area. The dunes in this area are spectacular. The sand is not as white as beaches on the east coast, but it is soft and fluffy. The Dunes grow huge, in constant motion. A wonderful day overall.

Tomorrow we head inland to Crater National Park.