Oregon Coast

After we left Mount St. Helens we drove to the town of Astoria and stopped at the Maritime Museum.  So much to learn and well worth the stop.

Night time view.  We were there in daytime.

Another stop in Astoria was at Fort Clatsop. "In November 1805, the Corps of Discovery reached the Pacific Ocean. Having found “the most practicable and navigable passage across the Continent of North America,” the mission was complete. Although eager to begin the journey home, members of the Corps knew that travel would have to wait until spring - more than one snowy mountain range stood in their path. The Corps would build a temporary home on the coast."

Replica built in 1950's

In early December, William Clark recorded that Meriwether Lewis had found a suitable location for their winter quarters with “Elk sufficient to winter on.” Once completed, their home, a fortification measuring just fifty square feet, housed 32 men, 1 woman, a baby, and a dog. On Christmas Day, according to Joseph Whitehouse, "we all moved into our new Garrison or Fort, which our Officers named after a nation of Indians who resided near us, called the Clatsop Nation; Fort Clatsop.” They stayed there until March 25, 1806.
     

We arrived at Cape Lookout SP about 10 miles off of  Hwy 101 near the town of Tillamook.  The park was very crowded and every site was taken in the campground. The beech seems to be quite the attraction for families.    

The park did offer three trails for hiking and we started on the North Trail that connected to Cape Lookout Trail. It was a beautiful hike with great views. The trails were quite muddy at times and glad we wore our boots.  The viewing area at the point was 100 feet above the water so no beach access.  Round trip a 10 mile hike through the woods.  Great way to celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary!

View near the point at Cape Lookout

Wednesday,we left the park and headed south on Hwy 101, the scenic route.  But first we stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factor took a self guided tour, sampled cheese and ate ice cream at 9:30 am.  The drive down the coast was only 150 miles but took 5 hours.  There was quite a bit of traffic, including bicyclists, logging trucks, RV's, a few hitchhikers sitting on the edge of the highway, and of course tourists like us.  We didn't get to "see" that much of the coast as the viewing areas were crowded or we just didn't fit into the spaces provided. 

We finally arrived around 4 pm at Bullard Beach SP just outside of the town of Bandon.  We had our windows down as we drove into the park and immediately the mosquitoes were everywhere.  We headed into town for something different to do as we could not sit outside.  Bandon is a quaint tourist town along the Coquille River. Bandon was named one of the "Coolest Small Towns in America" by Budget Travel in 2010.  

We sat by the pier and watched the locals trapping crabs. Chicken is used as bait inside the nets.  Once caught only males can be kept and must be 6" long.  If one is lucky enough to catch 2 crabs, that is a good day.  We visited a few shops, supported the local economy by eating fish & chips for dinner and buying fudge. 

This morning we woke up to fog in the area.  We went for a short walk and then drove back into town.  The state park has no hiking trails so we decided to explore the coast line.  We waited for low tide and hoped for sunshine, or at the very least less fog, but the overcast day stayed with us.  

The pictures on this blog are all very various internet sites.  We have not have a connection to download our photos.  Tomorrow we pack up and leave for Crater Lake Nat'l Park for a 3 day stay.  Probably no phone or internet connection.

By the way one week from today we see Mark!!  Can't wait. Yes Chris, we will see you too!