Coastal Town After Coastal Town

We awoke in the morning to precipitation that varied between a fine mist and sprinkles as we got up, put on our Sunday best, and found a nice church to attend. The church we chose was very small and welcoming, and the pastor gave a good message about the importance of Christian unity in the face of the world’s chaos and division. Faith and I agreed that we would go back if we were in the area again. After the service, we hit the road headed south. While at church, some bugs I had written last week decided to rear their ugly heads, so we stopped at a small, touristy coastal town for Faith to explore while I fought fires. We had a great parking spot facing the ocean, and I was rewarded with the sight of a whale surfacing in the bay. When Faith got back, she got to see it surface a couple times, too. The whale wasn’t doing anything cool and work had cooled off as well, so we hit the road.

The rest of the day was pretty much the same: drive into small coastal town, stop for a shop or two, continue on to the next town. We did make an extra special stop at a state park to commandeer one of their showers so we could get our first proper cleaning in a few days. Boy did it feel good to once again have clean skin and hair in the ocean breeze. We kept making our way south before finding a pull off to call ours for the night.

The next day was Monday, the start of the official work week, so we stopped at a coffee shop in Reedsport, OR for me to get some hours in while Faith read her book. The coffee shop also served breakfast foods, which we did not partake in… well not in the standard way. When some patrons left, Faith noticed that one of them had hardly touched a plate full of hashbrowns, eggs, and toast. We decided they shouldn’t just get dumped, so we quickly acquired then ate them before the waitress came to clean them up. I am happy to say that neither of us contracted any disease or other malady from eating someone else’s food. Saving the planet or becoming raccoons..? It’s anyone’s guess at this point.

We got going soon after, and Faith dropped me off at the North Bend public library to get some solid work done while she explored the town. After she was done, she joined me to do some beading in what was the quietest library I have ever been in. If you dared more than a whisper, it was certain that the rest of the small building would hear you loud and clear.

We made our exit and went to a small creamery in the town. They had some of the cheapest ice cream we had seen, so I got some Oregon cherry and Faith got the rare black licorice ice cream. Needless to say, her mouth was pitch black for the rest of the day. We headed south down along the coast; just like the day before, we passed through a lot of small towns that pretty much look and feel the same. We got to Bandon, OR, which we thought was quite lovely and deserved further exploration in the morning. We drove out of town a little ways and found a pull off to sleep in for the night. There was still a bit of light left when we parked, so we played cards for a bit before calling the day done.

The next morning, we headed back into Bandon and to the first coffee shop that was open. I sat and worked while Faith explored the town and found all the places that we needed to visit later. Once done with work for a while, I followed Faith to an excellent candy shop with lots of free samples and to another creamery where we got some garlic cheese curds that had been made only a few moments before and were still warm. They were incredible and might well have been the best curds I have ever eaten. We complemented them with some crackers and meat sticks from the parade before once again turning our van south. With the freshness of the curds yet on our palates, we decided we needed some more fresh food, so we stopped and got some Rock fish and vegetables to make for dinner. Night was still a ways away, so we crossed into California and reached the central part of Redwoods National Park near Klamath, CA. We drove out to the coast and found a secluded pull off near the beach to make dinner at. After a delectable meal, we explored the beach, waved high to the local seals, and went to sleep.

With Oregon coast complete, we reflected on it a bit: it is very beautiful, rocky, and rugged if cool, dreary, and breezy. The towns were pretty nice and clean if mostly homogeneous all the way down. There are at least 20 or 30 places claiming to have the best clam chowder on the Oregon coast, so if that’s your thing, then you’ll have to divine for yourself which one can truly claim the title. Overall, we’re very glad we drove the whole thing and would recommend that you take the time to do the same.

Animals Seen

• Gray Whale
• Bald eagle
• Sea urchin
• Turkey vultures
• Deer
• Barred Owl

Stats

• ~300 miles of driving
• 1 shower
• Countless coastal towns