Traveling the Pacific coast of Oregon

After a nice anniversary weekend in Eugene, we drove straight west and traveled along the coast of Oregon for about a week. We stayed at two state parks and tried our new membership to Harvest Host.

South Beach State Park, Newport, Oregon

Our first stop after Eugene was South Beach State Park. We didn't have reservations at the state park. We couldn't book camping the day of online, so we took a stab in the dark and tried for a walk-up site. It being a Saturday night, we had no idea whether or not we would get a site. But at least we would have a few hours on the ocean and would find somewhere else to sleep, right? It was going to be a close call, but we took the risk. We've always been able to find a safe place to sleep at night and we didn't expect this to be any different.

We were shocked at how busy this state park was. Here's what traveling full-time for over a month does to your sense of time: it was Memorial Day weekend and we were just driving up asking for camping.... Yup! We really did that. And we really did get a campsite. We were just as surprised as you are. There was a cancellation and we happened to arrive and fit in the campsite. We liked the state park so much that we went up front the next day for two more days at a primitive site (no water or electricity).

While we had a campsite, we took the bikes out for a spin and left the van and Acadia at the campsite. We biked two days, about 10 miles each day, around Newport for a few hours. Our first ride took us around a coast boardwalk and in a research plaza full of government research stations (Coast Guard, EPA, Fish and Wildlife Service, and more). Nothing was open, but it was neat to see the matching buildings and boats in the little bay. The second ride we went through the more residential area. We rode around the community college, stopped at a little park, and visited a little library box.

We also took a few hours each day for long hikes along the trails and the beach. Acadia liked splashing around in the ocean, though she wasn't a huge fan of it being saltwater. Adam fully submersed himself in the ocean, but Madi didn't go in beyond her ankles. The water was super cold, just as expected. While we didn't have a clear view west over the ocean, we did the 1/2 mile walk from the campground to the beach for sunset many nights. It was nice to be so close to the water and to have an easy trail to get to the beach. Hot showers just added to the beauty at this state park.

Cape Lookout State Park, Tillamook, Oregon

Because we were on a roll and the cheapest camping along the shore is state park campgrounds, we sought another campground a few miles north for the second half of the week. Cape Lookout State Park sits even closer to the beach than the last state park. We were probably 200 yards from the ocean and just a dune climb from the beach. This campground we did have a reservation at because we planned out our week a little better for the second part. We had a much smaller campsite, but one with enough room for the van door to be open and to sit around a campfire without being bothered by our neighbors.

We spent several hours every day just relaxing and reading inside and outside the van. Pacific Northwest weather started to catch up to us while we were at the park; we had a few hours of rain and it rained almost every night. Adam did yoga in the sun on the beach one morning while Madi journaled and read. Again, Acadia really enjoyed being able to run around on the beach. The whole beach at the state park was dog-friendly and there was a section just north of the state park that allowed dogs off leash. Acadia preferred being off-leash at the north part of the beach but this time she was smart enough to largely avoid the cold water. Adam, again, ventured into the ocean.

We took a long hike at this state park because we had access to multiple trails. The state park contains parts of the Oregon Coast Trail, but the north fork was closed due to storm damage on the trail. We hiked the Cape Lookout trail to the cape with amazing views of the ocean. The park ranger told us it was best to hike at sunset, so we went out after dinner one night. Adam got great pictures of the rainforest around us, all the mosses and ferns growing out of trees. It was an incredible experience! If you are familiar with Star Wars, think about the Dagaba system where Luke found Yoda and you'll have a taste of what it looked and felt like. Again, we really enjoyed this state park. If we could suggest an Oregon road trip to anyone, we would suggest driving highway 101 and staying at the state parks along the coast.

Harvest Hosts - Blue Heron French Cheese Company

After our stay at Cape Lookout, we started our trek north along the coast. We had just joined Harvest Hosts and were excited to try out our membership so we stayed just 20 minutes from the state park in Tillamook, Oregon at Blue Heron French Cheese Company. Harvest Hosts is a membership for RV campers. With an annual fee, campers have access to thousands of places to stay overnight for free, with the understanding that the campers support whichever local business they stay at. For example, we stayed in a grass parking lot at this cheese company for free. We didn't have access to water, electricity, or a bathroom, but we did have a free place to stay. We supported the business by purchasing smoked salmon, crackers, and some of their brie cheese for dinner. We had plenty of cell reception in the parking lot so we worked for hours when we got there. It was rainy so we didn't sit outside, though several other campers had chairs outside that they were sitting in when the rain stopped. Harvest Hosts has been pretty cool so far and we're looking forward to future host locations.