Central Oregon Coast

 

Sunday started off being an absolutely gorgeous day.  Well, it was gorgeous inland at least.  We decided to take a drive.  We had several places in mind.  First of all, we were going to stop at Fry’s Electronics.  You’ll never know what new electronics might be out there if you don’t keep checking that huge store for their latest new arrivals.  We intended to do just that.  

 

Next, we were on our way to the central Oregon coast.  It’s such a nice drive.  There are so many places we could have stopped and so many things we would have liked to see.  We just made a note to ourselves to make a return trip.

 

The Mid Willamette Valley is filled with rolling hills and wineries. Check out the attached map showing location of these wineries. The temperature is perfect here for growing grapes and the numerous vineyards prove just that.  Many of the wineries are gorgeous and even offer unique restaurants and great places for lunch or a snack while enjoying beautiful views of the area.  We would have loved to have stopped and checked a few out but we didn’t.  We would have also loved to have visited a few of the covered bridges in the area but we didn’t do that either.  We needed more time to stop every place we would have liked to. It was just supposed to be a day trip.

By the time we crossed over the Coast Range, it was drizzling a bit.  This range of mountains does a pretty good job of blocking the movement of clouds.  Just because there may be blue skies inland doesn’t mean you’ll see them at the coast.   A little drizzle and a few clouds certainly didn’t put a damper on the day.  The ocean is gorgeous no matter the weather.  Highway 101 offers great views of the ocean and numerous places to pull off and enjoy those views.

Lincoln City is on the central Oregon coast.  The location and the sandy beaches draw many people year round.  The town is hopping with people, restaurants, great public beaches and lots of touristy shops.  There’s even a casino in town for another type of entertainment.

Every time we take these day trips, we always seem to end up checking out a few RV parking options … just in case.  It’s just fun to see what’s available.  There certainly is no shortage of nice RV parks along the coast.  Some of these parks are state parks and others are privately owned.  There are even a few casinos.  The one in Lincoln City offered RV parking with an ocean view.

We also stopped at a Good Sam park with oceanfront view.  The location was perfect but at $52 a night, we’d have to think twice.  After thinking twice, we’d probably stay but only for a night or two.  It was definitely a full ocean view. 

Coyote Rock RV Park is on the Siletz River a couple miles off Highway 101.  Riverfront sites are available.  The location is perfect for salmon and for crabbing.  It’s a short distance to the ocean and an easy run in a boat.  Bring your own boat and equipment or rent it from the owners.  This is definitely a picture-perfect park and a Passport America park.

 

There are several highways to and from the coast but they are all two-lane roads.  Thus, on the weekends can get backed up.  We were lucky.  We made pretty good time but then we decided to take the road back through Tillamook instead of directly from Lincoln City.  Thus, we avoided the majority of weekend beach goers.  It was such a nice trip but we were certainly zonked when we got back.