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Old 05-06-2014, 03:19 AM   #1
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TWOLOST: Oregon Coast; April 2014 (in progress...)



My wife, daughter and I just returned from a week of vacation along the Oregon Coast. Once again, we all had a great time and really lucked out with the weather.

Images first, commentary after...


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Old 05-06-2014, 03:36 AM   #2
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Re: TWOLOST: Oregon Coast; April 2014 (in progress...)



April, 26: North Bend, WA to Depoe Bay, OR

This trip was billed as a 'vacation'... not an 'adventure'. The difference being that a vacation (as defined by my wife) is an event focused on family time as well as plenty of R&R. Translated, this really meant that I needed to take the initiative to watch our daughter so that my wife could do things like hang out in her jammies until noon, explore the wonders of the Internet, occasionally glance up from a good book and wonder why it seemed so quiet, etc. You get the picture. Good thing I get along so well with our daughter and love spending time with her - outside.

As part of this family vacation deal, our home base would be relatively spacious time-share right on the Oregon Coast in Depoe Bay, OR. Inferences or suggestions of sand camping on the dunes or boondocking in the Siuslaw National Forest with our van was strictly prohibited.

Speaking of our van, this vacation was marked by a very special occasion. Only a week ago, I finally wrote the last check that paid off the HELOC that I took out in September of 2007 that allowed us to purchase our new 2007 Sportsmobile. It was actually January of 2006 when we made a commitment to this project and started very aggressively saving for our future SMB purchase. Other than once a year adventures, it seems like we have been saving and saving and saving and saving. This financial commitment had now finally come to a very long and welcome end. The loan took more than five years longer to conquer than originally planned... but once our daughter miraculously showed up - all plans were thrown straight out the window. In any event, this had been a long time coming and some form of celebration was in order.



One of the few stops on the way to Depoe Bay was in Tillamook, OR.


Tillamook Cheese Factory; Tillamook, OR




Happy kid!!


Depoe Bay, OR - No wasted sunsets (#1)



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Old 05-06-2014, 03:46 AM   #3
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Re: TWOLOST: Oregon Coast; April 2014 (in progress...)



April, 28; South Jetty -> Siltcoos; Oregon National Recreation Area


Today would mark a little beach and dune exploring in our van. We started out in Depoe Bay at our time-share condo home base early in the morning. We drove to Florence where we attempted to purchase diesel. Unlike Washington State, Oregon is an attendant fuel only state (where a station attendant must pump your fuel for you). Sure enough, the station attendant put the fuel nozzle into the filler neck of the van and then walked off (without initiating the fueling process). He was off attending to another vehicle, so I got out of the van and just waited. Upon the attendants return, he looked at the pump reading (from the previous patron), looked at me, and said does 15 bucks sound right? Um, no I said. That amount was from the previous vehicle. You have yet to begin filling my vehicle. Bewilderment came over the attendant. For the next few minutes we ran through the order of operations that failed to happen. In the end, the pump was cleared and the fueling process was started. $120.00 later I had what I needed.

Next we headed to the South Jetty to air down (from 55 psi to 30 psi), put up our flag, lock the hubs, engage 4x4, pressurize the front and rear locking diffs, and setup the GoPro. As we did this same trip last year, we already had a valid OHV sticker on the van (purchased from the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area located in Reedsport, OR). We then headed along Coast Guard OHV RT. NO. 1352 (paralleling the coast). From the main Coast Guard trail, we would take various beach access points to do a little beach driving and exploring.

After a full day of exploring on the beach as well as the dunes, we headed back to our home base in Depoe Bay.







South Jetty OHV RT 1344 (beach access)






South Jetty camping regulations (as posted)










Breach OHV RT 1318


Breach OHV RT 1318


Hunter OHV RT 1349






Breach OHV RT. NO. 1318 (beach access)




Depoe Bay; No wasted sunsets (#2)



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Old 05-06-2014, 03:51 AM   #4
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Re: TWOLOST: Oregon Coast; April 2014 (in progress...)



April, 30; Depoe Bay to Coos Bay

Today, I wanted to head south to Coos Bay and the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge; Shore Acres State Park. I also wanted to do more dune and beach driving while down in this area too... so this was going to be a very long travel day.

Asside from a nice park, Shore Acres is a location (in winter) where large sea swells spawned by ocean storms meet a jagged coastline. This combination can occasionally create an amazing spectacle of crashing surf. This spectacle has been captured by numerous photographers (example, here). I wanted to scope out this location on calm day so that I might return on a well timed winter day sometime in the future. This is just one of those things that I must see for myself.

After exploring the park for a while, we then moved north to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (Horesfall Beach Staging Area).

The great thing about this section of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is that it is the longest and it is also the most remote. You are less likely to encounter other people here. Unfortunately, (as we found out 300 feet down the trail) the USDA hired a private contractor with a small bulldozer to widen the main dune trail to a standard of 16 feet wide. The trail has also been significantly straightened out. As this was a recent work in progress, we were the first vehicle of any kind to drive on this yet to be finished mess of an airstrip. The once beautiful narrow and twisting trail through the sea grasses was now two plus feed of scraped sand and brush loam. It had not been packed down, it was filled with ripped out vegetation, only one half of the trail had been widened (leaving a two foot difference in elevation between new road and the old trail that had to be straddled), it was rough as hell, and it was boring. I would have driven out on the beach from the first possible access point to get off of this nine mile mess... but the tide was high, we were solo, it was over 100 degrees (F) outside, the distance between access points was more than I was comfortable with, and it was already late in the day. So... other than a few excursions onto the beach we bumped along for nine miles using the front and rear diff to grade various high spots in the trail. Once we go closer to the dunes and Spinreel, the trail/road returned to normal. This was by far the most difficult driving of our entire trip.


Shore Acres (sunny and calm)


Back to driving on the beach (after all of the pre-work of airing down, hubs, lockers, flag, GoPro, etc...).


Hauser Beach OHV RT. NO. 1341 (beach access)




The results of the unfinished work of widening the once beautiful trail.


Dunes near the Spinreel staging area.







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Old 05-06-2014, 03:54 AM   #5
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Re: TWOLOST: Oregon Coast; April 2014 (in progress...)


May 01; Depoe Bay to Cape Kiwanda

Late start today. Took daughter swimming in the morning. Ultimately, got organized enough to drive north as far as Cape Kiwanda and Sand Lake.

Watching wildlife from our condo balcony.








Cape Kiwanda, playing in the surf.


Porsche made it about 40 feet onto the beach from the parking lot before getting high centered.


Chevy got stuck in the ruts of those going around the Porsche on they way out.









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Old 05-06-2014, 04:01 AM   #6
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Re: TWOLOST: Oregon Coast; April 2014 (in progress...)



Wildlife around Depoe Bay, OR












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Old 05-06-2014, 04:04 AM   #7
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Re: TWOLOST: Oregon Coast; April 2014 (in progress...)




Wildlife spotting with daughter; Depoe Bay, OR














Starting to get stormy...






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Old 05-06-2014, 04:13 AM   #8
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Re: TWOLOST: Oregon Coast; April 2014 (in progress...)



I will try and add more information as I get time this week.


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Old 05-06-2014, 05:26 AM   #9
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Re: TWOLOST: Oregon Coast; April 2014 (in progress...)

Great shots! I spent many a summer in Florence, specifically Dunes City and Siltcoos Lake. Beautiful area...keep 'em coming!
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Old 05-06-2014, 07:25 AM   #10
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Re: TWOLOST: Oregon Coast; April 2014 (in progress...)

your trip reports rock! thanks for sharing!!
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