Oregon

ranoodle31
Apr 13, 2018
3 min read

I am writing this a few days after being in Washington because I saw so much of the coast throughout all of my driving in Oregon, so I am combining a bunch of experiences here.

Holy cow is Oregon green! The trees that line this coast are amazing, when you look at them from afar they seem to have branches that lift upwards that create an illusion of green arms lifting up to the sky. In doing some research they seem to be Sitka Spruce trees. The coastal waters are a gorgeous blue color that you won’t find anywhere on the north east coast of the US. A mix between the dark blues of really deep water to crystal blue that you can see through. As I drove along the coast all I could think of was my time down in Australia. The coast of Melbourne is almost identical to this coast; tons of huge rocks that jut out of the ocean creating towers, mounds, shark fins and other amazing shapes. I got to thinking (of course which I keep saying is dangerous) were Oregon and Australia attached at one point when the continents were Pangaea, the super continent? Nope….not the way it has been drawn and discussed by the pros, but who knows, maybe there was a connection at one point. It is so odd seeing these massive rocks, like why are they so spread out, and so massive? Over time I know that the ocean waves and winds wreck havoc on the coast and create the magnificent sights that we see. But where are the other pieces that were once attached to these behemoths?

Anyway, I digressed yet again. This coast is beautiful and I can only imagine how it will be in the summer months. The moss that grows all over the trees here will disappear and the beaches which now have maybe 10 people on them will be packed with people from all over and rightfully so as they are amazing.

In my journey up the coast, I stopped in Tillamook which has 2 cheese factories, one called Blue Heron and the other I believe was Tillamook. At the RV place I stayed the manager told me to visit a local restaurant the Fish Peddler. The clam chowder was so so (I'm a New England gal , what can I say) but the calamari was AMAZING!!!! I also got a pound of steamers that were meh as well, but it was nice to have someone else cook for me. I visited Cape Meares and the lighthouse out on that coast along with a tree that has been named the Octopus tree, as you can see from the pictures as to why it has this name. Really pretty landscape and an easy walk to and from. This whole part of the coast has been made into a marine sanctuary which is wonderful because if we don't take care of things like this now we they won't be around for suture generations.

If you are into the movie the Goonies, then you should check out Cannon Beach. This is where they filmed some shots for the movie. As I visited it oddly enough cleared for the hour or so I was there and the sun came out! I haven’t seen the sun all that often as this is their rainy season. It was cool to think that I was standing in the same area as the actors from the movie, albeit that it isn’t the same sand lol but it was still cool to see. I may have to download it onto my tablet tonight to watch it for over the 100th time I am sure lol. They also have a few things you can do and check out in Astoria where a lot of the film was done, but being alone it doesn’t have that much of an appeal to me.

Random thoughts about Oregon

They really care about trees, for every one they cut, they plant one (or two)
They allow bikes, like pedal bikes, on the HIGHWAYS!!! So bizarre!
They want to keep Oregon green….and boy is it green! So there are a lot of signs about not throwing burning items (like cigarettes) out the window.
They post on signs for towns, we support veterans. Which I find odd because shouldn’t every town support them?
They have signs that say Speed, 40….then 100 feet there is another that says 25….then wait a min it will be up around 50, then down to 30….I am talking like very short periods of time between these sign changes. Why not just say the speed is 40 and change it only as needed lol.

Some more miscellaneous pictures from the coast of Oregon