The Beautiful Southern Oregon Coast

 May 17 - 24, 2021

Brookings, Oregon

Wow, that three weeks in California flew by! I think it took me that long to move out of "vacation" mode and back into "fulltime RV life" mode. Settling in for a week at Harris Beach State Park in Brookings, Oregon, I feel time slowing down. The motorhome feels like our permanent home again. I'm focused on each day rather than comparing our experiences to what we were doing during the "lost year" (thanks Janna, it's the perfect description). Without a doubt, this is the life we're supposed to be living. 

Living it along the Oregon Coast is pretty spectacular!

Being in a banana belt zone, Brookings gets more sun than other areas, but it's still chilly at 55 degrees with high winds. Fortunately our space has nice hedges surrounding the spacious yard so we spend a good amount of time hanging out at home.

Tessa is getting very used to lush green grass.

Soaking up blue skies from the front yard.

A 20 and A24 have the best water views, but we have this pretty glimpse through the trees.

The Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor is 12 miles of beautiful view points between Harris Beach and Gold Beach. Boardman served as the first superintendent of the Oregon State Parks from 1929 - 1950 (wow!). He was responsible for acquiring coastal lands in Curry County with the goal of establishing the whole area as a national park. While the Department of the Interior did not support the idea, Oregon incorporated the lands into the state park system and named it for the superintendent upon his retirement.

We spend a day appreciating the exceptional beauty, and Mr. Boardman for his tireless work to protect it.

Knowing it will be at least a couple years before we see the Redwoods again, we return 30 minutes south to Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park in California. With the wind at over 35 mph, tucking into a protected environment seems like a good option! 

Forests are beautiful, but nothing compares to these amazing giants. Howland Road is a peaceful, narrow drive through miles of trees, including Stout Grove. 

This burl looks more like a mud slide than part of a tree.

The road narrows through the trees.

Impossible to capture the whole tree!

Taking our time, we discover shelf mushrooms high above us.

I love the deep, cool, unique environment created by the healthy forest. It's a whispering place.

My BFF loves this area and suggests making the loop on Carpenterville Hwy over the mountain to Pistol River. It's a great drive with amazing long distance views, ending where the river enters the ocean. 

When we return to Hwy 101 we find a couple wind surfers enjoying the high winds. And we spend some time enjoying them!

Waterfront camping doesn't look so fun in the wind!

They're moving very fast!

And they catch a lot of air!

Looks like so much fun!

For the second time in three years I spend my birthday at Fat Irish. I've been looking forward to their Shepherd's Pie and Irish Red Ale, and am not disappointed! I highly recommend this pub, it's the best place to eat in Brookings! The big 65 - how did that happen??

Bill's Bloody Maria was tasty too :-)

Our last day the wind finally takes a day off. Tessa and I spend some time on Harris Beach where the waves are smaller than we've seen in weeks. A freshwater creek crosses the sand, driftwood lines the edges, sea stack formations add their unique character. It's a magical place.

Hard to catch her moving so fast - love the bunny ears :-)

Making it's way to the big water.

Exploring the rock fins.

"Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints."

The Chetco River is very low, but we find some pretty spots along the north side. One of the best steelhead and salmon rivers on the west coast, there must be a lot more water in the winter. New growth is starting to fill in the areas damaged in the 2017 fire. 

Wonderful river colors!

Affordable river front home.

Started by a lightning strike, the fire burned over 190,000 acres of timber.

Only about two feet deep.

Like so many places, we're sorry to be leaving after a week, and at the same time looking forward to our next stop. Two weeks in Winchester Bay where we're looking forward to friends - and rain!