Our Summer Season Begins in Oregon

May 21-28, 2019
Brookings, Oregon

In addition to continuing rain, our drive north has lots of fog. Some of it's heavy with short distance visibility. The drive is also short, so not too bad. We do get glimpses of the ocean and know we're missing some wonderful views. Oh well, we have a whole summer to enjoy them!

Miscommunication in my planning puts us at Portside RV Park in Brookings, Oregon, rather than the sites on the water at Beachfront Park, but once we're set up in our very tight concrete site with zero views, we decide to make the best of it.

Snug site on the highway. Photo taken from the Mexican restaurant across the street. Walk-to margaritas is a plus, but we only take advantage the one time as the food is mediocre.

Wednesday is my birthday so we're off to birthday pancakes at Mattie's! It's a nice start to a great day doing what we both love - playing in the forest with no one else around.

While the coastline is the main draw in the area - and the excellent "banana belt" weather - the Chetco River and surrounding hills offer their own beauty.

Nature gets up close and personal.

A couple pretty spots to explore but the mosquitos are making their first appearance so they're quick stops.

Very different from the redwoods to the south, but still magical.

While there's birdsong throughout the area, this stand of ghost trees is eerily completely silent.

With all the natural beauty and good weather, we had Brookings on our list of possible landing locations. Unfortunately the little town doesn't offer much for the long term, and it's not close to a decent airport or medical facility, so it came off the list early.

Still, it's fun to drive around the scenic areas and see what's for sale. Just because we can.

This available lot ($500k) and it's incredible views makes us add Brookings to the "maybe when we win the lottery" list!

I don't think I'd ever leave my deck.

Another downside to Brookings is the lack of decent eateries. Thursday evening we find an exception - Fat Irish Pub. It's just down the road and very, very good! My shepherd's pie and Bill's Irish stew are so rich and flavorful I'm pretty sure we're making obscene noises while eating :-) Good service, lovely interior, and friendly patrons make for a delightful experience.

Although we'll repeat the drive when we move north, we take the Samuel Boardman Scenic Drive in the Jeep so we can do all the stops. It's a great way to see a lot of the beautiful coast - because scenic - and we enjoy several hours seeing what we can see.

Lone Ranch Beach

Whale's Head - my favorite beach in Brookings.

Saturday of a holiday weekend is always a great day to stay home, which we do. 

With no Elk Channel here, the dog tv is pretty boring.

We get more rain off and on, but get back out for a drive on the "other side" of the Chetco River. We forget it's Memorial Day until we venture into the primitive campgrounds along the water and find hordes - seriously, there's more campers crammed together here than in RV parks in town. We pass others on the narrow forest roads, having to pull over to let each other pass, but for most of the time we're on our own.

The river is pretty here, but too cold for playing in.

Evidence of past fires is everywhere. Definitely more than one in the last ten years based on the regrowth. Much of the burned timber has been cut and hauled away. 

What's really incredible is how Mother Nature has blanketed the scars with beautiful greenery and wildflowers. Birds have returned, probably lots of smaller critters in the brush as well. It's a hopeful scene, one of rebirth following total destruction. 

It gives me hope, reminds me of the importance of replanting, of replacing loss with beauty, of looking forward to a brighter time. We're blessed to live a life where we can slow down and pay attention.

The water looks glacial in many places.

How nice this bridge has one side for me on the left, and for Bill on the right :-)

In addition to the river, multiple small streams trickle through the forest floor.

In our windshield we have a full size cardboard sign that our friend Kevin gave Bill. On our last day, a man stops Bill outside and asks him about the sign.

Bill explains it's our last name. The guy says "Mine too!" Even better......his first name is Rocky!! Of course he stopped because he figured that was the reason we had the sign, and he and Bill talk about where they're from. No common relatives, but same part of the country so probably connected some way. 

Gotta love those chance encounters :-)

Our time in Oregon has begun. We had a good time in Brookings, and Tuesday morning we continue north.