Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, Oregon

"There's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, 

no matter how many times it is sent away."

Sarah Kay

We left Nehalem Bay and pointed the Fox south. Our destination was located just two miles south of the town Yachats and above the Haceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint. Our plans were to leave our mark on Cape Perpetua, which many call "the rugged edge of the Oregon coast."

We decided to stay at Chinook RV Park on the Alsea Bay and River in Waldport, OR to dump and rinse our tanks, charge up the batteries and take care of 10 days of laundry. We chose Waldport because it is a town of relative obscurity, charming, but not crowded and on the water. The park was located just out of the town limits. The owners were great and the basic amenities offered were all we needed, but sites were pretty to close to each other. Fortunately, the park was pretty much empty. They did feature an awesome on-site pet area that Sydney loved to run in and it was right on the river. Plus their wi-fi was super fast so I could catch up on all our on-line tasks.

The US Forest Service created the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area and built the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center in the 1960's to highlight the unique beauty of the central Oregon Coast. And what a wonderful champion this area is, to show off the coastal beauty of the state! The visitor center offers natural history and cultural exhibits as well as spectacular views of the ocean and coast from it's deck. There are 27 miles of interconnecting hiking trails through an old growth forest made up of spruce, Douglas-fir and western hemlock, with many of the trails leading to Pacific Ocean viewpoints across the rocky shoreline or the many tidal pools.

Along the Cape Perpetua coastline there are several unique attractions as well. Hike the Captain Cook Trail down to tide pools and witness the power of the sea. The Devil's Churn is a long crack along the the coastal rock that fills with each ocean wave, exploding as incoming and outgoing waves collide. The geyser like Spouting Horn and Thor's Well are both salt water fountains driven by the power of the ocean tide...how spectacular they can be is based on height of high tide and size of the incoming swells.

Starting at the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center, we walked the 2.0 mile Giant Spruce Trail that winds through the trees along Cape Creek to Cape Perpetua's most impressive tree, a 600 year old (before Columbus sailed to the Americas) Giant Sitka Spruce, also known as the Silent Sentinel of the Siuslaw. The tree stands more that 56 meters (185') and has a 12 meter circumference (40') at it's base. Its the second largest sitka in Oregon. What was really cool about this tree other than it's massive size was that it's roots came out of the trunk above ground level and create a tunnel underneath the trunk large enough to crawl through. Awesome tree!

Another hike we took was the 2.2 mile Saint Perpetua Trail. This steep trail rewards you with many incredible coastal views, each more awesome than the last, luring you to onward and upward to the most spectacular viewpoint at Cape Perpetua. You will arrive at the Cape Perpetua Shelter, a structure built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930's, and once there you will agree the hike was worth it. Spectacular!

After three days of exploring this wonderful scenic area it was time to move out and head to one of our favorite destinations on the Oregon coast...Winchester Bay...and of course, Imke's treat of one of it's renowned dungeness crab.

At Waypoint 44.413383-124.016054

Nehalem Bay State Park

"At sea, I learned how little a person needs, 
not how much."
Robin Lee Graham

We left the state of Washington with reluctance, for there was still so much left on the plate to explore. I am sure we will return sooner than later, but when you have no agenda, no schedule and time is not of the essence, I can't help but feel bummed we missed a few explorations on the "list". But I have come to know that by being part of the "we", that list never ends. And Washington made it difficult for us to leave. We were stopped due to a massive gridlock on the Astoria-Megler Bridge as we crossed over the Columbia River into Oregon. It so happened that we were traveling on the closing day of the renowned "Rod Run to the End of the World" on the Long Beach Peninsula. This is a huge annual event that features a hot rod cruise, vintage car show, a slow drag, vendors and entertainment. Once we snail paced over the bridge, through Astoria and then finally south down Hwy 101, we were sailing.

Forty miles south of Astoria, we decided to stop at Nehalem Bay State Park. We had read great reviews, it was an Oregon state park and this was Sunday...so we probably would not have any problems finding a site. To our pleasant surprise, we found out the park is a few miles away from Hwy 101. Nehalem Bay State Park lies on a 4 mile long sand spit with a picturesque bay on one side and an ocean beach with scenic views of Neahkahnie Mountain on the other. 

We were fortunate to get there early enough to secure a long nice site as there was a line to get in and the campground was almost sold out from reservations. Never would have guessed that in this 3-loop, 265 site park after Labor Day.

Our site backed right up to the sheltering dunes that separated the ocean beach from the campground and provided some protection from the wind. As you stand upon the dunes, you could barely see the campground among the canopy of shore pines.

We walked the forested 2.0 mile bike trail that skirts the campground and Nehalem Bay and if there was one square foot of beach that Imkelina and Sydney did not touch, I would be quite surprised. You also have access to fishing and crabbing on the bay, bike trails that connect to downtown Manzanita and as Imkelina proved...endless hours walking in the dunes and beachcombing for those special treasures.

Our next stay here we will make sure to find time to explore the hiking trails of nearby Oswald West State Park and the towns of Nehalem, Wheeler and Manzanita. We were told by our neighbors, Monte and Kathy, who regularly camp here in their gorgeous Airstream that Manzanita is a beautiful oceanside town. We also heard that it possess the third most photographed scenery in Oregon. But for now...we continue to mosey on down the coast of Oregon.

At Waypoint 45.701200-123.937840