CAPE ARAGO HIGHWAY.
Day 23 – We were up & heading out by 7:55 this morning, clear & sunny, 48 degrees. We had to be at Coos Bay, Honda World at 9 a.m. About half of this trip was new territory for us. The sun was blindingly bright. Surprisingly, for a work day in a fairly large city, traffic wasn’t bad at all.
It took them about an hour to make us 2 new keys. Again, the people were incredibly nice and very smiley. What is it about Oregon?
We originally had wanted to camp at Sunset Bay State Park, near Coos Bay, but they were fully booked & we couldn’t get a site. We decided to check out this area since we were in the area anyway. Driving west from Coos Bay, there were many RV parks, all of them basically large parking lots. Then we entered the smaller beach city of Charleston and we felt like we were on the Atlantic coast at a beach town in southern Maine or eastern Massachusetts. Cute little shops, lots of trees, a very relaxed atmosphere, and many fish & crab restaurants. Just west of there, we stumbled upon Bastendorff Beach County Park and drove thru, checking out the campground, writing down the good campsites for future reference. After that we were headed southwest through a beautiful area encompassing 3 state parks. This was where we had wanted to spend our first few days on the Oregon coast. It was very nice.
The first Park, Sunset Bay State Park, had a campground & some trails to the Ocean. The camping section was partially closed for the season. The other half of the Park was nearly full of campers; we drove through & took notes. They had a great view with sea stacks at a scenic parking area; Rob took pictures.
After Sunset Bay, we drove through the heavy forest to Shore Acres State Park, the second Park. There was no campground but they had great trails & we hiked around. They had a fantastic botanical garden, very nicely kept up, a rose garden, and a greenhouse. We spent a lot of time there. Really nice! It had warmed up and it was a very pleasant day.
It’s interesting how many people we’ve encountered who were originally from southern CA, now living in Oregon. Almost every day we meet someone who tells the same story – the weather was too hot, too many people, too crowded, etc. They all seem to be quite happy in OR. Today we met two ladies who live 10 minutes above Disneyland in Orange County, CA. They were running from 90 to 100 degree temperatures & loving every minute of their trip. Anyway, the final area we encountered before the road ended was the Simpson Reef & the third State Park, Cape Arago. A man named Simpson had donated his one-hundred-thirty-something acres at Cape Arago for the state park. Rugged & beautiful, a lighthouse & sea stacks, heavily forested, we liked it there. As you approach the first pull-out/parking lot at this Park, you hear the “barking” of seals & sea lions. It was really loud. There’s a handy viewing area on the cliff above Simpson’s Reef where they hang out on the rocks. Hundreds of them. There are informational kiosks about the inhabitants of the area. We saw Steller Sea Lions & California Sea Lions. At other times of the year, they have Northern Elephant Seals & Harbor Seals. In December, California Grey Whales pass by on their way south to mate; in April the mothers & babies migrate close by to head north for the summer. Cape Arago/Simpson Reef do not have a campground but they have some good hiking trails. We enjoyed our excursion & were glad we took the time to visit!
All this fresh air had made us hungry so we went into Charleston for lunch, stopping at Cap’n Jack’s Crab Shack, a tiny place which was basically a fish market with some tables. We split 2 shrimp tacos & 2 fish tacos, both were excellent. Tummies happy, we headed back south to our campground, taking a small & winding road for most of the way, rather than Highway 101. We arrived back at the RV mid-afternoon. Earlier, more inland, it had been 70 degrees; it was 62 & windy at the campsite.
Bastendorff Beach County Park, between Coos Bay & the 3 State Parks, just after Charleston, OR, Highway 540 south. RV’s electric & water hook-ups, there is a dump station. $20.36 per night; you need to have a reservation. Check-out is noon; check-in is unknown at this time. Best sites to reserve: 34, 44, 45, 54, 64, 65, 67.
Sunset Bay State Park, the first of 3 State Parks heading south on Highway 540. $29 per night full hook-ups; $26 per night electric & water. 4 Loops, 1 for tents, most sites were narrow & not deep enough for an RV & a towed car. Some sites were open; some sites were surrounded with bushes. Preferred sites that we could fit into: D7, D9, D20, but 2 loops were closed so we couldn’t see all of them.
Another beautiful sunset!
