Nanette Jacques
Story and Photos By Nanette Jacques
Years ago a Swiss friend of mine was planning a camping trip to Washington and Oregon. The forecast called for torrential rain for days and I suggested he may wish to postpone his trip. He looked at me in all seriousness and said, "But it is a rainforest. I would be disappointed if it did not rain."
I was certainly not disappointed on the first leg of what was to become a five-month, 20,000 km journey throughout the US and Canada. Often a marine layer (euphemism for fog for non-coastal folk) and light drizzle envelops Oregon's spectacular coastline, this, however, was not the usual mist, but a road obscuring deluge that lasted for days. Together with a tortuously windy two-lane road where the rainforest gives way to the sea and hugs the headlands, cliffs and sand dunes I learned all about the handling of my RV. I could have chosen an easier route to gain my initial experience but this is one of my favourite places in the world and even under these conditions, it's not to be missed. You can round a corner and drive through sand dunes that fight their way up from the beach and into the rainforest, see crashing waves break around the hoodoos, seastacks, rock pillars, and arches that tumble along the coastline all the while the Pacific Coast highway is dipping down to the ocean and then abruptly up again for thousands of feet. No stretch of this road is more than a few car lengths long before it turns again, each new vista as beautiful as the last.
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Oregon has one of the most diverse marine ecologies in the world including seals, sea lions, resident and migrating whales and seabirds. Tidal Pools boast literally hundreds of species and as a child they held a huge fascination for me. The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport and the Sea Lion Cave, America's largest sea cave where you can get up close to Steller Sea Lions (and enjoy a singular olfactory experience) in Florence are well worth a tour. For less inclement weather or the hardy it's possible to actually walk anywhere on the coast as the state passed a bill in 1967 prohibiting private ownership of the actual waterfront. Pedestrians are welcome to explore the entire 585 km of shoreline.
Denise, my travel companion for this leg of the trip, had booked the RV campgrounds we were to stay in. First up was Bud's RV Park in Gearhart Oregon. Chosen as an endpoint for the amount of time we planned to travel on day one, rather than its location, Bud's was right off the coast highway when you first reach the Oregon coastline. The park was well organized, with a nicely stocked little store and friendly staff — I'd recommend it as a stopover but there are much more scenic spots along the coast. It's a Good Sam Club-recommended park and we did get a 10% discount, as well as the assurance that it would be clean and well run.
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For fans of cheese, the Tillamook cheese factory is a must stop as you proceed south. With cheese-making tours, sampling and a store chock full of a huge selection of really good cheese and delectable chutneys, spreads and dips, it's possible to spend several hours here exploring, tasting and shopping. As no self-respecting gourmand should be without the best food while camping, we stocked up in Tillamook and departed with enough great cheese and condiments to last for at least a month or two.
From Tillamook, we planned two days at the Sea and Sand RV Park in Depot Bay Oregon. The park is situated right on the waterfront and we had visions of letting my waterdog, Milo, make the most of the long sandy beach at our doorstep. We would sit out on our comfortable lounge chairs with a glass of fine Oregon wine and Tillamook's best appetizers, watching the crashing waves and the first appearance of the stars as night fell, and so we didn't shirk at the $60 plus US dollar fee.
However, the best laid plans as they say. We barely made it out of the RV long enough to hook up without getting completely drenched (nothing like a really wet dog in a small space.) We settled instead for parking the RV in what is evidently not the common format, with nose forward so we could enjoy the view through the huge windshield. A true rainforest experience, (my Swiss friend would approve), a Pacific Coast storm is a savagely beautiful thing and made me supremely happy I was no longer a tent camper as we turned up the furnace, sipped our wine and watched the storm. That night the wind came up and the RV responded enthusiastically to the gale that battered the beach. Next stop, the sunnier shores of California.
Nanette Jacques is an event manager and travel writer. Currently, she produces the Snowbird and Earlybird RV shows and the PetLover Show in Abbotsford, British Columbia. She can be reached at njacques@shaw.ca
Nanette Jacques