Oregon

It's funny how states really look different when you cross the border. Oregon is no exception.

The town of Brookings, Oregon is just over the border from California on the coast. Beyond that town, there is almost no civilization. Mostly state parks and some tiny towns.

But the coastline and beaches beyond Brookings are stunning. Giant black rock formations decorate the shore with windblown sands bordered by long yellow grass. Much of the coastline is pretty rugged, but there are many beaches that are not only beautiful but, most notebly, empty. There are no towns, so there are no people. At least not many. I saw some people like me, who had just pulled over on the highway to behold the grandure. Some locals walking their dogs. But I really almost didn't believe my eyes when I saw a long haired woman riding her palomino horse along the beach with her dogs running alongside. It's just nothing that ever happens on California beaches. A nice day like this one + beautiful beach normally = crowded. It was hard to compute this new beauty to people ratio.

It seems the best way to enjoy these beaches at length would be to get a campsite at one of the nearby state parks and then roll out for the day.

I may have hit it on an especially nice day. It was a bit windy at the beach where I stopped. But I passed many smaller beaches protected by rock cliffs that would likely be less windy.

When I return to the redwoods, I'll be sure to build in some time to visit these beaches again since they aren't far from here.

I am meeting Darren in Seattle on Sunday, so I need to decide when and where to cut inland. For now I'll head up the coast as far as I can before dark and then re-evaluate.

Along the way I pulled over to look at a map and determined that the whole coast between Coos Bay and Florence, where the coast turns into sand dunes, is a national recreation area which is attached to a national forest. I wondered if this might be one of the few places where I could just park by the beach overnight. I imagined an armada of vans and campers just like rusty parked at sunset by the water.

I raced toward Coos Bay to try and beat the sunset.

I didn't make it. Just as I roll into town, the sun was gone. The town didn't appeal to me much, so I attempted to try and navigate the dunes area in the dark. I made several attempts to poke into various nooks and crannies, but nothing seemed to work and there were long stretches of highway in between, and no van armadas, only full campgrounds. I wasn't too sure about the overnight rule differences between national forests and national recreation areas. It was getting late. I was nervous that if I made a mistake with national park rules, it could mean a hefty fine.

I remembered passing a casino with a huge parking lot full of big RVs. I know that casinos often trade free parking for the hope of luring customers, so I drove back into Coos Bay, snuck in between some RVs, drew the curtains and called it a night.