5/4–Reedsport to Albany

Another beautiful day on tap to explore Oregon.  We are so lucky with this weather.  Everyone is remarking about the sun.  Nice!  We are, of course, up and out early again. We want to go walk through some of the sand dunes, and since Reedsport is known as the gateway to the Dunes National Recreational Area, we figure today is the day.

First we want to head south for a bit though and try to make it to Coos Bay, which is supposed to be a wonderful little fishing village turned town, with great scenic views. We start out south, and make our first stop at Umpqua Lighthouse.  It’s a cool old lighthouse that has a red and white beacon (maybe the only one in the U.S.?) and unfortunately was not open for tours when we were there.  There is a large Whale watching deck across from the Lighthouse, which we use to gaze out into ocean – but without much whale sighting success.  There are still whales here, but not in the numbers that are here in the high season.  It’s still a nice way to start our morning though.

We reconnoiter a bit in the car and decide that we don’t want to drive all the way down to Coos Bay, just to back track here again to go to Salem, so we will go directly to the Dunes Recreational area (even though that is backtracking a bit up to the north).  On the way to the park though, we just have to stop at the Sour Dough Bakery we passed before the lighthouse.  Here we get coffee (of course), but also the best sourdough loaf!  Originally, we were going to just get the baguette (smaller, more easily manageable) but I fortunately asked the girl there if it was really sour – and she said no, not too much, because they put a whole cup of sugar in the dough.  Um..thank you…no. Flour carbs are bad enough! So, we went with the loaf – knowing we’ll be eating it for days, but oh what a treat.  And it was warm, fresh out of the oven. Even better – we smelled it from the backseat all day long. 

So, onto the park entrance – through the desolate dunes and logging sites, and into the little parking area outside the Day Use area.  It costs $5 to park and use the area, so we dutifully fill out our slip and give them our money.  There is a nice little loop trail that we take through the woods and swampy ponds (swatting mosquitoes the whole way – even with our spray on).

Then, as we round a corner and start to climb up a bit – there before us are the dunes, stretching out into the horizon without a break in sight. Amazing – it is just like being out in the desert somewhere – not like being on the Oregon Coast as we’ve known it for the last day.

We slog through the sand, keeping the trail markers in sight – you sure as heck don’t want to miss a marker out here, you’ll be lost forever!  As we make the loop, we begin to see more trees and foliage, but we also begin to start an uphill climb that takes our breath away – and we’re in shape, mind you.  This is no hike or walk for the infirm.

Even though my shoes are now filled to the brim with sand, this was a great experience.  The contrast in landscape is so incredible, the sand, exertion and bug bites make it a very worthwhile stop on our coastal tour.

Back at the car, I empty my shoes, and we head out to the “Accessible” dunes area where there is a paved walkway and boardwalk to view the dunes.  Another nice stop with nice photos….

It’s time now to leave the coast and start our inland adventure. Back down the dune mountains we go, over the Art Deco Bridge, a left at the Harbor Light in Reedsport turns us inland and away from the water we drive.  Our first stop is not far outside of town, at the Elk viewing area.  They say you typically only see Elk in the morning or evening, so we’re not hopeful as it’s nearing mid-day – but we’re in luck. There are tons of elk grazing out there in the fields.  Totally cool.

Fun. Now off we go, toward the center of the state, and up toward Salem. The scenery changes from coastal cliffs to farmland and grazing areas, orchards and nurseries – and grass seed.  Yes, fans, grass seed.  Linn County is the “grass seed capital” of the world.  It’s grass, stretching for acres and acres on either side of the highway.

And then there are also the Coffee huts – they are everywhere. Just like in Alaska, these little huts (teeny, maybe 100 square feet, no inside seating, just drive through or walk up) dot every parkway, highway or major boulevard.  We’ve seen hundreds already, in only 3 days.

Along the way we stop and picnic on our cheese, sour dough and beef sticks (no coffee though), then end up making a slight diversion into Albany as a pit stop a little before 2pm.