exploring oregon…
Oregon is beautiful. We are a bit embarrassed it has taken us this long to finally discover it. We have flown to many far away countries that would have trouble competing with the state of Oregon as a summer vacation destination. It’s only a 12 hour drive north from San Diego, but it’s a different world across that California/Oregon border. Oregon’s population is only 4 million people vs. California’s 39 million, so you really have an opportunity to enjoy nature. Put Oregon on your list if you wonder what it might have been like to explore Yosemite 30 years ago. It feels like it has all of the scenery and none of the people.
We packed our car with surfing, kiting, and camping gear and headed north without a schedule or any hotels booked. We visited family in Long Beach, then drove 6 hours to Sherman Island in Northern California to kitesurf on the Sacramento River and visit more family.
The drive through Northern California was easy except for the truckers that will swerve into you without looking so they can pass another truck that is going 1/2 mph slower than they are (even though both are going 10mph below the speed limit). After passing Yolo and Weed, we were almost to Ashland, our first stop in Oregon just across the border. The Shakespeare Festival (Ashland’s main tourist attraction), was not on our list, but we did enjoy a beautiful winery nearby and Bazooka Zoo, a “space rock collective” pushing the boundaries of traditional music at a local bar. They made all of the sounds.
After Ashland, we drove 3 hours to the coast at Winchester Bay. My brother was camping with his family at the dunes there so we crashed their RV and seafood boil, and rode their quads all weekend.
The scenery at Winchester bay is pretty incredible, especially when exploring on a quad. The wind blew almost every afternoon there, creating fresh unspoiled sand dunes, adjacent to miles of beautiful and empty beaches.
“Banshee hill” is the most famous and popular hill at the Winchester dunes because it’s the highest hill there. It’s an exciting ride that provides an amazing view once you reach the top.
After a few days of riding quads without incident, my brother decided to test his limits on steeper terrain. Unfortunately, he “didn’t quite make the corner” but he did make us laugh.
Father’s Day was a treat for my husband. After tackling Banshee Hill, he pumped up his kite and went for a cold water kitesurf session while I read on the beach.
After a weekend of smores and Angry Orchard cider around the campfire, I was eaten alive by mosquito bites the size of tennis balls on my forehead and both of my left cheeks. We decided it was time to treat ourselves to a hotel.
We drove a few hours north on the scenic 101 coastal highway stopping only to take a few photos and to collect another couple of hundred dollars from Oregon’s generous casinos. We had been stopping briefly at casinos along the drive north all week, and luck be a lady because I was on one heck of a hot streak.
After reaching Newport, we decided to stay for a night to enjoy the wide open beach. There is an impressive number of available campgrounds all along the Oregon coast but the casino winnings were burning a hole in my pocket, and so we enjoyed an oceanview room at the Shiloh inn (only $105) and tasty grub at Nana’s Irish pub.
We walked all over the small town and bay bridge in the morning before heading north again to Lincoln city. Lincoln City is a bit larger than the other coastal towns we had seen so far, but still quite small. We are amazed at how few people there are on oregon’s coast. Small home prices just one house from the water were just $250,000 according to Zillow.
We eventually found a wide open beach called “roads end” with heavy winds and bigger waves. I pretended to watch my husband kitesurf and snapped a few photos to appease him, but I was really beginning to get into my book “The Husband Secret.”
Afterwards, I scored another win at the local casino so we treated ourselves to a hotel for a few night. It was fabulous to relax in the hot tub and soak our sore muscles. It was an amazing first week in Oregon!
Sounds like a great time!!! I want to rent a house on the/near the beach somewhere in Oregon next year for a family vacation. I might hit you up on some ideas!
Absolutely!!! I definitely have some recommendations.
What a great trip!! You are luck be a lady with your winnings. How fun! Xox
The trip was amazing. Can’t wait to do it again. I can’t believe how lucky I was on the trip… I’m sure that upped the fun level a little. ?
Oregon is beautiful. I grew up in Portland and you have me missing it!
Ahhhh… Amber, Portland was our next stop! You will have to check out our visit there when it goes live. I can see why you miss Oregon!!!
The photos are stunning. Makes me want to get on a plane from S Africa and go see Oregon. Lovely
Thanks! If you make it to the US… Def hit up Oregon. It’s definitely underrated.
What a beautiful place to visit . . . one day, though I’ll make sure it is NOT during winter! Beautiful pictures Jill!
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It should def make your list someday!! It’s gorgeous! ❤️
It looks like an awesome trip! I have to include Oregon in our list of must-see destinations! 🙂 And wow, aren’t you lucky in the casino!
You absolutely should add Oregon to your list… it is definitely an under visited GEM! 🙂
Oregon has never been on my radar but it’s absolutely beautiful! I’ll definitely have to add it to my list of places to visit!
Fabulous! I think everyone should add it to their list! 🙂 I can’t wait to go again!
You truly lucked out on the weather too! The sunshine looks awesome. I’ve noticed that the Newport, Waldport, and Lincoln City areas always seem to have lots of clouds anything of the year!! Great blog post and I hope you continue up north 101
Hi Kevin! Thanks for stopping by! We did make our way up the northern coast… And hit Portland and the gorge (check out the other blog posts)!
We did get extremely lucky with weather! It was gorgeous! We hope to do t again and maybe continue through Washington! Would love any recommendations if you have them!
Oh, you would probably really enjoy Lake Chelan if you have the chance to visit it. Small town but lots of wineries to try.
Oh wow, I just checked the lake out online – looks very scenic – we might have to try it next year! We have family not too far from there