Summer Camping on the Coast

With the heat of summer, the Oregon Coast is always our default get-away.  On this trip we got in a lot of nice birding and spending time with two different sets of friends.  We left home on Saturday morning Aug 17th, making stops to bird at Balston County Park and Fort Yamhill, on our way to meet with Kerry and Debbie Kliever who were staying at Devils Lake RV Park.  We got in a little afternoon trip to Fogarty Creek State Park, some snacks, and a taco dinner with them before we ended the day at our over-night parking spot at Chinook Winds Casino parking lot.

Jeanette and Debbie - snack time

Chinook Winds Casino Parking

Sunset over the Pacific Ocean at Chinook Winds

Sunday morning we had breakfast with Kerry and Debbie at  Pig 'N Pancake in Lincoln City before heading down the coast to Newport, making a birding stop at Sally's Bend on Yaquina Bay. There we turned in this bird list with the highlighed photo of this Great Egret.

From Sally's Bend we difted on to South Beach State Park, stopping at South Beach Fish Market for crab and shrimp salads to go, in honor of Jeanette's Birthday. At South Beach State Park we parked in the Day Use Area to eat our salads and to use up some time before our reserved camping site became available. It was a hot day so we were delighted to find that our site had some great shade which we enjoyed. However after the third day in the shade our solar was not keeping up and I relented and plugged into the electrical service. You see, I pride myself in never having to plug in.

Our site

Our trip was originally planned to bicycle and bird with friends Gary and Judy Dinsmore.  On Monday moring we set off on our bikes to count birds, stopping first at the South Jetty. See our bird list here. Next we cycled on through the marina area before returning back to camp to rescue Buster.  The afternoon was spent working on photos and resting before getting on our bikes and riding back to the Rogue Brewery for dinner.

Rogue Brewery

Tuesday morning we set off on another bike ride, this time to the Mark Hatfield Science Center Estuary Trail to bird. The tide was way out, but still we managed a list. See our list here.

Gary & Judy ride recumbent tricycles, so we make quite a parade when cycling along the trails.

Wednesday morning began with the threat of rain, so after a short Buster walk we drove directly home.  Buster did well with his anti-anxiety medicine and slept on the couch most of the way.  Our van is now a year old to us, having traded for it on Jeanette's birthday one year ago. It's taken lot's of adjustment to the smaller space, but we love the complete idependence with the solar and lithium systems. This was our longest outing to date, with five days and four nights. Some where during our time with Gary and Judy we came up with a plan for our next adventure.  They will be volunteering at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend next month, so we will be taking a trip mid-month to visit them.

Biking Bird Guide & Blogger

photo by Judy Dinsmore through tricycle rearview mirror