Coastal Getaway

We took advantage of forecasted warmth and sunshine for an overnight getaway to the Oregon Coast.  Our camping destination was Alder Dune Campground in the Siuslaw National Forest, five miles north of Florence.  Ironically, this same campground was the last place we camped in October.  And much to our delight we were able to camp in the same site, #29 right next to the restroom.

Jeanette setting up the kitchen

Alder Dune Campground is squeezed in between Alder Lake and Dune Lake.  We love this little campground for a number of reasons.  It is one of the few National Forest Campgrounds that is open year around.  Although located close to Florence,  it never seems crowded. Perhaps many campers want sites with water, sewer, and electricity, which it does not have.  It's very affordable at twenty four dollars a night, which as holders of a Senior Pass means only twelve dollars for us. It's well kept and quiet and has trails which make for easy birding.

Great Blue Heron at Dune Lake

During a stroll after dinner, we found a loop trail that we have never noticed, only about 10 yards from our campsite.  We checked it out and were pleased to find lots of Trilliums.

Other than the campground host, there was only one other site in use, a father and a son in a tent.  I only had one bar of cell service which was not enough for me to use the Internet. It was a cold night, down to 36 F, and sleep did not come easy. Are we too old for this, our just out of practice? Only time will tell. 

The next morning we headed back home along the coast, enjoying fantastic views of the ocean, and waiting for the temperatures to increase and the frost disappear. We made a stop at a bakery in Seal Beach, and a tour along the Siletz River to check out campgrounds. By mid-morning the sunshine was out in force and the temps were in the forties. We stopped to bird one of our favorites, Alder Island at the Siletz Bay NWR. You can see our bird list with photos here.  After birding, Jeanette fixed our lunch in the sunshine in the parking lot.

After lunch, a stop at Lincoln City Outlets netted Jeanette a new warm coat for birding and for me a new vest for birding. Tired, our next stop was East Devil's Lake State Park to fold out the bed and stretch out for some down time, (a daily necessity now-days), before driving on home to Dallas Retirement Village.