Wednesday, April 18, 2012

please help plan our roap trip on the oregon coast!

cool www site... thought I would send a question your way...





We are leaving Vancouver, BC travelling south the last week of September (tuesday to sunday). We are bringing along two big dogs, a travel trailer, two pedal bikes and maybe one dirtbike (NO KIDS! this is an annniversary trip). Where should we stop to spend a day or two or three along the coast??





I remember going to Cannon Beach as a kid so we will stop there. We also want to do an ATV day so I think we need to get much farther south for that?? Some biking with the dogs one day would be good. Any possibility of surfing this time of year?? I am a begineer-intermediate surfer and I would love to try it out on the west coast...





Also wondering if there are beachside trailer places to stop for night along the way ?? or do we need to find State/KOA sites? Any need to make reservations?? I think not...?





Any good wineries to check out or is that just a California thing??





thanks for any suggestions you may have!





n



please help plan our roap trip on the oregon coast!


Hi



We just got back from the coast, it is cold and windy and I don%26#39;t think it is going to get much warmer. Yesterday was sunny, there was no one in the water at 3 different beaches that we went to. People were on the beaches though, with dogs and kites and children, wearing windbreakers and hats and shoes.





Cannon Beach has a RV park.. It looked like the sort of place you would need reservations...high season lasts in the hotels until the end of Sept so you should check to be sure , to be on the safe side.





Yes, Oregon has wineries too.



please help plan our roap trip on the oregon coast!


n,





Check www.oregonstateparks.org for state park campground information. The state parks that are situated nearest the ocean, from north to south, are Nehalem Bay near Manzanita; Cape Lookout 12 miles SW of Tillamook (BTW, Cape Lookout is very near the Sand Lake Recreation Area of the Siuslaw Nat. Forest and is a great sandy playground for less experienced riders); Beverly Beach State Park, north of Newport; Beachside State Park, south of Waldport (this is the closest of all as all the even numbered campsites from 62-80 back right up to the ocean); Sunset Bay State Park, SW of Coos Bay. There are other very nice parks along the way, these just have the best proximity and/or access to the ocean shore. Of these, Beverly Beach is probably the only one you need to make reservations at during the week. I strongly recommend reservations for Friday and Saturday at all Oregon State Parks through September.





Short Sands Beach in Oswald West State Park, 8 miles south of Cannon Beach has long been considered one of the best beginner/intermediate surfing spots along the Oregon Coast. You do have to walk 1/3 of a mile to get to the beach, but the trails are improved and quite well traveled.





The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area of the Siuslaw Nat. Forest begins at Florence and streches 42 miles to Coos Bay. Florence is a 4-5 hr drive (straight through) from Cannon Beach.





Den




There are a few great wineries in Oregon for Pinot Noir. My favorites are Torii Mor, Sokkol Blosser, Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene and Archery Summit. The Ponzi wines are also very good. The Dundee Bistro or Tina%26#39;s are both great options in the area for a meal.





If you go to Dayton, check out Joel Palmer House, I have a review with photos of our meal there last summer. It is a destination restaurant, well acclaimed for their mushroom products.





Enjoy the bunnies around the RV Park in Cannon Beach, they are adorable! :)




Some people need to provide a broom and dustpan so people can clean up after them.





Damombomb, all of the wineries syrahgirl lists are near Dundee, 45 minutes SW of Portland, and 2+ hours from the coast. The only winery I know of on your coastal route is Nehalem Bay, 20 miles south of Cannon Beach. It%26#39;s not really representative of the many good things happening in Oregon%26#39;s wine industry, but might be a fun stop for you.




If you go to Seaside and Astoria, check out the Wine Haus in Seaside. A very nice selection of wines there from all over the world. There is also Laurel%26#39;s in Cannon Beach by Bistro and the Wine Shack by the Coaster Theater to wine taste.





In Astoria check out the Shallon Winery, www.shallon.com and do some wine tasting at the Vintner%26#39;s Room at the Hotel Elliott or the Cellar on 10th St. The Blackberr wine at the Nehalem Bay Winery isn%26#39;t too bad, I wouldn%26#39;t make a special trip to the place unless you are already in the area for dinner. Cheers! :)




Where%26#39;s that broom and dustpan? ;-)





';Any good wineries to check out or is that just a California thing??';





Damombomb, unless you plan to drive inland a couple hours, the simple answer to this question is, NO. But, as syrahgirl has said, just like in Vancouver, we have wine shops in Oregon too!!!





The northern-most state park on the coast is Ft. Stevens. I mention it only because it%26#39;s got miles of bike trails, some reasonably sized dunes, and a small town%26#39;s worth of campsites. It%26#39;s also noteworthy that you can see the mouth of the Columbia River from the south jetty, inside the park.





Since noone%26#39;s mentioned it, I guess it%26#39;s assumed you know you%26#39;ll need a wetsuit for surfing. We%26#39;ve got some hard core surfers around here. I couldn%26#39;t believe how many were in the water at Indian Beach (in Ecola St. Park, just north of Cannon Beach) in February this year, when the water temps were higher than air temps.




I concur with PP re: wetsuit. Our water is colder than you%26#39;ll find in CA or other popular surfing locations. Years ago I dated a surfer and he and all of his friends had both wet %26amp; dry suits for surfing. Their favorite spot was Pacific City but it%26#39;s since been discovered by many surfers and unfortunately, Jetskiiers and the like who don%26#39;t seem to understand right of way.





If you don%26#39;t have your own suit, there are places, I believe, where you can rent them (sorry, I don%26#39;t have any suggestions). They%26#39;ll be able to tell you if you need a wet or dry suit for the current conditions.




You should have been there yesterday and the day before!



Very windy, very cold..no one would even stick their feet in the water much less take off their jackets and sweatshirts and go in ! LOL





Funny, we were by the RV park yesterday when we were making our turn to avoid the road closures in Cannon Beach, there were no bunnies running around lol but there is a cottage around there somewhere that has an online website that mentions bunnies on their property, maybe that is what you were thinking of, syrahgirl?




Thanks for all your ideas! We will check out the mentioned state parks, I will bring my friends wetsuit (I will surf!...if I can find a board rental place) or else we will just watch the dogs swim. I was expecting the wineries to be a bit of a drive inland so we will check some out on our drive home.





If we were to do the coast one way and the I-5 one way, is there a best direction to do it?? coast south/ I-5 north or I-5south and coast north?? just wondering...





Also, when we go ATVing (probably at Oregon Dunes Rec. Area), is there a recommended ATV rental place?? also can we camp in that park?





thanks again,



n




LOL ';a broom and dustpan'; LOL,,aint it the truth?

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