Critique on Oregon Coast plans???

[cptgregger]

Do any of you Oregon Coast veterans see any issues with the CG areas I've chosen for this trip? Here is what we have planned starting this week:

Fort Stevens SP - 5 days
* day 1-2 rest up and relax
* day 3, lunch at Long Beach and Maaaaybe the Maritime Museum at Astoria
* day 4 Seaside and maybe Cannon
* day 5 break camp and travel to next spot

Nehalem SP - 4 days
* day 1 Oswald SP
* day 2 Manzanita and Rockaway Beach
* day 3 Tillamook
* day 4 break camp and travel to next spot

Lincoln City or Depoe Bay (haven't decided yet) 4 days
* day 1 Lincoln or Depoe depending on which CG location we chose
* day 2 Newport (Oregon Coast Aquarium and anything else we can see)
* day 3 Seal Rock
* day 4 break camp and travel to next spot


Store FH and BREAK for two weeks while I go to TX for surgery.... return to OR at beginning of November. Continue trip down Oregon Coast and California for 6 weeks to reach San Diego by mid-December.

Thus far all I've booked is Fort Steven SP so I'm open to any suggestions for changes... or does this plan look pretty good?

We homeschool our two children from 7am-12 or 1PM so most day trips to visit beyond the CGs will actually only amount to half-day excursions.

I'm guessing Newport will have a place I can store our FW for a few weeks? We'll drive from there to PDX and fly out from there.


THANKS for any and all advice!!!

[nforus]

Hi cptgreggeer,

Looks like a fun trip, when you're in Tillamook don't forget to also visit the air museum, it's a neat piece of WWII history.

[Luckiest Dreamer]

Astoria Seaside Museum(also the spot where the Pilot boats dock to help the ships thru the bar or upriver!) is good but remember that Lewis and Clark wintered there so there are things to see about them. FT Clatsup, Cape Dissapointment)(Educational) Columbia River sites as well which includes a Lighthouse or several all along the coast. Not sure about the seasons but taking a day for some crabbing is fun and Kite flying is always good along an Oregon beach. Tide pools offer a lot of entertainment as well. Of course most folks must make a stop for some Tillomuk(sp) Cheese.

[frankdamp]

You ought to consider a side trip to McMinnville to visit the Evergreen Air Museum. Well worth the time.

[BRex45]

Is the Tillamook Air Museum open?
It was closed/out of business last time we stopped by in the spring.

[itgeekgal]

Originally Posted by BRex45

Is the Tillamook Air Museum open?
It was closed/out of business last time we stopped by in the spring.

It was open when we were there in July... great experience!

[cptgregger]

Wow. Excellent info. Thanks for the tips, folks.

[traveler of california]

When in Long Beach, have lunch at the 42d Street Cafe - excellent! You should also go to the Cottage Bakery. I agree with all of the other suggestions and would add the Astoria Column and the Flavel House and museum.

[Doggy Daddy]

Originally Posted by frankdamp

You ought to consider a side trip to McMinnville to visit the Evergreen Air Museum. Well worth the time.

Definitely worth the trip. It is home of Howard Hughes' Flying Boat, The Spruce Goose. You can tour the inside and site in Howard's seat.

[coupevilleDF]

The Tillamook History museum is the best small town museum I have ever seen. They have a great collection. Looks like you might need an extra day there,.

Also, there are numerous liggthouses along the coast. Many are open to visitors but you will have to check this late in the year.

[sinnettc]

Where are you planning to be for Thanksgiving? I just booked a site at South Beach, a few miles south of Newport, for the Turkey Day weekend (will drive over on Friday after we feed the horde on Thursday) and there are now only 3 RV spaces left. Might want to book ahead if you'll be back on the road then.

Fort Stevens - if you go to the north end of the park you can watch ships head in/out of the river. Download the "Marine Traffic" app and you can track them via their AIS transmitters. The wreck of the Peter Iredale is right there at the park.

Astoria is a nice place, lots of victorian architecture, and definitely check out the Astor Column and Maritime Museum. Super view at sunset from the column if the weather is nice.

Ilwaco/Long Beach - one of our favorite places. If you want a 5 star meal, check out Nancy & Jimella's north of Long Beach. Also, if you don't mind sand on your TV, there's something like 29 miles of beach that you can drive on there. Or just take the kids out and fly a kite. As with Fort Stevens there's old gun emplacements in the State Parks. There's a nice wildlife reserve north of Oysterville on the Willapa Bay side.

Seaside is pretty touristy but they do have a nice carousel in one of the malls in the downtown area.

If the weather isn't great for the beach, and you don't mind a longish drive, a trip to Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area will let you show the kids a fairly close view of wild Elk. The bulls are generally in one field and the cows/yearlings in another maybe a mile down the road.

Tillamook Cheese Factory is worth a stop. They've got a smoked cheddar/peppercorn cheese that's awesome! Not to mention about 30 flavors of ice cream. And of course there's an educational component as they actually do make cheese there.

Not a lot to see between Tillamook and Lincoln City, aside from the Air museum (which is in a huge WWII blimp hangar) unless you take the 3 capes route out on the coast. Pretty drive but I'm not sure how well some of the windier sections work with a 5er or TT.

Devil's Lake State Campground in Lincoln City is a nice oasis right in town. If you decide you need to stop a bit before Newport it's a good option.

Newport: Just down the street from the aquarium, Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center has a smaller aquarium with some nice hands-on exhibits for the kids. Also a lot of information on research being done by the University. IIRC it's free or very inexpensive. Well worth the stop. NOAA just moved their west coast base to Newport a couple years ago so there will likely be some big white ships to look at as well.

On the other (north) side of the bridge (closer to center of town) the waterfront has a lot of touristy things and a great marina with lots of fishing boats. Quite often you can buy crab/fish right off the boat.

[Doggy Daddy]

Oregon provides lots and lots of valuable information of places to see, visit and experience at all of their Rest Stops and Visitor Centers.

[Percival6]

Originally Posted by sinnettc

Where are you planning to be for Thanksgiving? I just booked a site at South Beach, a few miles south of Newport, for the Turkey Day weekend (will drive over on Friday after we feed the horde on Thursday) and there are now only 3 RV spaces left. Might want to book ahead if you'll be back on the road then.

Fort Stevens - if you go to the north end of the park you can watch ships head in/out of the river. Download the "Marine Traffic" app and you can track them via their AIS transmitters. The wreck of the Peter Iredale is right there at the park.

Astoria is a nice place, lots of victorian architecture, and definitely check out the Astor Column and Maritime Museum. Super view at sunset from the column if the weather is nice.

Ilwaco/Long Beach - one of our favorite places. If you want a 5 star meal, check out Nancy & Jimella's north of Long Beach. Also, if you don't mind sand on your TV, there's something like 29 miles of beach that you can drive on there. Or just take the kids out and fly a kite. As with Fort Stevens there's old gun emplacements in the State Parks. There's a nice wildlife reserve north of Oysterville on the Willapa Bay side.

Seaside is pretty touristy but they do have a nice carousel in one of the malls in the downtown area.

If the weather isn't great for the beach, and you don't mind a longish drive, a trip to Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area will let you show the kids a fairly close view of wild Elk. The bulls are generally in one field and the cows/yearlings in another maybe a mile down the road.

Tillamook Cheese Factory is worth a stop. They've got a smoked cheddar/peppercorn cheese that's awesome! Not to mention about 30 flavors of ice cream. And of course there's an educational component as they actually do make cheese there.

Not a lot to see between Tillamook and Lincoln City, aside from the Air museum (which is in a huge WWII blimp hangar) unless you take the 3 capes route out on the coast. Pretty drive but I'm not sure how well some of the windier sections work with a 5er or TT.

Devil's Lake State Campground in Lincoln City is a nice oasis right in town. If you decide you need to stop a bit before Newport it's a good option.

Newport: Just down the street from the aquarium, Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center has a smaller aquarium with some nice hands-on exhibits for the kids. Also a lot of information on research being done by the University. IIRC it's free or very inexpensive. Well worth the stop. NOAA just moved their west coast base to Newport a couple years ago so there will likely be some big white ships to look at as well.

On the other (north) side of the bridge (closer to center of town) the waterfront has a lot of touristy things and a great marina with lots of fishing boats. Quite often you can buy crab/fish right off the boat.

Hi Cptgregger,

Sinnettc took most of the words right out of my mouth :thumb ! We were along the coast about a month-and-a-half ago and had a great time. We were also up there about 5 years ago about this time of the year. The weather was starting to change, but dried up as we gt further south.

Here are a few things I would add:

The Astoria Column has a pretty neat pictorial history of the area wrapped around the column and you can climb up the inside to the top, which has a great view. Also, the kids (and the adults, too) can buy little balsa wood gliders at the giftshop and fly them from the top. We were amazed how far the things go! You can try to go find them after the fact, but if its a windy day, forget it, they are long gone.

Check out Fort Clatsop to discover a lot about Lewis & Clark's winter there before they returned east. Its only about 10 minutes from Fort Stevens. Might be doable on your first or second day there, after you've rested up, as it only takes an hour or two.

Fort Stevens has docent led tours either of the underground bunkers or on the back of a duece-and-a-half army truck.

I was going to tell you to get a grilled cheese sandwich and cup of cream of tomato soup at the Tillamook Cheese Factory, but then the ice cream is really good too. The air museum was a little expensive for what there is, but it would still be worth a stop if you're interested.

If you are looking for a place to stay near Newport, check on Beverly Beach SP just to the north. Pretty nice. I will second sinnettc's vote for Hatfield Marine Science Center, we were thinking about going to the Aquarium but checked out the center and ended up staying there for two hours instead of going to the Aquarium. Our kids are really love science, so this was right up their alley. It has great hands on exhibits.

Once you get back to Oregon and are heading further south, check out the Oregon Sand Dunes NRA. BIG and lots of sand and you can go for sand rail rides around the dunes.

Also, outside of Coos Bay is Sunset Bay SP, its like having your own private stretch of beach. Plus there are some historic sites in the area and great tide pools.

As mentioned check out all the lighthouses you can, many different designs and most you can climb out and they have great views from the top.

Where are you from? Are you on the road full time or part time? We just started homeschooling our four boys last year and are trying to figure out how to we can take more trips and incorporate school into our travels. My dream is to take 6 or 9 or maybe even 12 months and take off across the country to see everything (and more) they are learning. The Boys seem to be all for it, but the DW and I are wondering how 6 of us will deal with being in such close proximity to each other for that long. http://www.irv2.com/forums/images/smilies/blink.gif How is it working for your family?

Hope the weather holds, you have a great trip, and that your surgery goes well and you are back on the road quickly! Good Luck!

Tom

[sinnettc]

Beverly Beach is my wife's favorite beach on the coast. Unfortunately, when we were there a few weeks ago we watched a rat chase/hunt a red squirrel around a tree next to our picnic table, in broad daylight, and she's not too keen on the campground anymore. I thought it was interesting (never realized rats were hunters) but I did chase the rat off so the squirrel (which was about hyperventilating) could escape.