We left the rush of highway I-5 below Eugene, Oregon and headed for Reedsport. Our final destinations would be Coos Bay and Charleston on the Oregon Coast. When we pulled off of I-5 and entered Hwy 38 it honestly seemed like we had entered another realm. Time stood still. I felt eight again. I imagined myself in the backseat of the family car, taking country roads to our final destination by the Maryland shores. It is immediately different here on Hwy 38. And for the next two days, so were we.
My sister and I decided we would take this route to Coos Bay and stay the night. It was in remembrance of our brother and in quest of understanding his life there. This is the same route from Portland she would take years ago when she visited on weekends. You follow Hwy 38 along the Umpqua River until it meets the Pacific.
Day One...Umpqua River to the Pacific
Once you hit the coast you turn south and head for Coos Bay and just south, Charleston. This is where you come to walk with no shoes, sand crusted on your feet, hair left wild and windblown. There are restaurants in Charleston where the fish is caught fresh. Or if you like, rent a boat and they will take you out to catch your dinner yourself. You can also pick up fresh crab at Fisherman’s Wharf on the D docks in Charleston. They’ll clean them if you want to take them back with you or you can eat them right there. Given our short time visiting, we opted for a restaurant. And as always with my sister, she ordered dessert. Three huge scoops of the best local Oregon grown strawberry ice cream ever.
We stayed the night in Charleston at an RV park that also had several great little cabins. https://www.sunrvresorts.com/resorts/the-northwest/oregon/oceanside-rv-resort/ . A short path through the tall grasses and we were on the beach for a walk before sunset. Then, exhausted, we were in bed, with the sound of the ocean in our ears. I was out in an instant.
Day Two..the Coast
If you are lucky enough to stay for a while, there is a lot to visit. Sunset Bay State Park. https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=70 or you can visit the Botanical Garden, Bastendorff Beach and Shore Acres State Park https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=66 They are all reached within a short distance by following the same Cape Arago Hwy. So we started the day with a drive to the pinnacle of the high overlook of Bastendorff Beach. We spotted a few campers below as this is one beach that allows camping.
It was still early morning when we visited Sunset Bay and walked on the rocks that are exposed during low tide. Going further South you can find several lookout points at Shore Acres State Parks. We stopped here, too, and walked some trails. These are the familiar trails of Western Oregon. The high trees and thick vegetation provide a canopy that makes you feel you are all alone. Alone but for one exception…the loud sea otters below on the rocks. High above the waves, we sat on picnic benches and watched the whales leap out of the sea. All those people in the photograph looking away from the camera…whale watchers.
In trying to visit the old hangouts in one day, we realized it was 4 o’clock and we hadn’t eaten. So we headed back to Coos Bay, had a great seafood meal and walked around the waterfront.
Less than three hours later we were back at Agnes’s Cafe in Elkton . This was our last stop before hitting I-5 and the last leg back to Portland. So what else could we do but indulge in eating blackberry pie. Not an unusual thing given the abundance of fresh fruit grown in Oregon. The crust was homemade, the berries high.
I stopped there, too, to visit the river again. We had been there on the way down and walked out on the leveled rocks, crossing one, then another. Only yesterday, when I looked downstream at the bend of the river, there was a family on the rocks and others swimming in the water. Their voices and laughter drifted up to me. Looking in the opposite direction, there was a man and a woman with fishing poles, sitting on lawn chairs. feet in the water. But now it was Monday. There was no one there by the river, only me, wanting to relive again a soft Sunday afternoon by the Umpqua River.
Traveling the Oregon Coast? It is so worth doing and worth your time for a Coos Bay, Charleston visit. Check it out here: https://www.oregonsadventurecoast.com/blog/seven-reasons-to-visit-the-coos-bay-north-bend-charleston-area-this-summer/
