Crissey Field State Recreation Site & Welcome Center (OR)

Our night at Quosatana Campground was a wet one; but other than having to keep our camp chairs inside the Roadtrek, it didn't matter much. It was 17 Sep 2019, and off we went to our next adventure on our southward bound coastal drive. 

We traveled the Oregon Coast Highway over the highest bridge in Oregon, the Thomas Creek Bridge, which lies within the Samuel Boardman Scenic Corridor. We stopped numerous times to get out to view the different beaches along the way. After a few hours, we drove inland to what we thought would be our next camping location. Using Google search, it led us to the U.S. Forestry Service (USFS) website for Little Redwood Campground in Brookings, OR. We came to find out after driving all the way out there that the campground was CLOSED! It turned out to be indefinitely closed since a forest fire burned through there in 2017, but the USFS website didn't say it was closed. Bummer, but fortunately there was a campground nearby with openings: Alfred A. Loeb State Park. During this entire time, it had been raining and was rather dark; but we made it and were barely settled in the Roadtrek before evening fell. What a R.E.L.I.E.F!

The next morning as we continued our final day of traveling the Oregon Coast Highway, we were able to take some photographs of the coastline because the rain had finally stopped. We were rewarded with more of Oregon's beautiful, wild, coastal scenery.

Gold Beach, Oregon Coast. Photo by Virginia.

Cape Blanco State Park & Quosatana Campground (OR)

For the drive following our departure from Eel Creek Campground, it was 58° F with dark gray skies and continuous rain. We drove the Oregon Coast Highway (U.S. Highway 101) through the towns of North Bend, Coos Bay, and Bandon. You can see just how dark and gray it was in the first photo. It was consistently a leisurely drive for the lack of traffic, which makes it more of a pleasant experience for us tourist types. Since Margaret did all of the driving on our trip, this particular scenic drive was made more memorable for me by a long phone call with my daughter. There were lots of offshore rocks, which made for a lot of white water from the breaking waves. It was very dramatic!

Bandon, Oregon. Photo by Virginia.

Eel Creek Campground (OR)

Following our two lovely nights at Harbor Vista Campground and errands in Florence, we drove south about 37 miles to Eel Creek Campground* in Lakeside, Oregon, arriving there at 3:00 p.m. After driving through the campground and choosing our preferred campsite, Margaret went to register and pay for two nights while I set up the Roadtrek for camping. It was Friday the 13th (13 Sep 2019), and we got campsite #13 for $11/night. Heh. The campground wasn't crowded and had potable water, trash, and bathrooms with flush toilets. We didn't have any T-Mobile signal; but with automatic network selection, I had a 4G AT&T signal, and Margaret had a strong U.S. Cellular signal. The weather was a clear and sunny 64° F, and the ocean breezes were heavenly. It was the perfect weather for us!

After a fairly busy day, we looked forward to relaxing with dinner and a fun movie (Maverick). What a life!

That evening there was a bright and brilliant full Harvest Moon. Watching from my bed as the moon disappeared and reappeared from behind clouds silhouetted against the tall trees was both dreamy and eerie. 

We were surrounded by tall, healthy trees.
Photo by Virginia.

Harbor Vista Campground (OR)

After our day exploring Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and errands in Florence (OR), we needed a campground. Stat! I don't recall how we decided on trying Harbor Vista Campground; but it all worked out great, and we ended up staying for two nights. We arrived on 11 Sep 2019 at about 7:00 p.m. and after driving around the campground we both liked campsite #28. The fee at the time was $25/night. There are 45 RV sites with electricity and water hook-ups, as well as tent camping sites. There is also an RV dump station on site. The campground has bathrooms with flush toilets and showers. There is a playground area, picnic tables, and public access to the Siuslaw River and North Jetty Beach on the Pacific Ocean. 

We had a one-bar LTE signal with T-Mobile, which was enough to have access to the outside world. Score!

The first night's sunset was captured brilliantly by Margaret with her iPhone!