Half way down the coast of Oregon is the Oregon Dunes. Read Patty's account
of our experiences with Dune Buggying and Sand
Boarding.
The town of Florence is in the center of the Oregon Dunes. There's a county
park there that we love to stay in. The spaces are huge and secluded. It feels
like you're all alone in your private little jungle.
If you can work your way through the brush, there is a spectacular view
of the ocean at the mouth of the Siuslaw river. It's a beautiful place but
COLD (August highs in the low 60's).
We found the oddest thing below our campsite. A sign points to an apparent
scuba dive entry point. Following the sign, we
came to a concrete structure that breaches the
rock levy and opens to the river. It is located a good half mile from the
open ocean and there is a 6-knot tidal current churning the river into a murky
darkness. Could they be serious?
A few miles south of Florence is the Siltcoos canoe
trail. The river runs a mile and a half to a small dam, then another mile
an a half through an obstacle course of downed
trees to the ocean. A portage ramp is provided so you can drag your canoe
or kayak around the dam. Patty and I both rode
our kayaks down the ramp, but the thing wasn't a slick as it was last year.
As if to make up for the disappointing ride down the chute, a cute little
muskrat swam up to us near the bottom. He didn't
seem to mind me chasing him with my camera.
A
few mile north of our campspot is the most photographed lighthouse
on the pacific coast. On our way up to see the light
, we ducked into some short sea caves and watched
surfers riding the waves.
The constant wind coming off the ocean made bike riding a chore, so we decided
to go inland to find a more friendly bike route. The "big" town
of Eugene is about 60 miles east of Florence. The crowning glory in Eugene
is the Willamette river bike trail. This section
of the river is quite wide and shallow with a bit of white water. It made
for a great bike ride.
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