Fort Stevens State Park to Umpqua State Park (Reedsport, OR)

Friday morning at Fort Stevens State Park dawned grey and foggy. Nevertheless we hit the road shortly after 8 am as I wanted to be able to stop early that afternoon.

I had forgone making a pot of coffee having remembered a lovely little café that my sister and I had visited a year and a half ago in Wheeler, Oregon. The coffee was OK but it was their cinnamon buns that I remembered. Not too gooey and sticky. More like Mom used to make. As we approached Wheeler my mouth was watering for a cup of real coffee and some cinnamony goodness. We rolled into town and low and behold the café was closed ... I mean no longer in business closed.

What a disappointment. But at least the sun had come out shortly after we’d departed from Fort Stevens State Park. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and with little wind it was promising to be a beautiful day.

When ever I am travelling up and down the Oregon coast I like to take a little side road into the town of Pacific City. It’s about five minutes off Highway 101. It’s rather touristy with lots of condos and visitor accommodation. But it is a spectacular location on the Pacific. The last time I passed through there was surfing competition happening which was fun to watch. I never figured out what the rules were although I’m sure there was more to it than just not falling off your surf board.

I was a little surprised to see heavy equipment on the beach.

When I visited the Stimulated Café across the street from the beach I asked the two friendly gals working there what was going on. The informed me that the wind off the Pacific Ocean sweeps sand from the beach up onto the parking lot and that eventually it gets so deep that cars start to get stuck in it. So several times a year they bring in equipment to put the sand back where it belongs. The also said that sometimes the pub that is right on the beach has to hire men to go up on the roof and shovel and sweep the sand off.

In any event these gals served some of the best coffee I have ever had. They recommended the dark roast and it was so satisfying in its smokey goodness. Of course, it was my first real caffeine hit of the morning so that my have had something to do with my reaction. As well they had cinnamon buns on offer so I could not resist. They (the cinnamon buns) were huge and even with my enormous sweet tooth I could only finish half of it and too the rest to go.

It’s difficult to imagine better weather for touring the Oregon coast. Especially in March. And the bonus of reduced rates at Oregon State campgrounds and no crush of tourists.
Today’s driving took us to just south of Florence, Oregon near Winchester Bay. Umpqua Lighthouse State Park has a smallish campground way up above the beach. You can neither see or hear the ocean. Come to think of it you can’t see the lighthouse either.

Eliot and did the one mile hike around the little lake below the campground before settling in for the evening.