OR -- South Beach State Park & Newport, 6-13 Oct 2017

One week at South Beach State Park near Newport, Oregon…

Why we came…

To hunt for mushrooms and explore the Newport area.

The campground…

South Beach State Park is nice.  It’s huge with 10 loops consisting of 227 water and electric sites, 60 tent sites, and 27 yurts.  Thankfully the sites are good-sized and it’s fairly peaceful.  The 227 water and electric sites sites are paved and level.  Each loop has its own bathrooms and showers that are kept pretty clean.  There is a single dump station near the campground entrance that had a line of RVs almost every morning.  Satellite would be tricky in many of the sites because of trees.  There was a steady 2 to 3 bar LTE Verizon cell signal and no wi-fi. 

There are about 5 miles of trails at South Beach State Park between Old and South Jetty Trails, Cooper Ridge, and paths to the beach. We walked multiple times a day, and though the routes were often the same, there always seemed to be something new to see. We also had another purpose for wandering the trails.

We spent most of our week in the campground and were quite content. Overall, we were comfortable at South Beach State Park and would gladly return!

South Beach State Park map

Our comfortable campsite in a warm morning glow

Watching a pretty sunset at South Beach State Park

Nearby towns…

Newport, elevation 134 feet and population ~10,000, stays pretty busy.  Like many coastal towns, traffic is congested and flows slowly. There are plenty of restaurants, stores, and services.   It’s an interesting place with a historic bay front and nice beach.  Parts of it felt industrial while others felt touristy.  There is more about Newport below.

We enjoyed each drive across the Yaquina Bay Bridge.  It provides great views.

Adventures…

Exploring Newport…

Newport’s history is tied directly to Yaquina Bay where its river flows into the Pacific Ocean. After its discovery in 1856, it was considered the halfway point between Seattle and San Francisco.

Through here supply ships could access Fort Hoskins that was erected in 1857. In 1862, the discovery of oyster beds accelerated the settlement.

Newport was considered established in 1868 when the first post office opened and was incorporated in 1882. Even then it was a popular tourist destination because of its beaches and natural scenery.

Timber harvesting was an important industry from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Commercial fishing has always been important. “Pacific Whiting, or North Pacific Hake, was the largest source of fish, while Pink Shrimp brought in the greatest dollar amount.”

“Recreational fishing also occurs in Yaquina Bay, with perch, rockfish, herring, chinook salmon, clams, and crabs the popular catch.”

A walk along the historic Bayfront can easily fill a day. The Bayfront is a working fishing port and home to a variety of shops, restaurants, and lodging establishments.

But it is the call of the California Sea Lions that draws us! The Newport Sea Lion Docks Foundation has provided the docks at Port Dock One on Newport’s Bay Front as a haul-out for sea lions for over 18 years.

We could watch the silly antics of the Sea Lions for hours. It was entertaining as one sleepily slipped into the water and then tried to find a new spot. Each time it approached a dock, the napping neighbors lifted their heads and barked loudly. The seal in the water would back off, and within seconds, the others would stop the ruckus, close their eyes, and then quickly fall back to sleep. There is definitely an interesting hierarchy taking place.

“California Sea Lions are seasonal visitors. Only males migrate north to Oregon in late summer, while females and pups remain in California all year. The males will remain in Oregon through fall, winter and early spring, then return to California for the breeding season. The main haul out areas for California Sea Lions along the Oregon Coast are in the Columbia River near Astoria, Newport’s Port Dock One, Three Arch Rocks off Oceanside and Shell Island at Simpson Reef.”

A pretty scene in the harbor

       

Looking for a snack  /  Sea lions on a jetty  /  Taking a peaceful nap

       

We watched the sea lions’ entertaining antics for an hour  /  Crabbing from the dock  /  This made us chuckle

   

There are many interesting wall murals along Newport’s historic bay front

Mushroom hunting…

We first learned how to hunt wild mushrooms on the Oregon coast. It felt great to be back!

Exactly 2 weeks before, the coast had received at least 2” of rain. That is a coastal rule of thumb to trigger the fungi.

Chanterelles - We drove into the Siuslaw National Forest and followed a logging truck route that climbed to a long ridge. There we found a small patch of old growth forest on a knoll.

We stepped into the woods and the darkness enveloped us. We were in a rain forest of large Hemlock trees that had escaped the logger’s saw.

The floor of the forest was carpeted in sword ferns and mosses so thick we sunk in several inches as we walked through it.

My eyes adjusted and I saw on the green carpet the contrasting orange shapes of Chanterelles. With just a quick glance, we can now tell if it is a false chanterelle. Falsies are too perfectly round, too orange, and too flimsy. A real one stands firm on its thick stalk.

Arleen and I had a wonderful time for a few hours, poking around carefully over disintegrating nurse logs down into deep mossy bogs. We slowly filled our bags.

We returned to Siuslaw Forest a few more times and traipsed around in multiple areas. But we never found another area like that first one. It had been a very dry summer. Did our little treasures need more than the first 2” of rain before they showed themselves?

Porcini - We knew that King Boletes, that we call Porcinis (also known as Penny Bun, Cep, Steinpilz), come up on the coast associated with the Shore Pines on old sand dunes. We found a few in South Beach State Park six years ago so we were optimistic now.

On one of our first days there, Arleen grabbed my arm and pointed into the Salal under a group of shore pines.  It took a few seconds for my eyes to spot the tan top amongst the undergrowth. It was a perfect porcini!

After seeing that first one, I had an impression on my brain and spotted several hiding in the salal in that area.

After that, Arleen and I took a bag with us on every walk and collected a few pounds of porcinis each time. That may sound like a lot, but commercial foragers can collect 50 pounds in a day!

We were not the only ones hunting. We saw “shroom debris” that indicated others were having success.

Arleen cooked a few into some tasty meals but the majority she dehydrated for soups this winter. We still have more containers to fill so hopefully our luck will continue!

   

One of our many mushroom hunting routes  /  We love the moss covered forests

          

The lush Pacific Northwest vegetation is incredible

       

Our first chanterelles of the year!  /  Harvesting a nice group of chantys  /  A great way to start our season!

       

Arleen found the first king bolete of the year!  /  What we love to see  /  Two more nice ones

Dinner with friends…

Gary and Karen are a few of our fellow traveling NROA friends. Since we were going to cross paths is Newport, we had to get together!

We recommended meeting at Georgie’s Beachside Grill, Newport’s #1 rated restaurant. Arleen and I had eaten there six years ago and enjoyed the food and the scenery. We thoroughly enjoyed it again.

Afterwards, we all walked down to the South Beach dunes to enjoy a glorious sunset. We enjoy sharing stories and laughs with Gary and Karen and look forward to crossing paths with them again!

   

We had a great dinner with Garry and Karen at Georgie’s Beachside Grill  /  Then we caught the end of a pretty sunset on the beach

Previous visit…

We did more stuff in the area six year ago.  Here’s the link to that blog:  http://mud-on-the-tires.blogspot.com/2011/10/or-south-beach-state-park-17-24-oct.html

Next…

We are in Winchester Bay, Oregon.  After that we will move slowly north along the Oregon coast to Yachats, Nehalem, and Fort Stevens.

Parting shots…

Yaquina Bay lighthouse

Horses on the beach

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OR -- La Grande and Rufus, 30 Sep–6 Oct 2017

Three days in La Grande, Oregon…

Why we came…

Truck maintenance!

The campground…

Grande Hot Springs RV Resort is great.  All of the sites are long, mostly level, gravel pull-throughs with decent space between neighbors.  We had full hook-ups and no problem getting satellite TV.  The Verizon cell phone was a steady and reliable 2-3 bar LTE.  Wi-fi was usually decent but slowed considerably with heavy usage.  There is a small pool and hot tub that are very pleasant.  There are two laundry rooms with 2-3 washers and dryers that cost $1.50 each.  The facilities were well maintained and kept clean.  Though a few trains cruised nearby a few times a day, they never tooted.  Otherwise, it was quite peaceful.  We liked the location and were comfortable.  We’d gladly return!

   

It’s fall in the Grande Ronde Valley  /  Enjoying a hot soak at the RV park

Nearby towns…

La Grande, population roughly 13,000 and elevation 2,785 feet, is just the right size for us.  It has a super Walmart and a nice Safeway.  There is also a good selection of restaurants.  The people were friendly and we felt welcomed.  The setting in the Grande Ronde Valley is also very pretty.  It’s wedged between the Blue Mountains to the west and Wallowa Mountains to the east.  There are miles of trails, great fishing in streams and lakes, great hunting, and a couple of small ski areas.  The area is an outdoors paradise!

The similar sized towns of Pendleton,  60 miles to the northwest, and Baker City, 40 miles to the south, offer similar services, stores, and restaurants.

Truck Maintenance…

We took our truck to Integrity Motors for in issue we had in June. Mike, Tara, and Sean had taken very good care of us despite a complicated situation. So when our truck flashed a “check engine” light with some engine hesitation, we were thankful they could fit us into their schedule.

We juggled our schedule so we could return to La Grande. Coincidently, it was on our way from Joseph to Rufus.

Adventures…

Bike rides…

We dropped the truck off first thing Monday morning. This provided Arleen and I with an adventure opportunity. We unloaded the bikes at the auto shop and bundled up for a chilly ride back to the campground.

The temperature was in the low 40s with patchy fog. Thankfully, the winds were calm.

We stopped at the airport to warm up and to capture a couple of cool pictures. Then we had to wait on a freight train. They rumble through this area regularly.

The next day, I rode my bike back to the auto shop to get the truck. It was a slow, energy sapping ride into a head wind.

It was an opportunity to get us into cold weather riding shape. We hope to do some of that on the Olympia Peninsula this winter.

   

Bike route from Integrity Auto to the RV park  /  Northwood: Where our trailer was made!

Morning fog on the runway.  It was chilly.

Toot, toot!

Mushroom hunting…

We had read on the Oregon mycological society web page that they were finding chanterelle mushrooms in the La Pine area. Hmmm…

The Blue Mountains west of La Grande received 3-4 inches of precipitation in the last few weeks. Since we were detoured to La Grande for a few days, we took advantage of the situation to go on a mushroom hunt in the nearby mountains.

We drove up Highway I-84 on a rain showery day. We parked on one of the forest service roads and started walking up an old logging road.

We were surrounded by some spruce and larch but it was primarily lodge pole. We don’t like mushroom hunting in lodge pole forests. It’s not a pretty tree and it grows so thick it’s a pain to walk through. Plus, we have never found our edible mushrooms growing amongst them.

Still it felt good to be back in the woods with a purpose. We walked around for an hour covering a few miles. Our calves and boots got soaked from walking through the drenched underbrush.

Sadly, we did not even see an LBM (little brown mushroom). The area looked great with moss everywhere. Maybe, we were too early? Maybe, the summer was just too dry and there would not be a flush this year? Or maybe we were just in the wrong spot? It’s hard to pin point the theories unless you live in an area for several years.

Soon we will be on the Oregon coast where we are confident we will find some edible treasures!

   

Mushroom hunting route in the Blue Mountains near La Grande  /  We like the moss on the ponderosas

Keeping an eye on the ground for edible mushrooms.  Didn’t find any.

Three days in Le Page Park near Rufus, Oregon…

Why we came…

To kayak and fish the John Day River and explore the area.

The campground…

Le Page Park is very nice.  It sits at the confluence of the John Day and Columbia Rivers.  It has a selection of back-in sites and pull-throughs.  The pull-throughs parallel the John Day River and provide great views.  The views from the back-ins aren’t as good, but they are more peaceful because highway and train noise is muted.  The sites are all paved and fairly level.  Each site has water and electric.  There is a dump station at the campground entrance.  There is no wi-fi and just a very weak and unreliable Verizon cell phone signal.  The cell signal improved at the north end of the campground towards the highway. 

Le Page Park includes a good boat ramp, nice park, and a swim beach.  The area is popular when the salmon are running.  It’s another great facility run by the Army Corps of Engineers.

   

Lewis and Clark passed through here on 21 Oct 1805  /  Our view of the John Day River

   

The view from the river  /  Nice camp sites

Nearby towns…

Rufus, population 249 and elevation 235 feet, is the closest town, just five miles to the southwest.  There isn’t much to it.

The Dalles, population 13,620 and 109 feet, is the largest supply and service center in the area and is 30 miles to the southwest.

Adventures…

Kayaking adventure…

The Le Page Campground location begged us to launch our kayaks. We drove a few yards over to the day park side and did just that immediately after setting up.

This was Arleen’s first time in a kayak in six months. She was so happy to be back in the water.

She launched into the John Day River and immediately paddled over into the mighty Columbia! She jokingly said she was just going to float all the way to Fort Stevens.

The area at the confluence of the John Day and the Columbia looks a lot different now than it did during the days of Lewis and Clark in 1805. Clark noted at the time, “passed a verry bad rapid at 2 miles, this rapid is Crouded with Islands of bad rocks dificuelt & crooked passage”.

Since then the John Day Dam was built from 1958 to 1971. Now, the Columbia is more like a lake with only a slow current.

I fished along the rocky bank of the Columbia. Then we worked up the west, weedy shore of the John Day. Though I failed to tempt any fish, we enjoyed watching geese and Great Blue Herons.

Arleen and I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon together out on the river.

   

Kayak route on the John Day and Columbia Rivers  /  Fishing the John Day River in front of our home

Headed under the highway bridge and out to the Columbia River

On the Columbia River and looking towards the train and highway bridges that cross the John Day River

Looking downstream towards the John Day Dam and Mount Hood

Fishing the mighty Columbia River.  Didn’t get any bites.

Posing near the railroad bridge

Oregon Trail Monument…

We like to walk in the footsteps of early pioneers. Reading firsthand accounts gives us such an appreciation for our modern day luxuries.

We drove across the plateau above the Columbia River Gorge. The only things up there were vast fields of cut wheat, large wind generators twisting slowly in the breeze, and isolated farm houses. Some of the views were extensive. Mount Hood and Mount Adams often loomed in distance.

We dropped down the Grass Valley Canyon to McDonald. There, on the west bank of the John Day River, is an Oregon Trail Memorial.

“1843- OLD OREGON TRAIL FORD-1863

Emigrants on the old Oregon Trail Forded the John Day River near this spot from 1943 to 1863.

Thomas Scott established a ferry near here in 1858.

Daniel G Leonard built a bridge near here in 1866.

Thousands of settlers passed this way until completion of the railroad in 1884.”

On the west bank, pioneers had a choice to make a left and go to The Dalles. But as one pioneer noted, “Our train separated here. The rest are going to down to The Dalles, where they can ship down the Columbia and avoid rough mountains, but they will pay dear for their ride.” S.B. Eakin, Jr.

A lot of the pioneers took one of two routes to climb the plateau there. It was not easy, “We ascended one of the most difficult hills we have met on the while weary journey across the plains. One huge rock after another blocked the road, rendering it almost impassable.” Esther Belle McMillan Hanna

After a quick stop at the trail crossing marker, we continued on to the main destination of the day.

   

Oregon Trail Monument at the John Day crossing.  Mile 1,755 on the trail…almost there!

Hike in Cottonwood Canyon State Park…

We were going to stay at Cottonwood Canyon State Park. However, the park does not have any hookups and we were afraid that some folks would be using loud generators.

We have solar panels that power everything except the microwave and air conditioner. We like to boon dock in areas that do not allow generators. It makes for a more peaceful experience.

Cottonwood is remote. It is 25 miles from the closest town. We took the winding Wasco-Heppner Highway to get there. The park consists of 8,000 acres along the John Day River.

The area had been the Murtha Ranch since the 1930s. In 2008, the Western Rivers Conservancy bought the land. In 2013, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department purchased the land, for the same price, to create the state’s second largest state park.

Hiking, camping, fishing, and river rafting are some of the activities in the park. There is a campground with 21 primitive sites and 7 sites for hikers and bikers.

We were greeted by the old ranch barn as we pulled into the park. We could see about 10 cars parked across the river near the horse trailhead.

We parked near the campground at the Pinnacles trailhead. We were surprised not to hear any generators. Now we had some regrets about not staying at this scenic isolated location.

Tall basalt cliffs border the river on both sides. The trail runs along the south shore of the river on an old road bed.

We had a perfect view down into the river and spotted smallmouth bass and carp. Salmon, steelhead, and catfish also swim in the river.

We spotted cliff swallow nests under an overhang. Their “gourd-shaped structures” are built bit by bit with mud and lined with feathers by the small birds.

We had a good 6 mile hike along the river. It is just one of many hikes in the area.

   

Hike route on the Pinnacles Trail along the John Day River in Cottonwood Canyon SP  /  Beginning our trek

The Murtha Ranch was established here in the 1930s

A nice trail with dramatic scenery

Some vibrant fall colors along the river

   

Cliff swallow homes  /  Taking a peaceful break

Where we got our mail

Rufus, Oregon Post Office

Next…

We are camped in South Beach State Park near Newport, Oregon.  Our next stops are Winchester Bay OR, Yachats OR, Nehalem OR, and Fort Stevens OR.  It will be a fun six weeks on the spectacular Oregon Coast!

Parting shots…

              

Fall colors in La Grande  /  A great blue heron looking for a snack along the John Day River

Sunrise on the John Day River

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