Mud-on-the-tires Full-time RV Adventure: 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!