VACATIONING ON THE OREGON COAST

Without That Ocean, Oregon Would Just be Another Montana

By Bill Schneider, 3-05-06

	Photos by Bill Schneider

What’s the difference between Oregon and Montana? Well, not that much. When you’re in Oregon, it’s hard not to notice things like having somebody pump your gas and having the opportunity to turn in your cans for money and a rare twist on politics, but basically it’s the same—except of course, one big difference, the Pacific Ocean. If we weren’t able to look out the window and see it, vacationing in Oceanside wouldn’t be much different than vacationing in Ennis or Red Lodge. Without that ocean, Oregon would just be another Montana.

For the land-locked among us, the ocean really cures cabin fever. That’s why we came here for our winter escape, but the local tourism promotion people don’t seem to promote the Oregon Coast as a winter destination. If they want to fill up all those vacation rentals and RV parks all year round, they should. To me, it looks like the best time of the year to visit the Oregon Coast.

Don’t expect to get a suntan, but it’s warm enough. We had a touch of that “typical” Oregon Coast weather, but most days were plenty nice enough to thoroughly enjoy outdoor activities. That’s another difference, I guess, you can enjoy summer activities during winter. This works great for somebody like me who isn’t deep into skiing, snowshoeing and other snow sports. Sand, on the other hand, never melts or gets icy.

I like to hike, and even though Montana has some of the best hiking anywhere, it’s mostly restricted to July-August-September. I get impatient waiting for that window of opportunity. Out here, we’ve been hiking almost every day—beachcombing excursions with waves braking at our feet, strolls through giant spruce and hemlock that make Montana trees look like swizzle sticks, and mountaintop hikes with views to kill for. I’m writing this fresh after returned from a hike to the top of Neahkahnie Mountain where you can see twenty miles of coastline in both directions.

The Oregon Coast is lined with dozens of state parks, most with short hikes, and all beaches are open to public access. In some places, like the East Coast, you run into concrete fences adorned with PRIVATE PROERTY, NO TRESSPASSING signs extending out into the breakers, but not on the Oregon Coast. Best of all, you can hike amid this outstanding scenery all year round. And this time of year, you avoid the crowds. One day last week, we hiked ten miles on a beautiful beach and had it all to ourselves.

Another advantage of coming in winter is agates. We’ve been picking up handfuls during every walk on the beach, but after March, they’re hard to find.

Cycling, another passion of mine, is also fantastic. I ride my bike most days in Helena, too, when I have roads clear of ice and snow, but out here, they’re always clear. You can get wet, so bring the raingear, but it’s always warm enough.

If that’s not enough, you can try catching a winter steelhead (more on that next week), digging razor clams, or crabbing for dungeneous crabs. I didn’t get around to clamming or crabbing, but I’ve scoped it out and know what I need and where to do it. I’m saving that for next winter. I can already taste them.

That’s not all. You can see people surfing the waves every day, and for land-locked birders, this is a paradise. Plus, there’s scuba diving, hang gliding, and sea kayaking. More than enough to keep you busy outdoors all winter.

If you aren’t the outdoor fanatic like I am, you still won’t be disappointed. You have a long list mainstream attractions such as museums, aquariums, and historic sites, even tours through the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We spent one day doing the mainstream stuff, a trip down to Newport to enjoy the Oregon Coast Aquarium and Hatfield Marine Science Center with a brief stop at the unique Brewers on the Bay tasting room. It’d be easy to get carried away sipping all the hoppy and bitter Rogue ales and barley wines, but don’t push your luck because you have to dodge the forklifts on the way out through the floor of this bustling beer factory.

If you like to shop, well, no Abercrombie & Fitch or Nordstrom’s, but you can find a wide array of colorful gift shops filled with local crafts, antiques, and endless products from the ocean—all varieties of shells and rocks and other fruits of the sea and items like jewelry and knickknacks made from them.

I’m not much of a shopper, but I forgot my bicycle pump so had to buy one. I finally found one at Trask Mountain Cycle where they sell mountain bikes and motorcycles (first time I ever so those in the same store) as well as computers, flat-screen TVs, vacuum cleaners, and lawn furniture.

If you like to dine out, you definitely won’t be disappointed. Every little beach town has restaurants—everything from the smoke-filled pub & grub where the mossbacks hang out, to pricey brewpubs to fine dining establishments with romantic views of the sun setting over the beach. I can, in fact, verify that the local seafood is worth the trip all by itself, even without the outdoor fun.

When I travel, I always like to sample the local culture, so we tried a couple of local meat-and-potato cafes where you get a chicken fried steak with a little paper cup of Jell-O topped with Dream Whip as a garnish. The verdict? Restaurants in rural Oregon are no different than restaurants in rural Montana.

I also have a habit of checking out the local weekly from the nearest town big enough to have a Freddie, which is Tillamook. Here, I found out the editor doesn’t like blogs, and a lot of obits. I enjoyed reading about the athletic prowess of the Tillamook Cheesemakers, but the editor must not like the mascot (or finds it hard to fit into headlines) because he call them the Mooks (or Lady Mooks).

Rural America is the same everywhere and really hasn’t changed much in the last hundred years. You could mount a good argument that being frozen in time is not all that bad.

All told, we had a great trip to the Oregon Coast and plan to return next year. If you need a little escape next winter, I suggest putting the Oregon Coast high on your list of choices.

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