As we left California, we were greeted by the beautiful Southern Oregon Coast. We have been trying to put this visit together for several years, but we finally got to Oregon this year. The main purpose was to visit friends I had not seen in many years.
Port Orford
We had help with the Oregon Coast itinerary from one of our pickleball buddies who grew up in Depoe Bay. He assured us we were safe staying on Pacific Coast Highway unless the road was closed. Our first stop took us to Port Orford, the home of the daughter of one of my best friends, Pat. Pat died of ovarian cancer 11 years ago, but I have always felt close to her daughter, Donna, her husband, Tom, and her granddaughter, Ava. We had the best visit and some of our best summer meals there. They grow most of their vegetables, strawberries, rhubarb and herbs.
Their first dinner was fresh-caught Tuna, one of my favorite dishes! The dessert was a homemade blueberry pie. Tom has crab pots, and our second dinner was homemade crab cakes! The dessert this time was a strawberry rhubarb pie—another wow! Chicken with pasta and a blueberry/rhubarb crumble was another awesome dinner. We toured wineries in the Umpqua Valley and sampled wines at three wineries.
Whale Watching or Not?
Another day, we went on a whale-watching boat ride. There were no whales, but the trip along the Southern Oregon Coast was fun! We walked a labyrinth on the beach at low tide and were amazed at the anemones, clams, mussels and starfish clinging to the exposed rocks.
On our last night, we had dinner at Redfish, the best restaurant in Port Orford, where Ava was our Server par excellence. We had a wonderful time with Donna, Tom, and Ava. We hope they’ll visit us in Key Largo this winter.
The next stop takes us further up the Oregon Coast, with some interesting stops.
Depoe Bay
As I said, our pickleball friend, Larry, grew up there, and his Mom owned the hot spot, Gracie’s Sea Hag. Gracie is no longer with us, but the Sea Hag still bears her name. Memorabilia decorates the walls, telling of her importance to the town. We stopped there for lunch, announcing that Gracie’s son, Larry, had sent us!
We continued north along the Coast and spent one night at the Blue Herron Cheese Company in Tillamook, Oregon. This was the best Harvest Host we have ever experienced. They had complimentary RV parking for at least 40 RVs, and you do not have to belong to Harvest Hosts. They had a great store, good wine, Tillamook cheese, obviously, a deli and more. There was even a petting zoo!
Next Stop takes us to Astoria/Warrenton, just west of Portland, Oregon.