EVERY Town on the Oregon Coast -The Drive Down Highway 101

Welcome to another episode of the Plant Based Jan Adventure series. I'm trying to find the coolest places on the planet while also living a healthy lifestyle on the road. For me that's plant based. Now that's an adventure. Today's question, can I hit every single town on the Oregon coast and do a quick video summary? I think so. Stay tuned for the ride all the way down highway 101. We're gonna do the whole Oregon coast. The truck and trailer are packed up and we are headed out to the Oregon coast. I want to see if we can hit every town on the coast in two weeks. If the goal is to hit every town on one trip you may wonder why. Why put a scenic coastline journey into hyperdrive mode? Why not chill and spend your time parked in a spot or two? It's a good question. I have spot visited the Oregon coast, little towns, little areas, many times but I really hadn't seen the entirety let alone in one trip. And doing one trip really showcases how incredibly diverse it is. You've got the rock formations, everything from thundering Thor's Well and Spouting Horn to those long sand beaches. Have you ever noticed how relaxed and happy everyone is when their feet hit the sand? And that really goes for the dogs too. Even though I'll run through these towns really fast I think you'll get a taste of everything. That's my goal is to show you all these different landscapes, the activities, and the historic features. Plus you've got local commerce, the beach shops, marinas, boats, and my favorite the wildlife. Sea life I should say. In fact I could not tell you what my favorite part of the coast was before this trip. I'm going to pick one and I'm going to get to my number one later. The state of Oregon is in the northwest corner of the United States. The state of Washington is to the north. California is south. The Columbia River delineates much of the Oregon-Washington border on the north side. The Snake River splits much of Idaho state to the east. I've got a video on jet boating the Snake. It is one of my all-time favorites but that's another thing. To the west is the Pacific Ocean accessed by Highway 101 and that's where we are right now. The very grand entrance from Washington state from the north is the Astoria Bridge. It spans 4.1 miles across the mouth of the mighty Columbia River. The main span is over 1200 feet which ranks at number one in the entire nation for the longest continuous truss. When it was built it was called the Bridge to Nowhere. After all it connects a small town which was even smaller at the time Astoria to well an unpopulated empty shoreline. Crossing it causes a little heart racing because you're flying over the water over the river 200 feet above it and then you make an almost 360 degree turn to get down into Astoria at the end to get on to Highway 101. It's wild. Construction started in 1962 and it was dedicated on August 27, 1966. Today on this hot August day you almost feel like you're cruising the Florida Keys to Key West on the overseas highway. I made a video on that. Astoria is the oldest immigrant settlement west of the Rockies. It was established in 1811 as a trading post but the times have changed. A few miles south in Warrenton you'll find a Costco, Home Depot and Walmart all on 101. For a quick little detour head north and you'll hit Fort Stevens State Park featuring a shipwreck on the beach and the only civil war earthen fort on the west coast. Heading south to Seaside is a stop you might want to make at Gearheart. It's interesting real estate a renowned golf course and lots of elk many which hang around the streets and the houses. Seaside it's the quintessential fun beach town. Think festivals by the sea everything from music to sand castles and a 1920s boardwalk that frames the beach for easy walking. It's just a really fun place for a vacation spot for the family, couples, even a solo person has fun here. This next town Haystack Rock no it's actually Cannon Beach but most known for the beach rock feature Haystack Rock. It's probably one of the most photographed and painted areas of the Oregon coast and in town there's over a dozen art galleries to see it from a different point of view. Cannon Beach has a heavy duty resume. National Geographic calls it 100 of the world's most beautiful places. USA Today says it's America's 10 most romantic coastal destinations. You'll definitely need to get out of the vehicle browse the town and walk the beach. Cannon Beach. Back on 101 headed south and man the views down to Manzanita are amazing. This highway is cut right into the mountainside with just enough pullout pockets for people to stop at. Today's weather is as good as it gets and you can see there's still plenty of spaces. These pauses are highly recommended for pictures or just to take in that crashing coastline below. I've heard a couple of friends say that Manzanita is their favorite spot on the coast and I think that's because it's kind of a place to rest and play and walk the cozy beach. It's really a community of homes and small inns. You can find lots of cottages and home rentals and then you can get all the basics. There's a grocery store, a winery, a few shops and restaurants but that's probably not what it's about. It's more about just hanging in front of the fireplace and the beach. It's all good. It's whatever people's preferences are. We can't always follow the coastline but when 101 veers inland it's gorgeous. Farmland, bays, forests, rivers. After Manzanita you head over the New Halem River into the little town of New Halem and then you curve around, you hug the bay and go through the town of Wheeler. That's all set on waterfront. This is a beautiful waterfront drive any time of day. Back to the edge of the ocean we're hitting the coast and we're driving through the coastal town of Rockaway Beach. It's got seven miles of walkable beach, a cute little town with a lot going on. Because it's Oregon it also has some rock features way out there. They're called the Twin Rocks. Now we're coming into Garibaldi which is perched on the north end of Tillamook Bay. It's on highway 101 of course. This gets a mention because we stayed for a couple of days in our RV with no reservations in August. This town has a big RV park and marina and it's in striking distance to the Tillamook area and Cape Mears to the south. Now let's go check out the sights around here. First the Tillamook Air Museum because you can hardly miss it. It's a former navy air station and a blimp hangar which is the largest clear span wooden structure in the world. This thing is enormous. Over to the cliffs of Cape Mears and the lighthouse. It was first lit on January 1, 1890. The Frenzel Lens was one of the largest of its day and one note it's one of the shortest lighthouses in Oregon but it's perched on a cliff so that works. We'll wrap up sunset at Oceanside Beach. It's right near Cape Mears area and we'll let this August sunset speak for itself. On to Pacific City and Cape Kiwanda. It's a wild place. It's got the tallest sand dune on the coast at well over 200 feet high. A lot of people were attempting it and you could totally skip your workout for the day if you do that. The cape is made of sandstone cliffs which are not super stable but they are beautiful. It's also home of Dory Boats. Here's the launch area for them and I was told that they plow straight into the waves and the swells and it's quite a sight. We didn't catch any but we heard a lot about them. You've got beach breweries, you've got cold water surfing, Cape Kiwanda. It's just a fun fun spot. Continuing southbound to the big city, Lincoln City. Okay it's not real big but as coastal towns go it is very good size. But to get there we're going to wander through some of the most picture-perfect countryside in Oregon. You go through tiny towns like Nestuca, Hebo, Beaver, little white churches, barns. Such a fun drive through here. So picturesque. These are the kinds of places where if your life is a little too fast-paced you feel like picking up a real estate guide. You could totally live here. We'll speed up and run through the main drag of Lincoln City here just to give you an idea of everything that's here. There's lots of places to stay, to eat, to shop. Basically all of your amenities for a weekend or longer. Just a bit north of Lincoln City on the coast is the most charming little community. It's tucked back into this little corner. It's got a golf course that's been around since the 1930s. It's got small streets of cottages and bungalows. It's very cozy and it has a magical beach scene anchored by this Proposal Rock. Yes Proposal Rock. How romantic is that? It's such a great little This place is called Neskowin. We're making great time down the coast. That bridge, that is Highway 101 right there. But where is the smallest natural harbor in the entire world? Also right here. Welcome to Depot Bay. Looks so peaceful but if you are boating into the bay it can be very hazardous. You're basically threading the needle through this narrow channel. Just doing a little research in case I need to bring my boat in here. They were saying 9 to 12 foot swells today in Depot Bay. You can park along the seawall. The entire downtown is a seawall with plenty of parking. This is a great coastal town to walk. It's framed by picturesque fingers of rock with oceanfront architecture and check out the whales. This is the whale watching capital of the Oregon coast. Odds are pretty good that you will see one in the season. There's a resident pod of gray whales who love it enough to call home. The whale watching center has a ton of information and some high-tech cameras to spot them if you don't see them with the naked eye. Of course there's plenty of souvenirs but the best one might be a memory if you hop on a whale watching boat. On our way to Newport there are two places that we'll stop and see. Whale Cove and Devil's Punchbowl. Both are within five miles just south of Depot Bay. To stretch your legs again and see the best view for Whale Cove, which is the first place you'll stop, look for Rocky Creek State Scenic Viewpoint. Whale Cove has a great story. It's a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A couple purchased it in order to conserve it after some high-density development proposals were floated and then they sold it to the government at a deep discount to preserve it forever more. On your way from Whale's Cove to Devil's Punchbowl is a sweet scenic and maybe secret drive that parallels 101. It's Otter Crest Loop. It's a little hard to find the turnoff but it's well worth it. We're going to park at Devil's Punchbowl. It's a cauldron of collapsed sea caves. It's not your soda and fruit red punch in a glass bowl. No, this is incredible. Highway 101 slices through Newport, Oregon over the Echina Bay and so we're going to go over the Echina Bay Bridge. It's a 1930s steel arch bridge. There is so much to do and see in Newport. You might want to visit the resident sea lions who live around the historic bayfront. They just hang out there. They're very loud or enjoy the fishing boats. They enjoy them as well. Or head over to the Echina Head Lighthouse and don't get this mixed up. There's another lighthouse called the Echina Bay Lighthouse. So take your pick. A couple lighthouses here. Very efficient. There's so much packed into the 10 square miles of Newport. NOAA has its headquarters here. That's the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration but this visual is not that obviously. It's the Rogue Brewery which is right by the bridge which is not too far from the NOAA headquarters. The Oregon Coast Aquarium is here but we must keep moving on to hit the goal of every town on the Oregon Coast. 101 cuts over another dynamic coastal town called Waldport that spans the All-Sea Bay. This arch bridge is a phenomenal spot to see a bird's-eye view of the boats and the sea lions. You can see them by the hundreds hanging out on this spit just playing and laying in the sun. And speaking of birds-eye view, there are over 400 species living in this area. They thrive in all the wetlands and the shores of the Bay and the All-Sea River. As we move south into Yachats, you start to see that it's less busy. The population base of the Portland area has easier access to the northern town so that makes sense. The town of Yachats itself is small and eclectic. If you're on 101, you drive through it pretty quickly. I'll say this too, if the Oregon Coast is scenic, and it is, the areas around Yachats are ultra scenic. There's Cape Perpetua and then there's features like Thor's Well and Devil's Churn just to name a few. It's a little gray today as I pan these beaches but you can see that just one or two blocks from downtown you've got these rugged and wild beaches with huge pieces of driftwood and rock. See that little person down there for scale? Gives you an idea. The Yachats tourism website has a quote from Van Morrison that sums up this whole area perfectly. Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly. Perfect. If you want to get high on the Oregon Coast, you need to go to Cape Perpetua. It's the highest headland at 800 feet and it looks right down on Highway 101 and the coast. The CCC built some of the coolest things. We're on the top of Cape Perpetua Lookout Road and there are some really nice trails up here and a stone lookout that will just blow your mind. It's so cool. There's 26 miles of trails but you can also cut to the chase and drive straight to the top. This is a big park area with a visitor center, camping, and biking trails too. Thorswell. Heading out to Thorswell. I have wanted to see this in person for so long and it's 67 degrees. Are you kidding me? I could spend hours here. The surf on these rocks is absolutely mesmerizing and dangerous. I ventured out kind of close to Thorswell but I wanted to play it safe and I didn't get any great shots because I wasn't close enough which means I have to come back. The surf literally just went up and this is what you have to watch. I was standing right out there just a while ago. Here's a drive-by of Devil's Churn. It was later in the evening and it's certainly worth hiking down a little bit and checking out during the day. South of all that crashing surf area is the absolute quiet and serenity of Heseda Head Lighthouse and it's got a beach that's so cozy. It's tucked right in there. Again today with weather as good as it gets this is really unbelievable. The string of incredible weather we've had and you've got this protected soft sand beach all anchored by the Heseda Head Lighthouse. Oh and there's a bed and breakfast here. You can stay here. On to the adventure of the dunes part of the coast. This is a very unique place. Miles and miles of sand dunes right on the ocean and you'll want to know there's about 60 miles from Florence to North Bend that are primarily dunes access. So you've got to have an OHV or some kind of off-road vehicle and if you don't well you can certainly rent one. This dunes area is just amazing. It's like its own ecosystem. You've got so much equipment here. You've got all these groups. You've got just this passion for doing the dunes and getting out there in this very unique style in a very unique landscape. If you're interested in this area there's a lot to know. It's all online. In the stretch of the sand dunes area on the northern part is the Umpqua River Lighthouse. You might want to stop off over there and check it out. If you want to check off another lighthouse this is a good one especially because it's got an accompanying museum with it. Speaking of the Umpqua River if you have time for a side trip some of the rivers that empty into the Pacific Ocean are just stunning drives. Check this out. It's a scene heading right up the Umpqua River and you also might be lucky enough to see herds of elk along the way. This area where the Umpqua River meets up with two other rivers near the ocean is the town of Reedsport. There's a couple other areas really close here so quite a few amenities and I should say some great RV spots with views of the marinas. If you need a boat launch or are into boat watching, boat watching of all kinds, this is a great place. Coos Bay is another town that's inland and it is on Coos Bay. There are a lot of amenities in town because it's a good sized town. It's also known for its historic shipbuilding. It's the largest deep draft port between San Francisco, California and Seattle, Washington. But if we go off the beaten path just a little bit out to the ocean we're going to go to Cape Arago. It's a state park with headland views and trails that lead down to tide pools and the water and sea lions living their best life here. They're in their natural habitat and you just look at how happy they are. There are hundreds of them. They're doing backflips in their cold natural jacuzzis. They're just having a great time. So fun to watch all these sea lions. On to Bandon, Oregon. Overall it checks all the boxes but for me it is all about the beach. It's incredible. It's a long beach with the most fascinating sea stack collections. It's almost like an art or sculpture gallery. Many of these sea stacks are so substantial and unique they have names like face rock, cat and kittens, the wizard, the cathedral. It's really fun to look at all these shapes and around every bend as you're walking you see something new, something interesting. It's one of those great coastal small towns that is so cute. It's got a ton of local artists and shops. Really fun to walk around. Very interesting. It also has mountain biking if you're into that. And then there's world-class oceanfront golf. There are seven different golf courses and six of them are modeled after Scottish golf courses. And let's throw in a lighthouse. Why not? This is the Coquille River Lighthouse and it's one of eight remaining lighthouses on the Oregon coast. It was constructed in 1896 and then in 1978 they did a complete restoration on it. It is available to go in. You can look around although you can't go up in the tower for safety reasons it said. So I just put my video stick in there and you can kind of see what it looks like. And this lighthouse is right on Bullard's Beach. It's part of the jetty system going into Bandon Bay. Of course you have your typical sea lions and all that but I'm gonna go look at some wild turkeys by the side of the road. What do we have here? A little family of turkeys. I'm gonna go check out the Bandon Marsh. It's a wildlife refuge. Turns out there may be more wildlife in the bars but maybe it was just the day. Earlier I promised you that I would tell you what my number one place on the coast is and I think you probably have a hint by now. Next town Port Orford. As usual there are a windsurfing mecca and another state park and a lighthouse. Let's take a quick look. Now this was a total surprise. If you have been to Hood River or the Columbia Gorge area in Oregon you've seen these kiteboarders and windsurfers. Flora Lake is a protected little lake off the beaten path with whipping ocean winds. It's right next to the ocean. It's a great little lake with kiteboarders getting huge air. Something to see. One more quick stop before Port Orford is Cape Blanco the state park and the lighthouse. It's the most western tip of Oregon. There's a historic lighthouse here but I was drawn to the beach. Very cool. Onward to Port Orford. By the way you see why they call this a National Scenic Byway. The town is one of the oldest and smallest in Oregon and the port features one of the only dolly docks in the world. It's where they hoist boats by crane to be moored on the dock. It's a very shallow bay. It's fun to watch but remember it is a working dock. The town of Gold Beach is perhaps best known for its access to the Rogue River. If you've seen the movie The River Wild, Meryl Streep, you've seen some of the Rogue River. Along with rafting there are jet boat rides to get into the super scenic areas and into the wilderness areas. You can also hike or bike up into these areas quite a ways but if you've got the need for speed you'll want to talk to Jerry's or one of the other outfitters around here. This is Gold Beach. Of course Gold Beach also has the beaches and as we drive south we're going to take a quick stop at Myers Beach area which is just south of Gold Beach. The Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor is a dramatic 12 miles long and it is jam-packed with features intertwining sand and rock and sea. If you hike this area there's lots of trails and you'll have much more access to the coves and the beaches and there's literally names like Secret Beach or you can just pull off at one of the many viewpoints. There are so many picture-perfect areas. Here's one. I'm not sure how she hiked down in her wedding dress but that's definitely going to be a good picture for the kids and the grandkids. You can see that the sky and the sun are smoky. There are a lot of forest fires, multiple forest fires burning right now in Oregon. It's kind of that season so we got lucky for most of the trip. It wasn't smoky but now it is but it kind of adds a different element with the sunsets and all of that. After sunset and that's what we find ourselves doing on a lot of the days because if you're staying in a town, a home base that is a number of miles away from the area that you want to go. For example today we're staying in Coquemill which is just east of Bandon and we wanted to do the whole Samuel Boardman area. Cruising back after dark and it gives you a whole other perspective of the coast. Wow, last town before California. Maybe I should just keep going and hit every town on the California coast. No, but here we are in Brookings. It was named for a timber company owned by John Brookings. That makes sense with the dense forests around here and the rivers to transport the timber but what's really interesting is the climate. It's considered subtropical with eight months over 50 degrees Fahrenheit. That may not seem high but this is Oregon and the Oregon coast so that's fairly high. Some call it the Chetco effect. It's near the mouth of the Chetco River. One example is Crescent City in California just a ways south of here. It logged a day in 2008 at 68 degrees. That very same day Brookings logged 108. 108 degrees. So if you're feeling chilly, head to Brookings. At the beginning of this video I stated the challenge and that was to visit every town on the Oregon coast. Here's the goal. Oregon coast two weeks. I want to hit every town on the coast. Done. This was really fun to put together. I really like to try to inspire people whether you're planning a trip or you're just sitting back enjoying the scenery. Thanks so much for coming along. If you like what I'm doing, I'd love it if you subscribed or liked this video. Quick shout out for all who made this video possible. My cat, me, and of course my driver.