Oregon | Wandering With Purpose

Mar 20

Thank You Fortuna

Over the weekend we relocated from Alfred A. Loeb State Park to Harris Beach State Campground, a quick 20 minute drive away. Reservations are not accepted so I was a bit nervous taking a chance at this park, especially since we would be surrendering such a great spot – one we could have kept another seven days before exceeding the maximum stay limit. Nevertheless we decided to risk it.

The picture above confirms that Fortuna (Roman Goddess of chance, luck and fate) must have been rooting for us, as we managed to snag this sweet ocean view site … on a Saturday morning no less!

Once settled, we took advantage of low tide, walking the beach with Lilly – who immediately began to frolic in the waves, something she tremendously enjoys and which always make us smile.

Mar 16

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Window Office

window picture

We’ve settled nicely into our Oregon state park campsite. And, as evidenced by the picture above, there has been no complaining about the office views. In fact, it will be a damn shame leaving this serene site when we move onwards to the next place.

But then again, this is Oregon and there is no shortage of spectacular.

Mar 12

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Oregon!

Just when I’d grown tired of pumping my own gas … Oregon to the rescue.

I’d been looking forward to spending extended time in this Pacific Northwest wonderland for years and today we said goodbye to California and crossed into Oregon – one of my favorite places. Almost instantly my mood improved .. the air smells better, the water tastes better, and thanks to Oregon State Statute 480.330, I have an extended break from pumping my own gas.

Today we drove about 2.5hours to north into Brookings, a small(ish) town just across the CA/OR border and settled in at Alfred A. Loeb State Park, a few miles outside of town.

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While always subject to change, our plan for now is to remain in the state through end of July; a rough travel outline is pictured below (clockwise).

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May 25

PCT

Kelly and I both took Friday off from work, and amongst other things, our plan was to find a nice morning hike. Following an unnecessarily lengthy review of potential candidates, we settled on the Pacific Crest Trail. Sure, the logistics of driving only 15 minutes to the nearest trailhead could not have been easier, but in actuality, its hard to feel that we actually ‘settled’.

The PCT is the most widely used north/south long-distance hiking trail on the western portion of the United States, and those who choose to follow its path will view some of the most beautiful scenery there is to be seen.

Map of the PCT

With Canada and Mexico as bookends, the trail spans 2,663 miles through California, Oregon, and Washington and is closely aligned with the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges. Not in a position to hike the entire trail on Friday, we spent three hours exploring an out and back section.

The trailhead we used for access was just off an old logging road and I’m guessing receives moderate usage. We saw only one other party (two people total) which made for a very enjoyable morning on the trails.