Road Trip: Driving North along the Oregon Coast

 

Seagulls on the beach at Bandon, OR

The final stretch of our road trip took us along the Oregon Coast from Bandon to Astoria.  Every Pacific coast beach seems unique in some way — different from its neighbors near or far away.  Part of our drive took us through the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, giving us a taste of a landscape with high, wind-sculpted dunes.

Here are some photos from our drive along Highway 101 in Oregon:

Evening arrival in Bandon, Oregon — fog banks and gray

Sunrise in Bandon, OR

Coquille River Lighthouse

Bandon, Oregon mural

Logging country (One day we counted 24 logging trucks during our drive)

Reedsport, Oregon

Conde B McCullough Memorial Bridge north of Coos Bay

Landscape near Dean Elk Viewing Station in Reedsport

Queen Anne’s Lace along roadside

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

Biker at viewpoint along Hwy 101

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Old House Dahlia Farm in the Tillamook Valley

 

 

Road Trip to Shasta Lake

“Rat and Mole and Humphrey stood on the platform and waved their handkerchiefs and shouted their good-byes until Toad disappeared around the bend.  Then they turned and headed back home, each with that vague feeling of flatness one inevitably feels after waving a friend off on a journey that entails new horizons and novel adventures, leaving one behind in a smaller, staler world.”
— Jacqueline Kelly, Return to the Willows

Rest stop near Weed, California

This time it was our turn to venture off to new horizons, leaving behind — for a few days anyway — our smaller, staler world.  My husband and I went on a four-day weekend drive down I-5 to Redding, California.  We had booked no hotels in advance, and we had just a very rough itinerary.  George wanted to check out Shasta Lake as a possible future bass fishing destination.  We both needed to simply get away and leave our work behind.

As frequently happens, we spent too many hours in the car covering the miles and not enough time relaxing at a destination.  Still, the scenery was interesting because it was different from our home landscape.  I had forgotten how I-5 goes up and down like a roller coaster in southern Oregon and northern California.  I loved seeing oaks and more deciduous trees from the truck window.  Even the evergreens were a change from our Washington Douglas firs — pine trees seemed to dominate.  It was more arid than Seattle, and it was sunny and hot.  The sun seemed to shine brighter, perhaps because there is less pollution here than in our urban metropolis.

Arid landscape, northern California near Weed

We drove as far as Ashland, Oregon the first night.  Ashland is home to the famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and we were lucky to score two tickets to Into the Woods, which we watched in the outdoor Elizabethan theater under the stars.

The next day’s drive took us past Mount Shasta.  At 14,179 feet, this is the second highest mountain in the Cascade Range (Mount Rainier is higher).  We took the time to drive up to Panther Meadows just at the tree line, and the views were spectacular.

The road goes about 12 miles up Mount Shasta

Long view from Mount Shasta

Nearing Panther Meadows

Mount Shasta

Ground squirrel (or chipmunk)

Panther Meadows

Mount Shasta

We took a quick side trip to Lake Siskiyou, and we saw a bear cub crossing the road there!

Lake Siskiyou with reflections

Bear cub walking across the road (photo taken through dirty windshield)

When we reached Shasta Lake, we were astonished at the low water level.  The boat launches ended in dirt.  This area is suffering from drought, but in addition to the dry summer, it had been a winter with very little snow pack.  Hence the reservoirs and rivers were very low.

Notice the paved boat launch in the upper left of this photo — it ends many, many feet from the water level.

The shore of Shasta Lake

What is normally a huge lake has been diminished by the drought.  Still, the blue-green water against the reddish-orange cliffs made for some beautiful scenery.

A few houseboats on Shasta Lake

Mount Shasta peeking above Shasta Lake

Fishing looked like a bust this year, but before leaving Redding, we walked through Shasta State Historic Park, the ruins of a gold-rush town.

Shasta State Historic Park

We also checked out the Pilgrim Congregational Church, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  It was just about impossible to get an exterior photo because the building is sited into the hillside and I couldn’t find an angle to frame a shot.  The building was locked, but some volunteers who were setting up for a festival allowed me entry and gave me a brief orientation.  There were no pews, simply chairs that could easily be set up or taken down.  When I was inside, the interior was taken over by crafts booths. But I could see the mosaic-like stained glass windows and the ceiling beams.

Model of Pilgrim Congregational Church, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

And finally, we walked across the Sundial Bridge, which reminded me of a giant stringed instrument.

Sundial Bridge, Redding, CA

There is something special about bridges.  They are such engineering marvels.  And wonderful symbols of connection and romance.  On the drive back home, we stopped in Sweet Home, Oregon, to see an historic covered bridge over Grave Creek.

Covered bridge in Sweet Home, OR

And we saw another old, arched bridge over the North Umpqua River near Roseburg, Oregon.

I-5 bridge over the North Umpqua River

From Eugene, Oregon, we drove west to the Pacific Coast.  Oregon’s coast is dotted with state parks, great beaches, and wild scenery.

Heceta Head Lighthouse, Oregon coast

We spent far too little time at Shasta Lake and the Oregon Coast.  Both destinations would be worthy of long stays.  Perhaps one day we will rent a houseboat for a week on Lake Shasta, or a house at the Pacific Ocean.