Honey Bear By the Sea

One has to simply look west or east to find something fun to do. To the west, vast, mighty Pacific yawns alongside the Oregon coast. Beachcomb or search tidepools for curious little critters, fish, and other sea life. Fishermen can join the crabbers and clammers. There’s room for all. Anglers can expect to catch a wide variety of fish, including delicious tuna and rockfish. Alternatively, cast one’s eyes to the horizons. Whales and dolphins swim past this stretch of coast on their very long journey to their hunting or nesting grounds. Some species cover thousands of miles. Launch into the water itself. Helped by the brisk trade winds, windsurfing and sailing are popular pastimes. All-day, swift, light crafts zip up and down the coast, carried aloft by light, constant breezes. Kayaks and stand-up boards are also common vehicles, though the inexperienced may struggle initially to get past the waves. Once there, the water is calm though deep.

To the east, the high Cascades Mountain range peeks up from behind the foothills. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, which encompasses a large majority of the mountains in this area, covers nearly two million acres of wilderness. This national forest is home to some of the original old-growth forests, and one grove can be found near Port Orford, OR. The world’s tallest pine tree, a towering 268.4 feet, is found in this national forest, too. Opportunities for recreational fun abounds, ranging from hiking to off-roading to hang gliding. Adventurers may find themselves sharing the trails, which serpentines several hundred miles through dense woods, with animals like black bears, deer, and even an occasional wolf.

Deep in the heart of the mountains, there is plenty of watery fun to be had, too. Fish, boat, or go whitewater rafting. Rogue River is famous for its rapids, occasionally achieving a difficulty rating of class IV right after snowmelt. It typically fluctuates between Class III and II, depending on the time of the year and whether there has been recent rainfall.

Join the other rubberneckers and hop into a rental motorhome and hit the Oregon coastal scenic byway. As the long, winding road zips by scenic beaches, it’ll pass through small charming towns. Gold Beach is well known for its slower pace, quirky art scene, and the annual Curry County Fair, which typically occurs in July. Coos Bay is famous for its sea stacks, an intriguing set of rocks that rise from the sea. Roughly conical, the rocks were shaped by thousands of years of waves pounding at it.

Port Orford is very nearly seceded from the United States, but fortunately (or not, some disgruntled locals will say), the plans were thwarted when the United States was drawn into World War II. The town is a blend of fishing and arty town. Buy fresh fish right off the docks in the morning stroll into the town (after finding refrigeration for it) to browse art galleries, crafters’ shops, and coffee roasters. Also close by is the Prehistoric Gardens, which is a funky fusion of adventure and science. Visitors can stroll through a jungle-like setting and search for cartoonish life-sized dinosaurs that are seemingly ready to pounce.