Jun 2013
Florence
June 10, 2013 09:23 AM
Florence is a small seaside town on the central coast of Oregon lying at the mouth of the Siuslaw River, about fifty miles directly west of Eugene. Once a logging and fishing town, it now largely depends on tourism for survival. We’ve found this to be true of most of the smaller towns on the coast. We stayed at the Heceta Beach RV Park. The only thing positive I can say about the park is that it’s close to the beach. It’s so plain and primitive I won’t even post a picture of it.
The big draw for us was, once again, not the park or town, but the beach. A long, wide, flat, beautiful beach separates the town from the Pacific. As usual, Ann and Muffin were in heaven. I honestly think the two of them would be on the beach every day if they could.
In addition to the sandy beaches on coast, there are long stretches of rugged, rocky coastline, home to sea lions and dozens of varieties of birds. It’s a beautiful area, made even more so by the Heceta Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse has been recently restored to better than new, making it one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the country. It’s a “must see” if you ever visit Oregon’s central coast.
Florence’s old town is small, only a few blocks long, but is worth a visit if you happen through the area. Our favorite spot was the Waterfront Depot, a restaurant perched on the edge of the bay. The building was once a train station, salvaged and moved to its current spot in the old town area. Their food is outstanding and the staff one of the friendliest we’ve found. They’ll definitely get our business next time we pass through.
Finally, there’s a tiny brewery in town. The Wakonda Brewing Company is typical of many startup microbreweries. They operate on a shoestring budget, using whatever equipment they can get cheaply and depending on a lot of long hours by the staff, some of whom are unpaid. When we visited, they had a single brew, a cream ale, on tap, with two more brews fermenting. Nice folks—I wish them the best.
In closing, I have to mention Florence’s claim to fame, The Exploding Whale. Follow the link and enjoy a hilarious true story!
Alan
The big draw for us was, once again, not the park or town, but the beach. A long, wide, flat, beautiful beach separates the town from the Pacific. As usual, Ann and Muffin were in heaven. I honestly think the two of them would be on the beach every day if they could.
In addition to the sandy beaches on coast, there are long stretches of rugged, rocky coastline, home to sea lions and dozens of varieties of birds. It’s a beautiful area, made even more so by the Heceta Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse has been recently restored to better than new, making it one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the country. It’s a “must see” if you ever visit Oregon’s central coast.
Florence’s old town is small, only a few blocks long, but is worth a visit if you happen through the area. Our favorite spot was the Waterfront Depot, a restaurant perched on the edge of the bay. The building was once a train station, salvaged and moved to its current spot in the old town area. Their food is outstanding and the staff one of the friendliest we’ve found. They’ll definitely get our business next time we pass through.
Finally, there’s a tiny brewery in town. The Wakonda Brewing Company is typical of many startup microbreweries. They operate on a shoestring budget, using whatever equipment they can get cheaply and depending on a lot of long hours by the staff, some of whom are unpaid. When we visited, they had a single brew, a cream ale, on tap, with two more brews fermenting. Nice folks—I wish them the best.
In closing, I have to mention Florence’s claim to fame, The Exploding Whale. Follow the link and enjoy a hilarious true story!
Alan
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Humbug State Park
June 02, 2013 03:42 PM
We tend to avoid state parks. They’re usually pretty primitive, muddy, and crowded with weekenders and vacationers who let their kids and dogs run wild. But the last time we came down the Oregon coast, we passed by Humbug State Park and noticed that it looked different, so we decided to stop for a few days this time. I’m glad we did. The park is set at the bottom of a steep valley between Humbug Mountain and, I believe, China Mountain. Highway 101 runs through the valley, along with a creek whose name I should know but don’t. The creek empties into the ocean a few hundred yards behind the camp, making a beautiful and surprisingly private beach area. Given Ann and Muffin’s love for the beach, they’ve been in heaven. Despite the crappy weather the first four days—rain, wind, and quite cool temperatures—we bundled up and hit the beach anyway.
We’ve also visited the towns of Port Orford and Bandon while here. Port Orford is a wide spot in the road, but Bandon is a nice little costal town with a long history and some local character. Our favorite place in town was, as you might expect, the dock area. Part of the reason for its attraction was Tony’s Crab Shack, a tiny shack on the dock that serves some of the best seafood I’ve had in a long time. We became regulars.
Other than that, we’ve mostly relaxed and caught up on our reading and such. We also did another housecleaning pass through the motorhome and car, finding a lot of things that we left at the trash bins, all of which was soon picked up and recycled by others in the park. That makes throwing things away feel a little less wasteful. We plan to drop a few hundred more pounds of stuff into our storage building when we pass through Denver. Maybe then we’ll finally be able to get the motorhome straightened up and livable.
Tomorrow we head to Florence, OR for a weeklong stay. Humbug has been fun, but it’s going to be good to get back to civilization.
Alan
We’ve also visited the towns of Port Orford and Bandon while here. Port Orford is a wide spot in the road, but Bandon is a nice little costal town with a long history and some local character. Our favorite place in town was, as you might expect, the dock area. Part of the reason for its attraction was Tony’s Crab Shack, a tiny shack on the dock that serves some of the best seafood I’ve had in a long time. We became regulars.
Other than that, we’ve mostly relaxed and caught up on our reading and such. We also did another housecleaning pass through the motorhome and car, finding a lot of things that we left at the trash bins, all of which was soon picked up and recycled by others in the park. That makes throwing things away feel a little less wasteful. We plan to drop a few hundred more pounds of stuff into our storage building when we pass through Denver. Maybe then we’ll finally be able to get the motorhome straightened up and livable.
Tomorrow we head to Florence, OR for a weeklong stay. Humbug has been fun, but it’s going to be good to get back to civilization.
Alan
Please feel free to leave comments below. You’ll be required to select a user ID and to provide your email address. I promise not to use your email address for any purpose other than essential personal communications. If you need help, click here.